Klipsch Image Vs. Shure SE530 Earbuds. Which is better?

I can't imagine anyone spending that kind of money for a pair of earbuds for use with any MP3 Player. I purchased a pair of Shure ER 6i earbuds for somewhere around $100 and never wear them. The sound is crap to me. I prefer a pair of PX 100 headphones for my music (around $40-50 on Amazon) or I use a pair of Sony EX51LP earbuds (about $25-30 Amazon) while listening in bed. To me they sound good and are much better than the Shure ER6i. If I roll over, they don't hurt my ears and if I ruin the cords by pulling on them too hard, I don't cry when I have to spend more money to replace the buds.
Remember that earbuds don't last forever. Most of the reviews I have used have come from Amazon. The forums at Creative have really helped with user reviews on best headphones and earbuds to use with their MP3 Players. I wish you luck, but don't equate spending huge amounts of money with getting quality earbuds.

Yes, those Sony earbuds sound as good as it will get with the mp3 medium we are talking about here. And pocket the $200 bucks for a decent turntable. The reason I say this is I own a pair of DJ Studio Quality old-style Sony headphones, appx $250, and have compared it with the $50 earbuds. The range is just not there so the sound is not $200 better.

...especially since the 6i is NOT a model number used by Shure. It is however a model number used by Etymotic. Ouch; didn't know what you bought?

Helps to get your story straight to establish ANY credibility with anything else you have to say.

As for any inability to spend serious presidents on earphones...get real. Just like full-sized speakers, a good set of cans is critical to getting a great sound. I do agree that Senn's PX100 is an exceptional-sounding headphone design; they have an excellent, open sound straight out of the box that just mellows and becomes velvety smooth with usage and break-in.

But it's not like they don't have drawbacks. They have a large form-factor compared to any set of buds or canals, meaning that for many they're far more of a hassle to haul around. Discrete usage isn't an option, unless you have long hair. And their open design means that they don't isolate; intrusive ambient sounds are easy to hear and your own listening material played through them at higher levels is VERY public as well. Chances are that the typical bud/canal user isn't interested in over-ear cans for one if not all of those reasons.

Back to the subject at hand that started this thread...as for in-ear monitors; I agree with Sanjay's post on the branch below. There are in-ears and then there are IN-EARS. Guttenberg's review of the Klipsch Image would make me pass, regardless of how they thump on the low end. Sound has to be balanced, and while Etys aren't very good at reproducing low frequencies with any sort of oomph, their other virtues with mid and upper range detail and precision are highly valued by me. Which is why I'd recommend the Shure SE530 over the Image. When it comes to canals that I've used, I truly CAN'T live without my E500/SE530 set; stepping back to lessor designs is a serious backwards step. They are an excellent compromise between detail and bass. And no, I don't have a problem paying more for them than I did my iPod or Zune, just like I've never had a problem paying more for speakers than any of my electronics, home and mobile; you don't skimp on your output devices, PERIOD, because those do the most in impacting what you'll hear. As important as having a good amp is (and it IS important in getting the best possible sound, even for headphones), the speaker driver imparts its virtues (and flaws) more forcefully than any nuances that an amplifier will ever do.

Mr. Miyagi, I have found balance. Might work for Daniel-san as well.

When the right ear housing of my cherished E500 set broke (the housing snapped at the thin trumpet that connects the main body to the in-ear tip), the downtime when I sent it back to Shure was simply intolerable. I used my Super.fi 5 Pros and V-moda Vibe (another bass-heavy design) and couldn't wait for my replacements to arrive. The SE530 Shure sent back (virtually identical to the E500 except for the model number and a number of different tip designs they supply with the unit) was like reliving fond memories with a long-lost old friend; it's that good. Doesn't matter if the source material is compressed; there's no comparison, even against my well-broken in, silky-sounding PX100 set that I also cherish and will NEVER AGAIN take out of the house because of how long it took to break this set in to achieve their current level of smoothness).

In straight up sonic comparisons with traditional over-ear sets, I admit I'd choose a good over-ear design over the Shure set, but I'd also NEVER haul around my Senn HD650s and amp with my MP3 player. The Shures do take a big bite out of the charge card, but once you've heard them, you're hooked for life.

Or at least until the next super canal set comes along.

The 6i's are made by Etymotic Research not Sure. The Ety's suck the Sure SE530's are top better than most. Also mp3 audio files are as bad as you make them. AAC is better my iPod is all uncompressed audio and a great earphone is not wasted on harsh compression. The masses don't care about what they don'rt understand.

No one ever went broke under estimating the bad taste of the American public.

one thing. the Er6i aren't even made by shure...and MP3 players are not crap. Just that people who put the files in the MP3 scuk in the first place. If you rip it yourself at a high quality size. my music files go up to 15mb, none of them are below 13mb. They sound as good as they could be...except live performance that is.