18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
E2, E3, SE420--all good choices
As I indicated in a prior review, I purchased some E3's to upgrade from my E2 when I bought a new ipod. I loved the E2's and as expected the E3 were even better--with more definition at all frequencies and sound levels.
Earbuds (or plugs) definitely have some sweet fit spots to get optimal bass and avoid some tinniness that you can hear when they are not...
SE420 - A Step In A Different Direction
The Shure SE420 may be a dual driver design but it does not sound as so. I purchased these earphones to upgrade from my older pair of Shure E3c's and I was expecting to hear a quality difference between a wideband driver vs a dual driver design. I was shocked after spending time with these that suffice it to say they don't sound any different from my older pair. I had the...
As I indicated in a prior review, I purchased some E3's to upgrade from my E2 when I bought a new ipod. I loved the E2's and as expected the E3 were even better--with more definition at all frequencies and sound levels.
Earbuds (or plugs) definitely have some sweet fit spots to get optimal bass and avoid some tinniness that you can hear when they are not inserted or sitting correctly in your ear. Shure provides a number of ear plug options to help everyone find something they like.
Now, I have compared the E3, the SE420, and my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones sitting in the rear of a jet while traveling (next to the engine). The less expensive E3 beat out the Bose headphones with better high and middle end definition and equivalent outside sound isolation. The Bose headphones have a bit better low end.. but nothing is bone shaking with earphones or headphones anyway. I almost think that the Bose headphones seem muddy in the mid and upper end after listening to the E3 and SE420. The SE420, in my opinion has a richer sounding mid end then the E3, while handily beating the Bose headphones. I think that the bass and most of the high end frequencies are about the same in the E3 and SE420--maybe pushing your budget to purchase the E3 or equivalent... since the E3 cost $179 or so, and the SE420 cost $350.
As for Shure customer service--I had a suspected loose wire in one of the E3 earphones (used for 8 months) leading to dropouts when I would move my head. I got a return form off the Shure website--filled it out and sent it along with a copy of my receipt to Shure. Within 10 days, they had sent out a completely new pair at no charge. THAT is great service. In the meantime I purchased the SE420's while I was waiting for my E3 "repair". I just had to have another pair and my budget could tolerate a higher price point.
I understand why price does come into some consideration on rating, and $350 (at an Apple retail store) is pretty high end for earphones, but considering these SE420's sound better (to me) than the E3--I am only rating sound quality. With price considered, the SE420 would probably only get a 4, simply because the E3 is a great value.
I would recommend the entire line of Shure earphones, buying whichever one best fits your budget.
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The Shure SE420 may be a dual driver design but it does not sound as so. I purchased these earphones to upgrade from my older pair of Shure E3c's and I was expecting to hear a quality difference between a wideband driver vs a dual driver design. I was shocked after spending time with these that suffice it to say they don't sound any different from my older pair. I had the chance to try out a pair of SE210's as well and I think the SE210's sounded the same as well. Sound is hard to really put into words though so everyone is subjective to there own opinion and experience. However I would like to add that I did my listening experience with these earphones during the day for a few hours and during the night for 6 hours. Day vs Nightime listening is the tests I put these through and for me I am able to hear clearer when I am relaxed so nightime was when I was hopeful to hear a difference but overall I did not hear anything new I could during the day. The bass and midrange don't seem to have any noticeable difference with the added driver vs a single driver design. I tried listening through several sources and it did not make a difference but overall I used a CD player as that was the highest quality source I had.
Comfort wise though the SE series from Shure is much more comfortable to place in your ear and comes with a greater variety of eartips. You don't have to squish the foam tips to place them in your ears. Rather you can just insert them with a bit of a twist. The cables are nice and sturdy and would take some effort to really break so they can stand up to abuse.
Perhaps you might buy these earphones even so and I still recommend you give them a try if you want. You never know how they will sound until you hear them but as for my experience these dual driver earphones don't sound as though they are dual drivers to my ears!
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***Please see updated at the end of the review.****
Recently purchased the SE420s after using the SE310s and the Jays q-Jays. Wanted to try another set of dual driver headphones to compare to the q-Jays and was interested in the comparison between the SE310s.
The SE420s provide as much of the clarity as the SE310s but adds the bass that was missing. With the SE310s, I need to change the EQ to rock to get the sound that I wanted. With the SE420s, I do not need to do this which is a good thing.
Compared to the q-Jays, I feel the SE420s edge them out in terms of quality of sound. The SE420s provide a better sound stage and it's easier to locate instruments while listening to my music. The only downside is that the SE420s are probably 3 times the size of the q-Jays.
Also, the new version of the SE420s that I received came with an extension cable that fits the recessed jack for the Apple iPhone. This was a nice surprise. Shure must be doing this for all of their latest headphone extension cords.
Price was right as I was able to pick up the SE420s for $250 shipped from an eBay reseller of Shure headphones. I thought the $250 was a good deal from the $300+ that you usually see for these headphones.
***Updated***
Found an awesome deal on the Shure SE530s ($50 more than what I paid for the SE420s). After careful comparison, I've decided to sell my SE420s and keep the SE530s. For the $50 premium, I feel the SE530s are the better deal. The fit isn't as flush the SE530s, but they are still comfortable to use and the sound is absolutely amazing! If you have the money and keep looking, you can find the SE530s for under $300. The SE530s also came with a new modular cable that works with the iPhone.
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I originally purchased some Bose Quiet Comfort 3 earphones, but returned them and bought these instead, and am generally glad that I did. The pure sound quality on these is better than the Bose. The only area where the Bose might be better is if you want to listen to some really loud pounding bass, although the Shure's have good bass in my opinion. I have tried both these and the Bose on airplanes and commuter trains, and I think the noise cancelling of the Bose is only slighter better than the noise deafening that these provide. If you have the Shures on even medium volume, you won't hear any airplane or trains noises. Turned off, the Bose will probably block a little more sound. But these are about 1/20 of the size, and can fit into a small purse if you wanted or in the side pocket of your work bag, while the Bose are huge, both to transport and to wear. That is the real difference in my mind - that, and the pure sound is better with these.
My only complaints are that it really takes some time to learn to fit them just right to your ear. If you don't have them fitted just right, you lose half the sound quality and sound isolation. Sometimes if you jerk your head quickly one of the phones might get pulled a little out, and you have to spend 30 seconds tinkering with it to get the earplug sealed just right again. If not for that, I would give these 5 stars.
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After doing a ton of research on In-Ear Monitors, and comparing the E4c's, the Etymotic E4-P, and several other models, I decided to go with the SE420s. It took me a while to get used to these IEMs, since I had previously been using some Etymotic E6i's. These SE420s have a much wider sound stage, with great bass and midtones. It has taken me some time to get used to the rolled-off treble that is characteristic of the Shure line. However, after experimenting with the different sizes of foam inserts, I finally was able to "lock-in" the sound with these 420s...and, I must say, it is definitely worth the time that it takes to get them right.
I listen to an extremely wide variety of music, from classical to electronica, to pop, to rock...you name it, I've tried it with these 'phones. I'm really happy with the satisfying bass that these produce. Mind you, it is definitely not overpowering like some might like, but it feels overall tonally balanced, and for headphones as small as these, it is quite remarkable. What really wowed me as I've broken these in has been the clearness and sophistication of the midtones that these IEMs produce. It feels like there is such a concentration on bass and treble (essentially, the extremes) these days, that really good-sounding midtones are harder and harder to come by. That is certainly not the case here. And speaking of treble, I definitely would not call these overly bright, but after I worked to get the SE420s fitted right, I am happy with the higher-frequency characteristics of these IEMs. The treble is not "in-your-face" but is definitely well-balanced and just "sounds right." And I found that turning up the volume slightly on my sources helped to bring out the high-end better, while never distorting the low end. This is probably just part of the sound characteristics of these IEMs.
Overall, I feel like the SE420's are worth the 5 stars. I admit that patience is necessary to get them fitted right and broken in, but if you are willing to work with them, at this price segment, they really are great.
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I gave up on the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 after having 3 pairs break. I had read several positive professional and user reviews regarding Shure earphones and decided to give the SE420 a try. I have used them for about 3 months now in the office and on airplanes, including long-haul flights. The noise blocking is excellent - my co-workers and flight attendant have been super-annoyed because they have difficulty getting my attention when I wear them - the noise isolation is that good. I thought the Shure earphone noise isolation worked better than the Bose QC2 noise-canceling. The sound quality seems better, too, but I'm not enough of an audiophile to comment on the nuances.
The Shure SE420's performance and comfort is dependent on selecting an ear sleeve with good fit and comfort and properly adjusting the position in the ear -- else, the sound quality is rather mediocre. But fitted and adjusted properly, the performance is amazing.
The earphone case is much more compact than the Bose QC2 and I do not have to carry spare batteries with me. Another advantage of the SE420 over the QC2.
The reasons I am not giving the SE420 5 stars are: 1). The extra time it takes to get just the right adjustment for optimal performance and 2). The price is rather high. But, given the opportunity to do it all over again, I would have skipped the Bose QC2 and have gone only with the Shure SE420.
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I lost my previous pair of canalphones, Sony MDR-EX90LP, and decided to purchase some really high end canalphones. (or in ear monitors or IEMs as I will refer to them from now on) I purchased a pair of the Shure SE420 IEMs and haven't regretted the purchase for a second.
These IEMs sound absolutely incredible. They sound is so clear and detailed that I notice new details in songs that I had listened to dozens if not hundreds of time. In a complex musical passage it is easy to follow every note of a single instrument which is not an easy feat with most headphones. Some may argue that the bass is a little on the weak side with these IEMs but I would beg to differ, I find it extremely precise and detailed, never boomy or bloated. I will admit that these sound a little thin (bass shy) when hooked up to my iPod Nano but when I hook them up to my portable headphone amp they really wake up and sound incredible. These IEMs prompted me to order a new portable mp3 player based on sound quality (the Sony NWZA818) because these IEMs revealed the sonic shortcomings of the Nano clear as day. If you are willing to spend the money, I think you will be happy with these IEMs, I know I am!
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I've had the SE420's for about a month now and they are out of this world. I was looking to buy the 530's but just couldn't justify the steep price. I found these babies new online for about $215.00 and words can not describe the pure musicality of these IEM. For all the folks that complain about bass response, this is more user error than a issue with the 420's. Being that I have a Zune, I don't have the luxury of having a EQ, which is fine with me. The 420's give you exactly whats recorded. To quote the 1970's R&B Funk group the Ohio Players "Heaven Must Be Like This".
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No flowery audiophile technobabble in this review:
The good: These were the best earphones I ever tested. They sound great. Super happy with them and I would have given 5 stars, but now its 4.5 because:
The bad (not so bad though): About 2 weeks later decided to get another set so both me and the wife had a pair. Ended up going with the 530 for an extra ~$70. In side by side tests both of us prefer the 530 (slightly) so I'd give that 5 stars.
Bottom line: you may not agree on the 0.5 star difference, but even if you do, whether it is worth $70 is debatable. The 420 still has great sound. Just make sure you check all the supplied buds to find the one that fits best in your ear - the sound really depends on the fit.
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I purchased a $5 pair of generic headphones for my trip to Seattle as I had left my Bang and Olufson earbuds in the wash the night before (not the first time, but I one of the drivers was tragically ruined this time around.) Of course I was saddened to be brought back into the world of the common person's music experience. I had raved about the B&O's for so long, and now, they were gone!!! :(
Needless to say, the $5 head phones I bought lasted me an hour; before getting caught on the seat, ripping the wires. While in the DFW airport I went looking for some headphones to rival my B&O's. Low and behold I came across a store with every headphone you could think of. I was like a kid in a candy store. I had no cash in my bank account (student loans ughhh) so I was looking to spend $99. I tried them all and found they couldn't beat my B&O's. So I looked into the more expensive ones, thinking to myself, I can wait and save for a set later and go without for the trip.
I came across the Bose line (all of which I could never recommend to a friend.) So I hit up the Sennheiser and the UE lines and didn't like anything below $1000!!! So I came across the Shure line. I tried them all on. After having about 15 different IEM's in my ears (not just Shures), I came across the 420's and the 530's. While I had no words for the 530's quality I did have a heavy gasp when I heard the price. I wanted them so badly, but the $420's were only $350, and I must say, there was a noticeable difference between the two, but as far as the price to sound quality goes, these IEM's took the cake. The 420's beat out everything I had heard up until the 530's. Having fallen in love with them, I bought them on the spot with my credit card.
Looking back on it, I wish I had bought the 530's instead. I love my 420's, don't get me wrong! But my next pair will be the future equivilant to the 530's. I should look into trading up if they'll let me do that.
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