Shure SE420 Sound-Isolating Earphones (White)

Preface: I am a medical scientist and performed a scientific comparison (as best I could) of the SE310, SE420, and SE530 Shure earphones. I used an iPod Touch 3G, playing mp3s encoded at 256 mbps. I listened to various types of music, including classical (Mendelssohn), pop (Lady Gaga), rock (Rodrigo y Gabriela), and "alternative" (Regina Spektor).

Analysis:
Comfort - This is an under-appreciated quality of earphones because - no matter how good a pair sounds - comfort will always get you in the end. The SE530s and SE420s are more comfortable than the SE320s. I'm not sure why this is, but it is probably a combination of factors. One, the actual plastic tubes that the sound comes out of are larger in the SE420s and 530s, making them less "pokey" when placing them in your ears. Two, though the SE310s are smaller and lighter, the do not nestle into the ear as well and thus the fit is less secure.

Style - Try to get the black earphones of any of these...Read more

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...Read more

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...Read more