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Shure SE420-K Sound Isolating Earphones (Black) | List Price: $399.99
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Shure
Binding: Electronics
Warranty: 2 years warranty
Features: - Dual speakers for deeper bass and spaciousness
- Dual TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers: Dedicated Tweeter and Woofer
- Sound Isolation Technology reduces background noise better than noise-cancelling headphones, without batteries or added hiss
- Premium Fit Kit including a selection of interchangeable sleeves for personalized, comfortable fit; 3' extension cable; premium carrying case; volume control; ΒΌ adapter; airline adapter
- Modular Cable Design lets users choose different cable lengths to suit different music player locations (armband, pocket etc.)
SE420 - A Step In A Different Direction [Posted on 2008-01-11]
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!
Respectable upgrade from the SE310 and q-Jays [Posted on 2008-01-23]
***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.
3?!?!? Come on...the 420 rocks!!! [Posted on 2008-05-05]
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.
Very nice sound and better than the Bose QuietComfort [Posted on 2008-05-14]
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.
Simply Awesome - Music Nirvanna!!! [Posted on 2008-06-09]
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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