Shure SE420 Sound Isolating Earphones (black)

Manufacturer: Shure Inc. Part number: SE420-K

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CNET Editor rating:
4.0 stars Excellent
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 6 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: You can't go wrong with Shure's SE420 earphones, despite their high price tag--unless you have the money to buy the SE530s, their more expensive cousins.

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CNET editors' review

Shure SE420 Sound Isolating Earphones (black)

price range: $332.49 - $349.99

Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
Edited by: Jasmine France
Reviewed on: 09/05/2007

The good: The Shure SE420 earphones offer high-quality sound from a dual-driver design. They come with a nice compliment of accessories, and the eartips block out a lot of ambient noise.

The bad: The Shure SE420s are expensive, and are a tad large for earbuds. For such pricey 'buds, the SE420s are also a bit bass-shy. Some people might not like the feel of the earplug-like fit.

The bottom line: You can't go wrong with Shure's SE420 earphones, despite their high price tag--unless you have the money to buy the SE530s, their more expensive cousins.

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When it comes to audio, most people don't spend enough on speakers or headphones. Despite the fact that your headphones are the pieces of the puzzle that actually make the sound that you hear, the vast majority of the people I see around New York City have nasty $10 earbuds hooked up to an iPod or Creative Zen, players which cost hundreds of dollars. If your headphones can't faithfully reproduce the sounds that your music player creates, then you're not getting the most out of your player. A really nice set of headphones, such as Shure's SE420 earphones, can deliver more of the sound that a good music player can produce than the cheap 'buds that often come with one.

Like the other models in Shure's earphone lines, the SE420s are sound-isolating earphones, which means they have a sleeve that slips onto the end of each earbud to block out a large portion of the noise around you, so you can hear your music more clearly. That also means that you don't need to turn up your music to block out that noise and can listen to music at more reasonable, comfortable levels. I can almost hear audiologists the world over cheering right now, but since I have the SE420s in my ears, I only hear my music. Each set of SE420s comes with Shure's Premium Accessories Kit, which includes three sizes of foam and flex sleeves, one pair of one-size-fits-all flanged sleeves, a 3-foot extender cable, an airline adapter, a 1/8- to 1/4-inch adapter, an in-line volume control attachment, and a nice oval case into which you can stuff it all.

Shure's earphones are meant to be worn with the cable strung over your ears, around the back of your head and down your back. This can be strange for some people, but it is ultimately a nice way to wear headphones and can be quite stealthy if you run the cable down the back of a jacket, for example. It also makes it easy to run the cable into a backpack, if you have one with a headphone cable port. The main Y-cable measures 18 inches, so you won't end up with too much dangling cable if you like to keep your player in a bag or wear it strapped to your arm; the extender gives you flexibility if you want a longer run. And Shure uses a thicker cable than do a lot of earbuds, so the cables should stand up to the rigor of normal use. Being a drummer, I'm used to the feel of earplugs, and Shure's foam tips are very comfortable for me. However, some people might find them uncomfortable. The other tips included provide options if you don't like the foam version, but it might be worth trying on the SE420s first to see if you like the feel.

The SE420 earphones' sound comes courtesy of a pair of Shure's TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers (aka drivers) inside each earbud. A tiny crossover inside each earbud separates an audio signal into high and low frequencies, so each driver isn't saddled with reproducing the entire audio frequency range, which can be quite taxing for such a small speaker. All this technical wizardry pays off in the form of amazing sound quality. While the SE420s don't offer nearly as much bass as their bigger, more expensive cousins, the SE530s, they certainly offer more than do most earbuds. Similarly, the SE420s tend to roll off the highest frequencies, so cymbals don't have quite as much shimmer or sizzle as they can with some headphones. However, more important than either of these two facts is the exceptional sound quality from the SE420s. Even when faced with very low frequencies, the earphones don't distort. Instead, they reproduce what they can faithfully, so while the lowest bass registers might not be as loud as with some high-priced earphones, it's still tight, clean, and wonderfully musical. Too often this isn't the case, and that's what makes these earphones worth their expensive price tag.

I have to admit that when I listened to Radiohead's Kid A, my pampered ears did miss some of the low-end I get from the fancy studio monitors I have at home and from my pair of Shure E5cs that I've had for years now--but I was still blown away by the smooth sound of the SE420s' midrange and their ability to cleanly deliver so many different sounds distinctly, so much so that you can pick out each note from a barrage of sound. This lent "Treefingers" all of the hauntingly delicate mood it demands. Likewise, listening to Jerry Garcia's and David Grisman's performance of "Russian Lullaby," from their eponymous album, was a joy. Garcia's guitar and Grisman's mandolin danced deftly with and around each other, each retaining its own space within the mix, while every cascading note jumps forth with all the punch and life that those old codgers infused them with in the first place. I was even able to hear their fingers slide across the strings on the fretboards. It's just too bad 'ol Jer's fingers aren't around to do that anymore.

If you've got the money to spend, you can't go wrong with Shure's SE420 earphones. Bass addicts might complain that the sound doesn't extend to the almost subsonic depths reached by the SE530s or other larger, full-sized headphones. However, if you like your bass tight and clear, and appreciate the smooth, creamy midrange and crisp high-end that the SE420s can deliver, then you'll likely easily overlook the slightly truncated low frequencies. Add to this Shure's two-year warranty and you've got a very appealing offer. Plus, Shure has been known to simply replace a defective product--sometimes even replacing it with a newer model once an old model goes away. Now, you'll have to excuse me as I pick my jaw up off the floor, as I've been letting the SE420s deliver a stunning reproduction of Garcia's and Grisman's "Arabia" as I wrote this final paragraph.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 6 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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7 stars

Get custom ear molds

by mejewell on September 12, 2007

Pros: Haven't yet tried, but have patients who have

Cons: Very expensive

Summary: I'm a hearing aid provider and my wife is an audiologist. One of her interns also did a study documenting the potential for hearing damage with earphones.
Tom Merritts
...

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Summary: I'm a hearing aid provider and my wife is an audiologist. One of her interns also did a study documenting the potential for hearing damage with earphones.
Tom Merritts abstract is partially correct - if headphones don't block out noise, users typically turn up the volume to possibly damaging sound levels. And, unless you have pretty round, and pretty straight ear canals (most people don't), earphones can be uncomfortable over time.
Custom ear molds with good quality standard earphones may provide excellent quality sound at about half the cost. Custom molds (cost + or - $150) significantly dampen external noise AND present the sound closer to the ear drum, giving you a cleaner sound at a much lower volume. Couple the custom molds with a standard, high quality ear bud ear phone ($40?), and for less than $200, you have great sound - and less chance for ear damage.
OR go first class (for both your ears and your wallet)- we fit patients with custom molds made specifically for Shure earphones (we use Westone Laboratories). First class sound, first class fit - & happy ears. Only drawback is that you'll have to go to your Audiologist or Hearing Aid Provider to have the custom molds fit.

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4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Awesome. Better than the SE530s.

by hatbum on September 5, 2008

Pros: Deep true sound. Fantastic fit. The foam earphone sleeves once you have the correct size are excellent. Not bad to train with and you can fit the iPhone mic accessory.

Cons: Expensive but these are the only ones you will ever need.

Summary: You read a lot of reviews on earphones and they are really mixed. I have bought a lot, mainly whilst traveling and you seem to able to get them cheap ...

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Summary: You read a lot of reviews on earphones and they are really mixed. I have bought a lot, mainly whilst traveling and you seem to able to get them cheap in places like HK. The US is also very good. So I've build a collection. I topped it off with the SE530s and was dissapointed. I'm not an audiophile so can't explain why. I did buy a set of UE Pro 10s and the sound quality was better than the SE530s but the fit was terrible. I was able to return them within the required period to an Apple shop. I have smaller ear canals and I found that the UEs fell out. Realistically earphones are a very personal preference. For me the 420s are perfect. Great fit and very deep rich sound. I'm a classic rock follower. Pink Floyd, Led Zep, Tull etc and maybe the 420s just suit that type of music.

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9 stars

best headphones i ever had

by thomusvoo on January 28, 2008

Pros: great clear sound, clean bass, knocks out almost all ambient sound

Cons: the base isnt strong enough for my taste

Summary: theres are great headphones if you have the money. but if you can afford there, i would definitly spend the extra 100 dollars or so for the se530 for the ...

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Summary: theres are great headphones if you have the money. but if you can afford there, i would definitly spend the extra 100 dollars or so for the se530 for the added bass.

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9 stars

Improves the listening experience

by tenthousandthings on January 17, 2008

Pros: Sound quality, Look great. Nice Accessories.

Cons: Pricey. May be uncomfortable for some.

Summary: Well, i ordered these earphones online from futureshop. They were on sale for $350(CAD), they're normally $480. I jumped on the opportunity and do not regret it!

I

...

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Summary: Well, i ordered these earphones online from futureshop. They were on sale for $350(CAD), they're normally $480. I jumped on the opportunity and do not regret it!

I am no audiophile and have very little knowledge on headphones in general, but it doesn't take a fool to realize these are great phones. They sound rich, clear and well...awsome!

There's not much that hasn't already been said about these. Just try them for yourself. If you can try the se530's. I can't imagine how amazing those sound.

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10 stars

Better than SE530

by Biblist on January 25, 2008

Pros: True Sound not just bass

Cons: There not free.

Summary: You can get these on ebay near $200.

Summary: You can get these on ebay near $200.

0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

SHURE SE420..........

by shehzad on March 25, 2007

Pros: DUAL DRIVERS FOR HIGHS AND LOWS.....

Cons: NONE.......

Summary: Does anybody get these yet? i can't wait for Cnet review and users first impression. Because it's the new dual drivers IEMs in Shure line. BTW it's ...

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Summary: Does anybody get these yet? i can't wait for Cnet review and users first impression. Because it's the new dual drivers IEMs in Shure line. BTW it's in my buy list for summer.

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0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Shure Inc.
Part number: SE420-K
Description: Featuring Dual TruAcoustic MicroSpeakers - a dedicated tweeter and woofer - the SE420 treats listeners to a detailed soundstage. An internal crossover sends lower and higher frequencies to dedicated drivers so that lows, mids and highs are distinct and defined, for accurate reproduction of all the details of your music.

General
Product Type Headphones
Series Sound Isolating
Color Black
Additional Features Gold plated stereo plug, Sound isolating design
Headphones
Headphones Type Headphones - Binaural
Headphones Form Factor In-ear ear-bud
Headphones Technology Balanced armature
Connectivity Technology Wired
Sound Output Mode Stereo
Response Bandwidth 20 - 19000 Hz
Sensitivity 109 dB
Impedance 22 Ohm
In-Cord Volume Control Yes
Connections
Connector Type 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm )

Miscellaneous
Cables Included Headphones cable - 1.5 ft, Headphones extender - 3 ft, - 1
Included Accessories Triple flange sleeves, Carrying case, 3 soft flex sleeves, Airplane adapter, 6.3 mm (1/4") stereo adapter
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 2 years