 Shure SE420s Better than the SE530s: A Scientist's Conclusions |
| Review Date: March 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Timothy Schmidt, San Francisco, CA USA |
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 models as they are less bright than the white models. Because the SE310s don't fit as well, they stick out from the ears and look a little silly. The SE530s and 420s are more natural shapes, and fit in the ear a little more nicely (though they are large and still quite visible). The 530s have a plastic bronze exterior that may or may not please you.
Sound - You may think that this is the most important category, and it probably technically is. But I have a Southpark-esque truth to tell: The difference in sound between the SE310s and the trice-as-expensive SE530s is minimal. Yes, the SE530s have THREE "microspeakers" with two dedicated "woofers". However, these woofers are not meant to increase bass. They are only meant to give a more accurate representation of bass (i.e. each speaker tiny speaker does not have to handle the entirety of the bass output). This means less distortion on the low end. However, I was not able to detect a difference between the SE420s and 530s in terms of bass distortion or richness.
Soundstage was the major differentiating factor between the three models. The upper two models had more soundstage (i.e. the sounds of a complexly-produced album (e.g. 11:11 by Rodrigo y Gabriela) sound like they are coming from multiple directions and distances, making the listening experience very interesting and rich). I vigorously compared the SE530s and 420s and could detect differences, but my preference for which was BETTER was inconsistent. That is, sometimes the SE530s sounded better and sometimes the SE420s sounded better.
Hiss on mp3 players and my computer was a problem with the SE530s. I tested them using my Acer laptop, my Sansa Fuze mp3 player, and my iPod touch 3G. Each of those output devices created a very audible hiss in the SE530s. This is a major problem if you plan to listen to music as low decibel levels to save your hearing (which is, I think, one of the major advantages of noise-isolating earphones such as these). The audible hiss is due to the unnecessarily high sensitivity of the SE530s. Others have had this problem (see: [..]). The hiss was attenuated in the SE420s and almost gone in the SE310s. The only solution is to use the in-line attenuator supplied with the SE420s and 530s with the volume on the mp3 player turned up and the attenuator turned down. These is no reduction in sound quality with use of the attenuator.
Noise Isolation - Isolation was similarly excellent in all three models. This is perhaps my favorite feature of the Shure line and what makes them my earphone of choice. The SE530s come with a push-to-hear in-line microphone. This seems to be a useful feature when you find you can't hear your friends' words when you are playing music with these earphones in. However, the push-to-hear mechanism is bulky and irritating to use. You will most likely rarely use it if you get it. Also, in order to hear the external world, simply pause your music. Your ears adjust to lower decibel levels (the stapedius muscle - wiki it) with these earphones in and are quite sensitive to outside sounds without music playing.
Conclusion:
One of the popular reviews of the SE530s states that a comparison of the SE420s and 530s is wise considering the price difference. I did that comparison and concluded that the SE530s are NOT superior. Perhaps for an highly trained ear, there are consistent differences. But I would contend that just because there are differences doesn't meant that the SE530s are preferable. However, the SE530s are considerably more expensive and I suspect that they are quite a profit center for Shure (i.e. they don't cost that much more to make but are able to pull in people who "just want the best").
The SE310s are excellent and I highly recommend them. I ultimately stuck with the SE420s because of their greater comfort and soundstage - but those differences were quite marginal.
If you don't believe that the differences in sound are marginal, try buying all three models, doing a scientific comparison, and returning the two losers.
I highly recommend the SE420s. They provide incredible sound quality, comfort, and noise isolation. They will save your hearing while allowing you to appreciate the sweet details of your music that you have been missing out on!
If you have enjoyed my review, please click the button right below this indicating that it has been helpful. Thanks! |
E2, E3, SE420--all good choices
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| Review Date: August 26, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Daniel Leithauser, Grand Junction, CO USA |
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. |
Best By Far
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| Review Date: October 26, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Jason Eddins, NYC |
The short and sweet of it is that I have owned Shure E2C's, Bose TriPort, Bose QC2's, and Shure E4C's. The newer SE420's give you deep, rich sound without overwhelming base or blocking out the highs. Search around for an authorized dealer to get the best rate and you can snag an authentic pair for about $250...much lower than the $400 retail on Shure's site. The combination of the two separate TrueAcoustic speakers for distinction and clarity are unparalleled. Needless to say, all of my other aforementioned ear and headphones are all now on eBay!
JE |
Great IEMs...after you break them in and fit them correctly
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| Review Date: August 12, 2007 |
| Reviewer: D. Halamay, Corvallis, OR |
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. |
Respectable upgrade from the SE310 and q-Jays
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| Review Date: January 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Adam Miarka, Fishers, IN |
***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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