Shure's $400 reference-class earbuds sure are pricey. But did anything other than the price (like the sound) take our breath away?
Review summary of the Shure se420:
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 Shure seems to be leading the pack in the high-end consumer earphone market. Their se530s may be the only earphones we've heard that are more impressive than these se420s, and we suspect the extra driver is the main reason why. We still think that if you're going to spend this kind of money on earphones, what's another $100? But if $400 is your absolute maximum budget, you can't go wrong with these headphone, which provide exceptional quality, great dynamic range and excellent sound isolation. Release: November 2007. Price: $400.
Pros: Sturdy design, fits well in ear, modular design, exceptional sound quality
Cons: High cost, less than stunning bass
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Full review of the Shure se420:
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Design - Excellent
Like all the models in the se line, the Shure se420 is a modular earphone system, meaning it has multiple parts that are interchangeable depending on the desired listening experience. The main earphone cable extends only 19 inches; you need to connect it to the 36-inch extension cable to be able to use it with anything not clipped to your shirt. However, this modular system allows for the use of Shure’s optional PTH device, which allows the user to hear outside sound clearly, even with the sound-isolating earphones in. Every piece included with the earphones is sturdy, durable and functional; every wire has a flexible joint to protect against wear and tear.
Considering there are two speakers within the earbuds, they have a surprisingly small form factor. They’re designed to be set right within the ear itself with the cord draped up and over the ear. They fit comfortably with most of the provided sleeves, but we’ve fallen in love with the new foam inserts. Over the years, we have grown to love the foamies, but hated how easily they collected dirt and grime. The new foamies, however, not only hide dirt better (they’re black as opposed to yellow or orange), but the new smooth covering on the surface prevents dirt from getting inside the foam’s crevices, and therefore can easily be wiped off.
Sound - Excellent
As it is with most high-end headphones, the sound we got with the se420s was only limited by their source and amplification. We were able to listen at full volume (and could have taken a bit more) when using small portable media players with limited amplification, but when connected to our iMac or home stereo, we could barely get the volume to 50 percent before it got too loud for our ears. Bottom line, these little earbuds are powerful.
We listened to a lossless, FLAC-encoded digital music playlist to test the limits of the se420's, and we were nothing short of blown away. Listening to everything from The Cure to Dr. Dre to Bjork to Elliott Smith, the experience was just short of breathtaking. The highs were crisp, the mid-range vocals clear and the bass proportionate, although not as impressive as we were hoping.
The headphones'clarity makes individual instruments jump out of the mix, and brings out parts of songs you don’t remember hearing on your “regular” earphones. The piano on Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E” bounces along the top of the beat, and you can almost visualize the mallets in the piano rebounding from being slammed against the strings. We were only slightly disappointed in the bass response, but Shure earbuds have never been about booming bass, but rather focus on eye-opening clarity. Besides, we suspect we were a little spoiled after testing the triple-driver se530.
Outside of the bass, these phones compare well to Shure’s legendary three-speaker beast. The precise beats and beeps of electronic tracks like Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” bounce off your eardrums, especially the alternating left/right speaker intro. The music experience becomes almost ethereal, seemingly incorporating senses like touch and sight that aren’t supposed to be associated with listening to music. But it makes sense: once you hear fingers sliding and picks scraping over guitar strings, even with heavily distorted source material like Desaparecidos’ “Greater Omaha,” everything else sounds disappointing. It’s easy to wonder why you never heard music like this before, until you take a look at the price tag; Shure may charge you an arm and a leg, but you get what you paid for.
That being said, Shure's demographic for this product is very narrow, perhaps even more so than their ultra high-end model se530. At least with the se530s, we can imagine customers for whom money is no object flocking to them. However, we’re not sure who will decide that while $500 earbuds are outrageous, $400 earphones sound perfectly reasonable. You're also only going to enjoy the benefit of the dual drivers if you're listening to high-bitrate or completely lossless digital music (or vinyl, if you're into that sort of thing); even then, the untrained ear might not be able to tell the difference in sound quality between the se420 and slightly cheaper competitors. In fact, if most of your music collection is comprised of AAC tracks you downloaded off of iTunes, chances are you will be disappointed. Compressed music actually sounds compressed on the se420; it makes your clean lossless stuff sound glorious, but also makes the 128kbps stuff in your library sound like it was recorded in a bubble-wrap factory.
Included Accessories - Excellent
Never lacking in included accessories, Shure includes a 1/8-1/4 inch stereo adapter plug, a cleaning tool, a volume attenuator, an assortment of foam, rubber and plastic sleeves and a large oval carrying case in addition to the 3-foot extension cable. We loved the optional PTH unit when we tested it, and while we wish it was included, it can easily be added for an additional $60. Other than the PTH unit, there isn’t any accessory that we could want or need that isn’t already included.
Price and availability
The Shure se420 will start selling for $400 () in November 2007.
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