[jonnyv]

Thinking of upgrading my se210 to some se420's.

Has anyone upgraded from the se210's to the 420's or heard and compared both models ?

For use with ipod touch

thanks

[Tomahawk]

Not quite, but I upgraded from e2c (the 210 predecessor) to the SE420. And I primarily use them with an iPhone, which is a pretty good match then.

Well, I wouldn't buy anything better for use with the iPod, as you reach the stage at this price point where the buds are better than what's playing it- the 420's sound even better through an amp. You may be lusting for the 530s but they probably aren't worth it. I'll presume the se210 is quite like the e2c, a nice sound but lacking a little bit of clarity and weaker on the bass than suits many songs.

Everything you love about Shure will still be there, the fit kit, build quality and case. There is also a significant improvement in sound and better instrument separation. The bass also benefits from having its own driver in the dual driver setup. That said, I do find them slightly on the light side for bass*, I expected more for the money, but perhaps much more and they'd lose their great balance of the highs, mids and lows. The crossover from the tweeter to woofer is done superbly and you can't tell where it splits.

Overall I'd reccommend them for the sub £160 pricetag found on amazon and elsewhere, well below their original asking price of £250. The dual driver solution is a real improvement over a single driver. If you get them make sure you plug them into something other than an iPod once in a while for a treat

*Pure bass tracks come through great, just basslines with other things happening could have a bit more vibrance

PS I've been giving them hell with 15 Step by Radiohead whilst writing this (which will make most buds quiver, and admittedly are outshone when I put on my Senn HD595s), but now they're plugged into my amp now playing Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and the biased side of me is saying BUY THEM

PPS If someone else jumps in now and says "hang on, for £160 this is better", its probably worth a listen, I got mine for £110 and find them a good deal for that price, I don't know if the extra £50 makes a difference elsewhere- for extra bass somewhere else it very well may.

[rOAdeh]

I had the old E4C and listened to the SE420s and the SE530s at the same time in the shop (both had demo sets) .. to me the 530s were streets ahead. But both were a nice step up from my E4C (which I think are the 210 equivalents?).

I use them on an iPhone at the moment and it drives them ok - not as good sound quality compared to my iPod Classic IMO but still decent, and the isolation is well worth it!

[Tomahawk]

Oh it so is when you're on the move

Good to hear they're a step up on the e4c too, they were a favorite to many. I agree there on the 530s, they are light years ahead but in price too! For the same money as 530s some 420s and HD595s haven't sent me far wrong

[Steven]

I actually upgraded from E4G (black gaming E4C) because the lush mids could not disguise the fact the bass was too laidback and weak. UM2 an improvement in practically every way across the spectrum

OP; I have read many an opinion were people advise to skip the SE420 and go straight to SE530, notwithstanding the Senn IE8 and Westone 3 are now acclaimed as the top universal contenders

I heard the IE8 at the Bristol Show and was wowed. It is quite competitively priced

[jonnyv]

Thanks for the replys, very helpful. I may order some se420's at the weekend.



LFC_SL, i looked at the sennheiser IE8's on the headroom website and did a comparison graph.
It seems the sennheiser have boosted bass on both sets of earphones?

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=603&graphID[]=593&graphID[]=833

[HiFi Headphones]

My experience of listening to the Sennheiser IE8 is that the bass is very prominent (to the point of being bloated with the bass tuning screw turned all the way up), although this is to be expected of Sennheiser. Mind you the mid-range and highs are not neglected.

The Shure SE530 can also be quite powerful at the bottom end. I would agree with all the comments above about it being a good step up from the SE420.

[tonyli3]

Interesting to hear your comments concerning the IE8,i'm in the market for some IEM's myself but am finding it very difficult deciding as it's all but impossible to audition any!
The IE8's are the latest FOTM on headfi i see but having very little love for the full size HD650 or to lesser degree HD600 i'm concerned sonic descriptions of the IE8 suggest Sennheiser have attempted to reproduce their sonic presentation in an IEM?
Reading between the lines i suspect a dominant bass,slightly distant laid back mids and good treble? I always felt the mids in the 650 and 600 were too laid back and slightly distant sounding which despite having owned several pairs at one time or another i found them unsuitable for any music where you wanted to be there! it always felt like i was sitting well back in the crowd listening,very good cans if they suit your musical taste.
Not sure i'm going to work out the IE8's without hearing them.