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Hi Everyone,
I just received my SE425's 2 days ago, and have had ample time to "break them in". After spending almost $300, I'm not sure if they're exactly as I expected. I previously had the Shure E2C, SE210, and SE310; all of them were wonderful in their own ways at their price points.
However, the SE425 have very similar sound to the now-discontinued and discounted SE310 even with two discrete drivers, while costing more (after SE310 price discounts). The cables are too rigid near the ears, making for uncomfortable wearing. Also, the nozzles/earpieces don't go as deep in the ear canal as previous models, but surprisingly without sacrificing sound isolation. The bass is too understated, even compared to Shure's "flat-sound" standards. The detachable cables are an amazing innovation (finally implemented), especially since my previous models have gone through 3-4 cable warranty repairs (crackling sound) while the drivers themselves were perfectly fine.
Beware, the earphone plug-in piece is quite large, making it very difficult to fit in iPhone/MP3 player cases (especially the iPhone 1st gen and iPhone 4 w/ bumper). The previous Shure models didn't have this problem, as their plug points were quite narrow.
Overall, the Shure SE425 seems more durable than previous models, but their high price point with only marginal improvements makes it slightly difficult to justify over previous Shure models, which are now heavily discounted.
I'm do not claim to be an audiophile who listens to music only through Amps and such, though I do value and understand quality audio. I mainly use these headphones with my iPhone 4 and laptop with higher bitrate songs (320 KPBS+ VBR).
Hopefully this helps, and good luck in your earphone search!!
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Having been an audiophile for years, let me tell you that these headphones are nothing short of amazing. I did my fair share of research on multiple sets before determining these were the ones I wanted. In the discussion were the Grado GR8, Klipsch Image X10, Shure SE535, Shure SE425, Monster Miles Davis Tributes, and Monster Turbine Pro Gold. After weighing out price, value for the price, and general consensus based on hundreds of reviews, I settled on these guys and am by NO MEANS disappointed at all. One of the biggest things I was afraid of was a supposed drop in the low end frequency response according to quite a few reviews. I'm not the kind of person that demands over-bearing bass, I just want it to be there in the amount that its supposed to be there (For reference, I listen mostly to rock/jazz and a little bit of rap/hip-hop). My suspicions are that those who claim there is a lack of bass did not have a proper seal, because I experienced the same problem until I found my ideal tips (Triple-flange sleeves or the medium foam tips, triple flange sleeves provide a better seal but aren't as comfortable which is the reason for the loss of one star in the "Fit" category but they are still great). Once I got this seal, the SQ just popped and everything sounded just as it should. Not only was I pleasantly surprised by the low end but the mids and highs lived up to my expectations that had been built up by the many reviews. These guys really perform at a high level like the reviews say and they really do epitomize what Shure SQ is all about. Aside from SQ, the new cord is awesome, nice and sturdy, I have virtually no expectation that this will break, and even if by some freak accident it did, Shure has made them replaceable! Though I cant comment on the SE535's honestly as I have not heard them myself, I cannot imagine they are significantly better than these and definitely not for the $200 price jump. My decision was primarily between the SE535's and the SE425's and I am glad I saved myself the extra 200 bucks and got these. These are no doubt my new favorite earbuds and will serve me well for many years to come.
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This is a review of both the Shure 535s and 425s. I have previously owned the Shure E5s and 530s. I am replacing my 530s because I accidentally left them on a plane in a rush between flights, bummer.
So after reading other peoples Amazon reviews of the 425s and the 535s I decided to try the 425s to save some money. My first impressions were: Nice build. Cool detachable wires. I am glad they brought back the formable wire around the ears. The cord is lighter, stronger, and nicer. The cord is not modular anymore. I like the silver color under the clear plastic. They fit kinda differently, mildly uncomfortable in my concha (not the ear canal). The sound is the clearest yet. Where is the BASS? (yes I know how to make a proper seal in my ear canal)
I hoped maybe the 425s needed to be broken in properly, though I previously haven't had a need to break in my other Shure headphones. So I let them play for a few days and then tried again, but as I had feared the 425s still sounded very lacking in the low end. The odd part is they can reproduce frequencies all the way down to 20Hz, but they really roll off in volume at about 100Hz. If the music had any mids or highs the bass felt lacking. So I ordered the 535s.
First impressions of the 535s: Exactly the same shape as the 425s, the cords are interchangeable and the dimensions are identical. I like having the clear plastic option again but think I prefer the new color on the inside of the plastic style. Here is the bass the 425s lack. The 535s sound very much like the 530s but even clearer. With the increased clarity, they also sound brighter than the 530s.
To my ears the 425s and 535s sound the same above about 100Hz. In fact, to me, the 425s sound like a great pair of bookshelf speakers with a misplaced subwoofer. Keeping with the speaker analogy, the 535s would be towers in the same line with the same tweeter and mids but also integrated subs. In terms of production I cannot imagine the 535s cost $200 more to make, but to my ears the 535s are the only way to go. As someone else mentioned if you only listened to older recordings or classical music (without timpani or cannons) the 425s would most likely work well, but they do not work for rock, rap, or electronica.
I think I actually would choose the 530s over the 535s or the 425s. The reason is, I find the 535s a bit too bright despite them being clearer (I am the type of listener who prefers tubes and electrostatic speakers). And while the new cables are better, have the formable wire around the ear again, and are replaceable I miss the modular design and don't like how the headphones rotate. Since they rotate around where the wire connects to the headphone it is harder to use the formable wire to maintain the proper alignment in my ear and insert them. All of my comparisons to the 530s are based on memory, because I lost them. I will be returning the 425s and keeping the 535s.
I did most of my listening using my zune 120 and hp laptop with a nuforce icon mobile headphone amp using high bitrate ripped wmas and amazon bought mp3s.
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....I purchased a pair of SE425 ear buds to replace a set of Shure e4c earbuds that died a premature death from wire insulation "rot" thinking that the replaceable cords would solve the problem. Well they do, but there is another problem inherent in the design that is not readily apparent....until you try to replace the sleeves with new ones. With my pair, the sleeves(only had them for 5 weeks)had become fused to the stems. So upon trying to remove them following the instructions in the manual, the stems snapped off!!! Well, with e4c buds they are replaceable but with the SE425 buds the stems are an integral part of the earbud and are NOT replaceable. My suggestion to those who purchase these is that the 1st thing you do when you get them is to try to swap out the sleeves sometime before the Amazon 30 day return policy expires. Hopefully the 2 year warranty will save the day for me. I will keep you posted!
OK.... its 2/24/11 and I got my replacements already from Shure. Great turn-around! Raised the star value up to a 4 from a 1. They sound great but I am still disappointed in the fact that the stems are not replaceable. Although the sleeves remove easier on this pair, I would guess that this will happen again sometime in the future. Maybe with the next generation of earbuds, they will get it right. Would I buy them again? Yep! I like them that much!
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Having owned a pair of Shure e2c's and Monster Turbine earphones (not to mention countless cheap pairs and an okay set of Sennheiser CX300's), I decided I was going to treat myself with some holiday money and get these 425's.
Like my beloved e2c's, they came with a variety of different earpieces and a nice carrying case. I went straight for the foam, plugged these in to my iPod, and experienced... well... disappointment. Thinking that this was clearly my fault, I decided to break them in, knowing full well that the benefits of doing so with earphones is not very well substantiated. Then I decided to try again with DVD audio and vinyl tracks on my Yamaha receiver to ensure it wasn't just the compression that was ruining the experience.
What I've concluded is that the 425's are absolutely stellar for live, choral, and jazz music. Seriously, Dave Brubeck has never sounded so good. But I had to temper that with the fact that pop, rock, and electronic music really suffer on the low end. And, I found myself continually pushing on the earphones, as though they weren't in as far as they needed to be. Sure, the seal was perfect, but for some reason, I just wasn't getting the bass. I tried other earpieces, but they generally sounded the same or worse -keeping in mind too, that my ear canals aren't unusually shaped, and I know how to form a proper seal.
As far as highs and mids, the 425's absolutely sparkle. But there's an almost unnerving lack of "presence" that only seems to come with a lot of EQ changes. So while they're certainly some of the clearest earphones I've ever used, they're not the best. Yes, you can hear the floor creaking on a John Coltrane track, and it's pretty amazing. But that in itself doesn't make a song more enjoyable to listen to. And frankly, I don't think that the sound reproduction of a finished track is more "true" with the 425's so much as the mids are very detailed.
If you were using these as monitors (which admittedly, Shure loosely suggests), you're getting a great deal on great earphones. But for the vast majority of purchasers who want to plug these in to an iPod or stereo receiver, they're just not very impressive for general use.
