Shure SE425 PRO Wired Earbuds - Professional Sound Isolating Earphones with Detailed Sound, Dual-Driver Hybrid, Secure in-Ear Fit, Detachable Cable, Durable Quality - Clear (SE425-CL)

I finally broke my Shure E3C earbuds after almost seven years of faithful service. I crazy glued the stem back onto the earbud and the buds still work, but I felt nervous about the stem breaking again and getting stuck in my ear. So I decided to get a new set and was wavering between the SE315's and the SE425's. The 315's are probably close to the equivalent to what I was replacing, but the other reviews I read for the 425's praised their better bass response (deep, but clean), the wider range, and the superior noise isolation. So I decided to spend the extra hundred dollars to upgrade to the 425's. I am very happy that I did. My old E3C's were great, and I would guess the SE315's would be equally good, but the 425's are a significant step up. I have a wide taste in music but at least half the time I am listening to classical, so strong, clean bass, and a wide range to handle every orchestra instrument and the occasional classical vocal piece are essential. I'm also in airplanes every week so sound isolation is important. I might mention that in addition to my old E3C's I also have a set of Bose Quiet Comfort 15's, bought when I thought noise cancellation might be better than noise isolation. I was wrong. The Bose are great at killing jet engine noise, and are truly eye-watering in a turboprop, but they don't cancel out babies and rude adults. The E3C's did a pretty good job of those problems, but the 425's are really amazing when it comes to sound isolation. With no music playing, I can still hear conversations, but they are very muffled. With music playing, even at fairly low levels, there is no ambient noise to intrude. Somehow, Shure tweaked the angle of the earbuds so they get a perfect seal. That being said, the 425's would be truly dangerous to wear while jogging or cycling. So about the sound quality of the 425's. Better than the E3C's; better than the Bose QC15's - but not quite at the audiophile level. My guess is you need to spend considerably more to get something that will sound as good as a quality THX-certified home surround system. On my home system, I can pick out exactly where a particular orchestra instrument is placed. Can't do that with the 425's but the stereo separation is very good and gives you the full depth you would expect. The quality of the 425's allow me to listen at lower volume levels, which is far less fatiguing (and quite a bit better for the ears!). The quality of the bass presentation I noticed when I played my Boston Pops recording of 76 Trombones. This piece has bass and kettle drums plus a tuba. On my E3C's and the Bose QC15's all three instruments sound the same and kind of mush together. On the 425's I can hear the difference between the drums and the tuba, and the sounds remain distinct. If you've never used noise isolating earbuds before, it is absolutely critical to get a good seal in your ear - otherwise the bass will be very weak. If you can clearly hear the conversations around you, you don't have a good seal. Conversations should sound almost like you're under water if you have the earbuds inserted correctly. A couple quibble points. As other reviewers mention, getting the foam sleeves off that the 425's ship with is no small task. Even using the trick of putting them in the freezer isn't a quick fix. Knowing that the stems the sleeves fit on are fragile, it took me almost 15 minutes of gentle twisting and pulling to get the foam sleeves off. Hey Shure, how about shipping the 425's without the sleeves installed? The good news is, if you don't use foam sleeves, the other sleeves (soft rubber in three sizes, and yellow memory foam) are much easier to get on and off. And once you find the right sleeve for you, you will never have to mess with that problem again. The other quibble I have is the semi-rigid, 3" wire cover adjacent to the bud. This wire should be bent to the curvature of the outside of your ear to help keep the bud securely installed. It absolutely does that; there is no way these buds are going to fall out accidentally. But the wire also makes the buds much harder to install in the first place. Getting the buds inserted and secured is a two-hand task, and takes a while even once you think you have the hang of it. If the quality of sound and excellent noise isolation are critical to you,and you don't plan to use them for jogging or cycling, and you can live with the quibbles I mentioned, these are the earbuds to buy!

Ok, before beginning, I have a few disclosures regarding this review: Even though I will focus my review on the sound I am not an audiophile. I would describe myself as an audio enthusiast more than audiophile. This review is based on music ripped to MP3 format, no lower than 256kbps (most of my music is on 320kbps). In addition, my music players are mainly my Samsung Ativ Book 9 (NP900X3E-K01US) and the mobile phone HTC One M8 (Google Play Edition, rooted, no EQ, BoomSound OFF!!!! and low power audio profile disabled)... Finally, I mainly listen to Rock/Heavy Metal, Jazz, and Latin music (SALSA) genres. Hopefully these details will give you a better perspective about my review: I have used several earphones over my life. Among my favorites are: Altec Lansing UHP306 (loved these with passion!) and UHP326 (nice ones too), Sennheiser CX 300 II (sounded as "V" shaped curve), Shure SE215LTD (I still have these). After getting frustrated about getting my cables messed up with time and having to replace/buy new headphones I came along the Shure SE215LTD which offers a replaceable cable. For me, it was the deal maker and as soon I had the opportunity, I got them for a fair price. At first, compared to the Sennheiser CX 300 II, I did not like them that much. The CX 300 II are way brighter and louder than the Shure SE215LTD. At the moment I was still using my old Samsung Galaxy Nexus with an audio mod (Viper4Android if you're curious about it). After giving the SE215LTD a chance and tweaking the EQ on my Galaxy Nexus, I actually got a sweet sound out of them... and with time I started liking them more than Sennheiser's. They have a more mid-centric sound with a strong bass response but lacked a little bit of clarity (musical instrument resolution was somewhat absent). I upgraded my phone to the HTC One M8 and the sound got a lot better. The Shure SE215LTD came to a different level of sound. But still, they lacked crispness to my taste! Then, I decided to jump my price limit of less than $100 and get something different. I bought the Shure SE425-V and WOW! Compared to other headphones, and specially the SE215LTD, the SE425 are very balanced. The highs these reproduce are great. About the low freq. response, I frankly do not understand some complains about low to no bass reproduction on other reviews. The bass is really tight and properly balanced. In fact, what I love about these headphones is precisely the bass. It is not exaggerated and does not distract you from other sounds! Everything is there and you can actually tell! The mids are awesome; vocals sound like somebody is singing in your ears! Guitars, drums, bass, vocals... everything is there as long as the mix (the music track) is properly done. Unfortunately, some mixes exaggerate some instruments more than others... These headphones will give you a more realistic sound, if the bass was not properly mixed in the tracks of the album (I am talking to you Metallica - ...And Justice for All) you will not hear it as clear as others (Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth). With these headphones you will be able to listen new sounds (more details) that you might have not listened before. I do not listen to HIP-HOP/RAP but these headphones make me like this genres; the bass is really tight and the highs sound absolutely awesome. The same is true for R&B/Soul. The music gets full of details but not overwhelming on any frequency! Having said that, if you are a bass head you might not like these (perhaps the Shure SE215 may be a good fit..?!). Again, these headphones can be better described as neutral/flat. The better the quality of your audio source and the mix of the track, the better sound you'll get from these. With the 425 I do not have to rely on EQ’s anymore. Compared to other earphones I have had, I can say that the Shure 425 are far more superior in every aspect of audio. Quality wise, I cannot complain (replaceable cable, two years warranty, built strong enough to hold everyday usage, including gym!). The difficult part is the price… and frankly, they are worth every penny, especially for audiophile and enthusiasts (like me). However, if you do not want/cannot spend $300 on earphones, I would say there are plenty of great options under $100. I would say that the Sennheiser CX 300 II are a great option for their price (cheap and nice sound!). If you want a little bit more value for your money, the Shure SE215LTD (or the regular SE215) will give you a lot more (replaceable cable is a huge plus for me). Regarding the comfort, the SE425 are comfortable enough to wear them long hours (up to 3 hours) without problems; even when working out I do not have any problems. Even though the SE215LTD and the SE425 share similar design, I feel the latter is more comfortable. On a side note, I had the opportunity to try for a couple of minutes another dual driver earphones, the Westone W20. Compared to the Shure425, the W20 are may be a little bit brighter. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to properly compare these two. I just wanted to mention it since my initial impressions were really positive; it might be wise to check these too if you are looking to break your wallet for earphones ;) I will try to keep this review updated if I can get other earphones and compare them with these. If you have some specific questions I will be happy to answer them as soon as I can; I understand that buying new earphones can be really hard and difficult!

I've owned more than a few Shure in ear phones. I had a pair of E2Cs back in the day that gave me a whole new idea of audio. I upgraded to the E3C later on. When the SE models came out, I bought the SE215. In fact, I bought them three times because one pair got lost, another pair broke, and a third pair was replaced by Shure under warranty. I loved my SE215s until they were accidentally washed in my shorts. You see, I work out with these headphones as well as listen to them casually. And they've always been good for that. Cut to Christmas this past year and my mom wanted earphones for casual listening and work outs. I bought her the SE315s and was myself satisfied with the better low range sound it had. I hadn't planned on upgrading my SE215s until they were washed and even then, I'm sure they still work (still drying out), but I love my audio and had a few gift cards to burn. Now the SE425s are in my ears and let me say, they are extraordinary. I've listened to top end ear phones of the past. The E5c was a particular favorite of mine. And I'm sure the SE535 and SE846 are incredible listening experiences, but I am blown away. Certain songs don't work well with in ear phones. A lot of dance tunes get mixed with stereo sounds mixed poorly....you'll hear more on the right then on the left and think you're going deaf. The SE425 doesn't do much to improve on this flaw, but the sound is SO crisp that you can tell exactly what you're listening to. All my listening is done through Tidal with HiFi lossless audio for the purest streaming experience. The pure monitor sound is a great listening experience to me. Listening to Sia's "Cheap Thrills" on decent speakers is pretty good. On my SE215s, you can hear more of the layering and what makes the song so enjoyable. On the SE425, it's another level. It didn't change how I heard the song, but the details were more crisp. It sounded like the music was being made for my ears. Very clear, very crisp, and I imagine very accurate to what the producer wanted listeners to hear. On to a song I didn't used to like but have since been able to appreciate more, Justin Timerblake's "Suit & Tie". There's a lot going on in this song. I imagine the SE846 would really shine with this song because you have a lot of range happening all at the same time. In my SE215s, it gets washed out a little bit. On speakers, it's just noise. But for the first time since it came out, listening on the SE425, I can hear so much more of the song. Justin's high end range is really crisp and the layers of the background that were washed out on my augioengine speakers now twinkle in my ears. I still can't tell what exactly is happening, sounds like chimes layered on a synthesizer and a few others but the important part is I can hear what it's supposed to sound like. Having the dual drivers lets Justin do his thing on the top range and JayZ master his more tenor timbre. There's a part of me that still misses the extra space that a real subwoofer would give you, and at $300 you can definitely find a relatively decent pair of circumaurol headphones that would give you the bass...but the earphones are not starved for bass. It's there, it's just not the most prominent feature. One last note, the SE425s seem to be much louder at lower settings than my SE215s. I used to listen at 80% volume or more...but with my LG V20 with the DAC turned on, 50% volume was pure bliss. For the average consumer, if you're working out or running or just need a pair of headphones that will drown out the airplane or train noise, the SE215s are ideal. A hundred dollars gives you sound isolation second to none and an audio experience that I would call enlightening if you've never tried a pair of Shure earphones before. I find wearing the foam inserts for a few hours starts to strain my ears a bit...but I mean listening to music for 2 hours would strain your ears no matter what you're using. I've fallen asleep with them on, so they are comfortable enough. If, however, you decide you want a richer sound with more bass and crisper highs and balanced mids, the SE425 experience is sublime. I have no regrets spending the money on these. It was well worth the upgrade. Next on my list is the SE846...if a grand ever falls in my lap.

This review is for bikers wearing noise-isolating earphones under the helmet. Not for audiophiles. It feels awkward considering the IEM primary purpose, however due to obvious legal/liability reasons established motorcycle audio brands like Sena and Cardo will never ever offer noise-isolating (or canceling) earphones, so we, unrefined bikers, listening to EDM (metal, rap, or whatever float your non classical musician's boat) have to shop for audiophile products. With significantly higher 90db road wind isolation requirements. Though I wonder how typical poor foam tip isolation works for rock musicians on stage. Cranking up the volume of "premium JBL" (or another brand) Cardo and Sena speakers at 90mph (on the track, as for the record I never in my life exceeded a posted highway speed limit) is not an option. Neither is the magic ANC of late. And I'm talking about the best noise-cancelling buds (that can still be worn under the helmet) like Sony LInkbuds S. Not your typical trendy Airpods Pro, which perform mediocre even inside a car. Only the passive isolation works. My old Etymotic ER6is finally gave up (weak wires), which brought me here. Isolation is critical for bikers. The sound quality comes second. No one would enjoy the wide soundstage overlayed over the road noise. 425s isolate well, though are shy of ER6i performance. And compared to the newer Etymotic ER models, dare I say, are painless (inside the helmet). Not surprisingly, the only tips that work (as always) are the triple-flange ones. Not only they isolate orders of magnitude better than the foam ones (including the "fancy" yellow tips), they also somewhat fix the bass issue, as, I guess, more sonic energy is pumped deep into one's ear canal. However, in my non-musician opinion, the two-channel sound is artificial almost to the point of distorted mids, noticeable in (mostly female) EDM vocals. 215s sound just right - at 1/3 of the price. I'll post a review of 215s as well. For whatever reason however, as they need to be identical shape-wise, 425s isolated well, and 215s didn't - with the same standard white triple-flange tips. You can experiment by getting longer-stem third-party tips or cut useless other ones included in the box to make 2-3mm "spacers". The goal is to insert the tips as deep, as you can while making the earphone plastic body firmly rest inside your ear w/o sticking out and hanging on the rubber stem. In any case, for the price, I'd go with 215s - after the aforementioned experiments. The 425 sound is a bit mediocre. And if you don't ride, five-channel KZ AS10 and ZS10 sound way better at the fraction of that price, though unfortunately don't fit under the helmet.

I got these to listen to high-quality music with a snug-fitting wearing method. I don't produce music, but I do like to edit tracks here and then. Just to shed a little light into the kind of person reviewing this product. ============REVIEW================ I'll be splitting up the review in sections to make reading digestion easier. :P ---------THE FIT-------- They fit very well. The over-the-ear method of wearing them provides the most amount of security from accidental tugs and movement. It did take some time to get used to how they hug the ear. The first long music-listening sessions made my ears hurt a little, but the pain subsided with prolonged use. The 425's ability of noise-isolation is better than what I've used in the past. The use of memory foam tips for creating a seal works better than most other earbuds that use a silicon or rubber seal. Shure stresses for a good fit in the ear canal to provide the best sound and noise-isolation. When a good enough seal is created, it's good enough to take onto the gun range! Provided you use the correct sized memory foam tips and insert them properly however, but proper discretion is advised. :P --------THE SOUND------- The sound is very true to the original recording. Other reviews were right in that Shure is more known for "bright" sounding products, products that focus on treble. With that in mind, the SE425s are no exception to that rule. I used to listen to a set of very "warm" sounding earbuds before listening to these, which caused the transition to the 425s very underwhelming. Warm-sounding products focus more on bass, and as a result, I was not used to a more neutral and flat-sounding product before these. That fact actually made me consider returning them for a more warm-sounding set! However, after using them for a while, I've grown accustomed to how they sound. The break-in did improve the quality of the sound in general, but it didn't improve the bass a whole lot. Determined to get these buds sounding the way I'm used to, I started tweaking my equalizer a bit. First impressions after increasing the bass frequencies was phenomenal. I had to bump them up a fair bit, seeing how the 425's frequency response curve shows less bass response, but after the change, these buds respond to bass extremely well. The dual-driver nature provides for lots of bass with no distortion of the highs, and the balanced nature is able to yield clean-feeling bass with no muddied sound. Even ramping the bass up to unimaginable levels yielded no distortion whatsoever! The fact that these are naturally neutral-sounding buds makes them perfect for music composition and editing. Equal representation of all sounds allows for unparalleled accuracy in composing, mixing, and editing tracks. ---------THE BUILD QUALITY---------- I have yet to put them through anything that tests their limits of physical resistance to wear and tear, knowing that I put $238 out of pocket into these little investments...but with my daily use, I have yet to see any sign of damage. Granted that my use involves treating them like a newborn baby, but the 425s feel very solid and well built. I love the fact that the parts are replaceable. Broken speaker? Speaker units are available for sale. Need a replacement bud tip? Shure has you covered. Snapped the cord? There's also something for that too. Each part is detachable for easy replacing of broken parts. No need to toss the entire thing and buy a new one. What's more, is that the actual speaker unit is able to rotate separately from the wire! This allows for easy ear insertion and storage. I believe the cord can also be upgraded by buying the cord with an inline microphone, or by buying the Bluetooth cord, and attaching the speaker units to those ones! I've read that the 425s can do that, but I haven't actually tried it. &&&&&&-OVERALL-&&&&&&& Pros: + Snug and secure fit + Excellent noise-isolation + Accurate and neutral sound + Dual-driver clarity + No distortion at high volumes + Durable construction + Easy replacement of broken parts Cons: - Flat-sounding nature of buds might not be for everyone, especially those who like lots of bass - Insertion method might be a little tricky; definitely not fast on, fast off - Memory wire part of the cord causes entire thing to tangle more often

I’ve known about Shure iems for about 15 years, and I’ve owned 2 pairs of the 215’s (the first pair were stolen). In the past, even the 215’s seems pretty spendy to me, so I ever thought of trying out the higher models. I was never totally stoked with the 215’s. I eventually ended up using the silicone earpieces because I used them to play drums and those earpieces isolated the sound the best. But I always felt that they were weak in the treble end. I still use my headphones to play drums (or at least that’s why I bought these headphones), but now my kit is electric. I still need isolation, but not as much. Because I’m recording a lot, fidelity is very important. Reading other reviews, many noted that the 425’s had a much better high end than the 215’s. I also noticed that in the marketing blurbs Shure says that they made this model specifically for the purpose for which I wish to use it, so I put down my money. Unfortunately the first model that arrived had a faulty cord. It was hard to tell at first, but when I turned my head the right side would cut out. I realized it was cord when I pulled off the cord from my 215’s and tried it on the 425’s, at which point they worked perfectly. So, got a replacement in a couple of days (thanks Amazon!) and second model has a good cord, I’m good to go. Once again, I’m using these as IEM for playing my electric drum kit, so my review of their performance is based on how well they work for me in that application. The difference between the two models (215, 425) is in my opinion dramatic. The high end and midrange is much better in the 425. And it should be, with a whole additional driver to handle that spectrum. In comparison with my Sony 7506’s, which is a good standard (or so I’ve heard) the sound stage feels wider. This means that my drums sound more uniquely situated and the stereo imagery is crisp and wide. It was almost disorienting at first, but I find it hard to live without once I got used to it. I very much prefer these to my 7506’s, which is what I was hoping for. They are more comfortable, more isolating, and have a superior soundstage in nearly every way. I hear things with these clearly and prominently that I could barely make out in the 7506’s. I find that they have a full sound across the spectrum, so that my kick sounds full and deep, but my toms are easy to distinguish from my kick. The cymbals and high-hat are crisp and brightly warm, but not tinny. I decided to go with the orange foam tips after trying all of them. I feel they sound the best and are very comfortable. I have no problem with them staying in my ears. After just a few minutes I will forget I’m wearing them, which can cause some cord issues...but still it’s a good problem. In conclusion I’m very happy with these as in ear monitors for musical performance. They are not inexpensive, but I am not disappointed with what they deliver. If you can afford them, I highly recommend them.

Bose IE2i and Bose AE2 I had a pair of Bose IE2i to listen to music when in my office, studying, running, gym, etc. I also had a pair of Bose AE2 that I used to play my electric drum set. I got tired of the IE2i and stopped using them altogether because those do not isolate any noises whatsoever. Like the new Bose SoundSport the earphone tips/buds are extremely comfortable, but you can hear every single noise from outside. I tried to use the IE2i in several 5-hr flights and they are useless. The AE2 sounded very good and isolated some noise. Enough to enjoy using them with my drumkit, but not enough to use on a plane ride. SE425 Fantastic mid-range, poor bass and low-end; low impedance; long and strong cord; ability to replace only the cord if broken. Very comfortable behind-the-ear cord and position on the ear with great noise isolation. Given their lack of low-range these could not satisfy my needs. Expensive. Bose SoundTrue Ultra in-ear STIE Great balanced sound; strong bass; short and thin/flimsy cord; includes iPhone controls. Very comfortable silicone tips that provide great noise isolation, but you can hear the cord touching against any surface. Easy and fast to take on/off. The earphones wiggle a bit when running, though not enough to break the sound seal. Relatively expensive. SE215 Great balanced sound; strong bass; low impedance; long and strong cord, ability to replace only the cord if broken. Very comfortable behind-the-ear cord and position on the ear with great noise isolation. I can hear comfortably with 2/16 volume bars from the iPhone. Used 5/16 volume bars on the iPhone when running with 15 mph winds and was amazing. After a learning curve, you get used to quickly putting them on/off. Inexpensive. Overall I got the SE425 first and discarded them for their lack of bass. I couldn't notice much of a sound difference between the STIE and the SE215. The SE215 have a lower impedance and thus sound louder but the quality is, to me, quite comparable (My suggestion: get a tight seal, don't go too deep into your ear). The benefits of the SE215 suit my overall needs better and ended up choosing these. Notes 1. I will post this same review in all three products hoping others will find it useful. 2. I am traveling in a couple of days and if I find a good store in an airport that will let me try the SE535 I will make an update to this post. The SE535 are supposed to be as good as the SE425 with the bass that the latter so deeply lack. ******UPDATE****** A store at the Chicage O'Hare airport let me try the SE535. Here is my short review: SE535 Fantastic balanced sound; great bass and low-end; low-enough impedance; long and strong cord, ability to replace only the cord if broken. Very comfortable behind-the-ear cord and position on the ear with great noise isolation. Many eartips to try for different occassions (e.g. biking, office, airplane). I can hear comfortably with 2/16 volume bars from the iPhone. With 3/16 volume bars on iPhone 5S the sound is astonishing, lead guitar doesn't sound over rythm guitar, bass and drums sound great and all sounds are complimenting one another as opposed to fighting over which is the primary sounding one. I use them for running, biking, skating, working out, in the office, at the library, coffee shop, in the car (passenger), on airplanes, and with my Roland TD30-KV electric drumkit. I never need more than 4/16 volume bars on my iPhone 5S. I specially like the versatility of these IEMs and quality of their sound. Expensive. I sincerely hope you find this review helpful!

In short, these are the best IEM's I've ever tried, but I'm not 100% convinced that they're worth $300. I'm not really an audiophile, but I did a lot of research on IEMs (earbuds that sit deep in the ear), and I thoroughly tested a few of my finalists. So, in this review I'm going to compare the Shure SE215's ($99), Shure SE425's ($299), and Etymotic Research ER-4PT's ($299). My main selection criteria were comfort, sound quality, and ability to block out outside noise (note that for this reason I first tried the Bose QuietComfort 20i's, but the active noise canceling pressure made my ears hurt). SHORT SUMMARY: I easily recommend the SE215's in terms of price-performance; but, if you have more to spend then get the SE425's. The ER-4PT's are very crisp, but they have some significant physical downsides. LONGER REVIEW: First of all, I hear that it's important to choose headphones based on the kind of music that you listen to. So, for my tests, I used ten songs representing my favorite genres of EDM (house/trance), synthpop, and pop rock. Songs included Instant Crush (Daft Punk), Good Morning Kaia (BT), Crush (Dave Matthews Band), and A Sky Full of Stars (Coldplay). Overall, the SE215's are excellent, especially for the price. When switching back and forth between them and the 425's, I could notice a clear difference, but not necessarily a $200 difference. If $200 isn't a huge deal to you, definitely get the 425's; but, I think you'd have to be a very discerning listener to really appreciate the increase in quality. So what's better about them? Everything is clearer. After listening to the 425's, the 215's feel almost like a light blanket was thrown over the speaker -- everything is just a little muddier and the individual instruments are less clear. There's less separation between the layers. But again, this wasn't a dramatic difference, so you'd still be very safe with the 215's (and I understand that $300 is an insane amount of money for most people to spend on earbuds). What about the ER-4PT's? They were even clearer, but almost clinically so. It felt a bit like I was in a perfectly empty room listening to every little nuance of the sound, but that sound was less warm than that of the Shures. To be honest, though, this difference was minimal -- in most cases, there wasn't a hugely noticeable difference between the ER-4PT's and the SE425's. I most preferred the Etymotics in songs involving crisp cymbals and complex background noises; but again, it wasn't a huge difference, and overall I slightly preferred the warmer bass of the Shures. More importantly, I found two dealbreakers that meant I couldn't keep the Etymotics: (1) That crisp clarity of sound sadly translated to the wire as well; every time I moved my head I could powerfully feel/hear the wire moving, to the point that it was quite distracting. I believe that this is called microphonics. (2) The plastic piece connecting the wire going to each ear was surprisingly heavy, to the point that its weight very quickly became annoying compared to the other earbuds. The other nice thing about the Shures is how easily they slip into your ears. Fair warning that it took me a while to figure out how to get them in right -- I was about to return them because it was so confusing at first, but I watched a youtube video and realized you have to actually significantly bend the rubbery part. Once you get the hang of it, it's extremely fast and easy to fit them in compared to the Etymotics that I really had to work in every time while holding my ear open with my other hand. So, like I said, I recommend either one of the Shures depending on how much money you can spare on headphones. One other tip, by the way: Be very careful about trying all the different types of tips that are included. I noticed a dramatic difference when I finally found the right set that made a truly tight seal in my ear canal -- the bass became significantly stronger and the overall sound became tighter and cleaner. Overall, I definitely recommend IEMs over regular earbuds (unless you're riding a bike or something that demands attention), but keep in mind that none of these will fully block out nearby voices on their own -- I needed to play white noise or music to achieve the true isolation I was looking for. UPDATE AFTER ANOTHER WEEK: After going back and forth some more between these and the 215's, I can safely say that the 425's are clearly better for anything but casual background listening. For certain songs especially, the 215's now sound like they're covered in a blanket when immediately compared to the 425's -- they're just much duller, muted, and bass-heavy. I'd still certainly recommend them for the price, but I've decided to spend a little more and keep the 425's.