You could argue that it makes a lot more sense to spend, say, $100 on an MP3 player and $400 on earphones, but this is rarely how consumers spend. Thus, despite its excellent quality, I'm pretty positive the Shure SE420 set of earphones isn't flying off the shelves. That's unfortunate: A well-cared for pair of earphones can last years—even decades. The SE420's audio quality is hard to match, mainly because there are few $400 pairs out there. Once you get into this price range, it's more about personal preference than about which pair is "better." For those who love low-end presence and crisp highs more than they crave a "flat" pair of earphones (like the Etymotic ER-4P), the SE420 is an excellent option, but the Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro is equally worthy of attention.