Phiaton PS200

Design

In this category, the PS200s have a better chance of winning. We say this because, although we didn’t personally like the aesthetics of the PS200s, they at least look different from the run of the mill. The Shure SE420s are pretty blah.

The SE420s are much more durable than the PS200s. The PS200s have a flimsy transition from the plug to the cord while the Shure SE420s have one of the best-protected plugs on in-ears. Of course, the unfortunate downside of the SE420s is their lack of a cord guard at the ear buds. Although this junction will likely receive far less stress than the plug juncture, it’s still an issue, especially if you routinely crumple up the headphones and shove them in your pocket. In this area, the PS200s have a better design, but overall the SE420s take this section of the comparison.

Phiaton PS200	Shure SE420

Frequency Response

Both headphones had frequency response results that were roughly average. The PS200s had a response that went a bit outside the limits and featured emphasis changes that were a tiny bit more extreme than we would’ve liked. The SE420s have a much more stable frequency response, but towards the very high end of our limits they fall down sharply. The PS200s squeak out a slight advantage here.

Phiaton PS200	Shure SE420

Distortion

Both headphones did pretty well here. The Shure SE420s had slightly more distortion than the PS200s. Most people won’t be able to notice this difference, but those that do should be aware that there is a small difference.

Phiaton PS200	Shure SE420

Tracking

While both headphones did a pretty good job on this test, the SE420s’ tracking curve is noticeably more flat. Again, however, the difference in quality is very likely to be lost on most sets of human ears.

Phiaton PS200	Shure SE420

Isolation

Unlike the past few sections, the SE420s soundly best the PS200s on isolation, not only overall, but on just about every individual frequency along the way (minus the few at the 1kHz mark).

Phiaton PS200	Shure SE420

Comfort

The Shure SE420s are actually pretty comfortable for a set of in-ears and have a lot of customization options to choose from. Shure offers more sleeve options than the great majority of headphone companies out there (with Etymotic Research the only company that’s given them a good run for their money). The PS200s fall out a lot and are, in general, less comfortable than the Shures.

Verdict

One chronic problem with Shure headphones is that they’re just a bit over-priced. They’re great headphones, but other companies offer generally equivalent headphones for less money. In this case, the Shure headphones are actually under-priced by comparison. While the PS200s have slightly better audio quality overall, we’re not sure the change in price is necessarily indicative of the increased quality.

If you’re looking for a pair of commuting headphones, the SE420s are the better bet because they isolate better. If you’re just looking for a pair of headphones to use around the public library (and who isn’t?) then it’s more of a toss-up. Both headphones have significantly different fits, so try both of them out.