Sony WF-SP800N vs Shure SE425 (2010)

The Sony WF-SP800N is a great Earphone for its $198 asking price.

The Shure SE425 (2010), however, while a reasonable product for $259, doesn't stack up against its competitors quite as well. If you're considering Earphones in the $270 range, you might want to check out some better options.

The Sony WF-SP800N has done great in a couple of roundups conducted by highly trusted sources that perform objective in-depth testing, like Rtings, CNET, PCmag, and Tom's Guide - it earned the "Best Sony Headphones For Sports" title from Rtings, "Best noise canceling for runners" from CNET, and "A Good Pair for Runners" from PCmag. Any product that's held in high regard by such reliable sources should be considered by anyone that's looking for a Earphone at this price point.

As for the Shure SE425 (2010) analysis - it impressed reviewers at What Hi-Fi?, a source that's known for its objective testing and well-thought-out methodology - it performed great in its "Best headphones 2021" roundup and earned the "An excellent pair of no-compromise in-ear headphones." title.

To get a better idea of how they fare when compared directly to each other, we analyzed review scores of sources that tested both. Rtings, for example, preferred the Sony WF-SP800N, while What Hi-Fi? and CNET rated both of them the same.

We also took a look at which sources had the best things to say about them. We learned that the Sony WF-SP800N got reviewed the highest by What Hi-Fi? - it gave it a rating of 10, while the Shure SE425 (2010) most impressed reviewers at What Hi-Fi?, which gave it a score of 10.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Earphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Earphones being 7.3 out of 10, whereas the Sony WF-SP800N and Shure SE425 (2010) managed averages of 8.0 and 8.2 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Sony WF-SP800N vs. Shure SE425 (2010) comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.