Shure SRH440 (also 840 pads) review

[Lauen]

Hello! So, after some months with my Audio-Technica ATH-M50's, I got so tired of the way the pads got hard as rocks, and just slightly touched my ears, making them quite uncomfortable for several hours of use. So I got some recommendations, and got myself a pair of these little golden headphones. I also chucked in some 840 pads, as I heard they would make them a lot more comfortable, and add a tiny bit of bass (I'll get to that later). INFO: The music I listen to is like 96% of the time Metal, varying from Heavy Metal by the likes of Judas Priest, Manowar, Grave Digger, Mystic Prophecy, to heavier stuff, like Lamb of God, to power and progressive metal, like Sonata Arctica, Pagan's Mind, Symphony X, Alestorm, Gloryhammer, more recently Persefone, Ghost (aka Ghost B.C), and some Thrash Metal, mostly just Megadeth (though newer stuff is more heavy metal) and on to a little bit of Extreme Metal like Xerath, Keep of Kalessin, and the occasional video on YouTube, George Kollias drumming and Alex Rüdinger drumming to some songs, and some drumming educational videos from Mike Johnston. I might, very rarely, listen to a tiny bit of dubstep / brostep. but that's very rarely. Pictures are taken with my phone, Nokia Lumia 920, and then just uploaded what needed to be seen to imgur.

 

 

Damn I'm good at having the mouse pointer there when I screenshot and upload the pics to imgur.. The red thing indicates right, and on the left side, it's blue. it's like.. professional and stuff.

 

 

Alright, starting off with comfort. These things completely over my ears, which the M50's didn't, so that's a huge plus. With the 840 pads, you get soft leather, and some not so soft padding, but it's pretty nice overall, not super soft, but gets a very nice seal, at least for me. They can be a bit on the heavier side for someone, they weigh 272 grams, which is 9.6 oz (whatever that means) The stock pads are hard and plasticy in comparison.

 

One more thing: I know some people are afraid of the cables that are outside the cups and headband, but they're pretty solid, and if you manage to snag it on something (unlikely imo), just try to get an RMA on it, no biggie really.

 

 

Here you can see the stock cable, which is coiled. When stretched, it's about 3 meters, which is 9.8 feet. Coiled up, it's about 1 meter, which is a little over 3 feet. It can also be a little heavy for some, but Shure offer a straight, 3 meter cable. For me atleast, it's available in my favorite shop to get audio equipment in.

 

 

Here you have the locking connector for the headphones. It's a 2,5 mm jack, you push it in, and turn it 90 degrees, and it stays in pretty good. IMO it's a tiny bit long, the entire piece.

 

 

And here you have the 3,5 mm jack that plugs into whatever source you're using. It comes with a screw-on adapter, which I would take a picture of, but it's at work for some reason. I'll try to remember bringing it back home. This connector is also very nice, and as you can see, it's made in China. no worries really, the cable is replacable anyway.

 

Build quality is pretty good, even though it's like 97% plastic, it's a nice plastic, feels very nice. You can fold up the headphones, and put them in an included carrying pouch. The pouch is similar to the M50's pouch, but I like it more for some reason.

 

Sound: These have a flatter response than Audio-Technica M50's, with a lower bass curve as well. The mids are very good, they are very detailed, and have a little more volume, compared to M50's. Highs are a little smoother, like easier to listen to. The bass is not as "right up in your face" as in the M50's, but, at least for me, they are more accurate, I can separate different tones of bass easier. It still has a nice punch though, but these are not for bassheads.

You may have a graph, from headroom as they are easier to read for most people. This graph is showing the regular 440's, but with 840 pads the bass does get better.

 

Alright, and then for the real kicker: Price. Here in Norway, you can get the headphones alone, full price, 97 USD. The pads then are 24 USD, for a total of 121 USD before shipping. And for this price, these are simply amazing. And also, in the US, the full price is 125 USD for the 440's and 20 USD for the pads.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Lauen

[Lauen]

Also, the soundstage in these is wider than in the M50's, so they're miles better for gaming, but still not as good as something like my Sennheiser PC360.

[nsyedhasan]

How was the bass with the earpads?

[Lauen]

How was the bass with the earpads?

"but with 840 pads the bass does get better." It fills a small gap that I feel it lacks in the mid-bass region, and seems like it stretches a bit further down as well.

 

EDIT: I miss your old profile pic and title

Edited February 25, 2014 by Lauen

[nsyedhasan]

EDIT: I miss your old profile pic and title

Which one? The SWAGY indian kid?

[Lauen]

Which one? The SWAGY indian kid?

"some indian kid" and you staring into the camera with some weird face

[nsyedhasan]

"some indian kid" and you staring into the camera with some weird face

That isn't me..... It's coming back soon...

[Lauen]

That isn't me..... It's coming back soon...

oh.. WOOO anyway

[BaconComputing]

So, you would say these are good for some light gaming?

[Lauen]

They're alright for light gaming, yes, but if you're hardcore in FPS games, open headphones would be better.