Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

use these headphones to listen to classical music

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

I compared the srh840 and srh940 side by side. They both very light but the 940 is more comfortable thanks to being slightly bigger (so it doesn't touch my ears while the 840 does) and the material used in the hearpads feels a lot better to me. Build quality wise they seem to be even with again the 940 taking the lead since it doesn't have the driver cable exposed like the 840. On the sound the 940 definitively is brighter and more detailed on the mid to high frequencies but still very good on the low end. The 840 sounded as good as the 940 on the low end but not as detailed on the highs. Both have excellent sound and are very detailed in general so if you source is poor, you'll figure out pretty soon. At the end I chose the 940 because I preferred the highs and the added comfort. They both are excellent and I recommend listening to both.

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

great for a multi apartment place with thin walls

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

I use the SRH840 on my computer and iPhone. The sound is incredible. I tested four other brands and these were the best. I don't miss the noise canceling audio-technica pair that broke after 2 years.

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

great sound quality and comfort but extremely bulky. will only be good in houses or studios where you are not planning on transporting them alot or wearing them on the go

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

I listened to several head phones while on vacation in NYC. On returning home I wanted to do an extended listening to the Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser head phones. My local high end shop was closed so I proceeded to the Sam Ash down the street. They didn't carry the Beyerdynamics in the store. The sales guy said he used them in his home studio because they are very detailed and allow him to hear everything in a mix. He said he didn't like them for casual listening because they were too analytical and were not conducive to musical enjoyment. I only heard them briefly in NYC and thought that might be the case with extended use but boy were they comfortable to wear. Using my iphone I compared two Sennheisers models the HD 280 Pro and HD 380 Pro. I Preferred the HD 380 Pro, he then recommended I compare those with the Sure SR840 and SR440. My expectations were low. In years past my opinion of most of Shure's equipment was that it sounded muffled and unmusical. Lately though some of their stuff has impressed, so I gave them a listen. First up I chose some recordings that are overly bright and for me can easily cause the Bleeding Ear sensation. Musical detail is a wonderful thing but if you can only listen to a small population of well recorded music (because anything less requires pain killers) what's the point. The Shures presented the brightness but less aggravating so. Somehow these phones were able to dig into to the mix and find the bass line and provide a measure of musical balance more so then the Sennheisers. Next up I played some tunes that have exaggerated bass. These tunes cause lesser phones to turn to mud costing the song its musical flow and propulsion. The Shures didn't hide the big bass but I could easily distinguish the bass guitar from the bass drum and or bass synthesizer. Again the phones dug into the mix and presented the mid and treble information in a far more balanced and musical fashion then did the Sennheisers. On well recorded songs you could hear how well recorded the music was but not in a distracting way. The Sennheisers sounded more distant i.e. at what sounded like the same volume I would have to expend more energy to hear the music through the Sennheisers however the Shures were more relaxing making the music easier to enjoy, more accessible. Both Shure models are cut from the same sonic cloth having a very clear yet musical sound to them. However the SR840 were just more so and worth the price difference to me. Remember that this comparison was done using my iphone 4 to drive the phones. Introducing a headphone amp may have dramatically changed my preferences however I had no desire to lug an amp around with me. To my ears the iphone does not have the musicality of the ipods, so it was important to me that the new headphones were musical and easy to drive when plugged directly into the iphone. The Shures did that. At home the Shures sounded good out of the box and only got better with some break in time. They are comfortable for a closed back design and I can wear them for extended periods without getting sweaty. I actually have come to appreciate the coiled cord. It does not get tangled like straight cords. I have a fairly big head and the phones are at the end of their adjustment but still fit. On bigger heads it could be an issue.

Comments about Shure SRH840 Professional Around-Ear Stereo Headphones:

I use these for personal use. Sometimes with a computer, the hi-fi, iPod etc. I've had several sets of cans over the years and at this price point, I've never found anything as good. There is better for more money but there are worse at this point. They just sound great. I've not found anything I'd change besides the line being exposed on the phones. I'd have liked Shure to bury it in the plastic.