Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones Review

The Shure SRH440 is a pair of studio headphones meant for studio monitoring. So you can expect them to be very accurate and built to last. This is very true for the Shure SRH440, the plastic feels very sturdy and durable and even has a replaceable cord which is detachable. The pads can be replaced too and with the two main components, which are the cable, and pads, which are prone to disintegration, replaceable, this makes the SRH440 a worthwhile investment especially for a pair you intend to keep with you for a long time.

The SRH440 also comes with a pouch and a screw in ¼ inch adapter. I see no real need for a pouch as these are studio headphones and are quite big. I cannot see myself using these as portable headphones. The headphones themselves are closed which means that they minimize the sound traveling in and out of the cups. They are also circumaural, which means that they sit around the ears as opposed to on top of the ears. This combination increases the comfort of these headphones and isolation. These headphones are also collapsible for portability but do not fold flat.

The cable is coiled so that one will not accidentally pull it out of a jack and damage it. It is also single sided so that it doesn’t interfere with work. In reference to wires, there are also two exposed wires at the side of each cups, the pros are that adjusting the headband will not affect the wires/connection; the cons are that they are potential snag magnets. The headband is very flexible and is padded well, the top featuring the Shure logo prominently; however its construction which I find not round enough, puts a lot of pressure on the top of the head instead of distributing it well around the head. The pads on the other hand are made out of synthetic leather, they are initially comfortable but it gets really hot after a short period of usage. For me, I simply replaced the pads with the SRH840 pads, which are made up of memory foam and significantly raises the comfort level; this is something that owners might consider.

The sound of these headphones is neutral and accurate. Do not expect a lot of coloration in the music with these headphones. Because they are not categorized under audiophile, they are catered more for home and studio recording, thus will work superbly with professional audio devices and an amp will boost their performance. One thing that I have noticed when listening to these headphones is how accurate they are, nothing over the top,. The highs sounded clear and detailed, the mids were clear especially when listening to vocals, the bass had a tight thump that met my standards. Overall for sound, if you like a laid back sound which is accurate and detailed, these are great. Bass lovers or people wanting to drive aggressive music might have to consider another headphone. Another thing that stood out was the soundstage, which was wide and had a lot of depth to it which allowed the treble, mids and bass to be easily separated. I understand why these are popular for studio recordings with its detailed and accurate sound; they can easily bring out flaws in bad recordings. Music lovers however might want that extra coloration for a better punch and kick to the music. The isolation with these headphones is also good with hardly any sound leakage in and out in normal environments.

If I were to summarize the headphones, I would say that they are perfect for studio monitoring especially with their clarity, detail and accurateness. A typical listener who is using these headphones for music might be disappointed as they are not fun enough. These headphones will impress those who seek neutral and accurate sound and it is a real bargain for that area, but it will not make casual listeners seeking a fun sound to jump up and down for joy. It really boils down on how you like to listen to your music and what you are using these headphones for.

The Beyerdynamic DT1350 is one of the few portable headphones that Beyerdynamic has produced and the upgrade to their famed T50P. They are a German based company famous for making circumaural headphones, which are relatively big in size. The DT1530 however is small and is a supraaural headphone which means that it goes on the ears. They are a pair of closed headphones with tesla transformers. The tesla technology that they are using will be further explained in later paragraphs.

Quality

The quality of materials used to construct this headphone is top notch. Everything on the headphone seems to be made of metal alloy from the headband to the cans. The metal alloy used is solid and slightly malleable. The weight does increase a bit with the use of the metal, but does not affect the comfort when wearing these headphones. The on ear velour ear pads are thick and well padded. They create a good seal on the ears as they are not made form foam and provide excellent isolation. The headphones being closed headphones increases its portability factor by not increasing the sound going in and out of the cups. Even the headphones themselves are individually serial numbered. The cable is slightly stiffer and not as flexible as the conventional cables you would find on other headphones on the portable category. They come with a nylon carrying case with two adapters namely the 6.35mm and the airline adapter. The cable is of perfect length for portability at 1.2m.

Design

In terms of design, it looks slightly retro especially with the combination of metal and plastic. The plastic with a slight matte finish feels great with the metal. The cups are fully rotatable which allows it to be stored flat and is easier for portability. The headband is a split-articulating headband, which means that it can be split, and this evens out the pressure it has on the top of the head increasing the comfort.

Sound

Because of the closed back design, there is little noise leakage and no chance of these phones to sound hollow. The isolation on these phones are also good give the fact that they are closed backed making them even better for portability. Their highs and mids are reproduced well with these headphones. One thing missing with the sound from these headphones are good lows. There seems to be a significant absence of the lows but in replace of that absence is very good highs and mids. These headphones also lean towards bright sounds and can be fatiguing after awhile. The headphones really perform well with treble. They give smooth highs, which do not go over the top. Their mids gave very good vocal representation when listening to Bon Iver and Sean Carey. Together with the wonderful mids and highs, the DT1350 also does not fall short of details. The details on stringed instruments stood out even more due to the fact that the bass was slightly lacking. These headphones really can have you realizing defects in poor recordings. They have great soundstage and there is no problem feeling the depth and identifying different instruments in a song.

All said, I would not recommend these headphones on bass heavy music so bass lovers might want to skip this one. Treble heavy music such as classical and acoustic guitar work brilliantly with these headphones but not so much with the mainstream music nowadays with hip hop, and electronica in the music scene.

Tesla Technology

About the Tesla Technology, which is applied on the drivers, this is a relatively new technology, which Beyerdynamic has released into their Tesla headphone series and has been present since 2010. They are meant to help bring up the level of detailed sound with maximum efficiency. This means less power usage from portable devices with higher quality sound. The name Tesla comes form Nikola Tesla known as one of Thomas Edison apprentices. With that being said, these headphones can be driven and were made to be driven by portable devices. Having an amp is optional and will increase the sound quality that these headphones have and even bring up the bass a bit.

Overall, the Beyerdynamic DT1350 headphones are a great pair of portable headphones especially for people who love treble and bright sounds. They are a bit on the pricier side, but based on the sound and the durability for portable and frequent use, they are well worth it.

The Ath m50 is a closed circumaural headphone from audio-technica. The ear pads go over the ear instead of on top and create good isolation. One of the things you should know is that the m50 comes in two versions, one, which has a coiled cord, and one with the straight. I personally like the straight cord as it is not elastic but I know many who love the coiled one, which makes it more portable and has a “studio” feel to it. I can’t put my finger whether these headphones are supposed to be used for home, studio or portable as they have features for all three categories, so I guess you can say that this is a very versatile headphone. The overall feel of the m50 is plastic, black and professional with the audio technica logo engraved into the cans. It looks sleek and the pads look comfortable. People who are fans of full black headphones will be pleased. The headphones can be folded in and also be folded flat for storage. The cable is single sided and doesn’t get in the way for work if you are using these headphones for studio work. One thing that is to die for is the headphone jack, which is made of metal and is silver in color. It is very sturdy and durable and looks like you had the jack replaced with a custom one due to its stark color difference. The headphones also come with a leather pouch and a screw on ¼ inch adaptor. The headband looks sturdy and has the audio technica logo and letterhead emblazoned on it. Overall a very beautiful headphone, the one gripe I have with it is that it gets hot under the ear pads after awhile, probably due to the material used for the ear pads. Don’t get me wrong, the ear pads are very comfortable and really seals the ears.

In terms of sound, well there is one very definite thing that stands out which is the bass. Bassheads out there, this is the phone for you. I love the bass on these headphones which are really punch and tight without the muddiness which you usually find on plastic cheapies. The bass is really tight and gives a good thump at each beat without merging into the next thump. With these, one can actually separate each bass beat on event the most bass heavy songs without sacrificing the punchy sound. I have never heard bass beats so prominently displayed when listening to AFI before. They fair fine on the mids and highs too which makes this headphone a real all rounder. The highs are clear and crisp, not sparkly and do not go over the top. The mids make vocal performances sound clear and voices and tones sound very natural. The mids may feel slightly recessed due to the beautiful bass that these headphones produce but they are certainly not overwhelmed by the bass. However, on really bass heavy songs, they can drown out the mids quite a bit. The combination of the mids and highs with a well rounded bass makes these really warm sounding headphones. They are slightly laid back in my opinion with a nice depth to it, the soundstage is also decent. The laid back nature of these headphones can be a bit of a turn off since they do well in bass, but I guess this is where the studio sound is placed in these headphones.  The detail in these heaphones is decent, good enough to even notice flaws in the recordings, but not as great as the higher end audio-technicas.

Driving these headphones is easy and they work well without an amp. Adding and amp will really make these headphones sound even more natural and emphasize the bass even further. Due its fun sound signature and its non-fatiquing nature, I expect these to gain a huge fanbase. They work great with mainstream music but not so much with classical and opera.

Overall those who love warm sounds and good bass, please give these headphones a go. They are not for those who love bright sounds and super fine detail.

There is no better silver wire for the money, I get this at a good price, and I pass the savings onto the final user, if you guys are happy, I’m happy, and everybody gets amazing sounding audio equipment!

The silver is made in the same fashion and is guaranteed to be at least 6N (99.9999%) pure. I could buy 7N, but that stuff is expensive for an extra decimal?!

The SR60i is a new model and an upgrade from the very well known SR60’s which design hasn’t changed since 1993. The SR60i’s are different as they feature a new plastic housing and a thicker cable. However, in terms of aesthetics, they still look very old school. The price for the sound quality produced by these headphones makes it a grab. They have won multiple awards for their sound quality.

These headphones are open which enables sound to leak out of the headphones while listening to it. Preferably not meant to be used when on the subway unless you want people to rock with your tracks … or get offended instead. Often people ask, how much do they leak? Yes they leak, a LOT, but not enough to leak past walls so private listening in one’s room should be fine. The open back characteristics of the headphones are one of the reasons they sound so fantastic as they are meant to reduce resonance and give clearer bass.

They are made of plastic with a vinyl headband; pricier models have the leather headband, they are made in such a way that the headband does not pull hairs out of your head. These can be folded flat for easy storage. They are supra aural and come with large foam ear pads which are replaceable. With the Grado Company, everything is about the sound quality and the headphones so the packaging and everything else is disregarded. Well they certainly have their priorities right but the headphones are actually packaged in what seems to be a pizza box with foam in it. They are a bit big and not suitable for travel or as a portable headphone but some people love these cans so much that those boundaries do not matter.  These headphones can sound better than headphones from other brands twice the price though many headphone companies are catching up pretty fast. Personally I have never heard sound this good coming out from headphones for this price range.

In terms of durability, these Grados will last a lifetime. They come with a 1-year warranty but to hell with that, as many people have had their Grados with them for 7 years and counting. If the plastic gets cracked, just send it over to Grado and they will send you a replacement part. And when the pads get worn out, just buy new pads. The cable is beefy and looks more like a miniaturized bungee jump cord than a headphone cable, definitely made to last. The usual 3.5mm jack and 6.3 mm adaptor is provided, both gold plated. If I were to make a complaint, it would be that the cable is a tad too long and the fact that the cups can swivel 360 degrees and on and on causing the cable could get twisted too much. Other than that, you would have to be a pretty rough to break these headphones.

The cons of these headphones are not major but should be stated. The open ear design means that you may disturb some people if say you were listening in an airplane or the subway. Or noisy environments can even disturb you as sound travels in and out from the headphones with ease. Best way to use these is in your personal workspace of audio setup in a room. Less people present, the better. Design wise is a personal thing but some people either love the old school design or hate it, much like marmite. Their cable is a tad too long as mentioned before but can be recabled if one really cannot bear the length. They are not meant to be portable and the fact that they are supraaural means that problems with comfort with these headphones arise quite a lot. My advice is to actually try these headphones in a store before purchasing it and not just a five-minute test, wear it for at least 10 minutes to actually see if the comfort affects you. But not to worry, there are many mods in forums to increase the comfort of the Grados, some even as far as modding them until they are circumaural. Lastly, due to its aggressive nature, they can be a bit too much for some people who love a laid back sound instead of the in your face nature of the Grados.

Driving these headphones is not a problem. They will work with any portable device with ease and with absolutely no problem form a computer or CD player. Having an addition of an amp and/or DAC will increase the sound quality, but not to worry as they sound awesome on their own.

They are known for their aggressiveness and fast treble, nice bass and detailed midrange. Perfect for rock music and decent on other genres. Especially if you are a rock fan, these headphones  have an edge. The only genre that the Grados are not superb with are classical where most would like to hear a wide soundstage. They can be revealing and are not laid-back at all. These headphones make you feel like you are on the stage with the band playing instead of on the seats at the second row. The kick that people get from listening with these headphones make people absolutely love them. Their midrange is neutral with great-extended bass. In terms of treble, there is a very good clarity with coloration with make these fun to listen too.  Their soundstage is narrow and it has decent instrument separation. However the bright nature of the headphones can cause some to have a bit of headphone fatigue. I personally have no issues in that department. Their sound signature is very warm and tracks will feel very whole and complete. If the bass in the headphones are not enough for you, up the ladder of Grado’s range is the SR80i with extended bass. The sound of the headphones is very smooth.

Overall, these headphones are a bargain and are a pair of headphones everyone should consider and give a listen too.

The version 1 headband (below) with the Black Manta headband (top)

Black Manta Headband on Sapele wood cups






Black Manta Headband on Grado SR60i’s.




Brown Manta Headband on the Grado SR60i

Brown Manta Headband on Sapele Wood Cups

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