Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $125.00
Sale Price: $89.99
Today's Bonus: 28% Off

• Provides exceptional sound reproduction and comfort
• 10-foot coiled, detachable cable
• Replaceable ear cup pads ensure long product life
• Threaded 1/4-Inch gold-plated adapter included
• Bayonet clip securely locks detachable cable into ear cup,Impedance: 44 Ohm

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I'm the type who likes to hear every detail in the music. When listening to an old analog track from the 70s I actually think it's cool to hear the increasing "hiss" as each instrument is punched in as the song builds. Or to hear the singer(s) take a breath just before committing their lines. Both the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro(which I have owned since 2007) and Shure's newer SRH-440 enable me to do that very well, and at *reasonable* not too loud volumes.

I looked up both headphones at headphone . com. The graphs of their freq response correspond well with how they actually sound to my ears, hence the title to this review. Both phones are very close in performance in the lows to mids, and in the high frequencies. I have next to no sensitivity above 12kHz, so I cannot comment on either in that respect.

Where they differ, and you will see this at the website I referenced, is in their handling of deep(below 80Hz) bass and of the high-midrange section (3-4kHz). The Sennheiser does NOT lack for bottom! It's not boomy just *there*. The Shure needs a little nudge of the LF EQ band to match the Senneheiser, but where it out"shines" the Sennie is in that high area just where midrange becomes treble. It isn't glaringly bright there, but you can definitely hear more breathing and sibilance through the Shure. The Sennheisers are good for overall listening, but if you are a techno or house/club music junkie or modern rock affecionado you will fall in love with the bass bottom of these. The Shures have most of the spectrum covered, but will specifically satisfy classical listeners with their interpretation of strings and other high-freq instruments, as well as jazz and most rock sub-genres.

All in all, they are a draw as far as sound quality goes.

Construction/Comfort wise, both are decently built. Nothing plasticky cheap about either, although the Sennheiser is slightly heavier. The HD280 has that "vise-grip" on your head something which I just accepted as being part & parcel with classic German quality. It doesn't bother me and has actually loosened slightly in the 3 years I've owned them. The Shure not nearly as tight. In fact, when leaning my head up to see my monitor or down to see what the cat is throwing up(!) the headband slips down over my forehead or back. If the Sennies were tight these are loose! No amount of adjustment helps, unless one has a much larger head than I.

Still, they isolate sound almost as well as the Sennheisers, and sound just as good, in their own way. I recommend either and find it a good idea to have two decent cans around to listen to and monitor my music. There is also a body of thought out there that both speakers and headphones should be "broken or burned" in. Nothing wrong with that, so long as bass/treble controls are kept flat and no EQ is employed. Play a variety of your favorite CDs through the headphone at the loudest volume you'd COMFORTABLY listen to for AT LEAST 10-12 hours, and let them play over night in the corner. ++On that note a good-old-fashioned CD carousel or 6disc magazine is a great asset++ Burning in can't hurt, as long as the phones or speakers aren't blasting to the point of distortion. And my Sandisk Sansa mp3 player drives them both quite well, the Shures slightly louder at the same volume given the Sennheisers.

Buy Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black) Now

The Shure SRH440 is the best set of over ear monitors I've ever heard for critical listening in the price range. I don't think you can buy a better set of non-noise canceling cans for around $100. I think many headphones that cost $200 or less fall short of the sound quality. The build quality is sturdy, and I can tell I will have these headphones for a lifetime. Even not extended, they hug my very average sized head just right, and there's plenty of slack for people with bigger heads. And they are comfertable for hours at a time, and the pads are soft pleather but, not the cheap stuff. Plus they are replaceable.

They keep a fairly decent amount of sound out, if they were a little more snug they would keep more out, but even so walking down the street you have to try to get distracted by cars going by. If you're from or have ever been on the T in Boston, you know how loud it is. With these things on my head, I can still hear the very muted grinding of the rails, but its hard to care when even on the quietest volume setting on my 80GB ipod classic the music is not only still very audible, it's clear as day.

The highs, mids, and lows are completley balanced like a flat equalizer setting, unbiased on there own and not effecting each others presence. I wouldn't recommend them if you're a bass junkie, because the base is very smooth and even for both electronic music or a big jazzy double bass. Whether on the lowest or highest volume on any device I've used it with, everything is extremely clear and life-like. All genres of music and talk. Listening to rock you can relearn what distortion is supposed to be, listening to classical you can hear the sweat on the soloist fingers as they slide around the strings, listening to stand up has that scratchy, sweaty pickup of a comedy club mono channel microphone.

I bought these for an everything, every day user after enjoying the Shure SE210 in ear monitors for two years. I took a chance because I didnt know a lot about these phones, just that shure had not yet let me down. I must say, I am a customer for life.

I cant even begin to imagine what the SRH840's sound like, but I'm guessing for $200 they blow everything $350 and under out of the water.

*Edit: Great shipping and service from Sarjo Wholesale Group.Thanks!

Read Best Reviews of Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black) Here

In running a professional studio finding the right headphones has always been a problem. They need to be durable, true sounding and isolating. We always used the AKG 141's and 240's but they are not very robust and need lots of TLC to keep running. They sound great but are open backed so the isolation is not optimal. But now a new pair of 141's are close to $150.The Beyer Dt 770 are better isolating, though they sound a bit "canny" not very natural in the vocal range. But they are $199 a pair.The Audio Technica ATH 50's sound great but are also in the $200 range

Enter Shure, the makers of the revered 57 microphone. The SRH 440 Headphones sound excellent,isolate well,are rugged and best of all I found them for $80 on Amazon. Now when they get thrown across the room I don't worry.

The only thing I don't like about them is the coil cord they come with. Straight cables are much more practical for studio use. But the cables are detachable.

We've been using them for a few weeks now and they are liked by me and the professional singers we work with.

Shure SRH 440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black)

Want Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black) Discount?

Ok I heard a lot of good things about these online and decided that I wanted some headphones for home use so I decided to get these.

At first use, the sounds are very decent with excellent mid range sounds. This is not a headphone for people that like the sound of bass that rattles a car's trunk. These are for those that want to hear every detail in a song...even the minute ones. It offers good bass, but just not to an extreme some people would like.

I had an issue though it seems to have gone away. I would have one side of the headset go out but slowly. The music would cut, then vocals. I checked to see if it was properly connected and twisted and it was. The issue seems to have resolved itself though its a bit unsettling once you've just received the headset.

Whats cool is that these headphones fold in so they are easier to transport if you do have to take them somewhere.

Personally, and if you have an ear with a protruding antihelix such as myself, these headphones (and probably many others) will hurt if you wear them for 30+ minutes. There is nothing but a very thin material between your ear and the plastic base over the speaker. This will push the ear creating discomfort.

Its a great headphone, but comfort is lacking (for me) and im concerned about the reliability of this pair...back to my music...

*update 6/14/11* having problems yet again with the left (cord side) speaker/cable problem. For some reason the speaker kicks in an out. Sometimes when I unplug it and plug it back in, it works...sometimes it doesnt fix the problem. I will probably have to contact the vendor.

*update 7/23/11* contacted seller about sending the headset back.

*update 8/12/11* contacted manufacturer

update and probably last. contact attempts failed with shure as they have been unresponsive to the last 2 emails i sent out. Feb 27 and March 8 were the last dates of the emails. Issue unresolved. Minus star for customer service.

The SRH440 was my first venture into professional studio monitors. I have heard the sound quality on the Sennheiser HD555 , HD280 Pro, Beats Solo and Grado Labs' SR60i. The Beats have the best bass of the ones I heard but were atrocious for the mids and highs. The Grado's and Sennheisers are a little bit better than the SRH-440s accross the board but they are open design, which usually have a slightly better sound stage and reproduction of sound. The HD280 wasn't nearly as good in my opinion, but some people claim that the 280 Pro have better mids and highs.

Now with all that said you guys might wonder why I gave this pair a 5 star rating. Well simply put, this is the best closed, circumaural pair you can buy under $100. The sound quality is absolutely stunning. Make sure to burn them in for at least 100 hours and you will see a sharp rise in sound quality. I needed a pair that was good for indoor and outdoor use. It had to be closed, minimal leakage of sound, with a decent length detachable cable, no 10 foot cable like that of the 555. This pair does the job for me and its affordable enough that they are a great first step into the world of audiophiles. Again, its a great pair for casual listeners who want EXCELLENT build quality (these are heavy and very well built). I would highly recommend this product to broke audiophile wannabes (like me!) or casual listeners who want a solid pair of headphones with very good sound quality.