Shure has made significant changes to the SRH840 series’s design, but the sound is largely familiar. The old and new headphones share the same claimed 5-25000Hz frequency response and have similarly low impedance for use with non-specialist hardware. While some other specs, such as sensitivity, are a little different, you wouldn’t expect a new pair of headphones to have internal hardware identical to that of a pair more than a decade old. tight bass, not over powering. The bass is present and can have a nice boom to them with an amp but not like the DT770's. The bass is very clear and does not bleed into the sound spectrum. I still enjoy dubstep and rap and heavy bass songs on these headphones but if you want a super boomy sound they wont be at the top Shure is a pioneer in the headphone world. The company may not be as well known as the likes of Beats among consumers, but when it comes to professional audio, it’s one of the most important companies out there. In fact, I’ve been using a pair of Shure headphones for years now — the Shure SRH840 headphones. There are a few quirks to mention when it comes to design. For example, each earcup has a super thin wire that features on the outside of the headphones — and that cable could pretty easily be broken if you aren’t careful. The assumption is that this is due to the folding nature of the headphones, but the result is the same regardless. You’ll want to be a little careful to not let that wire snag, or else you may find yourself with a useless pair of headphones. In general, the headphones sit in an interesting spot. They are tuned a little to sound more fun than other studio or professional headphones, which makes them perfect for home hi-fi situations. That being said, they still work great for mixing engineers looking for a pair of reference headphones — as long as you take into consideration the sound profile that the headphones have to offer.

There’s one part of the SRH840 that seems curiously vulnerable for headphones that are otherwise heady-duty. Thin cables poke out of the earcup and snakes around into the headband on the outside. We assume this is to let the folding mechanism move freely without risking the cable, but it does leave you worried that a sharp snag could leave you with a useless pair of cans. Not only that, but the ear pads, which should last a few years, can be replaced — so if they get worn out you’re covered. In the years that we’ve used them, we’ve found that there is also some wear and tear on the headband — but the fact is that’s normal for a pair of headphones. In general, the Shure SRH840s are comfortable, and while they’re not overly light, that doesn’t become too much of an issue. SoundLet’s start with the bass, which sounds great. There’s plenty of bass to speak of here, and while a totally natural-sounding pair of headphones would offer slightly less, the fact is that once you get used to that you can adjust your mixes accordingly. Or, if you’re not mixing but rather listening, you might like the ever-so-slight bass boost the headphones have on offer. That’s not to say that these will be good for mega-bass fans — people looking for huge bass boosts should keep on looking. Alongside the cable, you get a 6.3mm adapter and a no-frills shiny synthetic leather carry case in the box. The old SRH840 even included a spare set of pads, but you don’t get those this time. That said, it is not completely neutral. It does have a somewhat warm midrange that makes it fantastic for listening to vocals. Overall, for the price you pay, these cans offer a decent amount of detail and an overall balanced sound that should please audiophiles who are on a budget. Bass is accurate and tight, but a bit on the light side. As others have said, they can be a bit sibilant on some recordings.

These headphones are a great bargain for anyone wanting a very good monitoring headphone that delivers great SQ across the frequency spectrum.Striving for accuracy and detail, the Shure SRH840 are very clear-sounding, slightly bright-leaning headphones. They have a great top-end, which is both insightful and a little unforgiving at times. After a short burn-in, we found that it’s well-executed enough to avoid adding any extra sibilance to recordings. I'll keep this short and sweet. The sound is very neutral but at the same time not too flat. If anyone has ever been in a studio these don't sound like Yamaha NS10's. I'll give the Fostex that comparison tho. These sound flat/neutral but with a little bit of a relaxed midrange. They're still great for reference but you can really enjoy listening to music through these as well. I originally bought these because they were the winner of Dave Rat's headphone quest (He is the FOH engineer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and if he recommends something live sound guys listen). And now I see why he recommended them. He actually compares the sound of a PA in an arena with some test music to the sound of the same test music going through these headphones because they sound that good. I'm so excited to be listening to these right now!!!!