Oh well, no answers yet. Ok, so I have to try it by myself I guess. I cannot give you a clear answer though.
Yes, I understand the Harman curve and parametric EQ, while I have used it on the SRH840s I didn't like it all that much and think my mixes come out better without it. I just use crossfeed for my HP mixes.
I see. As our ears are not measurement rigs, EQing to the Harman target does not always work out equally well depending on the headphone. So it cannot be said for sure if you really dislike the Harman target or if you just don't hear the measured sound signature.
A general thing I noticed when I tried to EQ closed-backs to the harman target is that they usually lack sub-bass afterwards. I think this is because measurements are made with a perfect seal (bald head, no glasses etc). So if your headphones sounded way too thin after EQing, you might want to raise the subbass level slightly above the target depending on your head shape, your hair and if you wear glasses or not.
Parametric EQ can be applied in many different ways, not necessarily with the goal in mind to reach the Harman target.
I like the sound signature, I don't think I could ask for better, but, the problem is, they are the only headphones I've ever had so I'm not sure if I'd be missing something.
Sound isolation is important, a preference would be close-back.
I have a budget of £300-400.
I would say your 840A has a warm V-Shaped sound signature. Closed-Backs with decent sound isolation in that price range which are often recommended include the Denon AH-D5200, the Sennheiser HD 620s, the Austrian Audio Hi-X60 and, if you are also interested in bluetooth and headset options, the Audeze Maxwell. Audeze is famous for their planar drivers with usually very low distortion, so while being a gaming headset, this can absolutely be considered to be a pretty serious audio product. They are a bit heavy though.
Personally, I visited some audio stores in the last months in order to check out a few models. I am not sure if this is helpful, but these are some subjective impressions:
- Maybe I begin with the 840A. To me, it was a fine headphone. Comfort was above average. Sound-wise I found the bass slightly overbearing and not high-quality, but overall okay. That said, I wear glasses.
- Many people, especially professionals, love the Austrian Audio Hi-X60. Comfort & sound isolation were very good. Personally, I immediately knew that I didnt like it as I perceived a treble peak around, I guess, 6k. That said, this is something which depends on your head shape, ears etc. I guess if people would have heard it as peaky I did, it would not be so popular. So it might be a me-problem.
- The Beyerdynamic 700 Pro X and the AKG K 371 are both below £300 and both sounded better to me. I ended up adding a 371 to my collection. That said, some people have a problem to get a good seal with the 371 and the build quality is not great. The build quality of the 700 Pro X is higher, but it was slightly less comfortable to me, sound isolation was not great and it was more expensive. I think this has to do with my specific head shape though, most people likely prefer the comfort of the 700 Pro X over the 371.
- Another headphone I recently checked out is the Focal Azurys. These are slightly above your budget. Sound-wise, they were a bit boring. But build quality, comfort etc was great.
Overall my personal experience is that especially when it comes to closed-back headphones, you rather pay for comfort and build quality than for sound. From my guts, I would try the Sennheiser 620S. Looking at the sound signature, I expect them to sound slightly more neutral/analytical than your Shure, but still more "fun" than the Harman target.
If you want to try something different, you could also consider buying the Aeon Closed X by Dan Clark using Drop (
https://drop.com/buy/drop-dan-clark-audio-aeon-closed-x-headphones). I havent heard them personally, but these might be a step above the mentioned ones in sound quality. Similar products by Dan Clark usually get great reviews here and cost about twice as much if you buy them anywhere else. Unfortunately, as you are not an american (me neither), the shipping process might be a bit annoying.
