Shure SRH440A and SRH840A

[WickedInsignia]

Shure has released some updates to their classic studio staples, the SRH440 and SRH840. The new models have an "A" at the end.
Looks like they have an entirely redesigned build and comfort, which is great news for those familiar with the old pairs (especially the 440). Also, no more coiled cable!
Considering how close the 440 was to the Harman Target, it will be interesting to see how this new model performs and whether it fixes the high-treble peak.
The 840 had a respectable and tasteful mild V-shaped signature as well.
In my very brief experience with the originals they were both surprisingly listenable. They were a slight letdown on build and comfort so alas I never owned either pair myself.

These deserve some initial attention. Looking forward to impressions and how these compare to the current budget closed-back market. If they're well-tuned in the spirit of their predecessors we may have an alternative to the K371, although that's likely far too early to call.
If anyone has listened to or measured either pairs, feel free to leave your thoughts here!

 

[markanini]

You rarely if ever see refreshes of utility headphones. Sony could have released MDR 7506A with an improved headband and sonics. Or Beyerdynamic could have done the DT770A. But they never did, so you can only speculate what such a time line would look like. Maybe they wouldn't recouperate the R&D and go bankrupt(read about Ericssson mobile), or to keep R&D costs down the refreshed product was worse and public trust was lost.

Anyway now we have this, I'm hoping it's gonna pay off for for Shure and the consumers and these revisions are truly better and long lasting. I just can't be s(h)ure.

 

[fragzone]

840 was my first decent foray into the audio world, which I then sold in financial trouble and eventually replaced with the 440. Both cans will always hold a special place in my heart. I have been thinking of picking up a good closed back lately, will be between the 840 and the akg371. Decisions.

 

[solderdude]

840A will be more durable, better build quality and will most likely still have more (mid)bass.
The K371 is more neutral sounding.

 

[WickedInsignia]

840A will be more durable, better build quality and will most likely still have more (mid)bass.
The K371 is more neutral sounding.

I’m most interested in the 440A tbh. The original was very close to Harman, albeit with a high treble peak. Also a nicer value proposition, although both are priced modestly. No measurements in the wild yet that I could find.

 

[solderdude]

I was just about to buy the SRH840A until I saw this:

Way too much bass for me (about 4dB above Harman) and too much 'muddyness'. Also the almost obligatory 10kHz sharpness peak.

The SRH-840 I tested:

Seems like the newer one has more bass extension. Better headband and construction it seems. Passed on this one.
Maybe with some modifications it could be interesting.

 

[staticV3]

I was just about to buy the SRH840A until I saw this:

Is that relative to Harman though? Or raw? They use a Neumann KU100. Does a Harman target even exist for that fixture?

 

[solderdude]

Definitely not Harman. When it would have had Harman correction there would be about 6dB less bass.
The plot below (mine) also is not Harman corrected (I have my own correction).
What is clear is that there is elevated bass, elevated even above Harman.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Comparison between a few headphones on HeadphoneCheck's rig.

 

[buscon]

I was just about to buy the SRH840A until I saw this:

View attachment 191871
Way too much bass for me (about 4dB above Harman) and too much 'muddyness'. Also the almost obligatory 10kHz sharpness peak.

The SRH-840 I tested:

Seems like the newer one has more bass extension. Better headband and construction it seems. Passed on this one.
Maybe with some modifications it could be interesting.

thank you for the comparison!

I take the chance to ask about headphone check graphs: why do they look so different than most of FR graphs?
Your graphs, Oratory's and Amir's are all comparable.
If it is too OT I can open another thread about that.

 

[solderdude]

I take the chance to ask about headphone check graphs: why do they look so different than most of FR graphs?
Your graphs, Oratory's and Amir's are all comparable.

Different test fixture and different target.
Perfectly usable to compare between the same type of measurements but not directly to others.

Mine differ from Oratory and Amir's compensated plots though, but all 3 have better relevance to perceived sound compared to headphonecheck and Tyll for instance.

 

[buscon]

Different test fixture and different target.
Perfectly usable to compare between the same type of measurements but not directly to others.

Exactly, I noticed that

Mine differ from Oratory and Amir's compensated plots though, but all 3 have better relevance to perceived sound compared to headphonecheck and Tyll for instance.

I see, thanks for the explanation.

 

[WickedInsignia]

Perfectly usable to compare between the same type of measurements but not directly to others.

Yeah exactly, which prompted me to provide the comparison (and included the K371 since it's very close to Harman).

 

[markanini]

We now have some data from oratory1990:

Shure SRH440: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wq2c7tdt6kodkl1/Shure SRH440.pdf?dl=0
Shure SRH440A: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1vt4eoyo4bdo7y0/Shure SRH440A.pdf?dl=0
Shure SRH840: https://www.dropbox.com/s/66dznl84dn2r4jx/Shure SRH840.pdf?dl=0
Shure SRH840A: https://www.dropbox.com/s/z4kfrvxw92hlz7t/Shure SRH840A.pdf?dl=0

 

[solderdude]

More bassy SRH440.
Less clarity for SRH840A but improved bass.

 

[Seta Seta Pop]

Since I love the 440 I just ordered the 840 (both without "A") for €89. Do you think I will notice an improvement in classical music? I guess I'll have to reduce the bass a bit, right?

 

[markanini]

Since I love the 440 I just ordered the 840 (both without "A") for €89. Do you think I will notice an improvement in classical music? I guess I'll have to reduce the bass a bit, right?

I have a SRH440 at home SRH840 at a friends studio. 840 enhances percussion but can be harsher on high brass and strings, harpsichord.

 

[Seta Seta Pop]

Thank you markanini!

 

[WickedInsignia]

We now have some data from oratory1990:

Oh dang, the As are closer to each other than they are to their predecessors...and whatever they're both adhering to doesn't seem to be very good.
I don't love the appearance of those mids. Will have to try these out myself but they don't seem to be standouts from the expected closed-back monitor sound. The reduced preference scores don't inspire confidence either, I was really hoping the original 440 sound would be retained.
They do appear to be easy listening though?

 

[WickedInsignia]

Or Beyerdynamic could have done the DT770A

Funny that, Beyerdynamic just released the DT700 Pro X not long ago! Looking at the graphs they also seem to have dropped the mt. Beyer treble peaks.