First, I should note that I auditioned these both straight out of the box, without any break-in time and then later after 53 hours of break-in. Recent scientific studies have shown definite differences between new headphones and used headphones in frequency response; of course, "better" is a subjective impression outside the realm of science, but the studies confirm that reviewers are not imagining things. I heard no significant sound difference in this case, other than perhaps a little overall smoothness (so these are not phones that require major...

I auditioned the SRH-1840 straight out of the box, and was unsatisfied with the sound, so I decided to give them a period of break-in. Recent scientific studies have shown definite differences between new headphones and used headphones in frequency response. Of course, "better" is a subjective impression outside the realm of science, but the studies confirm that reviewers are not imagining things. I tried them again after about 20 hours of break-in and there was definite improvement in several areas of sound quality. So, I continued the break-in...