In my humble opinion, the VI is one of the best sounding headphones under $1,000. I can’t compare it to the Shure since I’ve never listened to it, but if you like an extended top end with great micro detail retrieval, then you should try to audition it. The bass performance is quite good as well, and the midrange, to my ears, is neutral with very little grain.
This headphone which is easy to drive deserves to be used with higher quality gear in order to truly appreciate how good it is (I use an A&K AK240SS). Some claim it is too bright sounding due to its use of a BA driver for the trebles, but I disagree, and I am very sensitive to any anomalies in the upper frequencies. Regarding the comfort, I never had troubles listening to the VI for extended periods of time (> than two hours), but this is a highly individual quality. The design of the VI spreads its ~480 gram weight evenly, so I never felt any pressure points.
With all this said, I’m giving my VI to my 17 year old son who has followed in my footsteps of loving music and higher quality audio gear. I’ve gotten to the point of not wanting to collect headphones/IEMs anymore, and my current final D8000, final B1, and Focal Utopia give me enough variety to satisfy my listening needs without getting bored. Yes, I’ve attained end game status that for my age (60), is a good thing. This passion is getting very expensive these days.