Sound
I ordered these along with three other pairs of headphones to find a good bass-heavy pair in this price range for electronic music and death metal. I tried the Denon AH-D1100, the Ultrasone HFi 780, and the ever-popular Audio-Technica ATH-M50. The Shures won me over by quite a big margin.
The problem I have with so many high-end headphones is that the mids disappear in a sea of harsh highs. When using the Ultrasones and Audio-Technicas, I found that the meat of my metal music--that is, the crunching guitar riffs and growly vocals--were far too difficult to hear. Sure, the bass in those other headphones never disappointed, and high parts--like guitar solos, cymbals, and higher singing vocals--sounded great, but everything else was just...missing.
The Shures felt much more balanced than everything else. They still have some great bass punch, and you can still hear the highs well (though they could stand to be a touch louder), but the mids really come through nicely. I know some other reviewers here have noted that the mids sound recessed, but compared to the other similar bass-heavy phones, this was absolutely not the case in my listening. They sound great.
Note: I have recently paired these with a Fiio E10 on my computer, and the sound is noticeably better. And I don't consider myself an audiophile, either--it's a pretty clear, noticeable difference. I recommend checking out an external DAC/amp with these phones if you like them. If you plan on using them with a portable device, make sure you get one that's compatible (like the E7 or the E17 instead) since they need a bit more power to drive if you want the volume. With an E7, I can actually turn up the volume loud enough to hear in noisy environments (like a plane)--my iPad alone couldn't quite hack it.
Build and Comfort
This is where the headphones lack, in my opinion. The build quality doesn't feel very durable to me. It's plastic, like other phones, but the plastic that gets exposed when you resize the headband feels very flimsy, and the plastic creaks a ton when you move them around. It isn't a huge deal as I have yet to have any issues with it, but they just don't feel as nice as, say, the incredibly-built ATH-M50s.
The ear pads are round instead of oval, which many people don't like but I didn't mind. In fact, it made my large ears feel a bit less cramped, so I like them. Not quite as cushion-y as other headphones (like, again, the M50), but I don't find them at all uncomfortable. What I do find uncomfortable is the headband. It isn't horrible, but there isn't very much padding, and after an hour or two of wear, I can definitely feel it pressing down on one specific part of my head. Usually I just adjust them forward or back and inch and it's fine, but it's still a minor annoyance. The sound still made the headphones better than everything I tried in the given price range, the comfort was just a slight bummer rather than a deal killer.
The cord is detachable and coiled, which is actually very nice. It gives you the range of a long cord without having a big bird's nest of tangles to deal with.
They fold up nicely and come with a little leather carrying case, which is handy to have.
In short: Yet another bassy headphone, but better for playing things like metal where the mids are really important. Durability and build quality is lower than I would like, but hardly a deal killer.
Try it alongside: The Audio Technica ATH-M50s or the Ultrasone HFi 780s. All great cans if you're looking for a bassy headphone in this price range but don't know exactly what you want.
I ordered these along with three other pairs of headphones to find a good bass-heavy pair in this price range for electronic music and death metal. I tried the Denon AH-D1100, the Ultrasone HFi 780, and the ever-popular Audio-Technica ATH-M50. The Shures won me over by quite a big margin.
The problem I have with so many high-end headphones is that the mids disappear in a sea of harsh highs. When using the Ultrasones and Audio-Technicas, I found that the meat of my metal music--that is, the crunching guitar riffs and growly vocals--were far too difficult to hear. Sure, the bass in those other headphones never disappointed, and high parts--like guitar solos, cymbals, and higher singing vocals--sounded great, but everything else was just...missing.
The Shures felt much more balanced than everything else. They still have some great bass punch, and you can still hear the highs well (though they could stand to be a touch louder), but the mids really come through nicely. I know some other reviewers here have noted that the mids sound recessed, but compared to the other similar bass-heavy phones, this was absolutely not the case in my listening. They sound great.
Note: I have recently paired these with a Fiio E10 on my computer, and the sound is noticeably better. And I don't consider myself an audiophile, either--it's a pretty clear, noticeable difference. I recommend checking out an external DAC/amp with these phones if you like them. If you plan on using them with a portable device, make sure you get one that's compatible (like the E7 or the E17 instead) since they need a bit more power to drive if you want the volume. With an E7, I can actually turn up the volume loud enough to hear in noisy environments (like a plane)--my iPad alone couldn't quite hack it.
Build and Comfort
This is where the headphones lack, in my opinion. The build quality doesn't feel very durable to me. It's plastic, like other phones, but the plastic that gets exposed when you resize the headband feels very flimsy, and the plastic creaks a ton when you move them around. It isn't a huge deal as I have yet to have any issues with it, but they just don't feel as nice as, say, the incredibly-built ATH-M50s.
The ear pads are round instead of oval, which many people don't like but I didn't mind. In fact, it made my large ears feel a bit less cramped, so I like them. Not quite as cushion-y as other headphones (like, again, the M50), but I don't find them at all uncomfortable. What I do find uncomfortable is the headband. It isn't horrible, but there isn't very much padding, and after an hour or two of wear, I can definitely feel it pressing down on one specific part of my head. Usually I just adjust them forward or back and inch and it's fine, but it's still a minor annoyance. The sound still made the headphones better than everything I tried in the given price range, the comfort was just a slight bummer rather than a deal killer.
The cord is detachable and coiled, which is actually very nice. It gives you the range of a long cord without having a big bird's nest of tangles to deal with.
They fold up nicely and come with a little leather carrying case, which is handy to have.
In short: Yet another bassy headphone, but better for playing things like metal where the mids are really important. Durability and build quality is lower than I would like, but hardly a deal killer.
Try it alongside: The Audio Technica ATH-M50s or the Ultrasone HFi 780s. All great cans if you're looking for a bassy headphone in this price range but don't know exactly what you want.
