PaganDL
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2016
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Alright, I got the SRH1540 pads in last week and all I can say is wow. I was expecting a big bump in comfort, what I wasn't expecting was the amazing transformation in the sound!
After doing a bunch of A/B between my sets with the OG pads and the 1540 pads, I'll try to describe the sonic experience of both to better show what I mean.
Original:
Soundstage: quite narrow, feels like it extends just to the cups. However, feels like it extends upwards to the headband. Imagine a semi-circle with the cups and headband.
Imaging: quite precise within the soundstage, particularly for higher frequencies. Slight quirk I've noticed is that certain things dominant in one channel will sound like they're right at the top of my ear on that side. I hypothesize this is a consequence of the AMT being mounted on top for the newer revisions. The lows and mids tend to feel slightly muddled along a line directly between the ears.
Treble: there's definitely a peak somewhere in the 4-8khz range that's a little piecing to me sometimes. That upper edge tends to be a little sharp, but the rest is very rich and detailed. I suppose that's where the AMT is working its magic.
Mids: mids to upper mids are just silky and delightful. There's a bit of a drop around the lower mids that can be noticeable on certain tracks. As an example, a couple hip hop tracks I noticed the vocal track sounded recessed, like it was being drowned out by the backing track.
Bass: big and boisterous. Can get a little boomy and muddy for certain tracks. Great for movies though!
With Shure SCH1540 pads:
Soundstage: weird semi-circle effect is gone. Now imagine your head got stuck in the middle of a mini concert hall. It's great. The sound now has a 'bigness' to it. They're still closed back, but I now get a much better sense of distance.
Imaging: still great, but in particular the lows and mids are much more defined and separated.
Treble: some of that peak has definitely been smoothed out. All that's left is that silky smooth and rich tone. I'm getting a chills listening to tracks I've heard a hundred times before.
Mids: as above, the definition has increased considerably especially on the lower end. Still a bit of a dip, but it seems like it's not being as blown out by the lows and highs as before.
Lows: less boomy and muddled, still plenty of kick but much more controlled sounding.
Hi @audio_dude,
Obviously, you listen to Zeos which is not a bad thing
I look forward to trying this solution when I get the 422 h in hand to see if this does a whole lot.
One thing to credit Zeos for is his sound demos help a lot though it doesn't always give the whole picture but that's another story.
Hope you have a great day !