Like the previous comparison, this one won't have any flowery prose and is sure to have spelling and grammatical errors. I just don't have the time to go through it all. The main thing I've tried to do is give accurate information with another popular reference point (the T1s).
Also, I should mention something about my last comparison, in which I said the 1840s stopped changing after 15-20 hours. I guess I was wrong. They do sound a bit better after the 60 hours or so I've put on them and they haven't changed at all in the last 10 hours. Placebo? Maybe, but I'm liking the results. The comparison with the 650s still stands...nothing changed there.
Stock Shure SRH1840 vs. beyerdynamic T1 + DHC Molecule UPOCC copper cable
Compared to the SRH1840, the T1s have a significantly more forward treble, especially in the 8-10KHz peak you typically see on their frequency response graphs. I usually don’t find the T1s to be harsh because their treble is refined, grain-free and controlled, but there’s no doubt there’s just more of it present. For this reason, I think the mids on the T1 are pushed back a lot farther than the Shures, which, as I mentioned earlier, are very mid-centric headphones. In general, the Shures are warmer, darker and have about the same amount of bass, maybe a bit more (feels that way subjectively).
The bass extension, I’m quickly finding out, on the 1840s is excellent. In comparison to the T1s, the Shures carry a bit more volume in the deeper test tones and their bass seems more linear, just like it did against the HD650.
Interestingly, the T1s have a similar midbass hump as the HD650s, and their bass is involving and punchy. The Shures don’t have as much of this due to their neutrality/flatness in this area, but their bass is enjoyable nonetheless as it sounds somewhat fuller.
More on the low-end; the T1s seems a bit tighter and the overall speed of the headphones is very slightly greater than that of the 1840s. There’s also a difference in the “bite” or leading edge of the attack, with the T1 being slightly sharper and abrupt. I think the T1 are more accurate here, but the 1840s sound more forgiving because of this (and other factors, like tone). This took me a while to notice, but it’s a consistent, subtle difference. It may actually be the reason for my perception of the speed difference…only time will tell.
This is also a good time to address a point that MuppetFace brought up in her own review. I think the Shures excel in bass texture. They do have this “growl” like she said. It’s a detailed and nuanced presentation of the bass.
As for soundstage, the T1 layers music better, and presents a greater sense of 3D space. It’s also more accurate in its placement of instruments/vocals and their relative focus/separation. I wouldn’t say the size differs by much. In fact, the Shures present larger, more diffuse, but upclose images in front of the listener, while the T1s present more frontal depth with smaller images. It seems to me that the T1 sound more technically competent in this area, but it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of music on the Shures. Actually, soundstaging on the 1840s kind of reminds me of how orthos often image in relation to dynamics…flatter, less deep, but with larger images.
Detail-retrieval on both headphones is very good, but I believe the T1s may hold a slight advantage in treble clarity. Ofcourse, this could just be a byproduct of the boosted treble, but that’s how it sounds to me.
In terms of dynamics, both headphones are quite good but the Shures are actually better here. Macro and micro dynamics...both large scale volume changes as well as small subtle/delicate inflections, I feel the 1840s do it a little better.
I’ve picked the sound apart here and analyzed each area separately, but it’s important to get a holistic picture of what to expect. Just listening to both of these headphones, do I feel the recabled T1s are worth twice the price of the 1840? No. Do I think they’re even any better than the 1840? Hard to say…I would argue not. The Shures are usually more involving and instantly likable. There’s no prominent flaw in their sound, unlike a lot of other headphones out there. I personally could do without the T1’s treble spike for instance, even though it doesn’t bother me enough to stop listening. Overall, I find the Shures to be more natural, less fatiguing and easier to listen to. They don’t beat the T1s in all domains of technical performance, but they certainly sound as good.
Anyway, take for instance the GT-R at $100k, it smokes every production car below half a mil in pretty much every performance category. You have to get into the "hyper cars" to best it, and even then it isn't always cut and dried. Sure, I'd rather have a 458 or Aventador based on aesthetics alone, but I have no illusions that I'd be able to shake the cheaper Nissan on track day if its owner wants to climb up my bum. 
