[snejk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't heard the HD25 in a long time, but I've really liked it every time I have. I asked Sennheiser USA to bring a set to Can Jam '09, so I could hear it again. While there, if I remember, I would like to compare the two (SRH840 to HD 25-1 II).

Looking forward to that comparison. It would be interesting to quite a few people I guess since they are in the same prize range and both are somewhat studio-oriented.

It's been a while since I listened to my hd25 in a good rig (use them at work currently straight from the computer *cringe*) but the soundstage wasn't very large as far as I remember. Nice if the Shures can do soundstage better.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Second, search Google for SHURE SRH840, and see if you can find a single thing anywhere else on the web that lists the price of these headphones.

As I wrote earlier, the Dutch/ European prices are here.
Found by Google

 

[snejk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif Prepare to be frustrated, jpelg, as I've been putting my feelers out more and more for these kinds of advanced jumps that are relevant to the community here--and SHURE releasing full-sized headphones is definitely relevant here. And there's more coming from others that will make this one of the best years for headphone audio that I can remember.

Interesting! Tell us more

 

[jude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smallcaps /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'm a bit more curious about its construction. can the pads be easily removed? is the cable connector to the headphone a mini-jack? at that price, i think it would attract some modders and hopefully get a community driven modding market going. i would love to see them woody-fied and cant wait to see what the drivers look like.

smallcaps, the pads can easily be removed. The pads on the SRH840 are nicer than those on the SRH440 (in my opinion), so I'm going to put the extra set that comes with the SRH840 on the SRH440. (The SRH840 comes with a spare set of pads, but the other two models do not. Also, the SRH840 pads fit the SRH440, but their pads do not fit the SRH240.)

The main plug side of the cable is a mini plug (with a screw-on 1/4" adapter). The headphone side is not a mini plug, but looks like one of those mini mini plugs (I can't remember the diameter of those off-hand). Here's a photo of both sides of the cable (click to see larger version):



As for modding: A small enough plug body on the headphone side might work fine--the potential issue is the twist-to-lock mechanism on that side. Edwood is probably more qualified to answer the possibilities there (on the headphone side of the cable), as he's the tweaker type, whereas I am a danger with a soldering iron.

I'll try to take photos of the drivers today. From what I can tell, they don't have an outward appearance that is much different than other dynamic headphone drivers I've seen. I was told there were innovations related to the driver (with a couple of patents being sought for them) that directly had sonic benefits. I pressed for more details on this, but nobody at SHURE budged. All that can be seen (without dismantling it) is the front of the driver, and, again, the appearance from the front of the driver looks pretty unremarkable.

 

[YtseJamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thread /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got to hear them at Saturday's meet. I also thought they had the warm, "speaker-like" presentation of the SE530's. I made that observation before I heard it from anyone else. One thing I noticed was how my ears felt in the cups. My ears are pretty small, but the cups fit over them like gloves. I could feel fabric all over my ears. While it wasn't uncomfortable for my short listens, I could see that could be annoying for longer sessions. Overall, though, I thought they (the 840's) were a good pair! Certainly at $199, you'd be silly to complain.

Do you think that they can compete with the Edition 9 and the ESW10JPN ? (For the sound quality.)

 

[i_don't_know]

For anyone that has given the SRH840 a listen, how would you compare them to the ATH-AD900? (in terms of quickness, detail, sound signature, and amount of treble sparkle)

 

[mjay1977]

Hello All,

First off I'd like to introduce myself. I am Michael Johns the Product Manager for the newly anointed headphone category at Shure. I've been at Shure for close to 9 years, and work for the much mentioned (in this thread) Mr. Matt Engstrom. As this is my first post on Head-Fi (I just created an account today), as I get time I will add more detail to my profile. Although I am new to Head Fi as a poster, I am familiar with many of you as I am a regular "watcher" of this site which includes great information about our market as well as “headcore” users such as yourselves. I also attended the 2008 Can Jam in Ft. Lauderdale in which I represented Shure at our booth. The headphone line in which I was in the middle of working on is a big reason I attended the show as well! Thanks to all of the South Florida community who were very welcoming to me. Matt and I will be at Can Jam 2009 in LA as well. I can't wait to meet each of you who will be there.
Now that the "cat is out of the bag" and our launch into the Headphone category is official, I'd like to contribute to this forum whenever possible and answer any questions you may have about our line, as well as just talk shop as an avid user of earphones and headphones (I am also a DJ and have used just about every DJ headphone on the marketplace.).
So I've seen some questions regarding the products on this thread and wanted to address them. If you have any questions feel free to put them in the thread or PM me and I will try to get back to them in a timely matter. Please keep in mind I won't be able to answer some questions (such as final ship dates) as your questions may require me to divulge confidential information.

Here Goes...

Pricing: Yes, the pricing is official as Jude listed them. We are aggressively getting into this market as these prices dictate. These prices reflect the US STREET prices only and don't reflect what the prices are going to be in other regions of the world. Please check with the authorized distributor in your region for official pricing.

Beta vs. Production units: Please note that we have made significant changes to the design since Beta Testing, which is kind of the point of doing Beta Testing in the first place... The sonic signatures remain unchanged but one notable change is the microphonics in the cable. Thanks to all the Beta Testers such as Jude and Ed Wood for pointing this out. You will find the production units have FAR LESS microphonics in the cable compared to Beta Test units. Beta Testing confirmed our assumption that the cable as-is, was not suitable for production.

Cable Details: The side of the cable that goes into the headphone assembly is a 2.5mm, 3-pin connector. It attaches via a locking "bayonet" style mechanism. The cable is easily removed and replaced but only intentionally meaning that you are not going to have the cable dislodge from the headphone assembly during normal usage.

Specs: Please see below for specs on each model...

Specification/ModelSRH240
Transducer TypeNeodymium, Dynamic
Driver Size40mm
Sensitivity107dB/mW @1KHz
Impedance @ 1KHz38 Ohms
Max Power500mW
Frequency Range20Hz-20KHz
Net Weight (w/o Cable).4lb (181g)
Shipping Weight1.35lb (612g)
Cable TypeStraight, dual-side exit, fixed, non-PVC, OFC
Cable Length2m Straight
Specification/ModelSRH440
Transducer TypeNeodymium, Dynamic
Driver Size40mm
Sensitivity105dB/mW @1KHz
Impedance @ 1KHz44 Ohms
Max Power500mW
Frequency Range10Hz-22KHz
Net Weight (w/o Cable).6 lb (272g)
Shipping Weight1.55 lb (703g)
Cable TypeCoiled, single-side exit, removable, non-PVC, OFC
Cable Length3m Coiled
Furnished AccessoriesGold Plated Adapter, Carrying Bag

Specification/ModelSRH840
Transducer TypeNeodymium, Dynamic
Driver Size40mm
Sensitivity102dB/mW @1KHz
Impedance @ 1KHz44 Ohms
Max Power1000mW
Frequency Range5Hz-25KHz
Net Weight (w/o Cable).7 lb (317.5g)
Shipping Weight1.75 lb (794g)
Cable TypeCoiled, single-side exit, removable, non-PVC, OFC
Cable Length3m Coiled
Furnished AccessoriesGold Plated Adapter, Carrying Bag, Replacement ear pad set

Again, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

 

[i_don't_know]

Frequency response graph of the SRH840?


Figured there's no one better to ask about this.

 

[MaloS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjay1977 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Again, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Would you be willing to post some frequency response graphs? At least for SRH840.

Edit:
Quote:

Originally Posted by i_don't_know /img/forum/go_quote.gif Frequency response graph of the SRH840? Figured there's no one better to ask about this.

Dang, beat me to it!

 

[i_don't_know]

Looks like a double request.




PLEASE???

 

[Skibumef]

Jeez, at $200 these look like they will be the go-to portable/public listening headphone for most of us, and will be an amazing way for first-timers to enter the hi-fi world! I anticipate big things for your division, Michael.

 

[elnero]

Will there also be a straight cable included or will one be available as an option?

 

[odigg]

mjay1977 - Do you know if they will be available at major stores like Apple, Frys, Guitar Center, etc?

One of the major headaches with picking a headphone is that sometimes they are not available for a local demo. There are plenty of local stores that sell Shure IEMs so it would be nice to see local stores selling the headphones as well. That way people can test them before deciding if they want to buy them.

 

[Bonthouse]

I must have it. No questions asked.

 

[smallcaps]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude /img/forum/go_quote.gif smallcaps, the pads can easily be removed. The pads on the SRH840 are nicer than those on the SRH440 (in my opinion), so I'm going to put the extra set that comes with the SRH840 on the SRH440. (The SRH840 comes with a spare set of pads, but the other two models do not. Also, the SRH840 pads fit the SRH440, but their pads do not fit the SRH240.) The main plug side of the cable is a mini plug (with a screw-on 1/4" adapter). The headphone side is not a mini plug, but looks like one of those mini mini plugs (I can't remember the diameter of those off-hand). Here's a photo of both sides of the cable (click to see larger version): As for modding: A small enough plug body on the headphone side might work fine--the potential issue is the twist-to-lock mechanism on that side. Edwood is probably more qualified to answer the possibilities there (on the headphone side of the cable), as he's the tweaker type, whereas I am a danger with a soldering iron. I'll try to take photos of the drivers today. From what I can tell, they don't have an outward appearance that is much different than other dynamic headphone drivers I've seen. I was told there were innovations related to the driver (with a couple of patents being sought for them) that directly had sonic benefits. I pressed for more details on this, but nobody at SHURE budged. All that can be seen (without dismantling it) is the front of the driver, and, again, the appearance from the front of the driver looks pretty unremarkable.

the 2.5" plug reminds me of the one i had on my old sennheiser hd590s. i can imagine the standard spec plug is good news for diy-ers. would love to get my hands on a pair of these to start experimenting with aftermarket cables and earpads. looking forward to seeing the drivers and thanks for all the info so far