Before I begin, I'd like to personally give huge thanks to Change is Good for sending me the SRH1840 for review. He also was kind enough to send me the Schiit Asgard 2 and SRH1540 ear pads!
The SRH1840. Ever since the first images of the 1840 surfaced online, I became very interested in it, as it looked like a higher end HD650 made by another company. The HD650 is one of my personal favorites aesthetically, and for that reason alone, the 1840 was on my sights (shame on me). I hadn't personally heard any Shure headphone prior to the 1840, but the fully open design and it being Shure's flagship circumaural headphone intrigued me. I had absolutely no idea on what type of sound Shure is known for. All I knew was that the 1840 was aimed at neutrality. A neutral-oriented, completely open headphone with velour pads? Sounded like something I'd completely go for in terms of competitive gaming and long-term comfort. How did it fare? Did it meet the expectations of it being comfy, detailed, and open, with competitive gaming prowess?
Note: Unless I specifically state as such, this review is made with the 1840 and it's stock velour pads in mind. In some instances, I may make some impressions of the 1840 with the SRH1540 Alcantara pads, which Change is Good generously supplied. I will specifically mention when the 1540 pads are used. The 1540 pads are sold separately.
Build Quality:
8/10
I distinctly remember reading online, someone stating that the 1840's build quality wasn't as impressive as it looked. I feel that the 1840 is well built, considering how little there is in the way of external design. The headband is essentially split into two thin headbands covered in leather (unsure whether it's genuine or synthetic). This is about the only real area on the 1840 I wish would've been different, as it just makes sense to have one single headband pressing down to the scalp, not two. The 1840 leaves two VERY distinct red indentations on my head after extended periods of use. Unsure whether it's just my aversion to faux leather on my skin (I tend to keep my hair extremely short), or if it's the downward force of the dual headband that is causing those marks. It's not uncomfortable by any means, but it is worth noting.
The aluminum, gunmetal-toned, extension arms feel very solid, which I don't foresee ever, ever breaking or bending without some truly powerful force put behind it. There are no clicks, or grooves for size adjustments. The 1840 resizes in a very smooth manner, which may be a problem for those who like to perfectly match left and right sides. The arms hold the ovally shaped plastic cups, which may be a contrast to the strong aluminum, but doesn't look out of place in the general design of the 1840. The plastic doesn't feel cheap or fragile, and I'm happy to find that they aren't covered in fingerprint-prone gloss. Just a non-descript matte black which lends itself well to the 1840's no nonsense styling. The cups swivel vertically, but not horizontally, which may be a problem for oddly shaped heads, though I don't have any personal issues with it.
The outer cup's grills are a thing of absolute beauty. Reminiscent to the grills of the Sennheiser HD650, this grill design is among my absolute favorite designs for open-backed headphones. There is no branding, logos, etc., giving owners a glimpse at the 1840's exposed internals. I'm a sucker for naked drivers, and the 1840 does not disappoint. This may be the only area on the 1840 that truly stands out aesthetically, among the otherwise safe and inoffensive design. The 1840's oval pads are made of incredibly comfortable, soft, and airy velour, which are also easily removable for cleaning/replacement. I don't see how these pads can't fit over everyone's ears properly. Among the best pads I have ever used.
The 1840's cups house Shure's proprietary connection. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of this type of input and would've preferred standard 3.5mm or mini-XLR inputs. The dual ended cable is pretty standard fare. Not overly thin nor thick, neither too short nor too long, it gets the job done. Non-grippy and doesn't seem prone to tangling. On the source end, it terminates into a gold-plated, straight 3.5mm plug with a screw on 6.3mm adapter. The barrel is thick (Shure branded), with a great amount of strain relief. I can understand why people would upgrade the cable to something a little more luxurious, though I don't have any specific issue with it. It's just a decent, utilitarian cable.
After all is said and done, the Shure 1840's build quality is pretty top-notch, though a bit less luxurious than the price would suggest. It's just well built and non-descript.
Accessories:
The 1840 comes with the bare essentials and then some.
- Hard Case. You can never, ever go wrong with an included hard case.
- Extra velour pads. Among the best pads on any headphone, and you get an extra pair. Good on you, Shure.
- Two sets of 6ft cables. Not sure why there is a need for two identical cables, but I guess you can just leave one cable at home, and the other elsewhere.
- 6.3mm gold-plated adapter
Comfort:
9/10
Personally, I feel there isn't much out there that compares to the 1840's comfort. It is relatively lightweight, clamps just enough without being too loose or tight, and the oval cups allow the 1840 to be worn while laying down. The velour pads allow plenty of air to keep your ears cool, with plenty of diameter to fit any sized ears. The pads may be among THE best pads I have ever felt, bested by only a handful of pads, one being Shure's own SRH1540 Alcantara pads, which are ever so slightly even more pleasing on the ears, though don't keep the ears as cool. The only real downsides in terms of comfort is the dual headband design (leaves two noticeable red indentations on my head) and the lack of horizontal swivel, which may be an issue to some. The 1840 is a headphone I could easily live with as a main gaming headphone, since I can wear it all day, and feel no real discomfort.
Design Issues:
As mentioned before, the split headband design is unneccessary, and would've been more comfortable as a single headband design. Not sure if Shure did it for weight or aesthetic reasons. The only other real design issue I see is the lack of horizontal swivel on the cups, as it limits freedom of movement to adjust for oddly shaped heads.
Isolation/Leakage:
As a completely open headphone, you seriously can't expect much if any isolation from the 1840. Not that it needs to be said, but anyone in your general vicinity will hear what you're listening to. In short, if you need noise control, don't use the 1840 or any other fully open-backed headphone. It isn't terribly noisy, but the noise leak is loud enough to be an issue if you need to keep quiet.
Sound:
8/10
The SRH1840 at first listen comes off as a neutral (if just slightly cold up top), open, crisp, detailed headphone, with fantastic and natural soundstage. It has all the makings of a great, analytically oriented, open headphone, and I'm happy to report that it is, for the most part. If you don't pay attention to it's price, you can appreciate the sound quality, despite some shortcomings.
With SRH1540 pads:
6.75/10
The 1840 with 1540 pads takes on a completely different character. It becomes v-shaped with strong bass, recessed mids, and similar (not identical), energetic treble to the stock pads.
Bass
Quantity: 6.75/10
Quality: 7/10
This is without question the weakest area of the 1840's sound in both quantity and quality. The bass overall is *just* south of neutral, giving way to the 1840's stellar mids, and crisp treble. Fortunately, the 1840 is not without warmth in the bass. It reminds me of the old K701's bass in that it does have some warmth and body behind it, though it ultimately falls slightly behind the rest of the spectrum. It noticeably rolls off in the sub bass, so don't expect some impact in the lowest depths. The bass keeps a good sense of speed and decay, being just a tad too quick to decay for my own preference. It is well textured, though in it's good texturing, the distortions can become noticeable. Though it can be categorized as bass light and on the lean side, there are instances where the bass hits with some good punch, and the tone in the bass keeps the 1840 sounding relatively well balanced and neutral. As briefly mentioned before, the problem with the 1840's bass is the somewhat audible distortion. It's not a clearly noticeable problem, and many people may not even notice, but it is there, and depending on your listening volume and sources, you just may hear it easily enough. Overall, I don't find it to be a glaring issue, but one that doesn't befit the 1840's price and status as Shure's current flagship open-backed headphone.
With SRH1540 pads:
Quantity: 9/10
Quality: 7/10
It is a different beast. No longer is the 1840 bass light, now transformed into quite a bass heavy behemoth. Plenty of bass body that surprisingly reaches quite low and deep for an open headphone, with substantial impact. It is truly a wonder how a fully open headphone like the 1840 retains a lot of bass energy just with a change of pads. The pad swap to the 1540 pads effectively allow the drivers to work considerably less to provide a more than satisfactory amount of bass. The bass is noticeably slower than the stock pad's bass. The 1540 pad's bass is long of note and decay. It has a very euphonic amount of decay which lingers in a manner which makes it seem like it wants to make a statement. Yes, the bass is potent, and can be considered basshead friendly. Quite possibly more potent than the X1 or DT990's bass which are the only two open fully dynamic headphones I have heard with truly potent bass. It is truly and undeniably powerful. It can most definitely stand to be more controlled, but it is by no means a messy bass. Just very prominent.
Mids:
Quantity: 9/10
Quality: 8.75/10
This is the greatest strength in the 1840, being neutral, well presented and balanced, with clear definition and sharpness. Vocals sound proper, focused, and lively without being too forward, or too distant. There is some articial forwardness in the upper mids which may cause some fatigue at louder volumes. The mids aren't thick of note, nor too thin. It's pretty accurate sounding to my ears overall, if just a little on the cold side. Not cold as in dry or lifeless, but things like vocals come off ever so slightly less organic rather than perfectly natural.
With SRH1540 pads:
Quantity: 6/10
Quality: 6/10
This is where the drawbacks of the pad swap manifest. The mids take a very noticeable step back. The bass isn't to blame, as even in bass light recordings, the mids are noticeably pushed back and bit stuffy at times. This is easily the biggest tradeoff when changing from the stock pads to the SRH1540 pads, and if you bear major importance on mids, you will not be pleased by the difference. It isn't overly offensive, but it is a definite step down from the fantastic mids of the stock pads. It sounds a bit low-fi comparison to it's bass and treble. The mids are no longer well defined, and now sound a bit diffused and a bit mashed in with the background.
As an example: At times, some 'S' sounds may sound like 'TH' or even 'F'. Something like "Set me free" may sound like "Thet me free".
So all in all, you gain a LOT of bass energy, and lose mid clarity. This will undoubtedly convert the 1840 into a lower end headphone, but one that may much more appreciated for bass heavy genres, especially songs that don't rely on vocals.
Treble:
Quantity: 9/10
Quality: 8/10
An abundant amount of sparkle and clarity, without it being overwhelming or artificial sounding. The treble further aids the soundstage, particularly in gaming. The treble can at times sound a bit bright, especially at louder volumes. For this reason, along with it not being to handle loud volumes as well as I'd hope, I feel the 1840 works best at a moderate volumes or less. The louder you get, the brighter and less natural sounding the treble will get.
With SRH1540 pads:
Quantity: 8/10
Quality: 7.75/10
I don't hear a massive change between the stock pads and the 1540 pads in terms of it's treble. There is still a clean sharpness. Less zing overall up top, but still lively. Due to the added warmth and body of the bass, the 1840 with the 1540 pads doesn't sound as bright and is less fatiguing at louder volumes in comparison. Due to the much stronger level of bass, and recessed mids, the treble doesn't aid the sense of space in the same manner as it did with the stock pads.
Clarity:
9/10
As usual for every neutrally balanced, slightly bass shy headphones I have reviewed, clarity is abundant. It's detailed to a fault, as it can easily pick apart bad recordings. It's not as ruthless as the Alpha Dogs, and can shave off some upper end harshness, but overall, this is not a headphone to use for less than stellar recordings. On the gaming side, the 1840 can venture on god-mode inducing, aural wall-hacking. It's not necessary to spend this much money for an amazingly clear headphone for gaming purposes (AKG K70x series has you covered on the cheaper front), though it is here, if you're interested in the 1840.
With SRH1540 pads:
6.75/10
The bass sounds quite dominating, and the treble still shines and sparkles, with less aggression. That leaves just the mids, which sadly drop off considerably, lessening clarity by a noticeable amount. If you want clarity, leave the 1840 with it's stock velour pads, as intended. It's decent overall, but clearly on a lower level from the 1840's inherent clarity.
Soundstage:
9/10
The soundstage on the 1840 is airy, spacious, and plentiful. It is among the most natural-sounding soundstages I've heard, with a natural size, neither being too contricted nor overly wide/deep. While there may be headphones that reach out further to the sides, they may be lacking in depth, so the soundstage may sound inconsistent. This is not an issue with the 1840. Just naturally spaced to my ears.
With SRH1540 pads:
7/10
While the soundstage is reduced by a fair amount with the 1540 pads, it is still relatively open and spacious. Definitely spacious enough for some solid gaming. It could stand to be deeper, but that's my only complaint. With a huge bass boost, a tradeoff of soundstage was to be expected. Bass driven headphones tend to suffer a bit in terms of soundstage size. Not a golden rule, but one that applies more often than not.
Positioning:
9.25/10
As expected of an open headphone with a fantastic soundstage, the positional cues are easily top tier. Very easy to locate in the virtual space, regardless of direction, with amazing clarity, and no bass bleed intruding on the mids. If you happen to own the 1840, there really isn't any need to own another headphone for competitive gaming purposes. It is that good. Many times did I feel like I was verging on god-mode level type sound-whoring.
With SRH1540 pads:
7/10
The reduction in soundstage as well as hazy mids make it a little harder to pinpoint sounds compared to the stock pads. However, the 1840 remains fairly competent for all forms of gaming, with the added bonus of being even more immersive and fun. Chances are, if you're going to play competitively, you're gonna want to stick to the stock pads. That being said, competitive gaming with the 1540 pads isn't an impossible task, as I was still able to perform very well in my tests, and didn't have as hard a time locating sounds as I was expecting with the mid recession and strong bass presence. It was clearly not as easy a task as it was when gaming with the stock pads, but overall, I didn't find much wrong with it.
Amping:
I found it to require some moderate amping, both for game chat boosting purposes, and in order to aid it's less than organic tone. For gaming, I found the Mixamp to lack enough juice to power both the 1840 and game chat at a moderate volume. You will definitely want more than just a portable amp for the 1840. To further aid the sound quality, I would heavily advise on connecting it to a desktop amp that is known to sound darker/warmer than neutral. This will better offset the deficiences and mitigate some of the slight coldness up top. I wouldn't use either Schiit Magni, or Objective O2 for the 1840. Perhaps a warm tube amp would suit it best. Without the need of voice chat, I felt the 1840 to do well with the Mixamp alone, though chances are, if you're thinking of the 1840, you'll most likely want to invest on a good desktop amp to bring them up to their potential.
Personal Recommendation?:
Movies, Music, In General? No
Gaming? Yes
I know this may sound as a surprise, considering how high it has scored overall, but as it stands, I feel the SRH1840 is a bit overpriced at $500. At it's original MSRP of $875, I would've considered it to be an absolute rip off. $350 sounds more along the lines of what I think would be a good price for it when you add up all it's strengths. If you happen to already own the 1840, you're basically set with a competitive gaming beast. However, seeing as I feel they really only do exceedingly well for competitive gaming, and detail analyzing, there are cheaper headphones that also do well in this regard for a fraction of the price. For other forms of media, I feel it's just a tad bit too cold and analytical to truly evoke much excitement. It's not completely lacking in musicality, but it isn't exactly what I'd describe as musical. Definitely more technical than musical. In stock form, it's current price puts it dangerously close to some truly wonderful headphones without it's shortcomings, which is why I can't give my personal recommendation as far as a headphone I'd use for all purposes.
With SRH1540 pads:
Movies, Music, In General? Maybe
Gaming? Yes
The 1540 pad swap makes it considerably more fun at the expense of clarity and mids in general. While the 1840 with the 1540 pads isn't anything special, it's still decent enough for general use, except where clarity (especially in the mids) is important. If you own/plan on owning the 1840, the 1540 pads makes it an enjoyable headphone for non-competitive gaming and media not reliant on mids. Not going to blow anyone's mind (except in terms of how potent the bass is even on an open headphone), but all it takes is a simple pad swap, not a whole other headphone.
Comparisons:
Comparisons were done with the default pads.
- MrSpeakers Alpha Dog: While the Alpha Dog is closed, it is the most comparable headphone I had on hand at the time of review, as it is also very neutrally balanced. The open-backed Shure 1840 is without a doubt (and unsurprisingly) more open-sounding, though at the expense of body, fullness, and particularly, bass in comparison. The bass on the 1840 is prone to distortion at higher volumes, which can be audible at times. The Alpha Dog's bass is something the 1840 could only dream of. The 1840 is somewhat light and lean, and south of balance in the bass, sub bass in particular (though open-backed dynamic headphones never hit the target in this regard). The mids and treble are exceedingly well balanced on both headphones, with the 1840 being less prone to offend in sibilance, with a more 'pleasing' tone in the extreme upper range, at the expense of extension in comparison. Overall, I feel the 1840 is a great headphone in specific situations, though not nearly as well rounded as the Alpha Dog, and flawed in some areas (audible bass distortion). Comfort is great on both, though the 1840 takes the cake here, being fully open, with less heat build up, and pads that don't get hot or sweaty.
- Sony MDR-MA900: Both the 1840 and MA900 are incredibly open, very comfortable, light, and great for competitive gaming. The 1840 is a fair bit more neutral than the MA900. The MA900 sounds a bit warmer, slower, and somewhat mellow next to the 1840. The MA900's mid to upper bass hits with convincingly more authority than the 1840, and is a lot less prone to distorting. Both headphones roll off on the lower end of the bass. The mids are excellent on both headphones, with the MA900 having an extra infusion of warmth, which gives the mids a more organic quality, while the 1840 sounds sharper, more defined, and less diffused. The treble is a clear win on the 1840, hitting sharper, extending more, and giving a crispness to the upper range that the MA900 basically lacks. The MA900's treble sounds very mellow and subdued in direct comparison to the 1840. While some may prefer the softer, less fatiguing tone on the MA900's treble range, the 1840's treble is clearly better presented and accurate. One thing worth noting is that the MA900 can be found for nearly 1/3 the price of the 1840 at times, yet overall, I still prefer it's balance and tonality over the 1840's. Both are well suited for competitive gaming, though I feel the MA900 sounds better suited for general media and non-competitive gaming use.
Final Impressions:
I'm a bit torn with the 1840. Had it been priced at around $350, I think it would have held it's ground very well for those looking for an crisp and clear headphone. As stated earlier, I feel it's a bit overpriced, despite it's strengths. The bass needs some work in both reducing distortion and meeting the rest of the spectrum to aim true neutrality. I feel it could also use a tad more warmth in terms of balance, to my ears. It is still fairly competent, with MANY virtues (excellent clarity, mids, soundstage, comfort), which may tip some towards purchasing it. The 1840 is a solid headphone, especially for competitive gaming, though a bit overpriced due to it's bass needing some refinement.
With the SRH1540 pads:
If you already own a good headphone you find fun and immersive, the 1840 equipped with 1540 pads probably won't outperform them in any real capacity other than bass quantity (not quality) and comfort. If you don't happen to own one, forking over the small amount of funds necessary for the 1540 pads will essentially give you a whole new, decent, bass driven headphone. I feel it's worth the small investment, considering the not so subtle change in sonic characteristics that more or less compliment the stock 1840's detail oriented sound.
