[lukeman3000]

Hey guys. I was looking for a good gaming solution and thought I'd give the Shure SRH 840s a shot. Just wondering what the general opinion is of them?
 
Yeah I know they're only like $130 - $200 depending on where you buy them and certainly not even scratching the surface of an "audiophile-grade" set of cans, but they seem pretty freaking decent for my purposes and they're extremely comfortable. I was looking at these vs. the Sennheiser HD555s and went with these because my local music store had them in stock. So far I'm loving them.
 
Also, anyone got any good itunes EQ setting recommendations?
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[swbf2cheater]

The shure 840s are amazing, definitely on the list of the best closed back headphones for that budget range.  However, they are not great for gaming.  I used them very often for COD MW2 for the pc and i died an awful lot due to being unable to hear exactly where that noise came from.  Its not at all accurate in a pinpointing sense.  You will have trouble locating people if you are looking to use them for that.  But, as a something to listen and play with normal games that you dont need pinpoint accuracy?  Sure, why not lol.  Another sad side to them is they are not comfortable.  I hated them actually and modded mine.  The earpads were amazing and comfy, the headband was dreadful and put pressure on the top of my head.  It was terrible for long gaming hours. 
 
If you can afford the Shure 840 i heavily recommend you avoid them and get the AD700s instead.  They are more comfortable and the best gaming headphones you can get.  The Hd555 is great too, but not as great as the Ad700.
 
Also, another alternative is the Sennheiser HD485 which you can get on ebay for like $40.  It is much nicer for gaming than the shure 840 is, more pinpoint ability anyway, and its got good bass and is great for music as well.  Very fun to use.  A great versatility there.
Detachable cable is awesome as well, as the AD700, HD555 and Shure 840 cable annoy the hell out of me while i am gaming.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Amen to the SRH840 not having a good pinpointing accuracy. They sound lovely and great, but I wouldn't go playing FPS with them either.
 
About the comfort though... I think that really depends on your personal preferences. I understand that swbf2cheater has always been outspoken about SRH840's headband (I read a lot of your post before I decided to bite the bullet with them, hahaha), but I personally find them comfortable as well.

 
If you have already auditioned them, then they might very well be worth a shot. I couldn't say much about the AD700 though, since I don't own them, but they are known to be good for gaming.

 

[swbf2cheater]

Ya, my beef is that the 840 headband does not have a an eggs edge shape as it should be to contour your head like most monitors do, via the m50 and others like it....its actually a giant ( with huge gaps on the side you can stick your hand through, and puts amazing pressure at the top of your head in one small area, since it is not designed to contour the top of your head, just rest on the very top point...horrible i hated it rofl
 
but the sound was amazing enough for me to keep them and mod the crap out of them to my liking lmao

 

[Jackquelegs]

Quote:

Ya, my beef is that the 840 headband does not have a an eggs edge shape as it should be to contour your head like most monitors do, via the m50 and others like it....its actually a giant ( with huge gaps on the side you can stick your hand through, and puts amazing pressure at the top of your head in one small area, since it is not designed to contour the top of your head, just rest on the very top point...horrible i hated it rofl
 
but the sound was amazing enough for me to keep them and mod the crap out of them to my liking lmao

 
Plus the fact that they had next to zero padding on the headbands. I really wished that they used similar materials as they did in the earpads on the headband. I liked my SRH840s while I had them, then I moved to a pair of 750DJs. Initially they clamp your head like no tomorrow, but after some wear they loosen up very nicely.
 
In terms of audio quality, I found them to be a great place to start in your audiophile journey. I tried them for gaming before, and they weren't spectacular in them, like the previous posters have said. They are very mainly for music.

 

[lukeman3000]

Hmm.. Well based on what I'm hearing it sounds like they're good headphones, but not the best for gaming (which is primarily what I'm using them for). Although, I listen to a lot of music as well, so I want that to be good to.
 
You think I should look into the AD700s then? And just for clarity, are we talking about the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700?
 
Also, when you guys are playing games, do you play with dolby headphone? I have an astro a40 mixamp that I'm plugging my srh840s into, and using it to decode the 5.1 signal coming from my computer's soundcard (via digital optical). It sounds like it blends everything together well, but the sound also seems to lose some definition when I turn it on. Just wondering if most of you guys like dolby headphone, or do you play with straight-up stereo?

 

[swbf2cheater]

man if you are using an astro mixamp and the AD700s, you will literally have the best gaming setup you can get
 

 

[lukeman3000]

Quote:

man if you are using an astro mixamp and the AD700s, you will literally have the best gaming setup you can get
 

Ok, so we're talking about the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700.. right? Because I think when I googled "AD700" it came up with a couple different makes. I just want to make sure I know exactly which one you guys are referring to.
 
So what do you guys think about dolby headphones vs. straight-up stereo?

 

[swbf2cheater]

Yes, the ATH-AD700
 
where did you get multiple headphones called the AD700?  lol im pretty sure there is only one  there are also A700s, which are the closed back version of the AD700.  
 
and dolby headphones are kind of a joke.  The AD700s remains the best rated gaming headphone ever.

 

[lukeman3000]

Quote:

Yes, the ATH-AD700
 
where did you get multiple headphones called the AD700?  lol im pretty sure there is only one  there are also A700s, which are the closed back version of the AD700.  
 
and dolby headphones are kind of a joke.  The AD700s remains the best rated gaming headphone ever.

Well I don't mean a physical dolby headphone -- I'm referring to the dolby digital decoding that the astro mixamp does. You know what I mean? I'm wondering if you guys who play games play with the simulated 5.1 surround sound, or if you play with just stereo only.
 
I just picked up some Beyerdynamic DT770s tonight. Heard that they were pretty legit.. Just trying them out. I have 30 days to see how I like them.

 

[swbf2cheater]

thats something to ask in the Sound Science forum here on head fi
 
i really couldnt give you any info on that, I dont know much at all about it sorry :[