Shure SHR440 vs Sennheiser HD280Pro
Jun 24, 2014 at 1:58 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15
tquickbrownfox

tquickbrownfox

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Posts
176
Likes
15
Quite a common question, I assume, but any threads pertaining to these two headphones was kinda unclear by the end.
 
Basically, they're being sold the me for 70$ (used but good condition), I could buy either.
 
 
 
Can someone explain to me the differences of their sound signatures?
 
Can you explain the sonic characteristics of those two headphones to these headphones/iems:
1) Sennheiser HD518 - didn't particularly like them - way too bassy.
2) Klipsch Image One - didn't like em
3) JVC FRD80Z - love em
4) Soundmagic e10/e30/pl30 - absolutely love their soundstage and presentation, perfect amount of bass on the e30, Wish the top end had more wow to it
5) Sony XBA 3 - Generally great around the whole frequency response, but tinny treble, sibilant, presentation wasn't impressive enough. Rubbery bass :frowning2:
6) Shure SE215 Blue - great, absolutely enjoyable, but not what I'm looking for, bass/midbass is a bit much. Still, the punch, the decay, the presentation is all great.
 
 
 
 
 
My primary purpose is gonna be plugging my headphones into my guitar amp.
A close second is listening to music, my choice of genre ranges from jazz to classic rock to indie rock to classical music to movie soundtracks to general pop.
 
Bonus - Presonus HD7 available at 70$. Could buy that too, I actually kinda want an open back headphone despite my negative experience with the senn hd518, but I don't wanna buy something low quality.
 
Otherwise, I'm located in Canada, not much else to get under 150.
 
Jun 24, 2014 at 2:40 AM Post #2 of 15
You found the Sennheiser HD 558 too bassy? I feel you might have just found it too lacking in treble. I'm not just splitting hairs, that's the kind of feeling I get sometimes with warm-sounding headphones, even though I have no problem with the sound signature.
 
That aside, I own the Shure SRH440 and I find its bass would probably be just right for you. There's just one problem: the headphone is picky with its source. I used to drive it out of my Nexus 4 and the bass was non-existent, and then I bought a Sansa Clip+ and all is well. I'll have to give it a re-listen to tell you what the decay is like, but the bass is pretty much what I would classify as "reasonable" when properly driven. Treble is nice and bright, and the headphones shine (ha, ha) in terms of detail at its price.
 
Really uncomfortable, though. Switch out the pads with SRH840 pads and be wary of the headband. It's not actually cushioned, it's just a piece of pleather over a hard plastic bit. Unless you wear it forward on your head or adjust it to length, you won't like it. Granted, I've heard worse comfort complaints about the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro like unbearable clamp (which I don't personally mind, most of the time), but I have never actually used the headphones.
 
Jun 24, 2014 at 4:35 AM Post #3 of 15
dragonzeanse said:
  You found the Sennheiser HD 558 too bassy? I feel you might have just found it too lacking in treble. I'm not just splitting hairs, that's the kind of feeling I get sometimes with warm-sounding headphones, even though I have no problem with the sound signature.
Click to expand...

 
I found the HD518 too bassy. And lacking in treble at the same time. I don't particularly like that 'veiled' sound.
 
dragonzeanse said:
 
That aside, I own the Shure SRH440 and I find its bass would probably be just right for you. There's just one problem: the headphone is picky with its source. I used to drive it out of my Nexus 4 and the bass was non-existent, and then I bought a Sansa Clip+ and all is well. I'll have to give it a re-listen to tell you what the decay is like, but the bass is pretty much what I would classify as "reasonable" when properly driven. Treble is nice and bright, and the headphones shine (ha, ha) in terms of detail at its price.
 
Really uncomfortable, though. Switch out the pads with SRH840 pads and be wary of the headband. It's not actually cushioned, it's just a piece of pleather over a hard plastic bit. Unless you wear it forward on your head or adjust it to length, you won't like it. Granted, I've heard worse comfort complaints about the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro like unbearable clamp (which I don't personally mind, most of the time), but I have never actually used the headphones.
 
Click to expand...

 
I'm pretty tempted to go for the srh440 ... there's also pair of m50 being sold for 110, but they're red...
 
 
Typically, all my experience with sennheisers (bunch of iems, ie60, hd218, hd202, hd518) has been very lukewarm, I've never particularly enjoyed the sound signature... although the hd280 pros are supposed to be different.
 
Jun 24, 2014 at 6:11 AM Post #4 of 15
tquickbrownfox said:
   
I found the HD518 too bassy. And lacking in treble at the same time. I don't particularly like that 'veiled' sound.
 
 
I'm pretty tempted to go for the srh440 ... there's also pair of m50 being sold for 110, but they're red...
 
 
Typically, all my experience with sennheisers (bunch of iems, ie60, hd218, hd202, hd518) has been very lukewarm, I've never particularly enjoyed the sound signature... although the hd280 pros are supposed to be different.
Click to expand...

Ohhhh. Yeah, I've heard that complaint before.
 
As for the ATH-M50s, well, I found them for that price in black, with a straight cable. They're a pretty bassy headphone - not quite what I'd classify as basshead but definitely satisfactory. It also has quite a bit of treble. The problem is that the midrange is considerably recessed due to its v-shaped nature. Since the midrange is where vocals linger, if you don't like that, don't buy it. They are more comfortable than Shure SRH440s though. I prefer the sound of the SRH440s because it's closer to neutral.
 
Jun 24, 2014 at 10:24 PM Post #9 of 15
tquickbrownfox said:
The yamaha is beautiful, but isn't discounted in canada.

CL's sold for 170 here

PROdj100 for 65.

At that point, is the prodj still a better buy than the 280pro/srh440?
Click to expand...

Idk about the sennheiser but the koss s win against the shures, especially when it has ath m50 pads
Oh and the brainwavz hm5/nvx xpt 100 might be a good option for a neutral all rounder can
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top