[VanCitySound]

 
I have the 840s on right now with some lossless pseudo-classical stuff playing through a NuForce udac-2 and find them quite satisfying.  I agree that the 390s are muddy in comparison, likely due to the presentation of the mid range.  However, with trance and hip hop I find the 390’s quite bassy and fun.
 
I hate to say it but ya, compared to a number of cans in the $150 to $350 price range I felt that the 840s held up very well.  Interestingly, when I left the shop after testing these cans a guy came in who was a 840 owner and who was auditioning the HD 650s.  He claimed that the slight difference wasn’t worth the money… I laughed a bit at that as I felt that there was a fairly significant difference (but maybe not worth $500…).  So ya, I think that you may have to spend a fair amount more to get a significant improvement over the 840s… but maybe your ears and mine are different and the 840s don’t agree with you.

 

[bcwang]

Quote:

i find my 390s very muddy sounding. am i the only one who thinks this.
 
 
edit are you serious you thought they were that good. i thought they were good but comparing them to those is like asking for death. $200 cannot sound as good as $500. it just cant. and if they do then the hd 800 is my main viable option. damn this hobby is going to kill me.
 

I feel the HD800 has more pronounced highs than the 840, so if you are feeling sibilance now, just wait until you try the HD800 with the same source.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

great my ibuds broke. can this day get any worse. and perhaps it truly is my source because the sibilance disapears when i use the m audio mbox for logic pro. but everyone always says these run well with ipods and they just don't. they sound like garbage on an ipod. for the most part the mbox fixes it but there is still some screeching.
 
 
this is what i get
slightly strident upper mid / lower treble

 

[bcasey25raptor]

apparently i am not the only one who has had this problem.
 
 
quoted by the wuss
tough question.
here's how it breaks down for me (pluses and minuses)
 
M50 pluses
deep, impactful bass
$100 price tag (usually)
rugged build
somewhat comfortable
 
M50 minuses
slightly etched treble
slightly recessed mid
sweaty ears (pleather pads)
 
srh840 pluses
removable cable
excellent build quality
(i find this very debatable, from what i have read the build quality is weak in the extender and i can believe it seeing as how it makes squeaky noises and is made of plastic, a little metal would have been nice.)
balanced sound
nice bass
 
srh840 minuses
$200 price tag (usually)
not particularly comfortable
slightly strident upper mid / lower treble
sweaty ears (pleather pads)
 
 
hope that helps.
 
personally, i'd pick the srh840, as the m50's recessed mids can sometimes be an issue for me... 
 
funny thing about the m50, when i first heard it, it sounded very forward in the mids, and with very strong bass, and very dark, rolled off treble.  and i really liked the sound.
as i've put 150 to 200 hours on it, the treble has come out, and the mids have gone away somewhat...  so, whether burn-in is real or not, my perception of the m50 has worsened...
 
i can't honestly say yet with the srh840, but with only 50 hours or so on this headphone, it is immediately more balanced and sounds slightly more resolving...
somewhat like the k701, the upper mid can sometimes have a bit of glare.  so volume level is kind of critical.  at loud volumes, some vocal parts will jump out a bit too much...
 
cheers!
 
can be found here http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/502954/poll-ath-m50-vs-shure-srh840
 
apparently it doesnt bug people as much as it bugs me. am i just over sensitive over this? damn i hate my ears. guess i will have to live with it.

 

[kn19h7]

Maybe you need to cool down..
IMO the whole software/hardware chain decides the sound, and I do believe that physical/mental conditions somehow affect how we perceive it.

 

[holden4th]

I noticed what you listen through (source) and maybe that's the issue? I own the 840s and chose them over a range of phones for their neutral sound signature which suits my classical music tastes very well. Have you listened to the 840s with any other source apart from those mentioned. My initial audition was via a good quality CD player and this is what sold me on the 840s over the others I auditioned. It's strange that you are the only one that has this issue. Have you been to an audiologist to have your hearing checked? The harshness you describe usually only happens when the volume is turned way up and maybe this is the problem. Just a thought.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

I noticed what you listen through (source) and maybe that's the issue? I own the 840s and chose them over a range of phones for their neutral sound signature which suits my classical music tastes very well. Have you listened to the 840s with any other source apart from those mentioned. My initial audition was via a good quality CD player and this is what sold me on the 840s over the others I auditioned. It's strange that you are the only one that has this issue. Have you been to an audiologist to have your hearing checked? The harshness you describe usually only happens when the volume is turned way up and maybe this is the problem. Just a thought.
 

i usually only have the volume at 50% and i don't go to an audiologist because i already know i am slightly deaf. due to tinnitus.
 
 

 

[pjs42]

Nice review btw!Personally i don't think they are worth the msrp seeing as the 440s are so much cheaper!I've heard the 840s and agree with everything you said.

 

[Mphile]

Well, with the Musiland monitor 02 US + Hifiman EF2A, I found the 840 to be excellent. Decent bass, brilliant mids and slightly recessed highs. Not fatiguing and sibilant at all tbh :S
 
I wanted slightly more presence in the upper frequencies, heres hoping the 940 will address that.

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

Nice review btw!Personally i don't think they are worth the msrp seeing as the 440s are so much cheaper!I've heard the 840s and agree with everything you said.

i am not an idiot by any chance i am just saying my opinion. everyone can have there take on the matter and not everyone will agree with the reviewer. i am both glad and not glad that there is others out there. but since i got them for $129.99 i guess they are worth it. but i think it would have been smart to get the srh440 but they were out of stock and i figured from what everyone says the 840s are better. they are definitely better then my other headphones but they are still not as good as i expected them to be. i hope the new shure srh940 fixes the harsh sound. if so i may look into those. personally i haven't heard the ath m50s but i think regardless of what is said i think they are much better. but i am only basing this off hearing the ath m30 which i thought sounded much better then the shure srh840. and they were only $60. but don't take everything i say to personally because i am still slightly a noob at high end audio.

 

[12345142]

I think you need to calm down. You're probably just sensitive to high frequencies. Also, no matter how expensive, an amp or DAC cannot totally change the sound of a headphone. But if you're going to fling your 840s across the room, I'd like to catch them.
 
Lastly, even if you don't believe in burn-in, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Leave them playing until they've reached 100 hours or so (you don't have to listen to them, obviously) at your normal listening volume, and if you still hate your 840s, then I know someone who would be ecstatic to have them.
 
Oh, and '50% volume' really doesn't account for much. It could be 50% on an iPod shuffle or 50% on a powerful speaker amp.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

Quote:

I think you need to calm down. You're probably just sensitive to high frequencies. Also, no matter how expensive, an amp or DAC cannot totally change the sound of a headphone. But if you're going to fling your 840s across the room, I'd like to catch them.
 
Lastly, even if you don't believe in burn-in, it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. Leave them playing until they've reached 100 hours or so (you don't have to listen to them, obviously) at your normal listening volume, and if you still hate your 840s, then I know someone who would be ecstatic to have them.
 
Oh, and '50% volume' really doesn't account for much. It could be 50% on an iPod shuffle or 50% on a powerful speaker amp.
 

my rant is over. i have come to the conclusion like you said that i am sensitive to higher frequencies. not much can be done about that. and they sound better on my ipod's specifically my rockboxed ipod nano vs my laptop.
 

 

[bcasey25raptor]

update
the more i listen to them the more i hate them. they just irritate me. i feel my extremely muddy pioneer se m390 is easier to listen to and doesn't give me a headache. maybe i am the odd one out but from what i understand other people have noticed the harsh upper mids lower highs like i did. just didn't bug them like it does me. i hate my ears right now. i really wish i could like these. thing is i don't hate them. the only reason i use them is because the cord is coiled so its shorter then my pioneers. so i tend to wear these portably. considering i have no iems to go out with cause my ibuds broke. and all my headphones have long cords.

 

[holden4th]

SIGHHH!
 
You've admitted that your hearing is quite seriously comprised - slightly deaf (how slightly?) and also with tinnitus - and never mentioned this at the start of your thread. Your description of the SQ of the Shures alerted me to the fact that this might be an issue and now you've admitted it after many well intentioned posters tried their best to advise you.
 
I have a simple question - are you really the best person to audition and review the SQ of a set of headphones? Cans are well known to exacerbate tinnitus problems so dissing the Shures in a generalised way makes no sense to me whatsoever. Yes, they sound bad to you and this is probably a result of your tinnitus and it's a situation personal to you. By all means go and try other cans as the 840s are no good for you.
 
Can I reiterate my initial suggestion that you do go to an audiologist and find out exactly what's wrong? While tinnitus is not necessarily curable its effects can be reduced in many situations. At the back of my mind is the sneaking suspicion that lots of headphone listening may have contributed to your hearing issues in the first place.
 

 
Quote:

i usually only have the volume at 50% and i don't go to an audiologist because i already know i am slightly deaf. due to tinnitus.
 
 

 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Gotta love it how upset people get when some1's dissing a headphone. I thought it was common knowledge around here not every headphone is for everyone. I would probably be dissing HD800 or T1 myself for example (not that I'd ever get them though).
 
Get something different, if SRH840 isn't for you. Get something warmer sounding such as HD650.