[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

The Shure SRH940 has an impedance of 42 Ohms. The E9 has an output impedance of 10 Ohms. It is therefore too high for these headphones

I miss the logic

 

[dL.]

Quote:

The Shure SRH940 has an impedance of 42 Ohms. The E9 has an output impedance of 10 Ohms. It is therefore too high for these headphones and affects electrical damping, thus increasing perceived bass volume. Unfortunately, the general quality of the sound suffers hugely from this impedance mismatch and therefore it is not recommended to use the SRH940 with this amp. The E9 is designed to drive headphones with very high impedances of 300 ohms and up. The E7 is far more appropriate for the SRH940, since its output impedance is nearly 0. The SRH940 sounds just as 'cold' and analytical as ever with the E7 and this is good because the amp is supposed to be transparent and in this case, it is. If you want more bass from the SRH940, just use an equalizer.
 


 

Interesting. I'm still new to this and learning. Care to explain all these impedance and output impedance for me? I never understand how a headphone matches with amps. Nonetheless, the E9 serves to be a future-proof amp anyways in case I need more powerful headphones in the future. I do admit, the E10 retains the sound signature more so than the E9 but I personally prefer the E9+E10 sound much more. Will the E9 damage the 940?
 
dL

 

[ac500]

You won't damage any high quality headphone unless you turn the volume well beyond humanly bearable volumes, with any amp. It's just a matter of whether an amp is capable of driving your headphone properly to get the best sound quality out of it.
 
> It is the ratio of the output impedance of the amp to the load impedance of the headphones that results in the “damping factor” of the system. Damping factor is the load impedance divided by the source impedance. As a rule of thumb, a damping factor of 10 or more is desirable for the source to be able to drive the load with authority. For example, if the amp has an output impedance of 10 ohms, you want the headphones to be at least 100 ohms or more in order for the amp to make the headphone driver move accurately with the audio signal.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones-page-2

 

[dL.]

Thanks for the explanation, ac500!
 
Now I know what to look for in the future, but the E9+E10 sure sounds nicer to my ears than just the E10. The E10 has more of the SRH940 signature while the E9 seems to have coloured the lower end a bit, which I personally like.
 
So does that mean an amp with a lower output impedance is better as it can accept a wider range of headphones?
 
dL

 

[jupitreas]

Exactly. I doubt the E9 can damage the SRH940 but it alters the sound in unpredictable ways and takes away from this headphone's biggest trait: its accuracy.
 

 

[Rawrbington]

if it sounds good to you it sounds good.
thats all that counts.
sometimes i think i over analyze things.
forgetting to sit  back and enjoy the music.
 

 

[dL.]

Quote:

Exactly. I doubt the E9 can damage the SRH940 but it alters the sound in unpredictable ways and takes away from this headphone's biggest trait: its accuracy.
 

 
Ignorance is a bliss sometimes as you just judge the music and sound by your ears haha, though I do want to learn! Hopefully I won't turn over-analytical and critical in the future.
 
Basically, if I want more detailed and analytical, I just simply plug it to the E10. If I want a balance between relaxed listening, fun, wider soundstage and musical with less details screaming at you and virtually 0 sibilance, then I plug it to the E9. Win Win!
 
And I am already planning my next headphone upgrade... not good.
 
dL

 

[kiteki]

 
The opamp will affect sound quality too, OPA2134PA might sound good with the 940.
 
 

 

[LithoJazoSphere]

Just received these earlier today.  The detail is astounding.  I'm picking up all kinds of nuances that my other headphones obscure, and they are the most reliable I've heard yet for telling apart 320 kbps vs. lossless files.  They are bass-light, but they respond well to bass boosts and EQing if that's your style. 

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Just received these earlier today.  The detail is astounding.  I'm picking up all kinds of nuances that my other headphones obscure, and they are the most reliable I've heard yet for telling apart 320 kbps vs. lossless files.  They are bass-light, but they respond well to bass boosts and EQing if that's your style. 

I  see you have a nice headphone inventory according to your profile. Do you have  now a favorite headphone ? A little comparison with the grado 325i & hd600 would be nice (Because I've seen two users replacing their srh940 with these headphones).
 
 

 

[LithoJazoSphere]

It's really hard to say.  I'm more about mixing and matching different headphones to different genres and artists and experiencing a variety of unique presentations of music.  If you had to twist my arm I might say the Pro 900 mainly because I listen to more electronic music than anything else.  But I also listen to a lot of jazz and other genres that aren't in the Pro 900's wheelhouse, so I'm glad that I have an assortment.
 
The SR325is is a very lively can and lets guitars and horns cut through the mix like none other.  The SRH940 is very crisp and bright, but it doesn't attack your ears like the Grado does.  This is what turns a lot of people off to the 325, but that's exactly why I like it, it's very in-your-face.  Interestingly enough, this same intensity provides a very intimate experience with less raucous music as well.  It's still more jagged than the SRH940, which is quite smooth for how sparkly it is.  The SRH940 also lacks the mid-bass punch that the 325 gives.  The 325 is certainly a lot better for rock-oriented genres as sharpens the edge of guitars to slice through the mix. 
 
The HD600 is a little more distant.  It doesn't get as up close and personal, but close enough to be very comfortable and relaxing.  The highs are not as accentuated as the SRH940, but the low end is more present.  It seems the least detailed of the three, and the most forgiving of poorer recordings and masterings.  This is a two-edged sword though, and one of the my reasons for purchasing the SRH940 was for its brutality in laying bare all of the hidden details of the music I enjoy, and on this front, it delivers, though it requires lossless to fully exploit this.  The SRH940 really presents vocals front and center, which along with the brightness is the main thing I like about it.
 
I think that most people could get by with just one of these, but they are different enough and serve enough different purposes for me that all three will continue to hold their place in my headphone rotation.  I could probably come up with a lot more if I gave it more thought and did more back-to-back comparisons, but that's a start, anyway.

 

[R-Audiohead]

Everytime I spend time away from these cans and come back I get the same thought it my mind - "Forgot how much of a treble tilt these things have".  I'd even call it bright, but not if your definition of bright contains words like harsh or peaky.  The treble is smooth, but very, very fat.
 
I think this actually hinders its detail retrieval a bit.  Some midrange nuances are much harder to detect, especially in the lower mids.  The treble clarity is so in your face that gets all of your attention...
 
Just a tidbit I thought I'd share

 

[driver 8]

Man, I swear my original pair had perfect comfort, but the pair I got as a replacement from Shure feels more like my old 840's sans the sliding.  As I said before, I'm positive the headband is wider now, and I have no idea why Shure would do that; it's an awful design.  Every so often I think about using these again, but can't bring myself to because my Edition 8's are just so much more comfortable. 
 
My 940's are primarily used by one of my roommates now, while he plays the DOTA 2 beta.
 
-Edit-
 
I was just reading the amp discussion a few pages back and felt like chiming in to say that, for the first 3 months I had them, I thought they had really nice mids off my PA2V2 and later got better with the HM-601 I bought, while being completely lackluster straight out of my ipod.  Both of those amps are considered warm, right?  Would anyone else agree that the 940's pair well with warm sources?  Or is it just a matter of power?  I'm pretty sure the PA2V2 has more raw power than whatever Fiio Casey was using, and I know for a fact that the 601 does.

 

[ac500]

I've tested these a bit more with some classical music (which I've been listening to a lot lately on my HD650), and I must say it's true that they're colored. When I said earlier that these sound more realistic for violins for example, it's only because their treble is a bit more detailed than the HD650 imo. In that sense, it sounds more like real life because you hear all the details you would in real life. However the tonality is not realistic or natural to what a real violin, piano, etc. sound like in real life. I never really claimed it was and always acknowledged the HD650 is better here, but I'm just now realizing how "weird" the SRH940 sounds for classical sometimes. Not to say there's anything wrong with the headphone for that, but it's definitely colored.
 
The HD650 sounds extremely natural with a bit of 16+khz treble boost. For some reason though I can't seem to "fix" the SRH940 "unnatural" sound with EQ.

 

[Brooko]

Seems more and more people are realising that as they spend time with them.  Not that there is anything wrong with coloured cans - my MS1is are coloured and I love them 

 
I still think a lot of it has to do with the combined overly warm forward mid range and upper mids combined with the gap in the mid-bass.  Nikp and I both agreed early on that they just didn't sound 'right' with classical - yet they still do some jazz and folk/pop really well.
 
I'm like you with your HD650 - my HD600 may not be ultra detailed, but I'll take their realism any day over the 940's 

.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing impressions of their 1840's though.  I was hoping (because of the numbering) that they would be an open version of their 840's which I still view as incredible cans for the price.  But when I heard that they may be voiced more like the 940's - it quelled my interest almost immediately.  Will have to wait for the reviews I guess.