Shure SRH 940 impression and support thread

[Shahrose]

I can't provide much more detail than that about the 1440 because I don't own them. This info I got from a close friend who owns all three Shure headphones and is more experienced than me (and has awesome gear). He said the 1440 sounds like an open version of the 940 without the rebellious treble. Sounds like a winner to me. In fact, he prefers it to the 940 and 1840.
 
IMO, the 1840 is a better headphone than the 940 overall. Open headphones usually provide better SQ. I also think the 1840 is a great value among flagships because I liked it better than my recabled T1s.
The 940, which is not too far off from the performance of the 1840, is an absolute bargain. It does have its flaws that keep it from truly competing with the best though (overactive treble, typical closed-headphone sound etc.)
 
One other thing that I think is worth mentioning. The HD800 is easily better than all of these. Sennheiser isn't stupid for pricing them the way they did. Compare all of these on a high-end setup and the difference becomes very clear.

 

[Beagle]

 
Quote:

I can't provide much more detail than that about the 1440 because I don't own them. This info I got from a close friend who owns all three Shure headphones and is more experienced than me (and has awesome gear). He said the 1440 sounds like an open version of the 940 without the rebellious treble. Sounds like a winner to me. In fact, he prefers it to the 940 and 1840.

 
I just got the 1440 today and initially it sounds quite amazing. Built like an HD650 but with speed, clarity, focus, and all the bass fog cleared away. And not laid-back at all! I does sound like an open 940 but more focused, and you can "see" the bass better, and the treble is in line with the midrange. The dynamics are almost startling. Notes and vocals can sort of jump out at you.
 
But I do need to do more listening.

 

[Shahrose]

 
Quote:

 
 
I just got the 1440 today and initially it sounds quite amazing. Built like an HD650 but with speed, clarity, focus, and all the bass fog cleared away. And not laid-back at all! I does sound like an open 940 but more focused, and you can "see" the bass better, and the treble is in line with the midrange. The dynamics are almost startling. Notes and vocals can sort of jump out at you.
 
But I do need to do more listening.

 
Solid impressions. Thanks for chiming in. These might be in my future.

 

[PleasantNoise]

Just compared my brothers HD598s to the 940s.
I have to say, they're similar, the 598's do feel more open, and sound very slightly more open too, but the bass is kinda boomy, and not that pleasant, where as the 940s are better in that respect and it feels like it goes deeper, but they feel cosier to wear, and much more solidly built. The mid and treble of the 2 sound very similar, the senns are maybe a bit smoother up high, but I don't find the 940s painful at all, so that doesn't worry me.

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

 
I just got the 1440 today and initially it sounds quite amazing. Built like an HD650 but with speed, clarity, focus, and all the bass fog cleared away. And not laid-back at all! I does sound like an open 940 but more focused, and you can "see" the bass better, and the treble is in line with the midrange. The dynamics are almost startling. Notes and vocals can sort of jump out at you.
 
But I do need to do more listening.

 

 

[john57]

The headphone looks like a giant earmuffs for winter on the model. It seems a bit strange when the new models came out it seems to be bad sounding but now more people like them.

 

[dweaver]

Ok I couldn't stand it. I went to my local dealer and shelled out the $400 for the 1440 so I will be doing a 3 way shoot out review and comparison of the top of the line Shure headphones plus comparisons against HD800, T1, PS1000, and a couple HE models at this weekends head-Fi meet.

I can say already though that the 1440 is going to be the sweet spot for me even after only a short listen. My experiences so far pretty much mirror Beagle's. The 1840 is more balanced and thus "technically" better but I won't be buying them. The 1440 will be my go to can and the 940 will be my work/ isolation can.

 

[Beagle]

Cool. I will be anxious to see your comparisons of the 1440 with the other phones.
 
My second day with the 1440 found them rather jarring and aggressive, almost headache inducing. But I realized that they were simply ruthlessly revealing of harsh, compressed, bright modern pop/rock recordings. Give them great recordings or vinyl LP's and they relax and please.
 
They do accentuate the midrange and require adjustment/deprogramming, especially if you are used to headphones that have a bit of an upper midrange dip/suckout.
 
I'm wondering if we should be posting our 1440 stuff in the 1840/1440 thread instead?

 

[dukeskd]

 
Quote:

Cool. I will be anxious to see your comparisons of the 1440 with the other phones.
 
My second day with the 1440 found them rather jarring and aggressive, almost headache inducing. But I realized that they were simply ruthlessly revealing of harsh, compressed, bright modern pop/rock recordings. Give them great recordings or vinyl LP's and they relax and please.
 
They do accentuate the midrange and require adjustment/deprogramming, especially if you are used to headphones that have a bit of an upper midrange dip/suckout.
 
I'm wondering if we should be posting our 1440 stuff in the 1840/1440 thread instead?

 
I have to say the 940s react this way to overly compressed music that accentuates into a harsh treble that causes ear fatigue immediately. However, they shine with good old jazz and classics, the vocals are beautiful.

 

[dweaver]

I have to admit Jazz simply sounds amazing with the 940, the detail provided for cymbals, snares, and brushes is insane and they just make voices come to life.

 

[jamescodway]

UK BARGAIN?
 
 
Reputable UK seller, post free (albeit using a courier that gets mixed reviews), bargain price !!!
 
http://www.dv247.com/headphones/shure-srh940-professional-monitoring-headphones--82846
 
 
Best
 
James

 

[skyline315]

 
Quote:

I'm wondering if we should be posting our 1440 stuff in the 1840/1440 thread instead?

 
As long as you make comparisons to the 940s, then I think this thread is fine.  I'm curious to hear what you guys think, but I don't feel like following another thread 

 

[maestrodong]

Hey folks, first time post here.
 
Just got the 940s and comparing them to my FA-011.  Still pretty new to everything audiophile, though initial impressions on these two are that the 940s have more bass and (listening to Beethoven Symphony 2) I feel much more like I'm in the concert hall than with the FA-011.  Feels more comfortable too - I have a fairly wide head and the 940 clamp less.  
 
Only my subjective impressions with about 2 hours with the Shure 940, but thought I'd share.

 

[dukeskd]

The bass is definitely of high quality and really tight but I always miss the impact with perhaps more emphasis.
 

 

[skyline315]

 
Quote:

Hey folks, first time post here.
 
Just got the 940s and comparing them to my FA-011.  Still pretty new to everything audiophile, though initial impressions on these two are that the 940s have more bass and (listening to Beethoven Symphony 2) I feel much more like I'm in the concert hall than with the FA-011.  Feels more comfortable too - I have a fairly wide head and the 940 clamp less.  
 
Only my subjective impressions with about 2 hours with the Shure 940, but thought I'd share.

 
Welcome!  Glad you're enjoying them