[fablestruck]

Hi all.
I am an iem user for the past few years thinking of getting back to the headphone arena. I am mostly listening to my se846 on an LG V30 and on the Fiio M11 dap.
How does the sound signature of the srh1540s compare to se846 if anybody has experience with both?
Thanx

 

[PaganDL]

Hi all.
I am an iem user for the past few years thinking of getting back to the headphone arena. I am mostly listening to my se846 on an LG V30 and on the Fiio M11 dap.
How does the sound signature of the srh1540s compare to se846 if anybody has experience with both?
Thanx

@fablestruck,

Honestly, subjectively & personally, I lean more towards 1540 sound more than 846...
However, this will also depend whether you just listen to music or other media as well.
1540 has more natural tonality with better emphasis in highs & bass without leaning into either spectrum than 846 which the latter personally I find a little too clinical leaning towards dry & linear...
This is not a bad thing, I am just not a fan of critical reference tuning as sometimes it can become 'boring' after a while or more accurately, some songs, even from different genres start sounding the same.
Also, compared to what is around for IEMs nowadays, overall sound & staging for 846 is very 'safe', similar sound would be the flagship from Audiofly.

But back to 1540, depending what you listen to, especially if it's mixed media, 1540 will give you better overall sound, staging, imaging.
Some might say this is a given as one is a headphone & one is an IEM but personally, I find it depends.
Your source will matter too as will how well recorded your media is.

The only way you're going to know is if you can demo the 1540 yourself.

Hope this makes sense.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[fablestruck]

@fablestruck,

Honestly, subjectively & personally, I lean more towards 1540 sound more than 846...
However, this will also depend whether you just listen to music or other media as well.
1540 has more natural tonality with better emphasis in highs & bass without leaning into either spectrum than 846 which the latter personally I find a little too clinical leaning towards dry & linear...
This is not a bad thing, I am just not a fan of critical reference tuning as sometimes it can become 'boring' after a while or more accurately, some songs, even from different genres start sounding the same.
Also, compared to what is around for IEMs nowadays, overall sound & staging for 846 is very 'safe', similar sound would be the flagship from Audiofly.

But back to 1540, depending what you listen to, especially if it's mixed media, 1540 will give you better overall sound, staging, imaging.
Some might say this is a given as one is a headphone & one is an IEM but personally, I find it depends.
Your source will matter too as will how well recorded your media is.

The only way you're going to know is if you can demo the 1540 yourself.

Hope this makes sense.

Hope you have a great day !

Thank you for the reply.
I contacted the local shure distributor but unfortunately they do not have one right now for me to demo. I'll wait for it.
I cherish the weight and impact of 846's mids so it would be a break deal for me if the 1540's mids had less of that.
I am not sure from the various reviews around this site and elsewhere whether the latter have recessed mids or not.

 

[manueljenkin]

I would recommend you to try the srh1540 out of different dacs and amps before getting in. Depending on the setup it can sound soft and fluffy like hd650 or can sound intensely detailed and more fatiguing than hd800.

Iem vs full size is a hard comparison without a doubt since individual ears start to matter a lot and the type of music you listen to. That said, with my experience with srh1540 and 940, shure seems to have a consistent approach towards mids and i wouldn't be suprised if se846 had a similar tone.

Another way to tweak the srh1540 is to change the pads. You can get it to sound close to the 940+bass boost with simple pad changes.

 

[waveSounds]

Thank you for the reply.
I contacted the local shure distributor but unfortunately they do not have one right now for me to demo. I'll wait for it.
I cherish the weight and impact of 846's mids so it would be a break deal for me if the 1540's mids had less of that.
I am not sure from the various reviews around this site and elsewhere whether the latter have recessed mids or not.

'

I have a slightly different opinion to Pagan. I've owned the 1540 for many years but to me there is no comparison, the 846 are in a different league. Going between the two the 1540 sound thinner in the mids and are more of a subtle V than the intimate, mid-forward sound of the 846. Given the price difference it's not surprising the 846 are technically superior, but they lack the organic sound that the 846 do so well. Putting aside the differences between full-sized sets and the limitations of iems, I find the 846 to be a lot more 3D and holographic in the instrument placement. Whilst still not the same, if anything, I find the NightOwl to have more similarities to the 846 than the 1540. Like the 1540, the vocals could be described as subtly recessed, but they have that 'organic-ness' to the sound that is what I find so enjoyable about the 846.

Don't get me wrong, the 1540 still have a place in my home and I enjoy them, but if you're expecting an 846 in over-ear form you'll be disappointed.

 

[fablestruck]

'

I have a slightly different opinion to Pagan. I've owned the 1540 for many years but to me there is no comparison, the 846 are in a different league. Going between the two the 1540 sound thinner in the mids and are more of a subtle V than the intimate, mid-forward sound of the 846. Given the price difference it's not surprising the 846 are technically superior, but they lack the organic sound that the 846 do so well. Putting aside the differences between full-sized sets and the limitations of iems, I find the 846 to be a lot more 3D and holographic in the instrument placement. Whilst still not the same, if anything, I find the NightOwl to have more similarities to the 846 than the 1540. Like the 1540, the vocals could be described as subtly recessed, but they have that 'organic-ness' to the sound that is what I find so enjoyable about the 846.

Don't get me wrong, the 1540 still have a place in my home and I enjoy them, but if you're expecting an 846 in over-ear form you'll be disappointed.

Thank you for your opinion.
I' ll probably have to wait to demo them.

 

[MarasmicX]

I ended up buying these things and I'm having a really hard time deciding whether or not I like them. The detail is great and I don't mind the closer sound stage, because the instrument separation is great. They have a fast driver that does a good job keeping up with all my crazy EDM. Mids and treble are exactly where I want them flat and relaxed, but there is a pretty aggressive mid-bass hump. It gives me a headache after a while from the constant WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP sound.

The thing I can't deal with is this headband. Damir Franc complained about it in his review and I chalked it up to his head being shaped like a German Tylenol. As it turns out, though he was absolutely right. The headband has too shallow of an angle to it. So, it puts constant pressure directly on your skull and there's almost no padding on it. If your head is shaped like a football these will be perfect, but for the average human head the only part that's going to make contact is the dead center of the bar and it presses really hard. I want to love these things, but I don't think I can deal with this headband long term. I can only make it about an hour with them on as it is before I have to take them off and take a break.

I would love any recommendations from you guys for another pair that's more comfortable and has a more neutral sound signature. I love the bass extension, but I don't love the head rattling mid bass hump.

Short version:

Pros:
-Laid back mids and treble, detailed but not fatiguing
-Extremely detailed cans, hear literally every part of every instrument
-Ear cups are great
-Very light
-Lots of accessories included
-Good bass extension

Cons:
-Mid-bass hump is very boomy and fatiguing
-Head band was designed by a man who has had a human head explained to him, but never actually seen one

Update:
After about 30 hours of burn in the mid-bass hump has leveled out significantly and these things sound phenomenal. Seriously, it's a night and day difference compared to when I first took them out of the package. I've been switching back and forth between these and my A900's to make sure its not just a mental thing and it's not. They are far more balanced now than when I took them out of the box. Great pair of cans.

Also, loosening the headband and bending it slightly helped a lot with comfort. I still wouldn't rate them 5 stars in comfort, but I would absolutely give them 5 stars in sound quality now.

 

[manueljenkin]

Try srh940.

 

[descloud]

I ended up buying these things and I'm having a really hard time deciding whether or not I like them. The detail is great and I don't mind the closer sound stage, because the instrument separation is great. They have a fast driver that does a good job keeping up with all my crazy EDM. Mids and treble are exactly where I want them flat and relaxed, but there is a pretty aggressive mid-bass hump. It gives me a headache after a while from the constant WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP sound.

The thing I can't deal with is this headband. Damir Franc complained about it in his review and I chalked it up to his head being shaped like a German Tylenol. As it turns out, though he was absolutely right. The headband has too shallow of an angle to it. So, it puts constant pressure directly on your skull and there's almost no padding on it. If your head is shaped like a football these will be perfect, but for the average human head the only part that's going to make contact is the dead center of the bar and it presses really hard. I want to love these things, but I don't think I can deal with this headband long term. I can only make it about an hour with them on as it is before I have to take them off and take a break.

I would love any recommendations from you guys for another pair that's more comfortable and has a more neutral sound signature. I love the bass extension, but I don't love the head rattling mid bass hump.

Short version:

Pros:
-Laid back mids and treble, detailed but not fatiguing
-Extremely detailed cans, hear literally every part of every instrument
-Ear cups are great
-Very light
-Lots of accessories included
-Good bass extension

Cons:
-Mid-bass hump is very boomy and fatiguing
-Head band was designed by a man who has had a human head explained to him, but never actually seen one

Are you looking for an alternative that's closed-back or open-back? There are more options in the open back category that could fit the sound signature you're looking for.

 

[MarasmicX]

Are you looking for an alternative that's closed-back or open-back? There are more options in the open back category that could fit the sound signature you're looking for.

Either one is fine. I would prefer closed if possible to keep out fan noise from my computer when gaming.

 

[Mark Up]

The headband is very flexible. Tyl on Inner Fidelity has a YouTube video showing him bending it to alleviate issues. I bent the heck out of it and turned it into more of a true "U" shape where both arms equally press on the top vs. just one at an angle. My long head can tolerate that with it fully extended. If you like extension in bass minus that mid bass bump, with ample headband padding and you don't have a really long head like me, the Beyerdynamic DT-770 80 ohm with velour stock pads may work. I still had to bend the heck out of it and do a mod that allowed the ear cups to extend slightly farther, to barely make it reach far enough to be tolerable. Not an issue though for 99% who'd wear it.

 

[descloud]

Either one is fine. I would prefer closed if possible to keep out fan noise from my computer when gaming.

For closed, I can't think of much options. The closed-back Fostex cans are more V-shaped overall based on people's experiences here. The Elegia may be your best bet for a neutral type of signature, although I've read that they're bass quantity is on the thinner / lesser side than most closed backs.

The Aeon flow closed is another one I can think of, but it's among the most divisive options out there (one camp really likes it while the other really hates it) - just worth mentioning if you have a chance to try one.

There's also the Audeze LCD-2 closed back option, although they're on the pricier side and you may need to read up more on them. Beyerdynamic DT 770 / 1770 / 177X Go are also options on the Beyer camp.

For open backs, Hifiman Sundara and Beyerdynamic DT1990 are within the similar price bracket of having a neutral type of signature.

 

[288920]

Hello, all. Apologies if this has been covered already. I'm a long-time lurker on Head-fi and a recent purchaser of a pair of Shure 1540's, based on what I read here (and elsewhere). I noticed a number of comments about the stock (single-ended) cables that are included with the 1540's. I agree that they are cumbersome and impossible to un-kink. I also wanted to run the 1540's in balanced mode, but Shure doesn't make a balanced cable for these, and the hole for the MMCX connectors is too small for any but Shure's own single-ended cable. You can see the Shure connector here... notice the stepped nature of the connector:

Notice that third party cable mmcx connections are larger in diameter than the lower part of the Shure version:

You CAN use just about any after-market cable, balanced or single-ended, with a simple modification. You only need an exacto knife and some patience. (Note, this will possibly void Shure's warranty, proceed at your own risk.)

Carefully, patiently, carve out the hole in the bottom of each ear cup. Use a fresh, sharp blade. The plastic is rather hard, but with care, you can do this with little trouble. Be careful not to press the blade point too deep, you do not want to harm the business end of the connector that lies at the bottom of the hole, visible here:

Test fit your replacement cable's connector every so often. You don't have to worry about taking out too much plastic because the mmcx connectors snap fit. But a tighter fit is probably better.

Here's the finished mod. I use a Tripowin 8 core silver-copper foil braided cable with a 4.4mm pentaconn jack. This cable is shorter (4' rather than 6') than the ones that come with the 1540's but it it WAY more flexible. You can, of course, use any cable you want as long as it has mmcx connectors.

Hope this helps someone out there. I am really enjoying the 1540's.

 

[Quadfather]

Hello, all. Apologies if this has been covered already. I'm a long-time lurker on Head-fi and a recent purchaser of a pair of Shure 1540's, based on what I read here (and elsewhere). I noticed a number of comments about the stock (single-ended) cables that are included with the 1540's. I agree that they are cumbersome and impossible to un-kink. I also wanted to run the 1540's in balanced mode, but Shure doesn't make a balanced cable for these, and the hole for the MMCX connectors is too small for any but Shure's own single-ended cable. You can see the Shure connector here... notice the stepped nature of the connector:


Notice that third party cable mmcx connections are larger in diameter than the lower part of the Shure version:


You CAN use just about any after-market cable, balanced or single-ended, with a simple modification. You only need an exacto knife and some patience. (Note, this will possibly void Shure's warranty, proceed at your own risk.)

Carefully, patiently, carve out the hole in the bottom of each ear cup. Use a fresh, sharp blade. The plastic is rather hard, but with care, you can do this with little trouble. Be careful not to press the blade point too deep, you do not want to harm the business end of the connector that lies at the bottom of the hole, visible here:


Test fit your replacement cable's connector every so often. You don't have to worry about taking out too much plastic because the mmcx connectors snap fit. But a tighter fit is probably better.


Here's the finished mod. I use a Tripowin 8 core silver-copper foil braided cable with a 4.4mm pentaconn jack. This cable is shorter (4' rather than 6') than the ones that come with the 1540's but it it WAY more flexible. You can, of course, use any cable you want as long as it has mmcx connectors.

Hope this helps someone out there. I am really enjoying the 1540's.

Just go to Surf Cables website and order Shure SRH1540 balanced cables with either 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced termination. They fit perfectly. Moon Audio also makes cables for the Shure; balanced options are available. Surf is more affordable.

 

[288920]

Just go to Surf Cables website and order Shure SRH1540 balanced cables with either 2.5mm or 4.4mm balanced termination. They fit perfectly. Moon Audio also makes cables for the Shure; balanced options are available. Surf is more affordable.

Surf Cables list all the Shure 1540 cables as 'Sold Out'. As you indicate, the Moon cables are (much) more expensive.