[Quadfather]

Enjoying these outside on a beautiful, room-temperature day is amazing!

 

[TheRealDz]

After a few weeks of listening, here are some more observations:

1) These are fantastic cans. I am confused why they don't get more love on the forums. They are making me question whether I should keep my Focal Elegia.

2) They sound similar to the Elegia, with the main difference being the Elegia sounds more intimate, with images that are more stark and closer, and the 1540 having a bigger soundstage, with more distant images. Its images being further away, blend a bit more into the soundscaoe, so they aren't as stark.

3) I bought mine used, in perfect condition. I assumed they had been broken in, but a few hundred hours has resulted in quite a transformation (I don't think the previous owner ever used them). They now have that missing sub bass, and no longer have that fatiguing 4k edge. I now can listen to them via ASIO output without any EQ.

4) Brainwavez Sheepskin pads are a must. They are more comfortable, have better isolation, and are a smidgen richer bass through the midrange - which is amazing considering they still retain their huge soundstage.

5) These are the closest I have heard to a closed back sennheiser HD650 (maybe HD600). For that reason alone, they should be more popular. Part of me was biased against the 1540 with the notion that being as old as they are, competing cans must have made them obsolete - until I realized that no one worries about that concept with the HD650.

6) I found a dremel bit that perfectly opened up the mmcx connector housing...on one channel. On the other channel, I got greedy and increased the rpms. The plastic instantly began to liquify with the friction. I managed to fix things, and there is no functional damage. But the right side is no longer perfect. What a dumbass move. With the right dremel bit and PATIENCE, this should have been an easy mod.

7) Did I mention that these are fantastic cans - for the money and altogether?

 

[tudedude]

Spotted these in a Purity Ring video. I wish I could try this set of cans just to hear the song as it was experienced through their ears.

 

[Quadfather]

After a few weeks of listening, here are some more observations:

1) These are fantastic cans. I am confused why they don't get more love on the forums. They are making me question whether I should keep my Focal Elegia.

2) They sound similar to the Elegia, with the main difference being the Elegia sounds more intimate, with images that are more stark and closer, and the 1540 having a bigger soundstage, with more distant images. Its images being further away, blend a bit more into the soundscaoe, so they aren't as stark.

3) I bought mine used, in perfect condition. I assumed they had been broken in, but a few hundred hours has resulted in quite a transformation (I don't think the previous owner ever used them). They now have that missing sub bass, and no longer have that fatiguing 4k edge. I now can listen to them via ASIO output without any EQ.

4) Brainwavez Sheepskin pads are a must. They are more comfortable, have better isolation, and are a smidgen richer bass through the midrange - which is amazing considering they still retain their huge soundstage.

5) These are the closest I have heard to a closed back sennheiser HD650 (maybe HD600). For that reason alone, they should be more popular. Part of me was biased against the 1540 with the notion that being as old as they are, competing cans must have made them obsolete - until I realized that no one worries about that concept with the HD650.

6) I found a dremel bit that perfectly opened up the mmcx connector housing...on one channel. On the other channel, I got greedy and increased the rpms. The plastic instantly began to liquify with the friction. I managed to fix things, and there is no functional damage. But the right side is no longer perfect. What a dumbass move. With the right dremel bit and PATIENCE, this should have been an easy mod.

7) Did I mention that these are fantastic cans - for the money and altogether?

I just kept mine stock and ordered lqi balanced cable. Sweet headphones.

 

[TheRealDz]

I just kept mine stock and ordered lqi balanced cable. Sweet headphones.

If doing it over, I would have just bought these mmcx Shure adapters:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MMCX-Pins-...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

 

[TheRealDz]

After a few weeks of listening, here are some more observations:

1) These are fantastic cans. I am confused why they don't get more love on the forums. They are making me question whether I should keep my Focal Elegia.

2) They sound similar to the Elegia, with the main difference being the Elegia sounds more intimate, with images that are more stark and closer, and the 1540 having a bigger soundstage, with more distant images. Its images being further away, blend a bit more into the soundscaoe, so they aren't as stark.

3) I bought mine used, in perfect condition. I assumed they had been broken in, but a few hundred hours has resulted in quite a transformation (I don't think the previous owner ever used them). They now have that missing sub bass, and no longer have that fatiguing 4k edge. I now can listen to them via ASIO output without any EQ.

4) Brainwavez Sheepskin pads are a must. They are more comfortable, have better isolation, and are a smidgen richer bass through the midrange - which is amazing considering they still retain their huge soundstage.

5) These are the closest I have heard to a closed back sennheiser HD650 (maybe HD600). For that reason alone, they should be more popular. Part of me was biased against the 1540 with the notion that being as old as they are, competing cans must have made them obsolete - until I realized that no one worries about that concept with the HD650.

6) I found a dremel bit that perfectly opened up the mmcx connector housing...on one channel. On the other channel, I got greedy and increased the rpms. The plastic instantly began to liquify with the friction. I managed to fix things, and there is no functional damage. But the right side is no longer perfect. What a dumbass move. With the right dremel bit and PATIENCE, this should have been an easy mod.

7) Did I mention that these are fantastic cans - for the money and altogether?

One other point:

The headband design is a weakness. It was very uncomfortable for me. Bending the headband made it fit my head better and made it a bit tighter (a good thing).

I then bought the sennheiser cushion that others recommended. It works great, but slides back and forth.

I ended up adding a Geekria neoprene AT-H50 pad on top, which kept the sennheiser cushion in place and made the whole thing more comfortable.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NP9KLD...abc_FXN2041EC3ZP0D5HBFZE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GDNP7J...abc_ECV3P66JBBKBDQ4DKHQ8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Quadfather]

I have the AKG K872 and the Shure SRH1540. They both sound wonderful, with the AKG having mid-range further up front. The SRH1540 headphones are a little more recessed in the mids, but they sound more natural. I prefer the Shures by a slim margin, but use both regularly, depending on music and player.

 

[noisefree]

Hello guys, I have been into audiophile world for a couple of years. My goal was to reach neutral and non fatiguing sound in terms of both comfort and (specially) sound wise. And luckily I have met Shure SRH1540 and SRH1840.

I require relaxing sounding dac and amp. My budget is 2k. What would you offer?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Quadfather]

My SRH1540 headphones sing like mad using the balanced output of my Sony NW-WM1Z!

 

[Voxata]

My SRH1540 headphones sing like mad using the balanced output of my Sony NW-WM1Z!

Everything sings with the WM1 series. Highly recommend the midnight firmware (standard).

 

[noisefree]

Any advise for desktop set up for balanced smooth sound?

 

[waveSounds]

I'm listening to the 1540s out of a Lotoo Paw S1 at this very moment and things sound balanced and smooth to me. You honestly don't need more than this for enjoyable sound. Although I'd recommend the Paw S2 now that that's available for the added functionality like line-out settings and a dedicated play/pause button when you're on the go.

 

[Quadfather]

Very good decision. Yesterday I got the balanced cable for my 1540s and when paired with the WM1Z the sound was a revelation; listening to Patricia Barber's Café Blue in DSD late at night was a completely blissful experience, one of the most revealing sonic experiences I've ever had.

The SRH1540 headphones are AWESOME with the NW-WM1A and the NW-WM1Z! Finally went gold.

 

[Quadfather]

After a few weeks of listening, here are some more observations:

1) These are fantastic cans. I am confused why they don't get more love on the forums. They are making me question whether I should keep my Focal Elegia.

2) They sound similar to the Elegia, with the main difference being the Elegia sounds more intimate, with images that are more stark and closer, and the 1540 having a bigger soundstage, with more distant images. Its images being further away, blend a bit more into the soundscaoe, so they aren't as stark.

3) I bought mine used, in perfect condition. I assumed they had been broken in, but a few hundred hours has resulted in quite a transformation (I don't think the previous owner ever used them). They now have that missing sub bass, and no longer have that fatiguing 4k edge. I now can listen to them via ASIO output without any EQ.

4) Brainwavez Sheepskin pads are a must. They are more comfortable, have better isolation, and are a smidgen richer bass through the midrange - which is amazing considering they still retain their huge soundstage.

5) These are the closest I have heard to a closed back sennheiser HD650 (maybe HD600). For that reason alone, they should be more popular. Part of me was biased against the 1540 with the notion that being as old as they are, competing cans must have made them obsolete - until I realized that no one worries about that concept with the HD650.

6) I found a dremel bit that perfectly opened up the mmcx connector housing...on one channel. On the other channel, I got greedy and increased the rpms. The plastic instantly began to liquify with the friction. I managed to fix things, and there is no functional damage. But the right side is no longer perfect. What a dumbass move. With the right dremel bit and PATIENCE, this should have been an easy mod.

7) Did I mention that these are fantastic cans - for the money and altogether?

My Shure SRH1540 headphones probably have 10,000 hours on them. They are five years old this March. I listen balanced from both Sony flagship DAPs. There isn't a headphone I like more. I had the Meze Empyrean on tour, but kept going back to my Shure SRH1540s.

 

[waveSounds]

The most remarkable thing about the 1540s is their durability. If you ignore the headband padding which does start to flake after a (long) time, they seem impervious to damage. I've also had mine for about 5 years and, headband aside, they could almost pass for a new set. This is with me just checking them in my bag with no protection for years on my commute too.