[dweaver]

I was able to get mine for a bit less because I picked them up used but I still ultimately paid close to $500 and like you, NO REGRETS! I have been wearing these non stop since I got home which is going on 3 hours or so and they are so darn comfortable! I have been sampling a bunch of binaural recordings and loving them as well as a bunch of my favorite music.

 

[gelocks]

The only thing that spoiled these is called Alpha Dogs... lol

Also, they leak a bit too my liking

Other than that, these are awesome and an easy recommendation!

 

[Change is Good]

Alpha Dogs for you, maybe, because you already have a bass heavy headphone. For me, I can easily tell you the ADs would be too bass anemic for my taste (FWIR).

As for isolation/leakage, we've already had this conversations NUMEROUS times...

Alpha pads!

 

[dweaver]

I have shot my wad so no alphadogs for me. But I might try those other earpads but that is only a might as I find these alcantra pads super comfy.

 

[doctorjazz]

It does sound fine on DAP, scales up-sounds incredible from Geek Out 100 or Ray Samuels HR-2, both of which I used (X3 as source) earlier today, nice.....

 

[obsidyen]

  Over-simplistically, yes. They're more "U" shaped than overly warm.
 
At loud levels they fall apart in the bass, but at low levels they're gorgeous.
 
I suspect my recommendation will raise a few hackles...the SRH1540 is not a perfect headphone.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Not that I've ever heard one.

Hi, do you think SRH1540 would sound good with Meridian Explorer? I'm just using the explorer, no other amp.

 

[imackler]

The only thing that spoiled these is called Alpha Dogs... lol

Also, they leak a bit too my liking

Other than that, these are awesome and an easy recommendation!

 
I agree about the Alpha Dogs. Really, if someone were looking for two complimentary closedback headphones, the SRH1540 and Alpha Dog would be a match made in heaven. One more fun, warm and bassy, the other more analytical, detailed and neutral.
 
The perfect headphone, imo, would be the comfort and form of the SRH1540 with the sound signature of the Alpha Dog. I adore the build of the SRH1540...Alpha Dog, while one smart looking headphone with incredible build quality, I just cannot get on with the "comfort" strap. 
 
Will someone, somewhere please make this headphone so I can give you my money and get back to listening to the music?! 

 

[dweaver]

I love the comfort of the 1540 but I have had to boost the lower midrange and decrease the treble as I agree with Tyll's assessment of the 1540 signature. The good news I find the slight modification easily done on my phone and my desktop rig so don't mind using EQ to accomplish this versus having to search for yet another headphone.

 

[obsidyen]

I love the comfort of the 1540 but I have had to boost the lower midrange and decrease the treble as I agree with Tyll's assessment of the 1540 signature. The good news I find the slight modification easily done on my phone and my desktop rig so don't mind using EQ to accomplish this versus having to search for yet another headphone.

So they are harsh in treble? I have very sensitive ears and cannot stand harsh treble, even the slightest bit. That's why I like Senn Momentum so much. I'm looking for audiophile headphones with similar sound signature, I was hoping 1540s could be it but if the treble is too much, they can't be the ones I'm looking for. Warm-ish like Momentums with good bass but also lots of detail without any harsh treble. I wonder if HD 800s could be these, but many say they're too analytical. Never had the pleasure to audition them.

 

[imackler]

 
So they are harsh in treble? I have very sensitive ears and cannot stand harsh treble, even the slightest bit. That's why I like Senn Momentum so much. I'm looking for audiophile headphones with similar sound signature, I was hoping 1540s could be it but if the treble is too much, they can't be the ones I'm looking for. Warm-ish like Momentums with good bass but also lots of detail without any harsh treble. I wonder if HD 800s could be these, but many say they're too analytical. Never had the pleasure to audition them.

 
You really should look at the HD650 if you're ok with open back. 

 

[bjamn]

Maybe it's my ears, but I didn't find the treble loud enough, much less harsh. I've been trying a lot of headphones lately and looking at this chart you'd think the 1540's had strong-ish treble, but my experience was nothing like this graph suggests. At all.
 
=3911&graphID[]=4273&graphID[]=2941&scale=30]
 
The 1540's didn't seem to have anywhere near the treble quantity of the Denons or the ATH M50's (to my ears).

 

[imackler]

  Maybe it's my ears, but I didn't find the treble loud enough, much less harsh. I've been trying a lot of headphones lately and looking at this chart you'd think the 1540's had strong-ish treble, but my experience was nothing like this graph suggests. At all.
 
=3911&graphID[]=4273&graphID[]=2941&scale=30]
 
The 1540's didn't seem to have anywhere near the treble quantity of the Denons or the ATH M50's (to my ears).

It really seems to vary by what volumes you listen too. I found the treble sharp, if the volume was up more than I normally listened to headphones. Which I kind of had to do to bring out the mids I like. But I only noticed this on some tracks...

 

[hodgjy]

Treble is also amp dependent.  My Trafomatic tamed it quite a bit.  The Asgard 2 brought more of it out.

 

[dweaver]

I am hearing it similarly to imackler. If I use no EQ I tend to listen at a bit louder volume than normal because I want the mids to be more present especially the lower mids. But if I EQ I still like to turn the treble down a bit because I find its just a bit to accentuated for my tastes. BUT I also have been using my Momentum On Ear a lot while my K545 has been out on loan so have grown used to a more relaxed treble. What I get without eqing the treble and boosting the lower mids a bit is a sense of to much emphasis on the treble versus it being harsh.

I do like the detail of then headphone though and really like the imaging.

 

[bjamn]

My search has been for a "better" M50. Something squarely on the fun side of analytical, with supreme comfort, and easily driven. And bass MUST be confidently present. I've been through M100's, K545's (thanks dweaver), P7's, X-1's, AD900x's, SRH1540's, and I'm now on Denon AH D600's. The 1540's were really The Ones, but a left-to-right imbalance in the low trebles combined with what I was perceiving as an overall lack of treble response, made me move on. (I seem to have a sensitivity to L/R balance and many of these headphones had problems, as I saw/heard it.)
 
So now I'm kind of stuck. I wanted the 1540's to be right. Maybe I wasn't driving them correctly. I was using iPhone 5s to NuForce Icon iDo to phones - seems like it should have been plenty. Maybe I just got a bad set? The Denons I have now are certainly good, especially at half the price, but really aren't my "holy grail" (especially with the sub-bass heavier in the left driver!). I'm kind of thinking of shelving the project until the HiFiMAN 400i are available, and seeing what those are about.
 
I remember reading about the "rabbit hole" here on head-fi years ago. I never thought I'd ever be this far down it!