[nicholars]

  I agree with both prior statements, I mean would a more forward midrange be nice? yeah, but at what cost?  Plus the midrange is not that recessed.  If  you wanna hear an extreme U-shape listen to the Beyerdynamic DT990.  Those have a huge U-shape.  
 
I have mentioned this before, but to me what add so much value to these headphones is the comfort.  It seems that many HiFi headphones are absurdly large and awkward (LCD anyone?).  I wear glasses and I can easily wear these for hours with no issue.  This is very rare in a full size headphone.  I will sacrifice a bit of "HiFi sound quality" to allow for comfort listening.  I will also mention that over the past months that I have owned these (since mid November) I have gained an appreciation to there forgiveness for poor source material and flexibility to what the source play through is. (laptop, dedicated Amp, mobile player, etc...).  To me these are qualities that add immense value to these headphones and why I would call them one of the best all rounders on the market.  
 
Anyway those are my thoughts Moral of the story, who cares what everyone thinks about the headphone the important question is do you think it sounds good? then cool it sounds good, end of story!
 
Have an awesome day everyone!

 
Yes the comfort and can use them for anything, well built, sound good enough to enjoy any music.. and the faults they have are minor compared to other headphones at similar price. I would like more forward midrange and better bass definition, but overall the midrange is not even that recessed and the bass still sounds good. They just sit there on your head and are almost more comfortable than not having anything on.

 

[nicholars]

Sorry I keep repeating myself I feel the need to bump the thread as americans do not seem to buy many Shure products and I think they should.

 

[Delance26]

  Sorry I keep repeating myself I feel the need to bump the thread as americans do not seem to buy many Shure products and I think they should.

Shure is my favorite headphone company, second place is Beyerdynamic. I would easily be satisfied with only the 1540 and the se215 for the road.

 

[Beencredible]

Just received my pair today. First impressions are that they are way lighter and a bit smaller than I imagined. I wish the cups were larger. I don't like my ears occasionally be felt even though it's with some super nice material. I think it would've been cooler if there wasn't glass covering the carbon fiber. Usually the difference is minimal when playing out of my iPhone 6 and DX50 with my other headphones but these 1540s really benefits from the latter. Isolation is average. The clamping force is pretty perfect for my head.

The bass can go pretty deep as I test it with Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart. They don't appear muffled at all. At the moment, I don't have a problem with the mids. The treble could use a bit more sparkle but they're still really clear. I like them. Trying to see if they justify the price still.

 

[CookiePrime]

I had the chance to listen to these cans for few hours before buying them. I was rather dissappointed. Probably because of glowing reviews I have read online, my expectation was too high. I ended up buying Fidelio X2 instead, because it sounded better... at a lower cost. I really wanted to like SRH1540 because I need isolation but the price tag was hard to justify. X2 + $200 IEM (privacy) seemed like a better deal.
 
Comfort: The best I've seen. Weak clamping pressure, light weight + alcantara pad = superb comfort. I even forgot these cans were sitting on top of my head after a while.
 
Sound: Decent, but nowhere near outstanding... In fact, these sounded underwhelming for $500. Soundstage is very good for a closed can, the mids were there (although slightly recessed) but these cans just felt too 'average' for the price tag. The sound did improve noticeably when paired with Fiio E12 but it sounded 'veiled' compared to X2. I've also tried listening at low volume, where these cans are supposed to shine, but they didn't really stand out.
 
Isolation: I've heard that these cans leak sound but they seemed good enough for me.

 

[Delance26]

Yeah the x2 is known for its supreme value being priced at only 300. I will say that it is a better value then the 1540. Although I would say if you need a closed back the 1540 is a great choice. And keep in mind the higher price buys you some great extras. I think as a headphone the 1540 is a 300-400 dollar catagory.

 

[nicholars]

They should sell them without a cable and spare pads for £300, then you can buy new pads or cables as needed, so yes these headphones cost £400 but do have £100 worth of accessories. Would be better if they sold for £300 with no extras then they would seem better value.

 

[Beencredible]

I do appreciate the build of these. The comfort is on point and the accessories will be useful in the long run. I say if you got these for around $400, they're still a good value. If they had more depth to the sound stage like a DT770, I definitely would keep them. Turns out, I'm gonna sell them for $350 for an open pair.

 

[chailee80]

The exchange rate has gone crazy here, the 1540 now sells for $869 it used to be around $600-700. Crazy pricing.

 

[Delance26]

That is absolutely nuts! I mean these cans are good, but not 800 dollars good.
 
And yes they should sell them without the extras for a reduced price, but whatcha going to do.   

 

[nicholars]

  That is absolutely nuts! I mean these cans are good, but not 800 dollars good.
 
And yes they should sell them without the extras for a reduced price, but whatcha going to do.   

 
I got them in new condition for £300 anyway At that price I am happy with them, at £400 I would still like them but feel like they bit overpriced.

 

[Change is Good]

Now that I've sold my last set of alcantara pads I came out even at $500 with the alpha pads. And I've mentioned over and over how much better the quality of it is, sounding like it fits its price range and maybe higher. I tried to go back to the stock pads, but it leaves me feeling like it is much less refined and overpriced.

 

[nicholars]

Now that I've sold my last set of alcantara pads I came out even at $500 with the alpha pads. And I've mentioned over and over how much better the quality of it is, sounding like it fits its price range and maybe higher. I tried to go back to the stock pads, but it leaves me feeling like it is much less refined and overpriced.

 
They are so damn comfortable I cannot bring myself to change them. I realised about an hour ago that the TV was quieter then noticed I still had the headphones on about an hour after stopped listening to them haha.

 

[chailee80]

That is absolutely nuts! I mean these cans are good, but not 800 dollars good.

And yes they should sell them without the extras for a reduced price, but whatcha going to do.   

The 1840 is selling for $899 which I think is nuts too.

 

[WhoIsThis]

The 1840 is selling for $899 which I think is nuts too.

 
The main reason is the strong US dollar. The US dollar has been rising very rapidly against the Euro, Canadian dollar, Australian dollar, and several other currencies. Commodity prices have fallen, which is why the CAD and AUD are weaker (at least in part), and the European economy is in deep recession due to the policies that they've chosen.
 
Unfortunately for us living outside the US, that means that the cost of audio equipment too has gone up. Shure is an American company. The other concern is your nation's currency against those of Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan (remember a lot of cans are made in China nowadays, including many audiophile ones).
 
My advice is to see what you can buy used these days.