[nicholars]

   
You need to try the Beyerdynamic DT-770/880/990. I have the 770. 990, and 1540. The 770 and 990 have more bass impact.

 
But the 1540 sound much better overall.

 

[joey99]

for me, I found all the beyers just sounding too thin where as the 1540 has a much fuller body to it .. but found that the 1840 had the best of both worlds as it also had that cleaner sound with a full body.

 

[chailee80]

   
You need to try the Beyerdynamic DT-770/880/990. I have the 770. 990, and 1540. The 770 and 990 have more bass impact.

Yup those were my findings too, the custom one pro, dt770 and dt990 all have a stronger bass than the 1540 to my ears. The t90 probably has a similar level of mid bass but is much better in the sub bass.

 

[Goldenberg]

I have the hd25 and trying to move up and get the 1540 (I love the sound of my hd25 and from your review i understand i would not be disappointed by the srh1540). My question: i have an iPod (With most tracks encoded in llossless) do you think i would need to get an amp (like the oppo ha-2) to get the most out of the 1540? Thx

 

[7S Cameron]

I have the hd25 and trying to move up and get the 1540 (I love the sound of my hd25 and from your review i understand i would not be disappointed by the srh1540). My question: i have an iPod (With most tracks encoded in llossless) do you think i would need to get an amp (like the oppo ha-2) to get the most out of the 1540? Thx

It is a very relaxed and smooth sound without an amp. If you like a lot of energy then I recommend it.

 

[dlhen68]

I'm pretty interested in these cans. My most recent acquisition is a set of Senn 600s, which I like quite a bit. The comfort (for my rather long ears) is outstanding. They sound superb. However, sometimes I like more "body" in the sound, i.e. more bass (although often the bass is just about perfect on the Senns). I wonder now if I might have preferred the 650s. So my thoughts are to keep the 600s and go for the 1540s as a closed alternative with a bit more warmth. I'm just a bit confused by the rampant subjectivity in all of the comments about the Shures. Of course, it's ALL subjective, but the comments range from "they are harsh in the treble" to "they have no treble". I'm sensitive to harsh treble spikes (I don't hear any on the 600s, but I did hear them on the P7s). People have owned 1540 for awhile now, and I'd be interested to hear any comments on the treble issue. I know it's been covered ad infinitum, but perhaps time has clarified some of the observations (?).

 

[Delance26]

  I'm pretty interested in these cans. My most recent acquisition is a set of Senn 600s, which I like quite a bit. The comfort (for my rather long ears) is outstanding. They sound superb. However, sometimes I like more "body" in the sound, i.e. more bass (although often the bass is just about perfect on the Senns). I wonder now if I might have preferred the 650s. So my thoughts are to keep the 600s and go for the 1540s as a closed alternative with a bit more warmth. I'm just a bit confused by the rampant subjectivity in all of the comments about the Shures. Of course, it's ALL subjective, but the comments range from "they are harsh in the treble" to "they have no treble". I'm sensitive to harsh treble spikes (I don't hear any on the 600s, but I did hear them on the P7s). People have owned 1540 for awhile now, and I'd be interested to hear any comments on the treble issue. I know it's been covered ad infinitum, but perhaps time has clarified some of the observations (?).

I cannot offer a direct comparison between them, however I have heard from several people that the 1540 is basically a closed version of the 1540 yielding my bass and less airy treble.
 
I would say the 1540 is an excellent candidate for a full bodied variant to the hd 600.  Personally I think the treble falls about in the the middle, but never harsh.  I would say it has a smooth clarity, if that makes sense.  The bass is definitely present with I would say about 3db above neutral to my ears.  With a proper source the bass is nice, tight and punchy.  For a closed can they offer a good amount of depth and air.  They almost sound semi-open, rather then closed at times with above average imaging from a closed can.  Also these a by far the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn.  
 
Hope this helps!

 

[kimvictor]

  I'm pretty interested in these cans. My most recent acquisition is a set of Senn 600s, which I like quite a bit. The comfort (for my rather long ears) is outstanding. They sound superb. However, sometimes I like more "body" in the sound, i.e. more bass (although often the bass is just about perfect on the Senns). I wonder now if I might have preferred the 650s. So my thoughts are to keep the 600s and go for the 1540s as a closed alternative with a bit more warmth. I'm just a bit confused by the rampant subjectivity in all of the comments about the Shures. Of course, it's ALL subjective, but the comments range from "they are harsh in the treble" to "they have no treble". I'm sensitive to harsh treble spikes (I don't hear any on the 600s, but I did hear them on the P7s). People have owned 1540 for awhile now, and I'd be interested to hear any comments on the treble issue. I know it's been covered ad infinitum, but perhaps time has clarified some of the observations (?).

If you want more body, HD650 sounds perfect for you, but if you want a closed alternative, 1540s are pretty good too. And treble is not harsh at all imo. I think I mentioned it in this review too.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Matter of opinion, of course. Better statement would the 1540 sounds better to you. To me the 1540 sounds very similar with a tad more mid, less bass slam, and slightly more detailed treble. The 1540 also has a different feel on my head. Both the beyers and the shures are comfortable, but in different ways. For rap or edm, when bass slam is desired, some may prefer the beyers.

 

[dlhen68]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll likely order them soon and share my observations. Comfort is important to me as well as sound. I've got the Beyer 990s which are OK in the comfort department, but press on my lobes (plus they are excessively U shaped in the SQ). The 600s are just the right shape for my ears. There's another question. If anyone owns both the Senn 600s and the Shure 1540s, how do the ear pads compare, size-wise?

 

[rpaul]

  Thanks for the feedback. I'll likely order them soon and share my observations. Comfort is important to me as well as sound. I've got the Beyer 990s which are OK in the comfort department, but press on my lobes (plus they are excessively U shaped in the SQ). The 600s are just the right shape for my ears. There's another question. If anyone owns both the Senn 600s and the Shure 1540s, how do the ear pads compare, size-wise?

 
To me it feels like the 1540 is just slightly more roomy (need to verify by comparing both side by side). The 1540 is considerably more comfortable, especially with glasses on, due to the softer pad material.
 
The HD600 doesn't get nearly as much use as my 1540, since there's not much content that I prefer to listen to through the 600. The 1540 is enhanced to a much greater extent via my current source (Theorem 720) than the 600, and I don't want to waste more money on a rig specifically for the 600 . Really should sell it at this point, especially now that the LCD-X is in the house...but I'm still attached to it for some reason...maybe due to its icon/benchmark status and specific sound signature.
 
EDIT - Based on posted inner pad measurements, the 1540's pad inner dimensions are 8mm shorter but 4mm wider.

 

[dlhen68]

Thanks, rpaul. That's helpful. I'm about to sell my 990s. After endless a/b comparisons, I always end up preferring the 600s, and sometimes I need an open set. I also sometimes need a closed set, hence the interest in the Shures. I was annoyed with Shure a few years ago when two pairs of their IEMs failed on me. That was before replaceable cables became common place. My only concern might be the slightly shorter vertical ear opening. I'll just have to take the plunge and see how it goes...

 

[greggie]

I have the Sennheiser 590, 598, 600 and 650, as well as the Shure 1540.  The 600 and 1540 are my newest acquisitions, so neither has that much time on them, nor do I spend much time in comparisons.  However, as some more data for you:
 
- At home I use the 600 with Teac A-H01 (and 650 with Bottlehead Crack).
 
- Needed closed headphones for work, thus the 1540.  Used the Sony MDR-V6 in the past, then switched to IEMs, then to Koss KSC75 on headband, looking for better sound or comfort along the way, but don't use any of those now.
 
- The 600 are somewhat more comfortable to me than the 1540, however it is only a slight advantage, and I can wear the 1540 for hours.
 
- I have to extend the 1540 cups all the way, the 600s will fit a larger head.
 
- The 1540 are just as capable of involving me in the music as the 600.
 
Consider the frequency response graph of these phones:

With a setup of FLAC -> Foobar 2000 -> Fiio E10 -> 1540, and listening to material I have heard many times, they sounded good, but... the upper mids were missing a bit.  Keep in mind that this was while listening 1) with no burn-in and 2) before looking at that graph.  I enabled the equalizer in Foobar and applied a one step boost between 2 kHz and 6 kHz, corresponding to the dip in the graph, and have been happy with the results.  In fact, I have not spent any more time trying to improve the sound.  This is the first time I have ever felt any need to use equalization. 
 
For me, the 1540 are quite good enough comfort- and sound-wise to function as a closed Senn substitute, needing just a little help in the mids.  I hope this helps.

 

[nicholars]

This is my point that I kept saying that the 1540 mids are not actually very recessed... Just they have slightly boosted bass and treble... Also agree that the 1540 are one of the few headphones that do need need EQ at all to sound good.

 

[dlhen68]

Thanks a bunch, guys. I think I'll like these. Interesting to look at that graph again. I had the BW P7s for awhile and found a peculiar peak that seemed to be around 6kHz. It was occasionally piercing and unpleasant. Curiously, few others seemed to hear this, according to the various comments and reviews on-line. Either my ears are sensitive to that frequency, or I had a bum pair. None of my other HPs deliver that strange spike (not even the Beyer 990s). Consequently, that dip in the graph might just be the ticket for me.