Shure SRH440 'Foam plug' mod

[StuntmanFranky]

Been a long time lurker but I thought to share this interesting find I'd discovered a couple of days ago.

I've had the SRH440 for awhile now, it was fairly bass-shy but I really liked the clean and detailed sound of it. It occurred to me a couple of days ago as I was doodling with it, as I removed the earpads, the middle bit of the driver looks kinda odd with a foamy bit in the middle. Just as I remembered this thread, I quickly went on to unscrew and pry open the housing to discover the same design in here as well!

Be sure to use something sharp to pry/pick it out, you wouldn't want to risk pushing it in towards the diaphragm!

Looks kinda like bathroom sealant.

The foam feels pretty dense, putting it back is possible but takes more effort and care.

For those interested in the insides of the housing.

The most immediate difference is the increase in volume of bass, still somewhat shy of the ATH-M50 or MDR-V6 but it still packs tighter and more controlled bass notes. Separation is still fairly outstanding, soundstage remains pretty narrow and upfront, mids may still be a bit thin for some. More importantly though, it didn't alter the original sound I liked about and with added bass its more fun sounding than the 'neutral and sterile'-ness it was. Haven't heard the SRH840 for long so I can't give a proper comparison against it, all I remembered from it was the softer earpads it had and better tonality.

To sum it up, if you think your SRH440 could do better with a bit more bass, please do try it out!

Lastly, for reference, Zero DAC + 'sun' opamp & Dugood EA-600 amp was used. Tracks used includes some Queen, various Baroque/Classical pieces and various japanese pop/electropop.

Hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I did posting, cheers!

 

[slashing_air]

Thx for the mod. Will try to do it this weekend, and will post the impression for it! This is certainly interesting. Other than the bass, is there anything changed from the headphone performance (however minute)? I found it weird that they put foam there for no apparent reason. Anybody know purpose does this foam serve?

 

[sampson_smith]

x 2 on "thanks for the mod'"! Very interesting and slightly peculiar that Shure chose to do that. For a good, as of yet unexplained, reason, I assume? Hmmm...

 

[captian73]

leave it alone, stop touching it, you'll go blind!

thanks for that, i'll pass it onto my friend who's just bought a pair of 840's.

 

[fldrice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif x 2 on "thanks for the mod'"! Very interesting and slightly peculiar that Shure chose to do that. For a good, as of yet unexplained, reason, I assume? Hmmm...

This "plug" is very common in "monitor" type headphones. On the ATH-m50 removal of the plug reduces the boomy bass and opens up the soundstage nicely. A while ago, I tried removing the plug from my 840s. I didn't really like what I heard so I reinstalled them.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sampson_smith /img/forum/go_quote.gif x 2 on "thanks for the mod'"! Very interesting and slightly peculiar that Shure chose to do that. For a good, as of yet unexplained, reason, I assume? Hmmm...

Hey it's worth a try and in other headphone mods, we put material in such spaces.

 

[priest]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fldrice /img/forum/go_quote.gif This "plug" is very common in "monitor" type headphones. On the ATH-m50 removal of the plug reduces the boomy bass and opens up the soundstage nicely. A while ago, I tried removing the plug from my 840s. I didn't really like what I heard so I reinstalled them.

Interesting. Why do they install the plug in monitor headphones do you think? What advantages does it give?

OP, you are a mensch, thanks. I don't personally think the SRH440 needs more bass, but very interesting to read about anyway!

 

[StuntmanFranky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by priest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting. Why do they install the plug in monitor headphones do you think? What advantages does it give? OP, you are a mensch, thanks. I don't personally think the SRH440 needs more bass, but very interesting to read about anyway!

The 440 is definitely great on it's own, which is why I was sold on it after auditing it for 10 minutes at a local store! Do hope to drop down again to test it against the stock 440 and perhaps the 840. Hope to hear the impressions of others that are willing to do the mod too.

 

[widge34]

I tried this mod this afternoon. They definitely sound different although i'm not sure it's better. The Bass to me seems a little boomy on some tracks. This mod seems to favour electronic music better than rock.

 

[Edwood]

I tried it with my SRH840's. It's not really worth it. The Bass increase if very small and is mostly the mid bass, not really the low bass, definitely adds distortion. It does make them louder too.

For the SRH440's, if you want a more dramatic increase in bass, get the SRH840's ear pads and use them. You'll be in for a surprise.

-Ed

 

[fldrice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by priest /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting. Why do they install the plug in monitor headphones do you think? What advantages does it give?

Presumably, the plug partially restricts the amount of air entering the driver to avoid resonance and distortion.

 

[widge34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif I tried it with my SRH840's. It's not really worth it. The Bass increase if very small and is mostly the mid bass, not really the low bass, definitely adds distortion. It does make them louder too. For the SRH440's, if you want a more dramatic increase in bass, get the SRH840's ear pads and use them. You'll be in for a surprise. -Ed

I purchased the 840 ear pads for my 440's and to be honest i didn't notice any difference in sound, but they are a little more comfortable.

 

[widge34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fldrice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Presumably, the plug partially restricts the amount of air entering the driver to avoid resonance and distortion.

I havn't noticed any distortion and i do listen to my music pretty loud.

 

[widge34]

I've reinserted the foam. The phones sound better with them in. Shure must also think this or they would not be there in the first place.

 

[xnor]

Has anyone opened the SRH840s yet? I'd love to see a comparison of the internals...