[H20Fidelity]

  Did it sound any good with hm5 pads? The SRH440 is very picky with pads, i tried the srh840 pads and it sounded worse than the stock pads (mid bass hump, bad extension, shrill mids and highs). Does it have a thick foam like the srh840 pads or it's thin like the stock ones?

I really like the sound with HM5 pads, gives the soundstage a boost and adds some depth to the sound. I understand what you're saying though as I've installed SHR440 pads on my SHR940 and it sounded very average to my ears, wasn't worth it at all. Foam on the HM5 pads is thick / cushy / very soft and turns the 440 into an over the ear headphone. Your ears sink right sink right inside the pads. Kind of feels like wearing an XB500 to some degree. I don't really have any negatives to say about it.

I know the stock SHR440 pads made my ears hurt in about 10 minutes, they become hot and itchy, they're too hard so I took them straight off within 10 minutes of getting them and never looked back from HM5 pads. You can pick them up for around $8.50 each on MP4Nation.

http://www.mp4nation.net/brainwavz-earphones/brainwavz-hm5-spare-earpad-1pc

 

[KimLaroux]

The inside volume of the pad seems much larger than the stock pads. Did this not make the headphone bloated?
 
I've noticed a significant improvement of bass response with the 940s pad, as they provided a much better seal than my dried stock pads. 
 
But when I added foam to deepen the 940s pad, it bloated the bass too much. Sure the soundstage was greatly widened, but the bloated bass killed the deal.

 

[H20Fidelity]

  The inside volume of the pad seems much larger than the stock pads. Did this not make the headphone bloated?
 
I've noticed a significant improvement of bass response with the 940s pad, as they provided a much better seal than my dried stock pads. 
 
But when I added foam to deepen the 940s pad, it bloated the bass too much. Sure the soundstage was greatly widened, but the bloated bass killed the deal.

Not to my ears, it doesn't sound bloated.  I run them from an Aune T1 dac/amp.  The HM5 pads made the difference between me selling SHR440 within 10 minutes of getting them (stock pads too stiff, too hot on my ears) to then becoming one of my favourite headphones, the comfort was increased dramatically. The problem is for me to describe the difference isn't easy because I took the stock pads off within 10 minutes, installed the HM5 pads and never looked back.
 

 

[Dragonzeanse]

The headband on the Shure SRH440 is bothering me. While I was nearly put off by the fact that my ears touched the baffle plate at first, when I switched to the SRH840 pads that I ordered with it, I don't have that problem anymore. They're vastly more comfortable. However, now, I'd like to address the headband issue and I'm wondering how I can do that. I saw that someone had placed a Sennheiser HD 600 replacement headband cushion on the inside of their SRH440s, but someone replied and said that the headband has to be extended to ten. I keep my headband extended to 2-3, just enough to keep the headband from pressing against the crown of my skull. What do you all think?

 

[KimLaroux]

Well, the number is irrelevant. Once you change the thickness of the padding, you can't compare using numbers anymore.
 
In my case, I can't tell what number I ended at since the plastic piece telling it is gone. It's probably one or two numbers higher than stock, as I removed the stock padding, therefor I did not add much thickness, if at all.
 
Isn't the pressure lower on the ears when using a higher number? If yes, then I don't see the problem.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

  Well, the number is irrelevant. Once you change the thickness of the padding, you can't compare using numbers anymore.
 
In my case, I can't tell what number I ended at since the plastic piece telling it is gone. It's probably one or two numbers higher than stock, as I removed the stock padding, therefor I did not add much thickness, if at all.
 
Isn't the pressure lower on the ears when using a higher number? If yes, then I don't see the problem.

I think you misunderstood the question. The headband is bothering my skull, not my ears. I fixed that problem with SRH840 pads.

I took a quick gander at your modded SRH440 gallery. Could I put the headband cushion on without tearing apart the headband itself? Might be less convenient, but I want to know if it can be done without causing trouble later down the line.

EDIT: I went back to read the posts because I wanted to see the mod again, and it turns out, manveru - the guy I was quoting - was talking about folding them up. Stupid me. That's still important, but the pouch that comes with the headphones is so crazy big to me that I think they can fit even with that mod. A+, Shure.
 
The comfort on the top of my head is the reason I want to cushion it. I saw Natsukawa's shot with the Beyerdynamic T90 headband. I don't think I'll be able to find replacements for them stateside.

EDIT EDIT: Am I wrong to suggest that the bass response on the Shure SRH440s is lacking? I have noticed - by ear - that the bass could be a little bit better. Not that I mind neutral response. In fact, I like these headphones for their mids and highs, but I decided to investigate the frequency response on the bass. HeadRoom seems to suggest that the bass response is very low in comparison to several other headphones (I compared primarily to "bassy" headphones, but also to the SRH840s). Between 20Hz and 100Hz, the bass response is really low compared to its SRH840 sibling. Just past the 10KHz mark, the 440s win, and the mid- and high-midrange are about the same.
 
Fortunately, I bought SRH440s for neutral sound, but I've found even the Sony MDR-V6s - a very neutral-sounding headphone, for most people (particularly myself) - to have more bass. I may do a bass mod if I'm feeling particularly bold, but I don't think I'm off when I say that the bass on these headphones is lacking. To some people, this is all they need, and indeed, I like it, but I don't think most people in this thread would be in disagreement with me if I said it wasn't very bassy at all.
 
No flame, please.

 

[0ffbeat]

My 440s with 840 pads have more bass than my 840s, so I don't find them lacking.

  The 840s do have more mid-bass however.
 
With stock pads though, the 840s have more bass. If the headroom graph was taken with stock pads, it's probably right since in stock form I find the 440s bass to be lacking to neutral.
 
Also, if you are comparing by ear, keep in mind that the bass on the 440/840s is cleaner, so it may not seem as loud as other headphones that have that thumpy (but 'dirty') bass.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

Oh god, I think I'm having an issue with my SRH440s. I'm not sure if this has to do with the audio quality via streaming (over 4G), but I swear to god, I heard - multiple times - static in my music, particularly in the treble region. I plan to test out these headphones on my PC to see if I can recreate the issue. If I can, there's either a problem with these headphones or they're not for me. It's only really apparent to the distinguishing ear - which I happen to have, or I might not be on these forums.
 
@0ffbeat: I don't know, some songs actually sound flat-out recessed almost entirely. Nirvana and Pearl Jam come to mind. While I love how the treble brings out nuances that I hadn't been able to fully appreciate before, it's difficult for me to accept the trade-off for the low-mids and the bass. For a lot of hard rock and metal, these are fine, but for grunge rock and any sort of alternative in between? Unless there's some audiophile sorcery that I am somehow an idiot for not instantly knowing, I don't think these headphones are for me. I can feel the bass to an extent, yes, but it also sounds recessed.
 
Compared to the Onkyo ES-FC300s (apples and oranges, some might say) that I had to return recently because of a couple glaring issues (not with the headphones in general but with my particular unit), the SRH440s leave a lot to be desired.
 
The recessed bass, I'm willing to accept. Not all headphones are made equally. I can accept using these for certain genres. But the static issue? I can't put up with that. I hope there's a fix for this.

 

[rhiga]

I own the srh440 for like 3 years already and i can tell you that  in stock form, the shure's sub-bass is very lacking, however the mid-bass is fairly neutral. The problem lies in the upper mids and mid treble, they're quite forward to my ears and can sound quite agressive and bright sometimes, and this can give an impression of even less bass overall. If you listen at high volumes, the treble is even more energetic and the small soundstage can also be a problem.
 
If you do the hole mod (Drill an extra small hole near the driver) things changes for the better and the overall sound is definitely more balanced. Bass extension improves quite a lot (biggest difference), also the sound becomes less bright (less upper mids / treble) and the soundstage improves a bit too.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

  I own the srh440 for like 3 years already and i can tell you that  in stock form, the shure's sub-bass is very lacking, however the mid-bass is fairly neutral. The problem lies in the upper mids and mid treble, they're quite forward to my ears and can sound quite agressive and bright sometimes, and this can give an impression of even less bass overall. If you listen at high volumes, the treble is even more energetic and the small soundstage can also be a problem.
 
If you do the hole mod (Drill an extra small hole near the driver) things changes for the better and the overall sound is definitely more balanced. Bass extension improves quite a lot (biggest difference), also the sound becomes less bright (less upper mids / treble) and the soundstage improves a bit too.

Considering the longevity of your ownership, have you had any issues with a static-like sound? It was sort of like listening to a rainstick when the treble kicked in. It just sounded like there was some sort of crackle, and it bothered me a lot whenever I heard it. I suspect this has something to do with the audio source I'm using (Nexus 4, streaming audio over 4G).

 

[rhiga]

 
Considering the longevity of your ownership, have you had any issues with a static-like sound? It was sort of like listening to a rainstick when the treble kicked in. It just sounded like there was some sort of crackle, and it bothered me a lot whenever I heard it. I suspect this has something to do with the audio source I'm using (Nexus 4, streaming audio over 4G).

 
The shure's is very sensitive when it comes to source, i remember pluggin it on a very old computer with terrible onboard sound and i could hear strange noises and artifacts, even when playing music. On good sources, if you turn the volume loud when nothing is playing, you can still hear a little hiss, but i coudn't hear any while playing music.

 

[0ffbeat]

  Oh god, I think I'm having an issue with my SRH440s. I'm not sure if this has to do with the audio quality via streaming (over 4G), but I swear to god, I heard - multiple times - static in my music, particularly in the treble region. I plan to test out these headphones on my PC to see if I can recreate the issue. If I can, there's either a problem with these headphones or they're not for me. It's only really apparent to the distinguishing ear - which I happen to have, or I might not be on these forums.
 
@0ffbeat: I don't know, some songs actually sound flat-out recessed almost entirely. Nirvana and Pearl Jam come to mind. While I love how the treble brings out nuances that I hadn't been able to fully appreciate before, it's difficult for me to accept the trade-off for the low-mids and the bass. For a lot of hard rock and metal, these are fine, but for grunge rock and any sort of alternative in between? Unless there's some audiophile sorcery that I am somehow an idiot for not instantly knowing, I don't think these headphones are for me. I can feel the bass to an extent, yes, but it also sounds recessed.
 
Compared to the Onkyo ES-FC300s (apples and oranges, some might say) that I had to return recently because of a couple glaring issues (not with the headphones in general but with my particular unit), the SRH440s leave a lot to be desired.
 
The recessed bass, I'm willing to accept. Not all headphones are made equally. I can accept using these for certain genres. But the static issue? I can't put up with that. I hope there's a fix for this.

 
Possible you got a bad set. I have, and have had many 440s, 840s, MDR-V6/7506s, HD280s, etc and they all have there duds. It happens. Different factory shifts, materials, conditions, etc. Would be difficult to know for sure unless you had another set to A/B with.

 
Or it could be you just don't like the signature and are used to/prefer warmer sound signatures, particular for the alternative, grunge songs with acoustic instruments.
 
Have never had static issues with any of my Shures, so that might take some investigating. Might, want to check the jack/adapter connection, and try moving the cord while playing music - if you can replicate the static while moving the cord, there is likely a short in the cord/connectors.
 
EDIT: Just thought I would add that while I like the the 440/840's quite a bit, that IMO their weakness is their bass. While the bass is very clean, and works very well for natural bass line like those from intruments, it is not particularly well controlled or tight and does not do sub-bass very well. However, I don't have a problem with the volume/loudness of it.

 

[Dragonzeanse]

  It's possibl
 
Possible you got a bad set. I have, and have had many 440s, 840s, MDR-V6/7506s, HD280s, etc and they all have there duds. It happens. Different factory shifts, materials, conditions, etc. Would be difficult to know for sure unless you had another set to A/B with.

 
Or it could be you just don't like the signature and are used to/prefer warmer sound signatures, particular for the alternative, grunge songs with acoustic instruments.
 
Have never had static issues with any of my Shures, so that might take some investigating. Might, want to check the jack/adapter connection, and try moving the cord while playing music - if you can replicate the static while moving the cord, there is likely a short in the cord/connectors.

I plugged the cable into the back of my PC. What have I learned? That these headphones need some more juice to bring out the bass. Maybe I'll consider a portable amp if that helps. These aren't quite as lacking in the lower frequencies as I originally assumed - at least, provided they have ample power. Off of a weaker source like a smartphone, they don't work quite as well. So far, I haven't noticed that crackly noise again. If I had to point out at least one instance where I think it was happening, it was when I was listening to "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, a song I vividly remember discovering it on while listening from my phone. But I'm almost certain it was just me.
 
The problem either has to do with me streaming audio off of 4G (go figure?) or my Nexus 4 is just not a very good source. Maybe I should invest in a dedicated media player. I don't really like using my phone as one, anyway. This sucks, I was hoping this would be my new portable. If I get all of these nitpicks squared away, I might still be able to.

 

[0ffbeat]

 

  It's possibl
 
Possible you got a bad set. I have, and have had many 440s, 840s, MDR-V6/7506s, HD280s, etc and they all have there duds. It happens. Different factory shifts, materials, conditions, etc. Would be difficult to know for sure unless you had another set to A/B with.

 
Or it could be you just don't like the signature and are used to/prefer warmer sound signatures, particular for the alternative, grunge songs with acoustic instruments.
 
Have never had static issues with any of my Shures, so that might take some investigating. Might, want to check the jack/adapter connection, and try moving the cord while playing music - if you can replicate the static while moving the cord, there is likely a short in the cord/connectors.

I plugged the cable into the back of my PC. What have I learned? That these headphones need some more juice to bring out the bass. Maybe I'll consider a portable amp if that helps. These aren't quite as lacking in the lower frequencies as I originally assumed - at least, provided they have ample power. Off of a weaker source like a smartphone, they don't work quite as well. So far, I haven't noticed that crackly noise again. If I had to point out at least one instance where I think it was happening, it was when I was listening to "Scar Tissue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, a song I vividly remember discovering it on while listening from my phone. But I'm almost certain it was just me.
 
The problem either has to do with me streaming audio off of 4G (go figure?) or my Nexus 4 is just not a very good source. Maybe I should invest in a dedicated media player. I don't really like using my phone as one, anyway. This sucks, I was hoping this would be my new portable. If I get all of these nitpicks squared away, I might still be able to.

 
Glad you got the bass sorted. 

As for the static, I remember having a similar problem as you described with the crackling, but it wasn't off a smartphone, it was on my PC using different media players. I was playing flac files using MPC-HC and for some reason it would get crackly in the upper range, like you described. It was a terible sound.. almost like what a blown speaker sounds like, but it only happened on high notes/vocals, and it would be consistent too... if I played the same songs on other players, they would playback fine... So I troubleshooted it and found out that it was a setting in the MPC-HC internal audio switcher. Once I disabled it it worked fine. I know that it may not apply directly to your situation, but you may want to check the software audio/EQ settings on your phone.

 

[marsboy]

Hi. I'm hoping someone can help with my question. I've had the srh440s for 3 years now and 6 months ago I decided to attempt to improve the comfort of my phones. I added the head band padding from the hd650s as recommended (essential upgrade I've found) and replaced the stock pads with the 840 pads. Now I'm no audiophile but to me the sound quality of the phones was seriously compromised. I'd read so many comments saying how this was a must upgrade and in terms of comfort it's a huge improvement but the quality of sound is terrible compared to stock. I stuck with the 840 pads hoping I'd warm to the sound. Recently I'd been thinking about buying some new headphones (940s or momentums) but thought I'd switch the pads on my 440s back to stock. I instantly remembered why I loved the 440s. Now my question is are the 940 pads going to be any better than the 840 pads were? If the sound signature degrades as much as with the 840s pads I'll live with the less comfortable stock pads. If it's close to the stock I'm willing to give them a try.