[nitrotron]

Before you guys start, I've done several months of digging and am just having a hard time deciding which one to choose. Users on Head-fi keep swaying my decision back forth with each thread i check.

I have not tested out the m50's because no stores have to try. The local Guitar center had the 440's and 840's. The thing with the 440's is that the earpads are too thin and keep hitting my earlobe each time i tried it on. While the 840's had thicker earpads.

As a result, i would like some final ideas whether to go buy 440's plus 840 earpads or just get the m50's straight out?

 

[blahblahblaster]

i've read in another thread that the ear cups on the srh840 are deeper too; was this your impression, or was it simply the pads that helped? i'm tempted to buy the srh840 pads because it seems i'd like the sound signature, sensitivity, and "portability" of the srh440 more than the srh840. also, you could check by asking them if you could do a quick swap and seeing for yourself i guess.

being faced with the same decision, i chose the srh440 over the m50 mostly because of the bass descriptions i have read. i like to listen at higher [more life-like volumes; some of the live tracks i have are going to make me go deaf ^_^] so i dont like the bass to be too attention grabbing as compared to the highs or mids. however, the srh440 still have enough thump to deliver on bass demanding tracks while still keeping overall neutrality to my ears. note: i know there is a peak in the highs, but i've long since semi-deafened myself enough to that thanks to the offspring and a great sony walkman cd player. so they are pretty neutral to me ^_^.

 

[swbf2cheater]

The m50 is not as nice sounding as the 440, but i think its more comfy. If you got th 440 with 840 pads, youd be a happy camper. They still get hot though.

 

[nitrotron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blahblahblaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif i've read in another thread that the ear cups on the srh840 are deeper too; was this your impression, or was it simply the pads that helped? i'm tempted to buy the srh840 pads because it seems i'd like the sound signature, sensitivity, and "portability" of the srh440 more than the srh840. also, you could check by asking them if you could do a quick swap and seeing for yourself i guess. being faced with the same decision, i chose the srh440 over the m50 mostly because of the bass descriptions i have read. i like to listen at higher [more life-like volumes; some of the live tracks i have are going to make me go deaf ^_^] so i dont like the bass to be too attention grabbing as compared to the highs or mids. however, the srh440 still have enough thump to deliver on bass demanding tracks while still keeping overall neutrality to my ears. note: i know there is a peak in the highs, but i've long since semi-deafened myself enough to that thanks to the offspring and a great sony walkman cd player. so they are pretty neutral to me ^_^.

The guitar center i went to had both of them out for trials. So yeah, the 840's had deeper earpads. I have a big head with elven like years so the tips of my ears hit the speakers with the stock 440 pads.

From what i've read on these forums, the bass on the 440's pale in comparison m-50's. But then again, you just might convince me otherwise.

Thanks for your input, you might have just convinced me to finally make up my mind.

 

[pterodactilo]

I can confirm too that bass in Shure 440 is "weak". Drums do not sound nice with these cans. Otherwise they work nicely , specially with female vocals.

 

[Deep Funk]

Drums don't sound nice? Could you explain that, because drums in certain genres or in general make big difference. I listen to almost everything and I wouldn't like it if the finer funky breaks or harder rock drums would sound less like they were recorded.

 

[Mojo777]

M50's are superior in every way IMO. Fuller bass, smooth mids, and glassy highs. While the Shures are nice they don't put "everything" together and get fatiguing after awhile.

 

[JayB18]

The SRH440 has weak bass? I actually find them to be a bit bass heavy. I don't think I'd like the M50's at all

.

 

[shake]

+1 for M50. Since I actually own a pair, I can say that the mid and lower ends are smooth while the highs are a little more analytical. They also react well to EQ'ing.

Audio-Technica headphones usually have this type of sound signature. I just received my ATH-CK7 (IEMS) and they follow the same patterns as my M50. Punchy bass, low extensions, balanced mids, and sparkly highs (I actually EQ the high's down quite a bit).

 

[Cyberbeing]

In terms of bass, after hearing both the ATH-M50 stays more true to how the recording is mixed, while the SRH440 de-empathizes the bass considerably as can be easily visualized from the FR graphs.

I'm 23 y/o and I had to raise the volume to the point where the mids and treble were unbearable (definitely would have caused me hearing loss after long term usage) before I got a decent bass response from the SRH440.

The ATH-M50 on the other hand sounds very neutral and balanced to my ears at nearly any volume level. This nice balance of the M50 also plays a part in making me believe that they are much much easier to drive then the SHR440. With the SHR440 I had to set the volume knob 20% higher then the M50 before I reached a comfortably loud listening volume.

Of course age and more directly how sensitive you are to the higher frequencies likely also plays a large part in how neutral either sounds. Now if you are like 40+ y/o and have lost sensitivity in those upper frequencies, you probably wouldn't have as much of an issue with the SHR440 as I do.

If it wasn't already clear, between the ATH-M50 and the SRH440, IMHO the ATH-M50 wins hands down especially since they both can be had for around $90.

Honestly, considering how Shure priced the SRH440 I don't believe it was ever meant to compete with the ATH-M50. The SRH840 on the other hand is much more similar to the ATH-M50 in both frequency response and MSRP, and was likely what they had in mind as being its direct competition or even a step-up.

 

[CDewey]

^ x 2. I tried the 440, 840, and M50 at my local Guitar Center. I tried all 3 directly from my Ipod. I felt that the 440 was really no comparison to the 840 and M50. I personally went with the M50 for 2 reasons. I felt they were the more comfortable of the 2. I also like the fact the M50 was cheaper

Get the M50 and start enjoying the music.

 

[JayB18]

Frequency response graphs aren't necessarily accurate. The SRH440 extends much lower than the graph would lead you to believe. The bass is also relatively balanced with the midrange. The M50 and SRH840 look to emphasize bass 5-10 db more than the midrange. If your a basshead, you might like the M50/SRH840 more however.

 

[BryanP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pterodactilo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can confirm too that bass in Shure 440 is "weak". Drums do not sound nice with these cans. Otherwise they work nicely , specially with female vocals.

I disagree. When I listen to Rush or even LZ, I can hear the drum sounds VERY well and in a defined manner. The bass sounds very natural. It just sounds more like you're listening to a neutral recording instead of listening to some colored drum sound.

I do agree that it might seem like the bass doesn't "sound" deep and strong, but it's there and to me, accurate. However, from my readings, it's best to review the SRH840 if more bass is needed.

In general, these headphones are pretty neutral *so far with around 70 hours of burning in*. Doesn't seem like any element is really overpowering each other (the mids can be a bit more forward for me, but it's pronounced well enough to appreciate). The bass is light, but it's tight and accurate. You can actually hear how strong the bass can get in some trance songs such as (Taxigirl - High Glow) when the 50 Hz section is hit. It's pretty loud and precise, and those particular notes vibrated my ears.

 

[weibby]

SRH440 is a tad laid back compared to the M50, which is in your face.

440s is very natural, very good for vocals and instrumentals.
M50s have good punch bass that extends quiet deep.

It really depends on what kind of presentation you're interested in.
440s are more tuned to accuracy of presentation.
M50 a lil more fun with big bass and its engaging.

 

[Cyberbeing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by weibby /img/forum/go_quote.gif SRH440 is a tad laid back compared to the M50, which is in your face.

Are you sure you didn't confuse the two?

I found the exact opposite with the M50 having more laid back mid & highs (moderately sized soundstage) and the SRH440 having very in your face mids and highs (very small soundstage).