[Mike F]

Never mind, I bought a pair, they were just 110€. I agree with previous comments, U-shape it is, the bass isn't annoying, but the high treble can be a bit much. May need some EQ or burn in from the brain.

Looks much more expensive than they are, more comfortable than the old model as they are very light.
Yes, these must be new drivers, they have a totally different character/tonality than the old ones. They should have given them a new name.

Sound wise, well they sound quite ok and are comfortable, but I rank cans like DT990 Pro 250, HD600 and K612 higher but they are all open. These are good for being closed cans. Compared to M50x: midrange is more present and warmer which is a plus. Bass isn't nearly as dominating as in the M50x, also a plus. The only closed can I have which is clearly better is the Z7M2, but it is more like nearly semi open and several times more expensive.

Compared to MDR-1AM2, both bass and treble are better in the Sony cans (which are twice the price) as are resolution of details, but the Sonys feels much more fragile and aren't meant as a work can. They are for consuming music on the go. Shure wins in the midrange here too, as being warmer and more present.

It's a pity they don't sound at all like the old 840, but they sound good in their own right, we will see about the durability at least it looks better put together than the 840

Thanks for the review. It’s obviously a matter of preference, but how would you rate them compared to the original 840?

 

[Ufasas]

Hmm, i was looking at 840a before hd560s, which is perfect for everything for me over akg/philips/sony, heheh. How 840a would compare to Audio-technica closed backs? I started to like ATH-AG1X for bass lately.

 

[fzm00]

I am in love with 840A. 840A have clear and light treble, are not canny at all.

 

[Alchemistt]

Hello.
What is the internal width, height, depth of the ear pads on the 840a?
It is a pity that the cords 840 and 840a are not interchangeable. (I understood this from the photo)

Is it possible to do this in 840a?

In my 840, I inserted a 7mm thick guitar cable to increase the depth of the ear cups. (this does not affect the sound)

 

[gr4474]

Im very happy with my SRH 840A!
I compared them with:
AKG K371
AKG K271mk2 (my trusted workhorse...)
Beyer DT700ProX

My favorite is the Shure SRH840A !
I like the fit and comfort (almost like my 271) but they just sound so much better!
Bass extension isnt as deep as on the 371, but still very good and ofc by far better than on my 271.

It's comments like this that confuse me. If I didn't own the K371 I would have no reference for what you call "bass". The K371 is VERY bass weak, and eq won't save it.

 

[garlicky]

It's comments like this that confuse me. If I didn't own the K371 I would have no reference for what you call "bass". The K371 is VERY bass weak, and eq won't save it.

I wouldn't say the akg k371 has weak bass. I own audio technica m40x, creative aurvana live se (cal se), bose quiet comfort qc35ii and senn. momentum3 wireless and they all have, to a greater or lesser extent, elevated bass; which I like.
Compared to these headphones the k371, which I also own, will sound weak in the bass.
The k371 has neutral bass except for the sub bass extension.
Since most music has predominantly mid and upper bass, the sub bass extension on the k371 isn't what will be noticed or heard with most music.

 

[xeizo]

I wouldn't say the akg k371 has weak bass. I own audio technica m40x, creative aurvana live se (cal se), bose quiet comfort qc35ii and senn. momentum3 wireless and they all have, to a greater or lesser extent, elevated bass; which I like.
Compared to these headphones the k371, which I also own, will sound weak in the bass.
The k371 has neutral bass except for the sub bass extension.
Since most music has predominantly mid and upper bass, the sub bass extension on the k371 isn't what will be noticed or heard with most music.

Sounds similar to the K612 which I own, it goes very deep but do not have much of a kick in the lower mid bass, but it takes EQ well and can be made thumpy enough. Don't know about the K371 as I've never listened to it. The Shure SRH840a sounds mostly neutral with a slight "U", very relaxed sound nothing jumps at you.

 

[plakat]

The K371 has lovely sub bass extension with upper bass not pronounced, perfect for my taste. I would still have it were it not for some comfort problems (cups not deep enough for me). The SRH840A were more comfortable, but I never compared those two sonically — the K371 was long gone when I acquired the Shure, which is also not with me any longer.

 

[Blinxat]

SRH840 treble is 10x better than K371. But thats just my opinion.

 

[Blackrao]

SRH840 treble is 10x better than K371. But thats just my opinion.

heard the k371 recently, it’s bass is not elevated so it’s pretty boring and it’s not very dynamic either. The driver is also not that technical the shure 840a driver is straight up better in detail retrieval and playing deep notes clearly

 

[adelaidestevens]

Never mind, I bought a pair, they were just 110€. I agree with previous comments, U-shape it is, the bass isn't annoying, but the high treble can be a bit much. May need some EQ or burn in from the brain.

Looks much more expensive than they are, more comfortable than the old model as they are very light.
Yes, these must be new drivers, they have a totally different character/tonality than the old ones. They should have given them a new name.

Sound wise, well they sound quite ok and are comfortable, but I rank cans like DT990 Pro 250, HD600 and K612 higher but they are all open. These are good for being closed cans. Compared to M50x: midrange is more present and warmer which is a plus. Bass isn't nearly as dominating as in the M50x, also a plus. The only closed can I have which is clearly better is the Z7M2, but it is more like nearly semi open and several times more expensive.

Compared to MDR-1AM2, both bass and treble are better in the Sony cans (which are twice the price) as are resolution of details, but the Sonys feels much more fragile and aren't meant as a work can. They are for consuming music on the go. Shure wins in the midrange here too, as being warmer and more present.

It's a pity they don't sound at all like the old 840, but they sound good in their own right, we will see about the durability at least it looks better put together than the 840

sorry i'm confused with your sentencing, which one has the better mids? sony or shure

 

[xeizo]

sorry i'm confused with your sentencing, which one has the better mids? sony or shure

I wrote "Shure wins in the midrange here too, as being warmer and more present." So that must be what I meant. "Too" is a hint at M50x.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I've been lookign into a few options as an alternative for my AKG K550s. I find the K550s too lacking in bass for when using them on public transport due to vibrations and noise. So I would prefer something with more low end, but I don't want to lose a load of detail as a side effect.

The K550s sound impressively like an open back pair of headphones. My Beyerdynamic DT880s sound pretty similar actually. The 840a looks a decent price, but I just hope it won't appear to lack detail compared to my K550s. Anyone had experience of both?

 

[xeizo]

On public transport I wholeheartedly recommend noise cancelling Bluetooth cans. I always use my Sony WH-H900N with LDAC when I commute. The noise cancelling in itself is more important than most other aspects of the can under those conditions.

I would suggest you try to find a pair you like.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

On public transport I wholeheartedly recommend noise cancelling Bluetooth cans. I always use my Sony WH-H900N with LDAC when I commute. The noise cancelling in itself is more important than most other aspects of the can under those conditions.

I would suggest you try to find a pair you like.

I can fully understand why you suggest noise cancelling, however, I am that sensitive that I notice the downsides to it. They virtually always sound less open and also have some other issues too. Bluetooth is also an issue as I only use music players that just have a cable connection. I also don't like the effects you get when using bluetooth such as minor background hiss and poor audio on extremely low listening levels. I've noticed this with every bluetooth audio device I've used, but using a cable sorts it out.

In my case, noise cancelling is less important - in one sense. I don't want the sound to be leaking out! I have a scar by my ear due to operations years back so the headphones I use all have to be pretty slack. So this will mean that if I get a specific headphone that is aimed to be noise cancelling, the pressure will likely be too much.

The main issue on public transport is the vibration taking away the bass much more than the noise. The K550s have very little in the way of impact to the low end, despite sounding ideal when in a quiet area not in motion. They still sound excellent and very detailed and open on all the higher frequencies above the mid-bass. I currently boost the sub bass on my music player by as much as 10DB and that actually makes them sound quite close to what they usually sound like. I'm just wanting some headphones that have quite a bit more impact to the low end without compromising the detail that the K550s have - which may be pretty hard.