[danquoc]

Hey. I'm debating both of these. I've tried the M50. Long story short, my M50's broke (had it for almost a year) and Amazon issuing a full refund. I was going to get the 840's befroe the M50's but I opted for the Audio Technicas. I've been reading many reviews about comparisons but I have a few questions. What is the durability of the 840's like? I've went through several of Shures SE215's (which I love), though they keep breaking down. How is the build quality on the 840's? Second, I hear the bass on the 840 is lacking. I find the amount of bass on the M50's to be JUST perfect. How much lower are the 840's? If the bass on the M50's is a 10/10 (10 being the highest), what would the 840's be? I listen to all type of music, mostly rap though.

 

[Skolar311]

Hey man, I own the 840's and I think they're built very well. I bought the 940 velour pads and that really makes the some comfortable cans, and I think they sound amazing in their price range.
 
I can't compare them directly to the M50 because I've never heard them before but when I'm running the 840's off my FiiO E11 the volume and detail is quite impressive. With FiiO's "bass boost" I found the 840's to be very bassy, actually. If you listen mostly to Rap then these will do good for you, but most of the headphone would be wasted because they really shine in the mids and highs. Most people compare the 840 with the M50 for a reason I guess, I imagine they're very similar in sound signature but it seems the majority of reviews I read people would lean towards the 840. This was my deciding factor between the 2 as well.
 
The 840 is a favorite among many, and while it's not my primary headphone, I would definitely recommend it to anyone. They're a tad heavy, but not too much so. It's a quality headphone with good balance and good range.
 

 

[jackwess]

The 840 have a good amount of bass, but is not a headphone for bassheads. M50's are bassy headphones. 
Of the two, the Shure have the best mids. 
 
Why not save a little extra money, and upgrade? 

 

[sonic2911]

vote SHR840

 

[jackwess]

I think op is craving for bass, something like the HFI-780 would be perfect for him. 

 

[Skolar311]

I agree with saving a bit more.... because if you're like me, here's what you'll do.
 
I bought the Shures and LOVED THEM SO MUCH that I wanted to upgrade even more to see what I was missing. Not knocking the 840 at all, because it's an amazing headphone, one of the best in it's price range.... but once you hear them and fall in love with them, you'll get greedy...and curious....and may end up spending more and more money
 
That's just me! If you can refrain yourself (unlike me) then the SRH-840 is a great headphone for the long haul that's easy to drive. But I agree that it doesn't have the most bass, but it's not slouching either. You can easily tweak an EQ or flip a bass boost switch and it is fully capable.