[D4R]

I always used a small Behringer mixer with the 271 when I used to bring it to the office.  I'd give the lo freq knob a slight tweak to the right to give it just a slight bass emphasis.  I don't need a mixer or an amp with the 840.  It sounds better when it is amped, but un-amped, it still sounds as good.

 

[electropop]

Quote:

Mids:
Super freaking crystal clear.  Sarah Mclachlan on vocals?  Simply stunning.

 

Interesting. Exactly the opposite of what I'm hearing compared to the K272HD (fundamentally the same as the 271mkII). It's more euphoric but in no way clearer. I can follow instrument lines and notes significantly better with the AKG's.
 
Yes, Norah Jones sounds full and gasmic, but that's not my cup of tea in a whole. I liked the phone for a while as my portable, but when I got the K272s, I simply forgot about them. Of course if your reference is the 840, the K272/1 will sound "anemic"; bass-headism is quite common hear at head-fi.. But as a whole, the K272/1s sound more clean and truthful.
 
Now that I try the srh840s again, which I have not yet sold, I struggle to hear bass lines and notes of mid-band instruments. They're better for electronic music with little melody probably because of the coloration and "thump", but not for anything else for me...

 

[D4R]

@electropop
Interesting. Exactly the opposite of what I'm hearing compared to the K272HD.
I said that it was super freaking clear.  I didn't say that it was clearer than the akg271 or its direct cousin.  If you compare the 840 to something like the akg 271s/mkII then yes the 271 S or the mkII IS clearer than the 840.  One of the reasons why I used to use it as my default go to phone at home and at the office.  If you want to get rid of the hyperbole, it still is... CLEAR.  As opposed to muddy or veiled or recessed against the bass or highs.  In my mind the 271's anemic glory allows its mids to shine.  Specially after listening to bass heavy phones, the 271 is like a breath of clarity in a space of recessed mids and overbearing BASS.  Actually, I can't say the 271 IS anemic in bass because once powered from a mixer or a suitable source, the bass is there.  Just not as in your face as one would think for its size.  More like restrained/tempered/dampened.  Yeah, I like "dampened".  That fits the description.

But as a whole, the K272/1s sound more clean and truthful.
No arguments there.  It just comes with a hollow echo chamber sound to it that sometimes can be a bother, at least to me.  It's not a proper definition.  But there is just that something "wrong" with the sound that I get on certain songs.

Now that I try the srh840s again, which I have not yet sold, I struggle to hear bass lines and notes of mid-band instruments. They're better for electronic music with little melody probably because of the coloration and "thump", but not for anything else for me...
I always wondered what the hell people where on when they talked about bass with the 840.  Like I mildly stated in my earlier post, but will make more clear here; I absolutely hated the SRH840 for the first five months of ownership.  A monkey must have fallen from a tree or cosmic rays rewired my cerebral cortex.  Whatever.  I can hear the bass line thump in Goldfrap's Let It Take You.  It doesn't have the growl of the Denon D1001K, but it's there.  It wasn't there before.  It's there now.  I like it's bass vs mid vs highs ratio now that I've stopped using the 750dj that I bought earlier because I was so disappointed with the 840 bass.  Not anymore.  The only thing left annoying is the peak somewhere in the highs.  And I've partially solved that as mentioned in the earlier post.

I actually prefer the 750dj with electronic music over the 840.  The 750 has more depth to it vs the 840.  It has got to be because of the elevated nature of its bass.
 

 

[electropop]

Oh, sorry I read "super freaking clear" as there would be no comparison, to anything.. Hehe.
 
If one listens to FR characteristics only, the 840s might please more easily. But contradicting with what you just said, I actually find the 840s more "anemic" and "dull" in comparison and I'll tell you why.. Notes, as I've said plenty
 
The 840s tend to flatten melodies and thus not letting you hear the compositional structure of a piece of work as clearly. It's all about the notes for me. This is where it's left in the shadow by the 271/2s.
 
And you're right, the bass is there with the AKG's, just not as in your face. Here's where many will disagree, but I like to hear the bass (instrument) instead of feel the bass (part of the frequency spectrum). And no, the 840s are not even close to being the worst bass-elevated cans out there. I think people are just used to a more bass pronounced presentation overall, hence the popularity of Denon's (Which I detest myself, yuck!

). But yeah, it's what you listen to.
 
About the "echo" you mentioned.. Some have reported good results with the tape mod: the casing shouldn't dance to your tunes anymore and everything tightens up. I don't hear this problem probably because I don't listen too loud.. Who knows. Would like to try though.
 
Do you think the depth in the 750s is due to the elevated bass kinda holding back everything else at a distance? The use of that word would indicate something like that to my logic.

 

[D4R]

electropop, you're preaching to the choir.  I loved the sound and comfort of the 271s so much that I sought to buy a spare months later, unfortunately I had bought the last one so the shop sold me the new version, the 271 mkII.  For whatever reason, MY S wasn't as clear as my new mkII, irregardless of pads.  The S had a more noticeable bass response.  But we are talking here of ever so minute differences.  The sound signatures remain inherently the same.  The only time the mkII had more noticeable bass was with the velour pads on.  The piece that completely won me over to the 271 was Secluded Spaces by VNV Nation.  Properly amped the instruments hang in the air and completely engulf you.  The bass coming from the 271 with this song is just perfect.  To me.

Why then have I stopped using it and switched to the 840 if I like it so much?  Because the 840 solves several problems that I have.  I stated somewhere else in the forums that AKG should release a circumaural version of the 271 with a foldable headband to make it more portable (like the AKG181dj).  The 171 doesn't count because it doesn't fold and isn't circumaural.  The 840 packages down to a tight ball that suites my requirements very well.  I throw it in my bag and it doesn't take up too much space.

Comfort.  I didn't think there was another can out there as comfortable that could be as portable.  The 840 despite the weird headband is extremely comfortable for me.  I can wear it for hours on end.  It helps that the pads themselves are pretty darn good.  Plus they're circumaural.

Isolation.  Both the 271 and the 840 have very decent isolation.  But they're no match to the HD280pro.  But like the 280pro, the 840 FOLDS into a smaller package.

Sound.  I don't need an amp with the 840.  I can hear and FEEL the bass as long as the song calls for it.  It's no 750dj nor does it have the sub bass rumble of the 1001k, but it's more THERE than with the 271 un-amped.  It doesn't have the screeching highs of the 1001k, but it's not rolled off as the se530.  The mids are so clear, much clearer than the IE8, but doesn't bring with it the extremely elevated mid bass hump of the IE8 that drowns out everything else.  It doesn't have the wide sound stage of the IE8, but it doesn't come with the IE8's thumping bass that can get tiring even with the screw set to the first notch.

I think I'm painting a fairly clear picture here.  It's brining the best parts of phones that I have that I like, and leaving most of the worst parts behind.  It's a great general purpose phone that I can being around to the office and back and still enjoy my music for hours on end.  It doesn't crush my ears, or my skull.  It's not a bother to put on the head and just listen.  There are no triple flanges that bore into my head to enjoy the music.  There is no placement depth or seal issue for maximum sound enjoyment.

Concerning 750 depth due to elevated bass, I can only guess.  Senior members with psychoacoustic backgrounds will have a better understanding of this phenomenon than I.  All I know is that the 840 has more or less the same identical FR graph as the 750 except for the elevated bass, but the 750 just sounds more expansive than the 840.
 

 

[electropop]

It's good to hear they're doing the right thing for you. My quarrel with the 272s also are that they're not foldable.. But I roll down streets with my skateboard a lot, it's my main transport device, so the 840s being so heavy tend to drop from my head where in the 272s don't.
 
But yeah, my point only is, roughly, that I think that people tend to listen to FR balance, soundstage etc. which have nothing to do with how well you can hear the music. This is what I'm preaching to people It's all about the compositional aspect of the music in the end and if you don't hear what Frank Zappa wrote or improvised with his guitar (I really can't with the 840s), for instance, it's not a good headphone. Zappa's pieces are a good comparing tool because of the rich melodic layering.
 
 
 

 

[D4R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by electropop /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
if you don't hear what Frank Zappa wrote or improvised with his guitar (I really can't with the 840s), for instance, it's not a good headphone.

That's rather arbitrary.  Just because something or any one thing doesn't sound good to you on one phone doesn't mean it's not a good phone.  It's just not a good phone to you.  Someone else might think it just right, his or her idea of audio nirvana.

 

[electropop]

No no no, that's not my point. I said "for instance" and that Zappa's a good example/test subject. My point is very simple, with the 840s, you don't hear the pitches of notes. You have to struggle to hear the compositional aspect of the music, ANY music. If the melody's simple, it's not so hard, but if there's lots of playfulness with notes, everything sounds monotonic.
 
It may be audio nirvana, but not musical nirvana I'm trying to say that it doesn't matter whether it "sounds good" but something different altogether.
 
I've been trying to gather objective data on what I mean. So far I've used my girlfriend who has a better pitch ear than I do and made her tab (pick out notes) songs she hasn't heard before. With AKG 701s and 272s it was easy, but the 840s, HE5s (partially) and HD25-1s proved to be difficult to deliver.. You can pick out a jazz piece and try to follow a bass-line or brass improvisation on both phones to try yourself. It's clear!
 
Do you understand what I mean yet?
 

 

[aqsw]

Tell them to ship you a new sealed box pair and have them pay return shipping. If they don't send them back report wire fraud to the FBI  and buy from JR Music.
 
Shures are not sealed!!! If they were sealed, I'd be suspicious!!!

 

[Archer82]

They still have the coiled cable too, but you can get them with either a coiled or straight I just ordered mine today
 
Now they just have to get here (Iraq that is)

 

[Archer82]

Quote:

Yeah! Headphone Solutions seems like the way to go as they offer free shipping (albeit without insurance--should I be worried?). They are pre-ordering at $199.99. Does anyone know of any cheaper vendor of the SRH-840's? Pretty excited to try out a pair!

BUY.COM has them listed for 145

 

[TK33]

I remember getting mine from Northern Sound & Light.  You need to email them for a price quote but I had a good experience with them and they were priced very competitively.

 

[D4R]

Quote:

Do you understand what I mean yet?
 

 
No.  And I don't think I can because I suspect we are hearing things very differently.  I currently enjoy the music out of the 840, reasons enumerated in the previous posts.  The 840 apparently doesn't work well with your musical tastes or how you listen/enjoy your music. I can appreciate that.
 

 

[LionTamer]

Electropop, I understand exactly where your coming from FWIW.  I've been auditioning a pair of SRH840's over the last week, listening unamped through an iPod with a variety of different styles of music within the genres of music that I like.  For the most part, I find that there's a mid-range focus on the 840's that is somewhat unnatural.  It results in a congested mid-range that makes it difficult to decipher complex passages, and also causes some sibilance in the upper part of the mid-range.  However, it also produces that "euphoric" presentation of female vocals that can please some people.
 
I find that the bass is easy to hear and follow (though it is what I'd consider to be lean) in simpler arrangements, but when the mid-range gets congested with guitars/vocals/pianos/etc., the bass drops out completely and all I hear is that congested mid-range.  IMHO, this isn't a balanced piece of gear.
 
FYI, I'm not a huge "headphone" guy, I'm much more of a HiFi guy...and have spent good money on my HiFi gear to avoid 2 problems which seem to plague this headphone:  1) congested mid-range; 2) mid-bass hump.  These are 2 fundamental items that make a piece of gear sound somewhat clinical IMHO, and a clinical-sounding piece of gear impedes my ability to follow the music.
 
That said, these are not what I'd call bad headphones.  Their sound signature is somewhat comparable to most in-ear monitors that I've heard...that's just not a sound signature I'm looking for in a full-size headphone.

 

[Pianist]

 
Quote:

Electropop, I understand exactly where your coming from FWIW.  I've been auditioning a pair of SRH840's over the last week, listening unamped through an iPod with a variety of different styles of music within the genres of music that I like.  For the most part, I find that there's a mid-range focus on the 840's that is somewhat unnatural.  It results in a congested mid-range that makes it difficult to decipher complex passages, and also causes some sibilance in the upper part of the mid-range.  However, it also produces that "euphoric" presentation of female vocals that can please some people.
 
I find that the bass is easy to hear and follow (though it is what I'd consider to be lean) in simpler arrangements, but when the mid-range gets congested with guitars/vocals/pianos/etc., the bass drops out completely and all I hear is that congested mid-range.  IMHO, this isn't a balanced piece of gear.
 
FYI, I'm not a huge "headphone" guy, I'm much more of a HiFi guy...and have spent good money on my HiFi gear to avoid 2 problems which seem to plague this headphone:  1) congested mid-range; 2) mid-bass hump.  These are 2 fundamental items that make a piece of gear sound somewhat clinical IMHO, and a clinical-sounding piece of gear impedes my ability to follow the music.
 
That said, these are not what I'd call bad headphones.  Their sound signature is somewhat comparable to most in-ear monitors that I've heard...that's just not a sound signature I'm looking for in a full-size headphone.

Amping will get rid of the midrange congestion while burn in will tame the mid bass hump. A well burned in and amped SRH840 is a very balanced sounding headphone. Unamped, it is still good after proper burn in (100 hours+) but not that impressive.