ShureSRH440 Professional Studio Headphones, Enhanced Frequency Response and Extended Range for Home and Studio Recording, with Detachable Coiled Cable, Carrying Bag and 1/4" Adapter (SRH440)

PRE ORDERMission:I bought these looking for a replacement for another pair of headphones for monitoring purposes.Attractions:The first thing that attracted me to the Shures was the claim of flat response obviously intended for the professional studio (as labeled). The second thing that attracted me to these headphones was the low price. Another thing that REALLY attracted me to these was the REMOVABLE locking cable. I've had trouble with previous headphone jacks that ended up with me having to go buy a new jack and stripping the cable to solder it on, so it seemed like a pretty sweet feature to save future trouble.Picking the Right Set of Cans:I was doing some research on good studio oriented headphones below(or at) the $100 price point. I came up finding these(Shure SRH440), the Sennheiser HD280 Pros, and the Sony MDR-v6's and/or 7506's. And obviously I came to choosing these.POST ORDERFirst Impressions:I had watched a few unboxing and review videos of the Shures just to see what I'd be getting, so nothing out of the box VISUALLY surprised me as I had seen it all already, but when I took them out of the plastic bag and actually held them in my hand myself, I was lovestruck. They are nice and heavy(in a good way) and VERY solidly built.Build:Like I said before, these are quite hefty in weight, but also in size. (Which I like a lot, but for those looking for smaller, lighter cans, I don't think this is where you want to go) The plastics used on the headphones are very solid and of high quality. I guess I had taken the build of the previous set of headphones I was using as fair, so when I just grabbed the earcups and pulled them apart I was blown away with just how well these things were made.The headband is made of some flexible material covered in a synthetic leatherette, and feels sturdy yet moldable. It sits nicely atop the head.From what gathered from the few moments the stock earPADS were one the headphones before I took them off to replace them with some upgraded SRH840 pads I had bought at the same time as these, they were okay in quality. A tad stiff though.The cable is a nice, thick coiled one around 10 feet long that starts up on a SINGLE side of the headphones rather than a Y-cable, and terminates to a 3.5 mm/ 1/8 in gold plated jack.The jack itself has a threaded end to screw on the included 1/4 in (whatever the equivalent is in millimeters) adapter. The rubber/plastic on the end of it has a nice grippy part to it that makes it easy to hold and plug in to whatever you need to. A small detail, but I found it quite nice.Comfort:Like I said a short ways up in the previous paragraph, I bought a set of replacement earpads that normally go on the big brother of this product, the SRH840, on suggestions of other peoples experiences with these headphones. I tried them on with the stock pads before I swapped them and like people said, the pads were fairly stiff and shallow. Immediately thereafter I put on the other pads. They were thicker, softer, and more comfortable. The most noticeably difference I would have to say though is the padding on the INSIDE of the pads that cover the driver. It is much thicker and of better quality. So during long wearing sessions I can see these being much more bearable. I've also heard claims of the pads improving sound quality, but I didn't actually listen to them before I swapped the pads so I can't confirm them. ** I also have pretty prominent(sticky-outy) ears that usually become discomforted quite soon after putting on headphones, but these are (now anyways) deep enough with thick enough inner padding that it's not much of a problem.The headband is quite "cushy" and forms rather nicely to the head. But sometims, when wearing them for a long time, the top of my head begins to get sore where it rests upon my head.These headphones are actually pretty tight gripping on my (seemingly) normal sized head. I like that A LOT, but I'm sure it bothers the hell of some people. I've heard people calling them loose, but they aren't to me.Overall, they feel very nice to me sitting on my head.Now with what was my greatest fear about ordering headphones,Sound/Sound Quality:I have previously listened to studio oriented headphone and they seemed "canny" and fit the closed back headphone STEREOtype(pun), and I hate having to wait unnecessarily for things, so I was afraid of ordering these before actually listening to them under the cause that they would sound crappy. I'll tell you right now, my fears were misplaced. The SRH440's sounded pretty darn good on the first listen. I still haven't burnt them in the full 100 or so hours suggested by many, but they sound great already. The highs are nice and crisp, the mids are warm and smooth, and the bass is lush and extended. I am currently playing pink noise and assorted sounds through them, and after a few of days(with breaks, don't worry) hey, maybe they'll sound even better.As far as isolation of outside noise goes, the Shures do it quite well. I'll give you an example of how well they do it:I've had really loud music been playing through speakers in the other room, and I put these on as earmuffs to block out the sound. Obviously it didn't completely shut out the sound, but made it quiet enough that it wasn't unbearable to hear.The soundstage with these is actually pretty wide and spacey. Things panned hard left or right sound more spread apart than other closed back headphones. Now I haven't heard a lot to compare to them (especially not open backed/open-air headphones which are supposed to have the broadest soundstage), but these headphones give me such an awesome stereo image when listening to music.If I had to describe these headphones in two words, it would be these:SUPERIOR VALUE.Well there's my two cents. Haha, I hope I didn't miss anything.Awesome headphones.

I needed an upgrade to my old headphones that (admittedly) I got at a garage sale. Nice full size headphones but the cable was getting damaged and had that annoying volume control feature. I think its cool but at the same time stupid because I find it the first thing to go. I fought with them for a while until I finally had it. So I went looking for an upgrade that would cater closely to what I'm doing more nowadays, that is home/studio listening for enjoyment and music production. I live in a rather noisy area where I hear the fire trucks and ambulances coming and going regularly and among other things. So I needed a pair of closed-back headphones for isolation as I find the sound reproduction of noise canceling headphones to not be as accurate and nowhere near this price range. I also wanted a set that offered the replaceable cable and ear cups option as decent headphones can last a long time but these two parts always wear out before decent drivers do. Amazingly enough I discovered the Shure SRH 440's. I got everything I was looking for. These are really nice headphones for what they're designed for (e.g. home/studio listening). These might not appeal to people used to higher end equipment but as a start into the world of detail and sound resolution it's wonderful for the price.There are drawbacks that I feel some people miss about these. These don't have much bass impact (e.g. you don't really feel an explosion so much as hear it.) The sound signature is a rich neutral (e.g. it strives for balance and clarity, middle of the road). They are not really made to be run by Iphones and Ipods. These guys need a little more power to drive them to their full abilities with a headphone amplifier. They sound good unamped but sound their best amped. One other thing is these sound particularly tight and bright out of the box. There's nothing wrong with them because they need to be "broken-in." Some people like the sound from the get go, but for me it took a little getting used to. Over time the drivers have been slowly relaxing and loosening up making it sound even better with time. If your looking for nice pair of headphones that will last and deliver great sound, these are a nice choice at this price bracket.PROS+ Marvelous sound that is balanced and clear. - Even at really low volumes (while amped) I can still hear amazing detail.+ Great isolation. - I don't hear the traffic anymore with these on and I'm not cranking these. I listen at very moderate levels.+ Removable cable for cable replacement. (Or to change to a higher grade audio cable)+ Solid build. Can fold up for easy transport and storage.+ Gold-plated Plugs (For signal efficiency.) 3.5MM with a screw on 1/4 plug.+ Full-size over the ear cups.CONS- Shallow cushions - The rim of my ear rests against the drivers. Depending on position can become uncomfortable.- Shallow Headband cushion - There is some cushioning but mostly to cover up the inside parts.For me it gets a little uncomfortable in certain positions but once I find the spot I'm content.As these aren't powerhouse audiophile headphones, they don't require a serious amplifier to run them.If your a budding audiophile, spend a little more on your headphone amp and you'll be happier for it.My experience (if you wish to know)Putting these on and turning on the music is like being transported. I found myself relishing music even more through these as I began to hear it in a whole new way. I enjoy all kinds of music from Metal, Classical, Folk, World, Electronic and Alternative. When I put on Vivaldi: Four Seasons (FLAC format), I couldn't believe my ears. The clarity and beauty of this music resonated out of drivers with such detail. The descents and ascents of the lows to highs and back were a treat. String instruments sound incredible in these as well (Violin, Acoustic Guitar, Cello). One thing is you'll notice the quality of your music more. You'll hear the effects of the poor sound reproduction in the higher compression formats. However, you'll also notice other parts of the music that cheaper headphones can't reproduce when listening to CD's. Some music will be more appealing in these than others. Mostly music that relies more on its musical detail (Classical, New Age, Flamenco) than impact.