Features:

  • Optimized for home and studio recording
  • Closed-back, circumaural collapsible design
  • Detachable, coiled cable
  • Includes SRH440, threaded 1/4" gold-plated adapter, carrying bag, and user guide
  • Provides exceptional sound reproduction and comfort
  • 10-foot coiled, detachable cable
  • Replaceable ear cup pads ensure long product life
  • Threaded 1/4-Inch gold-plated adapter included
  • Bayonet clip securely locks detachable cable into ear cup,Impedance: 44 Ohm
Great quality and balancing

Great quality - lasted me about a year and decided to buy another pair that works beautifully. Sound quality is great and the comfort leaves a little to be desired, as it can get a little uncomfortable if you keep them on long enough, but in my mind the quality of the sound is enough to make up for this. The cord is long enough to let you move around with relative freedom without feeling like you're going to get unplugged or erode the wires.

Seriously good headphones!

With anythin, there are pros and cons, So let's start with pros: -Sound quality is amazing. Crisp highs, clear mids, and rich lows. Very well balanced. - Solid construction of the outer shell and ear cups - Love the ability to replace the cord by removing it from the headset! - No problems with fit. Very comfortable. I used them about 6-9hrs daily and never have an issue. I read that others complain about "head squeeze" but I am betting that they have not properly adjusted the sides accordingly. Not only can you adjust the length of the sides, but the cups rotate slightly as well to fit nicely around your ears. - Sound does NOT escape the earcups when on your head- fantastic for office use! Now the cons: - The only thing that is an issue is the weight of the cord. Like the fact that the long cord is coiled, but it is a slight nuisance. - Not much here in the style department. Not flashy. Very function-driven. I would wear these walkind down the street or anything... That said, I had to find something to complain about here. You have found these headphones because you are looking for something BETTER. Clarity and definition are important to you- as well it SHOULD be. Highly recommend these headphones to anyone wanting an audiophile-quality headset without paying $250.

Superb Phones with MAJOR Design Flaw

UPDATE: August 2012 Shure replaced my phones! I wrote to them as well as called them. Very friendly staff. Turns out there was a Shure partner in New Delhi and I went to their location and they changed the phones for new ones on the spot. With two years manufacturers warranty, that's awesome. The design flaw still stands of course. I'm Shure they'll fix it. I wouldn't want to use another set of cans. These are just perfect. UPDATE: July 2012 There is a metal T shaped hook that fits into the top (head) piece. Its held in place by a plastic cap covered by 4 small screws. This plastic cap has broken on my right cup and its about to break on the left as well (I just checked). This plastic "cap" that holds down the metal T joint, is very easy to break. It broke on my right can and is almost broken on the left as well. Ive put up some pictures. I really think Shure needs to look into this and strengthen the design at the joints. These caps should've been made of metal. Mind you, I have used these phones VERY VERY carefully. I don't see these working in a real commercial studio environment. Apart from that still a great sounding pair of cans. ______________________________________________________ My mixes improved when i started using these cans. They do bring out reasonable mid range detail you want to hear when you're EQ'ing your mixes. They are decently transparent and have close to a flat response. To know exactly how the response of these cans are, search "Shure SRH440 + frequency response" They are reasonably flat upto say 3khz and then there's a dip from 3 to 8 khz followed by a spike to return to normal at say 10khz after which the response falls off. i did some research and chose these over the 840. A Shure engineer or something like that said these were better for mastering/mixing. You can google "Shure 440 vs 840" if you'd like to confirm. I just didn't really like the plastic feel of some of the connectors. I guess its not a big deal. I'll update this review next year to write on how it worked out for me.

Beautiful studio quality audio; only one flaw.

I *love* my new 440's. They're exactly what I was looking for in a circumaural design. Pros: -Frequency response is phenomenal. Only a hardcore audio engineer could find a flaw in these. -Removable cable! I think this is an undervalued attribute. If the cable accidentally gets cut, you can just replace it for about $10. It locks into the left earpice, is think and beefy, has a big fat strain relief on the plug end, and has a useful coil in the middle. A 1/4in adapter screws (yes, screws) onto the end. -Closed design: When fit snuggly on your head, there is very little bleed out. I can listen loud without fear of disturbing others in a quiet room. Good external noise cancellation, too, although this was not expected. Cons: -The cushions. They were WAY too shallow for my head. That is to say, they fit *around* my ears just fine, there's just not enough *depth* inside. My ears would get squished up against the sharp plastic grill inside because the cushions were not think enough. There is a very, very thin layer of material which goes over the drivers, but not enough to make a difference. *** Worth noting: I told Shure about the cushions and the pain that I was enduring when wearing these, and inquired about buying a thicker pair of pads. They responded the next day and shipped me a pair of pads from their most expensive headphones (880's, I think?). These are MUCH better, featuring a slightly squisher and thicker pad, as well as a nice thick layer of foam stuff which covers up the plastic grill. KUDOS TO YOU, Shure!!!! Highly recommended, as long as you can get your hands on the better pads. Or, if you have really small ears which don't stick out from your head too far. 5 stars, because of the Shure customer service.

Absolutely worth it for music

Before buying these cans, I was using a pair of Sony MDR-V6's for about a year. I loved them, and still do somewhat, but they were lacking quality on vocals especially and had overly bright highs. I got these to try to alleviate those problems. They sound excellent in general, but I'll go over the different ranges real fast: Highs: Very crisp and true, although with a very select few songs (most noticeable with Not Afraid by Eminem) they can be shocking and fatiguing. Honestly, it shouldn't be a problem at all for most people and I could potentially just blame my sound card for driving high highs. Mids: I don't notice as much in general with mids, but they're fine. Vocals are clean and beautiful. Lows/Bass: These headphones are not meant for bassheads who basically want jackhammers duct taped to their eardrums, but they definitely can push out some clean and loud bass. I noticed that the bass increased a LOT after burn in. It was fairly quiet to begin with but after something like 20 hours of playing music the bass really came out and impressed me. When I ordered these they were about $69, which is incredible value for 'phones of this caliber. All I can say is that any entry to mid level audiophiles should enjoy the headphones after the burn in and normal people will hear them as godly. The impedance isn't that high so portable players can drive them, and where other people complained about comfort, they're actually NOT bad. It might just be me, but these are actually quite comfortable as is. I might invest in the SRH-840's earpads just to increase bass, but I can easily wear these for long periods of time without a problem. Sometimes they'll push my glasses a bit forward but again it's not bad at all. I totally recommend these for listening to music. Maybe not for monitoring, but definitely for music. Order them and enjoy them!

Looking for closed, full-size cans? This Shure sounds most accurate and neutral under $100.

I was recently in need of closed headphones with a $100 budget and curious about what the market offers. I thought I might share my findings with someone in a similar situation. The Shure SRH440 turns out to be the most accurate, neutral sounding closed cans among the eight headphone models that I have compared. Below is my review of these headphones. I am a speaker builder with measurement equipment, so I know what is neutral and undistorted sound. Unlike speaker systems, most headphones have no crossover or frequency response correction circuit. So, it is critical to be able to know how much such uneven responses affect perception of their sound with respect to accuracy and neutrality. I have good sense of it since I have been measuring sound. But I do not have proper equipment for headphone measurement, mostly importantly a dummy torso/head, nor am I willing to invest time in making a DIY setup. This is the reason why my search and audition have been limited to headphones for which measurement data exist, with some exceptions (see below). I made use of three different sources for the data: InnerFidelity.com, Headphone.com, and en.GoldenEars.net. While there is consistency within each site's measurements, there is also inconsistency between them, due to different measurement conditions and compensation methods. So, I researched and took those into account. One may say we can use EQ to remedy irregular frequency responses. But EQ has its own limitations. Some minor EQ'ing can help, but headphones that need too extensive correction should be avoided. The foremost reason is the loss of dynamic range. Theoretically, with EQ you can only limit, not increase, dynamic range in a certain frequency band. On the source side, you lose digital bit depth, and on the headphone side, you suppress the driver's efficient response range. Below is the list of headphones that I have auditioned (in the order of their street prices): - Tascam TH-02 ($30; no data available) - Panasonic RP-HTF600-S ($32; semi-open headphones) - Brainwavz HM3 / Incipio F38 ($35; no data available) - Tascam TH-2000 ($50; no data available) - AKG K518LE ($50) - Sennheiser HD 429 ($65) - Creative Aurvana Live! ($70) - KRK KNS 6400 ($85) - Shure SRH440 ($90) My DIY speaker system (it measures very flat) served as a reference with respect to tonal balance. I also own some open headphones like Sony MDR-MA900 and Sennheiser PX100, which also provided a baseline when I evaluated tonal balance of the headphones under comparison. I used a desktop headphone amp that has flat FR and reasonably low output impedance. I will give short, summarized impressions for each pair. Tascam TH-02 (no measurement data available) This is a really nice surprise. There is a little hump in the bass and midbass regions, and some wide, shallow dip in upper mids and lower treble (i.e., slightly polite presentation). Otherwise, these are relatively accurate headphones at a fraction ($30) of cost of headphones of comparable quality. Construction is good for the price. The pad size is between over-ear and on-ear, but comfortable enough. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S (semi-open headphones) Warm tone, deep bass. Treble is there, but upper mids and lower treble are lacking. Comfortable to wear. A good value, but not great for those looking for reasonably accurate sound. Brainwavz HM3 / Incipio F38 (no data available) Mid/upper bass ruins the sound which has otherwise good midrange-treble balance. Very uncomfortable to wear due to non-swivel cups. Tascam TH-2000 (no data available) Simply inferior to its younger brother TH02. Very dull and muddy presentation. The model uses the same ear cups as TH02 but contains different drive units. The driver may have better components but execution must be bad. Not worth the asking price. AKG K518LE You need to remove the thick foam pad at the driver's front (easily removable) to have better bass-to-mids balance. Even the pad removed, the phones still have bass-oriented sound, but not bad. Mids to treble balance is good. Somewhat similar sound signature to Tascam TH-02's. But the TH-02 sounds a little more natural. The headband can be too small for some people. The clamping force is a bit above a comfortable level. Sennheiser HD 429 Anothter pair of headphones with bass emphasis. Not overly bassy, though. But a bigger problem is treble, which is a little too polite to be neutral. I would not consider these headphones a good value. Creative Aurvana Live! Smooth and warm tone. Bass is somewhat loose at times. Treble has sparkles and at the same time sounds smooth. But relative to bass and treble, upper mids and lower treble are somewhat recessed, making the headphones' sound colored. Some people may feel them musical and full, but I prefer the Tascam TH02 at a lower price. The appearance is very good, though, with some feel of high quality. Very comfortable to wear with memory foam pads. KRK KNS 6400 It has much more neutral sound than the headphones described above. Mid- and upper bass is somewhat lacking, and treble is a little overly presented. Good monitor-type sound. But there is one problem with these headphones. They are not very efficient, which means their usability is limited---you need a desktop headphone amp or a high-current capable portable amp to make them sound good. A little too bright treble is a weakness, too. Shure SRH440 Without doubt, these are the best of the bunch. Perceived dynamic range is unbelievably wide. These are in a different league in terms of clarity as well---perhaps, the KNS 6400 is close but also with weaknesses (see above). Treble is sometimes a little on the bright side, but not as bright as the KNS6400's. Some people may find them bright with bright recordings, but the headphones should not be blamed for that. These produce very neutral and accurate sound. Bass is sufficient and often pleasantly strong in the mid- and upper bass regions, but deeper bass is not covered by these cans. Most music recordings do not contain this deep bass, anyway. I summarize my findings with the following top two picks: 1. Shure SRH440: These are the headphones you can safely choose under $100 if what you are looking for is accurate, neutral sound. 2. Tascam TH-02: This is a secret gem. At $30, you get really good closed cans. Its overall presentation is not as clear as the SRH440's, but with their price factored in, you cannot complain. They are definitely in the same league as the AKG K518LE (foam pads removed) and the Creative Aurvana Live. It may depend on personal preference, but among the three, my pick is the Tascam. The Creative has a better look and feel, but I'd choose the Tascam for its sound. Another headphone model I wanted to include in my search was the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro ($90-$100), but after I listened to the Shure SRH440, I decided not to. According to HeadRoom's measurements and many people's common impressions, the HD 280 Pro has a little subdued treble compared to the SRH440 which has great mids to treble balance when compared to my reference speakers. The Sennheiser covers the lowest octave much better than the Shure, but that is not my priority. I also considered the Koss ProDJ100 because of good reviews, but ruled them out because of their measurements. Their response might be flat in fundamental tones from most instruments but not with harmonics due to a large dip around 5-6kHz. Some people may think they sound good, but there is no way for them to sound accurate and natural by my standard.

Excellent clarity, even before the burn-in. Plenty of bass response

I'll preface this by saying that I don't know if I should call myself an audiophile or not, but I definitely hear and appreciate quality. I can still hear the full range I should be able to and have tested that up to 20khz. It only got painful, not quieter. :) I received these headphones recently and have been trying them out for all kinds of music, from piano by Glass through Mozart through Daft Punk, The Glitch Mob, various top 40 tracks and various scores and soundtracks. Bass: I have read a lot of reviews that said that these headphones are light on bass. First let me add my two cents on that one. These headphones have plenty of bass. I have to wonder if the people who said it wasn't really there have some minor hearing loss. Nothing against them, but if you value clarity and not just bass then these are probably the right pick for you. I have listened to Klipsch, and similarly priced Sennheisers and those were lighter on clarity and heavy on bass. In my personal opinion, too much bass can make even clear mids sound muddled. Clarity: These headphones, as others have pointed out, have really brought out color in the music and subtle details that are lost in most headphones and earphones I've listened to. You can hear everything, from the change of direction of a bow on a string to the click of the c or k sound in a singer's throat. I've actually started listening for those details and have found detail within sounds in synth and artists like eDiT that I never knew were there. It enhances the visceral experience of the music. Burn-in: I haven't burned these in yet and from what I understand, they will get even better when they do. Comfort: I can see that over long periods, the headband may not be the most comfortable thing in the world compared to some of the others that I've tried. It hasn't been a problem for me though, but then again, it's hard to find something that's so uncomfortable that it bothers me without actually causing soreness or pain. Concerns: I am so far only a little concerned with the exposed wires just above each of the cans. These won't be used outside the house though, so it may be just fine. It would worry me more if they were going to be used on the go. Portability: They're not. Don't even try.

What you need for home or second studio

I bought these as monitor headphones for my small recording studio. I had another pair of isolation headphones, but these are better and the others are now backup units, or engineer units, because these isolate the monitor sound on performers _really_ effectively - sound goes in performers' ears and _not_ your mics. If you've ever had a click track bleed through to your microphone - or even had to work to prevent it - get a pair of these and relax. And that's with the standard pads, too - the ones that come with the 440. A lot of people swap out the higher-end pads for comfort, but I find these pads perfectly acceptable, and as before, the sound containment is just great. I haven't had the weight problem others have mentioned, but I take my headset off whenever I can - too much headgear time can damage your hearing, and nobody needs _that_. I could see the top padding being inadequate for long-term wearing, though. These aren't my listening-for-pleasure headphones, but that's not what they're for; they don't do any of the sound sweetening you're used to hearing on home headsets. But when mixing an album, _you don't want that kind of help_. You want to sound good _without_ that, and that's what these are for. They have the nice flat, even reference sound - similar to my studio flat reference speakers, tho' not _as_ flat - which you need for recording. In short, they do what they say on the tin: they're studio reference headsets. Not pleasure-listening headsets. And for that job, they're great.

Great headphones for Audiophiles on a budget

When I first started using the SRH-440s, I was a little bit underwhelmed. After burning them in, they were spectacular. SOUND 1. They are very well balanced, the highs aren't too high, the lows aren't too low. Everything is in harmony with each other. 2. The bass is perfect and there when it should be. 3. The noise isolation is very effective. Jumping from a pair of noise-cancelling Bose or the well branded Beats to these is barely noticeable. You won't get distracted by any outside noise. 4. I recommend burning these in, when I first got them sometimes the same sound or song would sound different. Now everything sounds pretty good and consistent, so I would definitely burn them in before regular use. COMFORT I got the SRH-840 pads as suggested by other comments. Haven't used the 440 pads period. The 840 pads are very comfortable for long sessions. They are't very heavy and won't weigh you down on their own, but the coil cable is long and adds a bit of weight. The band isn't really noticeable, which is good. It sits comfortably on my head, and I have a big head. There is plenty of room for even bigger heads as well. VALUE These headphones are an incredible value. They sound fantastic, are noise isolating (and compete with expensive noise-cancelling headphones), have a perfect amount of bass, are comfortable (especially with the 840 pads), and are under $100. If you're just an amateur who wants a pair of headphones that an audiophile would find impressive but don't want to break the bank, go with these. If you're looking for a good set of monitoring headphones on a budget, look no further. These are an impressive set of headphones. go get em!

3 days in & I LOVE THEM!!!!

I'm not what most people would call an audiophile, but I do love my music. I listen to speed/thrash/death metal and lots of different genres of techno. There are a few other types of music thrown in there, but this is the majority of what I've listened to through these phones, so far. My previous pair of headphones were by Creative. They were not bad. But these Shures absolutely blow them out of the water! I'm hearing parts of the music I had never heard before. The richness of any song made with decent studio equipment is just awesome. I listen to music through my PC with a Creative X-Fi sound card. I know that this can introduce a lot of "noise" in the music. Frankly, I've never noticed it. The Shures do not amplify this, either (although, I may just be deaf to it...?). With the equalizer set to "flat", I get very good bass from the techno, but the solos in the metal also sound really crisp. Also, the crushing power riffs in the metal are extremely satisfying. I just want to finish by saying that there have been several times while listening to music and doing something else (surfing the web or reading) I would stop what I was doing and just sit in absolute awe of the sound quality coming out of these earphones. These make me wish I had plunked down the cash for a quality pair of headphones much, much sooner in my life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, if that's even possible. XD

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