Shure SRH840 Headphones Review

 

Shure SRH840 Pros&Cons

Shure SRH840 Specs

• Impedance: 44Ω
• Driver size: 40mm
• Frequency response: 5Hz~25 kHz
• Sensitivity: 102dB / mW
• Cable length: 300cm (9.84 ft)
• Weight: 372g

Packaging 

As far as packaging is concerned, Shure doesn’t seem to spend a great deal of time on creating eye-catching or even remotely premium packaging. Instead, they opt for no-nonsense packaging which is designed only to protect and store the product.  For the SRH840, Shure went for a nearly-all-black box, which tends to be a common theme among many of their products.

The front shows an image of the SRH840, along with a few short descriptions of some of the various features. The right-side shows a few specifications in 3 different languages, whereas the left-side lists and displays images of all the items included in the box.
The rear Shows another graphic of the SRH840, along with the same showcase of various features (albeit laid-out differently) as seen on the front of the box.

The only obvious flaw to the packaging seems to be that Shure had opted for a cheaper printing process. Usually, when taking photos, we clean all items with alcohol pads to ensure that they are free of dust, lint, or fingerprints. However, cleaning the SRH840’s box with alcohol pads also lead to discolouration and removal of some of the printed ink. The ONLY other time we had encountered the same issue was with the packaging of the Fiio F5.

What’s in the box?

• Shure SRH840
• 1x Pair replacement earpads
• Detachable cable
• 1/4” adapter
• Carrying/storage bag

Read: Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Review

Accessories 

Usually we tend to see an additional cable thrown in to the deal with monitoring headphones; but not with the SRH840. Instead, we are treated to an extra pair of earpads. Whilst replacement earpads is a very welcomed addition, it also means that you are stuck with the very long (3m) included cable, which somewhat limits the SRH840 for portable use.
As to be expected with a studio monitoring-style set of headphones, Shure have also included a screw-on 1/4″ adapter.
Whilst the packaging does list the inclusion of a storage/carrying bag, none was found in the already-opened box that was handed to us.

Design

There simply is no getting around it, the SRH840 isn’t a particularly attractive set of cans. There are no aluminium yokes or carbon fiber earcups as we saw with the SRH1540. It looks about as exciting and interesting as the colour beige.
However, given the intended environment of use for the SRH840, we can forgive its bland looks. Shure intended for it to be a workhorse, not a pretty little number at the front desk. As such, the SRH840 has a rather rugged design. As far as an all-plastic design goes, it does seem reasonably sturdy and capable of taking some everyday abuse.

Our only real concern, in terms of the build, is the exposed wire going to each earcup. It just seems awfully likely, perhaps even inevitable, that they would get snagged by something, leading to irreversible damage to the headphones.

Comfort-wise the SRH840 does exert a fair amount of clamping force on the head, which can become a bit uncomfortable during a longer listening sessions. The headband padding isn’t particularly soft, although the earpads are, which probably does help to alleviate some of this clamping force, but that still isn’t enough for prolonged listening. Perhaps after many, many hours of use, the headband will become a little “deformed” and exert less of a clamping force on the head.

Shure we kind enough to give you a total of 3 indicators as to which side is left, and which is right. On each earcup yoke there is a small metallic plate that says either Left or Right. Then, on the hinges there are also red and blue coloured indicators. And if that isn’t enough still, those coloured markings have embedded L and R markings too.
Really, there’s no excuse, ever, for you to put the SRH840 on your head incorrectly.

Sound

Test Setup
Source: Hidizs AP60
DAC/Amp: IFI Micro iDSD Black Label

Shure advertises the SRH840 as being “Reference Studio Headphones”, and we simply couldn’t agree more. The SRH840 truly deserves to be placed in the Reference category. Or at the very least, the SRH840 will get you as close to a truly reference sound as possible at this given price-point. Shure managed to create a set of headphones that are sound nearly completely flat, but without any of the “boredom-factor”. There is just a little bit of bass emphasis over the rest of the frequency range, but really, we’re talking fractions.
Many users and other reviewers online have compared the SRH840 to the Audio-Technica M50X, and we can kind of see why.
However, where we differ with most people is that we never felt that the M50X deserved to be called reference studio monitors. Instead, the M40X felt like a more neutral and a worthy monitoring workhorse. The M50X was/is great, but just presented too much of a v-curve signature to truly qualify into the realm of studio monitors.
So, where does this leave the SRH840? Well, it would seem that (as far as sound goes), the SRH840 takes everything we loved about the M40X, and improved upon it. Where the M40X just had an ever so slightly dark-sounding signature, the SRH840 sounds clearer, a bit more open and refined. We’re not talking about a brightness in the upper registers masquerading as clarity either, but rather genuine accuracy and clarity. So really, the SRH840 is what the M50X should have been.

Every now and again we stumble across something that takes us by surprise. The SRH840 is one of those little gems.

Read: Audio-Technica ATH-M40X Review

Value 

Shure really have a winner on their hands here. The SRH840 is a well-balanced, naturally sounding set of headphones. Although an open-back design may have created for a slightly “better” set of headphones, monitoring headphones are rarely open-back.
If you’re looking for your first (and possibly last) set of monitoring headphones, or if you already have something like the Audio-Technica M50X, but want  step it up a few notches, the SRH840 should be at the top of your shortlist. A $200 price-tag really isn’t a ridiculous figure for something of this quality, and almost begs the question, “why do other studio monitors exist?”. Really, the SRH840 is that good, and that valuable. And best of all, they’re only around $50 more than the M50X. That’ll be an extra $50 well-spent.

 

Rating

The TECH MERIT rating system is designed to take as many aspects of the device into account as possible. As such, we have a basic rating, as well as a final rating. The basic rating rates the product purely as a high quality portable audio device, and is generally a good indicator of how it stacks up to its rivals in terms of standard features and specs. The final rating, however, grants bonus points for any extra features and specs that aren’t quite as common, and is a great way to judge the product as a complete package.

Packaging
Look and feel: 6 / 10

Included Accessories
Protective case: YES

Build
Quality control: 9 / 10
Seems durable: YES
Microphonics: 9 / 10
Comfort: 8 / 10

Sound
Relatively balanced signature: YES
Soundstage: 8 / 10
Detail retrieval: 8 / 10
Sibilance: 9 / 10
Instrument separation: 8 / 10
Isolation: 9 / 10
Hiss: 9 / 10

Portability
Small size: 6 / 10
Relatively low power required: 7 / 10
Weight: 8 / 10

Value
Competitive price-point: YES
Relative value: 8 / 10

Basic Rating: 8.1

 

Bonus points
Removable cables: YES
Number of cables included: 1
Premium cables: –
How premium the case looks and feels: 6 / 10
Battery life above 8 hours: –
Bluetooth: –
Apt-X: –
Volume/remote controls: –
Metal body: –
Premium look and feel: –
Use of exotic materials: –
Bluetooth connection quality: –
1/4” adapter included: YES
Cable management: –
Aircraft adapter: –
Extra earpads: YES

Final Rating: 8.6 

 

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