Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black)
Shure SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black)
- 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
Model: SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones
Click Images to View Higher Resolution! The SRH440 Professional Studio Headphones from Shure provide exceptional sound reproduction and comfort. Optimized for home and studio recording, SRH440 headphones reproduce accurate audio across an extended range. Impedance, power handling and sensitivity are all calibrated for professional audio devices such as DJ mixers, mixing consoles, and headphone amplifier. Includes carrying bag and t
List Price: $ 95.00
Price:
Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition Over-Ear Headphones – Black
- Premium, audiophile-grade over-ear, open back headphones
- Padded leatherette headband and luxurious velour covered ear pads perfect for long listening sessions
- Compatible with virtually every audio device including phones, tablets, computers and stereo components
- Two cable options (3 meters and 1.2 meters) included along with 3.5mm adapter plug
- 2-year limited warranty only when purchased from an authorized dealer.
The HD 598 Special Edition headphones are an open back, over ear, audiophile grade headphone that combines exceptional sound quality with extreme wearing comfort. This premium headphone features a padded leatherette headband and luxurious velour covered ear pads perfect for long listening sessions.
List Price: $ 134.99
Price:
A “Brighter” Alternative To the HD-280,
I looked up both headphones at headphone . com. The graphs of their freq response correspond well with how they actually sound to my ears, hence the title to this review. Both phones are very close in performance in the lows to mids, and in the high frequencies. I have next to no sensitivity above 12kHz, so I cannot comment on either in that respect.
Where they differ, and you will see this at the website I referenced, is in their handling of deep(below 80Hz) bass and of the high-midrange section (3-4kHz). The Sennheiser does NOT lack for bottom! It’s not boomy – just *there*. The Shure needs a little nudge of the LF EQ band to match the Senneheiser, but where it out”shines” the Sennie is in that high area just where midrange becomes treble. It isn’t glaringly bright there, but you can definitely hear more breathing and sibilance through the Shure. The Sennheisers are good for overall listening, but if you are a techno or house/club music junkie or modern rock affecionado you will fall in love with the bass bottom of these. The Shures have most of the spectrum covered, but will specifically satisfy classical listeners with their interpretation of strings and other high-freq instruments, as well as jazz and most rock sub-genres.
All in all, they are a draw as far as sound quality goes.
Construction/Comfort wise, both are decently built. Nothing plasticky cheap about either, although the Sennheiser is slightly heavier. The HD280 has that “vise-grip” on your head – something which I just accepted as being part & parcel with classic German quality. It doesn’t bother me and has actually loosened slightly in the 3 years I’ve owned them. The Shure – not nearly as tight. In fact, when leaning my head up to see my monitor or down to see what the cat is throwing up(!) the headband slips down over my forehead or back. If the Sennies were tight these are loose! No amount of adjustment helps, unless one has a much larger head than I.
Still, they isolate sound almost as well as the Sennheisers, and sound just as good, in their own way. I recommend either – and find it a good idea to have two decent cans around to listen to and monitor my music. There is also a body of thought out there that both speakers and headphones should be “broken – or burned” in. Nothing wrong with that, so long as bass/treble controls are kept flat and no EQ is employed. Play a variety of your favorite CDs through the headphone at the loudest volume you’d COMFORTABLY listen to for AT LEAST 10-12 hours, and let them play over night in the corner. ++On that note a good-old-fashioned CD carousel or 6disc magazine is a great asset++ Burning in can’t hurt, as long as the phones or speakers aren’t blasting to the point of distortion. And my Sandisk Sansa mp3 player drives them both quite well, the Shures slightly louder at the same volume given the Sennheisers.
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|Great sound, questionable reliability,
At first use, the sounds are very decent with excellent mid range sounds. This is not a headphone for people that like the sound of bass that rattles a car’s trunk. These are for those that want to hear every detail in a song…even the minute ones. It offers good bass, but just not to an extreme some people would like.
I had an issue though it seems to have gone away. I would have one side of the headset go out but slowly. The music would cut, then vocals. I checked to see if it was properly connected and twisted and it was. The issue seems to have resolved itself though its a bit unsettling once you’ve just received the headset.
Whats cool is that these headphones fold in so they are easier to transport if you do have to take them somewhere.
Personally, and if you have an ear with a protruding antihelix such as myself, these headphones (and probably many others) will hurt if you wear them for 30+ minutes. There is nothing but a very thin material between your ear and the plastic base over the speaker. This will push the ear creating discomfort.
Its a great headphone, but comfort is lacking (for me) and im concerned about the reliability of this pair…back to my music…
*update 6/14/11* having problems yet again with the left (cord side) speaker/cable problem. For some reason the speaker kicks in an out. Sometimes when I unplug it and plug it back in, it works…sometimes it doesnt fix the problem. I will probably have to contact the vendor.
*update 7/23/11* contacted seller about sending the headset back.
*update 8/12/11* contacted manufacturer
update and probably last. contact attempts failed with shure as they have been unresponsive to the last 2 emails i sent out. Feb 27 and March 8 were the last dates of the emails. Issue unresolved. Minus star for customer service.
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|Shure SRH 440 Headphones,
Enter Shure, the makers of the revered 57 microphone. The SRH 440 Headphones sound excellent,isolate well,are rugged and best of all I found them for $80 on Amazon. Now when they get thrown across the room I don’t worry.
The only thing I don’t like about them is the coil cord they come with. Straight cables are much more practical for studio use. But the cables are detachable.
We’ve been using them for a few weeks now and they are liked by me and the professional singers we work with.
Shure SRH 440 Professional Studio Headphones (Black)
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|Review of Reviews,
1. Sound Isolation: These headphones are not at all designed to be sound isolating. They are completely open – any other sound in your listening environment will come in, and anyone else around you will be able to hear what you’re listening to. That being said, they are not intended to be used on the city bus or subway, or in a library, or in your cubicle at work. These headphones are for listening to music and movies in the quiet seclusion of your home or studio. The openness is what gives these headphones the unmatched sound stage they have. No closed set can even come close, on any price range.
2. The 1/4″ Plug: On the end of the HD598 comes a plug size that may not be familiar to many. This is not a set of headphones for your iPod or your laptop’s headphone jack. Will it work with the included adapter? Sure. By doing so are you missing out on what these headphones have to offer? Absolutely. If you don’t have one already, get yourself a headphone amp with the HD598. You need a good source to bring these headphones to life, and with one you won’t have to turn the volume way up to hear the finer nuances.
3. The Bass: Sennheiser is not known for their hard hitting bass. Think of their HD5XX line like German sports cars. Some might think they’re boring or soulless, but those looking for a consistent, predictable, and balanced performance get exactly what they want out of them. They are designed to give the same output levels across their entire functional range, and the HD598 leads the group. Bassheads should look elsewhere.
As one last note, there is a bit of concern about the cracking on the band that people saw with the older HD555. I can’t speak for Sennheiser’s official policy on the matter, but every case I’ve heard of owners contacting Sennheiser about theirs breaking has resulted in a free exchange. The newer ones are supposed to be tougher, and I can certainly speak for that. After several months of daily (ab)use and moving from house to house, mine look as they did when they were new. No cracks, no scuffs, no dings.
These are damn good headphones, and they’re comfortable on my big head, to boot. In a few years when it’s time to get something new, I’ll be going to Sennheiser again.
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Three year update (2014/04/15): I still use these every day, and they look, sound, and feel exactly as good as they did the day I bought them. They show zero signs of wear, despite *thousands* of hours of music, movies, and gaming. My five star review stands – these headphones are exceptional. Keep doing what you’re doing, Sennheiser.
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|Definite upgrade from Audio Technica ATH-M50s,
Before I delve into the nitty gritty parts of this review let me first say that headphones are SUBJECTIVE. If you like bass heavy headphones (e.g. beats by dre) that vibrate on your head then these are not for you. Now that that’s out of the way let’s continue. The 598s have a higher 50 ohm impedance compared to the norm of 32 ohms so you might have trouble getting the volume you want out of certain devices. This can be easily overcome with an amplifier. I’m using an Aune T1 tube DAC/AMP combo to drive the 598s since I prefer a warmer sound.
I would say the biggest difference between the M50s and 598s is the soundstage. Now if you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘soundstage’ all it really refers to is the headphone’s ability to reproduce sound in a way that tricks your ears into perceiving the music is coming from all around you. Rather than being confined to the space in between your ears and the closed back of the M50s the 598’s open back design allows sound to penetrate the back of the headphones which in turn creates a more ‘open’ soundstage. For me, it opened my eyes to an entirely new listening experience. These things do leak sound (which they’re designed to do) so if that is something you’re trying to avoid then these won’t work for you.
In terms of comfort, the 598s take it by a long shot. I was never able to wear the M50s for longer than 2-3 hours before my ears started to ache. The 598s for one have velour ear pads which help a lot and they don’t clamp onto your head nearly as firmly as the M50s do. I feel like I could wear these all day without even noticing they’re there.
Bottom line, if you are looking to venture into open back headphones the Sennheiser HD 598s offer a value you won’t get out of anything else.
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|Bravo Sennheiser! New Verified owner. A happy one at that!,
For those of you who have just stumbled upon this headphone, i will spare you the time it takes to read about headphones becuase you will get hooked. Simply put, these are AMAZING headphones. Let me first off say that what drew me into liking these headphones was their ability to sonically reproduce anything i threw at them accurately and without distortion. I absolutely love acoustic recordings. These headphones will make you feel like you’re actually getting a personal perfomance from any performer. If there are any other performers in the mix then there is an attribute of the headphone called soundstage that helps seperate the instruments or different sounds anyways. This helps create a mental image needed to feel the capability of a headphone. These headphones excell with soundstage and mental imaging. As for bass, it’s tight and well controlled. There really isn’t a focal point on the bass if through electronic music it’s kind of like just there. With bass from an instrument, there is a very good focal point that adds to the headphones imagining. Brilliant.
These headphones do need a minimal 40 hours of burn in and they sound good through an mp3 player. I do suggest highest bitrate possible such as 320kbps or FLAC and cd’s because the 598’s are so good at reproducing what is given to them. Also a better digital to analog converter (DAC) will really help these headphones come to life. I personally use the headphone amp on my home theater receiver on the 598’s and it really does help but from what i’ve read, a really expensive amplifier is unecessary with these headphones. I do always suggest an amplifier though.
I really think anyone will be happy with these headphones no matter what genre they listen to. Between their sparkly highs (really quite beautiful and even the best audiophiles have noted the truly magical highs and how they can’t believe it,) the amazing soundstage and imaging all without having to buy an expensive headphone amplifier.
PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW!!!
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