By Craig Anderton | Fri, 01 Jan 2010
www.shure.com
When I was at AES, a Shure representative
suggested the SRH440 for mixing—
which is at the lower-priced end
of the line—because he felt it was more
accurate. When someone in marketing
recommends a lower-priced product,
that gets my attention!
But Shure sent both the SRH440
and SRH840 so I could decide for
myself. The rep was right on: I much
prefer the 440 for its more balanced
response, particularly in the low end
and low mids, that would make it better-
suited to mixing. The 840 seems to
emphasize the high end somewhat,
which is okay when listening to commercially-
recorded music but not as
helpful when mixing.
So let’s look at the 440. Its
level of comfort is average;
you would have no trouble
using it for hours at a stretch.
The ear pads cover your ears
well, and help reject noise.
Like other headphones, it
comes with a detachable
coil cord and 1/8" to 1/4" adapter; but
the end that goes into the headphone
can lock, making it difficult to pull out
accidentally.
The overall sound quality is slightly
less transparent than more expensive
contenders, but that’s the tradeoff for
the lower price. The crucial point here
is the response (which tells you the
truth), and the low cost.
In terms of value, you simply can’t
beat the SRH440. It may lack the
finesse of higher-priced models, but
for mixing, it does the job remarkably
well—which is even more surprising,
given how kind it is to your wallet.
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