I sort of want a pair of good closed phones

[mypasswordis]

lol my bad

[yazz flute]

Self-moderating. Post deleted due to irrelevance.

[ilikebananafudge]

Anyone know how the Shure 840s compare to the AKG K271 MKIIs? I've been thinking about getting a pair of closed phones again so that I'm less annoying to my girlfriend.

[Pars]

I have a pair of K271 Mk.I that I use at work (with velour pads, so should be quite close if not identical to the Mk. IIs). I have a pair of 840s at home. I dont do reviews, etc. and don't usually talk much about my impressions of things, but my experience would say that the 271s have less bass (though adequate IMO), and are more neutral than the 840s are. The 840s have a mid bass peak, and while "fun" phones to listen to, are more colored.

Both of these driven with Gilmore Dynalos.

[Leonardo Drummond]

Pars, that's quite interesting. I thought the SRH840s were probably among the most neutral headphones I've ever listened to, but then again I had little time with it. Also nice to finally read something about those AKGs; it's quite hard to actually find anything about those pro models!

By the way, I just got some B&W P5s and, although they are very coloured, I think they're a great pair of closed portable headphones. Somehow they sound really analogue... it's great!

[Dusty Chalk]

I think it depends on the amp you use them with, and at what volume you listen to them. I actually am listening to my K271MkII's right now, and have the SRH840's at home, too. They're pretty close, I'm not sure you can go wrong either way, really. The AKG's are more comfortable, by a small but non-trivial margin.

[ilikebananafudge]

Thanks for the info. Now I'm just waiting for my stupid cable to sell so I have money for them.

[padam]

I could try a pair of SRH840s for a few hours and I thought they were nice especially for the used going rate but no match for the HD250IIs, they were a bit rolled off in the bass and treble and the soundstage wasn't as big so the sound wasn't as 'alive' and had less resolution. The bass quantity was ok for me, if the SRH940's have better treble but less bass then I guess they are also not for me. The HD250II's bass goes quite deep but a bit larger than life. I like it, I can use a lower listening volume, others may not. The Shures were also less comfortable because of more clamping force and somewhat heavier (1.5x) weight and one-piece headband. But they are more forgiving and a lot easier to drive (HD250IIs are a bit harder to drive than the HD6xx series) so a much better starter headphone. The HD250II have a bit of a problem with voices that are not closely recorded they are a bit distant but that is the price to pay for that wide and deep soundstage. Hopefully balanced drive will improve things further (unfortunately I guess the Shures need to be recabled for balanced use).

[CarlSeibert]

I got mine at Headphone Solutions for about $140 ~ $150, but I see they've gone up. Drat.

[padam]

I took the us going rates as basis, the price here is 260$ and of course they aren't worth that much...

[Beefy]

Interesting time for this thread to be bumped.

I'm still looking for something as an upgrade from my ESW9 at work. They have a nice tone, but lack zing. I held high hopes for the DT1350, but am leaning more towards a set of Thunderpants. Are there any other contenders I should be considering that might be an upgrade to the ESW9?

[digger945]

I'm looking for something different also.

Having listened to Colin and Steve's TP's, I would definitely say they are worth a try.

Did not like anything at all about the Shure 840.

Owning and liking the HD250, I would definitely buy another pair for work.

Right now I'm on the prowl for a JVC DX-700, or Stax SR-001/003 + SRM-001 or 252.

[padam]

Get a pair of HD250-II and you will discover a whole new level of bass extension (with a good pair at least). I haven't used my MK1s at all since months, although this new CEC amp might give them new life (so far the best match with these Senns), after I get the balanced cable I will try those as well.

[Duggeh]

This thread has convinced me to recommend the Shures to my cousin.

Thank you Head-Case.

[Dusty Chalk]

I got mine at Headphone Solutions for about $140 ~ $150, but I see they've gone up. Drat.

I took the us going rates as basis, the price here is 260$ and of course they aren't worth that much...

Which headphone are these two posts referring to, the SRH840, SRH940, or the HD250-II's?

[padam]

SRH840

[padam]

Owning and liking the HD250, I would definitely buy another pair for work.

Have you tried them balanced yet? I just got an balanced APS cable and it is even better than before, more refined and the soundstage is really big.

I also dig out the old HD250 that I haven't used for months which should be similar to your pair and tried with the balanced cable and I was quite surprised...it is arguably more accurate than the Linear II (which has a bit of mid-bass emphasis) and goes almost equally deep although it definitely needs more power as well. Sometimes it sounds a bit soft but I need to re-adjust from the IIs. Nice contrast between the two.

[HeadphoneAddict]

i'm going to be finding myself with a roommate soon (we'd wanted to get a condo, but have decided to save the money for a while), so i'm putting together a modest system, as i won't be able to use my speakers nearly as much as i do now. i'm hoping a pair of Etys will work for me (in the sense of not aggravating my tinnitus the way my Shure SE530s did [lower bass impulse]), but i'm not sure what to get if they don't (regular headphones have been okay for me, it's just IEMs that i've noticed problems with). i remember the AT A900s as being pretty decent, and they aren't real expensive, but i haven't heard them in a long time. whatever i end up with will be paired up with a Pico amp/dac. anybody have a pair or remember what the A900s are like? i really hope the Etys work; i loved my ER-4Ps until the plastic cracked...

I have a pair of ATH-A900 Art which have been (1) internally dampened (using felt I think), and (2) re-cabled with a 3 foot silver plated copper cable. I traded my Belden wire re-cabled Ultrasone Proline 2500 for these plus a custom IEM headphone cable, and I really feel that these are a better headphone.

I really like them with a portable amp, but an occasional 5V amp still seem underpowered with them if playing very loud. Your Pico DAC/amp should be fine. Actually my iPhone 4 does a pretty decent job powering these. I don't need to turn it up past about 75-80% get moderate to loud listening volumes, and I'm listening right now at a more comfortable 65% and perfectly happy listening 4 feet away from a window air conditioner.

They sound fairly well balanced, and not terribly different from my old Denon D2000 with an APS V2 cable (which had better bass control and smoother highs than a stock D2000). As a plus, the mids on these were actually a little more present than on the D2000, but the micro-detail was slightly less during comparisons. These also sounded almost the same as plaidplatypus's stock pair of ATH-A900 LTD. I've never heard a stock "Art" to know if these are actually better than stock or not, but he agreed Art were about as good as the LTD.

The bass is strong but not over-bearing, although there is still a bit of a mid-bass hump. The mids are only slightly withdrawn in relation to the bass but they don't feel recessed or sucked out, and the highs have nice presence and shimmer without being sibilant or bright. However, sometimes I want to EQ the treble up about 3dB louder, although I wouldn't call them dark. It could be my 49 year old ears. I do think they scale up with better gear.

The closed design helps mask my portable air conditioner a bit, but it's nothing like the isolation on my son's HD25-1 II. The sound quality however is a step up from the HD25-1 II. Isolation is more like the HD-202 and much better than my ATH-ESW10 JPN. They do not leak too much sound to the outside when listening to loud music.

As a bonus, the mods were done by -=someone=- you know.

[Dusty Chalk]

...regular headphones have been okay for me, it's just IEMs that i've noticed problems with...

So...get regular headphones?

[HeadphoneAddict]

i'm not sure {someone} versions (see what i did there?) are a fair comparison.

What would you like me to compare them to? Or is the description of the sound good enough? Would you like to borrow them? I think anyone could add a little felt inside and stick on a SPC cable though.

[EDIT - I see what you did but am still confused, sorry. I haven't had enough to drink tonight.]

Edited August 18, 2011 by HeadphoneAddict

[shellylh]

Jacob: I have a pair of A900ltd which were also slightly blu-tack "modded" and may not be comparable to the A900 at all. I haven't listened to them in a long long long time. However, I think I remember the Shure 840 being quite a bit better than the A900ltd. I only have them because hubby likes to use them (they are super comfy after all).

Edited August 18, 2011 by shellylh

[grawk]

Find a pair of ATHW10VTGs

[HeadphoneAddict]

Jacob: I have a pair of A900ltd which were also slightly blu-tack "modded" and may not be comparable to the A900 at all. I haven't listened to them in a long long long time. However, I think I remember the Shure 840 being quite a bit better than the A900ltd. I only have them because hubby likes to use them (they are super comfy after all).

Good suggestion - from memory of the SRH840 that I heard last summer and the summer before, I seem to recall the Shure had better mids than my A900, and the bass was a little tighter without the mid-bass hump of the A900. I don't recall much about the level of detail or the soundstage with the Shure, but do I recall telling Todd back at CanJam 2009 that I thought I liked them better than a stock D2000. I had forgotten all about them since.

I should have been thinking about alternate suggestions rather than simply answering the question about the A900's sound. I did offer to let him borrow mine, so we'll see if he takes me up on it. I'm not looking to sell mine though, unless it was to get the Shure for myself, and even then I'd still want to compare them. Comfort is definitely a plus with the A900, but I still use my modded D7000 a lot more even though they are a bit heavier.

@Grawk - I had a pair of ATH-W10R a while back, but I thought the mids were a bit honky or nasal sounding. I got them as partial trade + cash for my HP-1000 which I should have kept, and so I sold them soon after. Are the VTG that much better?

[grawk]

Can't say, I don't have the W10Rs. I find the VTGs very pleasant to listen to.

[Torpedo]

The HD600 sound surprisingly good paired with a Pico, and you won't have much trouble with excessive "canned" bass. Can't speak about the 900.