CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone Measurements => Topic started by: Marvey on August 17, 2012, 01:55:56 AM
-
Finally got a chance to hear them. I know that our esteemed pirate MuppetFace likes them and thinks they are OK...
That being said, I think these are horrible. An absolutely disaster in mediocrity. NOw I didn't think they were that badly behaved in the treble - I know some people have had treble issues with them - but not me. The balance is OK. Bass seems rolled off below 80Hz, but rest of the spectrum seems decent with some rough patches in the upper mids and treble. I didn't listen long enough or use certain of my test tracks which I knew would expose treble ringing issues. The "cupped-in" effects of the open enclosure w/ reverberent plastic are clearly audible.
Again, my main beef with the SRH1840 is that they are simply LOW-FI headphones. Seriously, it sounds like Shure grabbed some random drivers off the shelf from Radio Shack and stuck them in there. They sound so junky to the point that the distortion (lack of clarity, low-fi'ness, lack of "fidelity", etc.) is obvious. The SR1840 are distortion generators. The build is not nearly as good as the sexy photos Jude posted on HF. The cups are plasticky. The SRH840 seem much better built in comparison. Also, the lack of swivel in the cups may be annoying for some users. The suede material on the pads is nice though. How much are these again?
I'll keep you guys hanging while I sneak a quick nap. Will take measurements afterward.
P.S. Someone needs to put these back on the Wall of Shame.
-
can we expect fireworks in head-fi 1440 and 1840 topic?
According to head-fi, 1840 is more resolving than hd800, so you must be wrong!
-
can we expect fireworks in head-fi 1440 and 1840 topic?
According to head-fi, 1840 is more resolving than hd800, so you must be wrong!
If that's true, the 1440 must be like having Neil Pert right here drumming my nutz. So real!!
Although, that is what it's like listening to them.
-
Shure SRH1840 Frequency Response CSD Waterfall Plots. It doesn't look bad so far. So what gives?
(http://www.changstar.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=456.0;attach=2081;image)
Why do these sound so low-fi? Hmm. Strange. Measurements not telling us why...
-
Let's take a look at harmonic distortion... Bleh, Yuck. Explains everything.
Why are the odd orders (D3,D5) so high?
-
To me, aside from the low-fi issue, the main problem I experience was the 2k-4k bump, a balance issue.
-
The 2-4kHz midrange emphasis without adequate bass enhanced the low-fi effect for me.
-
Very expensive Apple iBuds?
Tyll's graphs seem to confirm a very high distortion under 1000hz as well. Yuck!
-
Just wait for the 1440.... poo
-
There is no way I could have believed that a 45mm traditional driver would out resolve the 57mm ring radiator of HD800.
I am glad that I steered a friend away from these recently. :D
-
I can see some people preferring the SRH1840 to HD800 solely based on tonal response. The SRH1840 is less hot in the treble and does sound slightly bassier than the FR indicates, mostly likely because the bass is augmented with distortion.
-
Flat and smooth third harmonic distortion from 500 down to 20 Hz. Distortion is also driver matched!
-
Some people I know really like the 1840. They never commented on distortion just that the Shure was too expensive and not as clean sounding as the HD800.
-
If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see a distortion orders graph. I suspect the problems apparent on listening may present themselves there...
There it is! Nevermind. Didn't load the first time!
-
It seems then that it is much more preferable to have a recessed 2-4kHz than an emphasized one?
-
Always knew the distortion on these was high, but I really like their overall balance and character.
The SRH1840 is most definitely NOT more resolving than the HD800. On a mediocre setup however the SRH1840 sounds better to me, and I'd personally recommend them over the HD800 if someone isn't going to invest in an amp that does it justice (not an expensive amp, but a well-matched amp). However the HD800 is a superior headphone, no doubt about it.
LOL. I knew these would be a potential embarrassment.
-
Just to show you that I am non-biased, I added them to the Wall of Shame myself. U_U
-
Never heard these myself but they get such a good rap from lots of people. Kinda disappointed with the results.
-
Give 'em a listen for yourself if you get the chance. I still think they're decent. But then I never thought the Edition 10 was as bad as some people make it out to be, so what do I know. :)p12
-
They deserve Walkin' the Plank for costing $699 given their sonics and build quality. Most other headphones have a much more nasty FR. Tonally, the SRH1840 is actually OK for me. I can live with it. In other words, I'll take the SRH1840 over a bad sounding Beyer T1, or any of the other Teslas of Treble Death.
However, the massive amount of distortion is unprecedented for a full size headphone. Even the smaller circumaurals are better in this regard.
I think something mentioned ibuds. These are kind of like full sized improved ibuds.
-
The 2-4kHz midrange emphasis without adequate bass enhanced the low-fi effect for me.
To me it sounds like someone was overthusiatic with the EQ during the mastering and tried to make music as forward as possible. I'd almost prefer the peaky trebles of DOOM (not really).
Anyway, lack of sub bass, shitty tonal balance (to me), lacks details, I support placing it in the Wall of Shame.
-
Build quality complaints I disagree with, myself. They don't feel particularly SOLID in a robust sense, but I think they're well built, and I also personally think they're extremely light and comfortable as a result of their construction. Interestingly enough, despite the lack of a swivel on the cups, I find them far more comfortable than the HiFiMen which I can never get to sit on my head with any semblance of correctitude despite their having a swivel in the cups.
The abysmal distortion measurements are really the only reason why I'd agree these should go on the Wall of Shame. Even though it actually doesn't bother me much while listening, it's the principle of the thing.
That being said, I cannot get behind the comments about their making music as forward as possible, having a shitty tonal balance, and lacking detail.
-
The build isn't exactly what I expect from a headphone of this price, but it isn't too bad either, the were also light and comfortable on my head and were not suffering from the lack of swivel.
As for my comments regarding tonal balance, that's the impressions I got from a single listening session, maybe I'll change my opinion after another listen. But that's what I heard.
-
I think this is the sign of the times: people out there listen to music with cell phones internal buzzer or with laptops speakers maxed out (70W wasted to play a CD at 5W volume with 100% distortion? that's really technological progress...) and THEY LOVE IT! :)p12
I knew a guy (not my friend) at high school used to play Metallica CDs with the PCDP plugged into his brother's Marshall amp with the dist knob turned a bit up to add some magic flavour... He thought it sounded great! headbang
He would like this 1840 to death...