ShureSRH240A Closed-Back Headphones

Finally, just about anyone can afford a truly exception pair of audio headphones. Amazon fulfills these at $58 a pair, and for that price, this is a true bargain. I expect this price will go up soon as demand will rise. Time Magazine rated these phones number 1 over many, many popular and far more expensive models, including Beats, Sony, and Grado. Now I know why.So here's what I learned about these phones. Packaging is exceptional, quality and professional. The phones are over the ear and very comfortable. They muffle outside sounds adequately though they are not noise cancelling. You don't feel a sweaty pinch on your ears after wearing these for awhile. The cord is medium length and adequate. The sound is wonderful, and highs, lows, balancing, and intended background sounds are crisp and clean. Excellent performance when listening from a computer, cd player, stereo, television, or phone or pod. The sound from my 42 inch RCA LCD was beautifully amplified (you know how terrible the sound is on these tv's unaided). I compared my Grado audiophile reference grade phones on this TV with the Shures, and though the Shures should not have sounded better, deeper and richer, they provided perhaps 20-30 percent clearer, louder sound, over the Grados. This makes the Shures perfect for TV, gaming, Amazon streaming, and any other medium where many layers of sound are provided. So, there you have it. These phones are well worth the 58 bucks. These really are the real deal.

Background: I first heard these headphones after using the Bose On Ear pair for years. I wear my headphones for hours straight while Im at work. These were very comfortable.My initial thoughts were that they lacked bass response. The bose headphones gave so much of it that I was already used to that. After time of using these, I can now see that they offer something that bose does not. They let you actually listen to the instruments and vocals being played rather than drowning them out with bass.Another plus for these is the price. WOW!!!! Ill never buy overpriced headphones again.Another plus: My coworkers are surprised when I take off my headphones. I play them pretty loud but they cant hear the music as long as theyre on my head. So, if you want something that keeps the sound in, these work!

I had the HD440's and bought these because they were a little too clunky to wear around and I wanted something with less of a studio look and more of a casual look. They aren't bad headphones; directly comparing them to the HD440's the sound has significantly less substance, especially the bass, which is a little too quiet for me. The mids & highs, especially the frequency of vocals, are very clear though, so there aren't major complaints about the sound at this price tag. I did have a chance to compare these headphones for my friend's Skullcandy's which ran for $150 a pop, and the Shures had clearer definition all around minus bass (yet another reason not to buy Skullcandy). I also compared these to some Sony MDR-XB500 in the same price range and they're less comfortable but they do still have stronger highs and mids. The strong vocal frequency range is the highlight of the sound of these headphones.One issue however is that these headphones have poor isolation, and the moment you pick them up you can tell the build quality is significantly noticeably cheaper - the headphones have no weight, and they look and feel cheap and plastic-y. My HD440's have slightly better isolation, and those $150 skullcandies and the sony's definitely did. The cord is ridiculously long. I'm almost 6 feet tall and the cord still sags down to my knees when my iPhone is in my jacket pocket. That brings me to another thing - those of us who have iPhones with cases that surround the headphone jack might have problems. Shure included in their 1/8 connector the screw on 1/4 adapter, which I love for studio use but unfortunately I didn't buy these headphones for studio use nor would they make for good mixing cans, that gets in the way of plugging in these headphones with the case on. Big bummer. The 1/4 connector that comes with these headphones was not gold plated either.With the HD440's and even the HD840's on the recent price drop, it's much more worth it to buy a pair of those. The HD840's sound fantastic, sit great on the head (even for drumming), are more soft and comfortable, and look better than either of its two cheaper counterparts. That being said, if you're buying in this price range, they're pretty good. But in this price range, you really get what you pay for.

Pros:-Great sound, beats the hell out of standard iphone headphones.-Isn't a trendy, overpriced piece of hype (beats...)-Built like a tank! (I have gotten the cord caught and the adjustable head-size elements yanked on dozens of times now through my carelessness and it isn't any the worse for wear! Most other headphones would be chipped, cracked, broken, etc by now.)Cons:-More of a note than a con: Fit around ears with glasses isn't perfect, but I didn't expect it to be. My logitech gaming headset encompasses my ears but that thing has HUGE cups and a mic and isn't something I'd want to wear around.Other thoughts:-Cord is pretty long.Get it. Well worth every cent. I've had it for a year now and couldn't be happier after years of buying replacement after replacement of the cheaper brands after they inevitably failed.