Shure SRH1440 Review – The Masters Of Portable Sound

Design:
Features:
Performance:
Value:

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Shure's higher end studio headphones include some pretty interesting models. Shure SRH1440 belong to this group, and are among the most competitive studio headphones you can grab for less than $300 at the moment. As it turns out, Shure has created a great way to enjoy transparency on the road.

Design

Unlike it is the case with their more basic models, Shure has paid a lot of attention to detail when it comes to design of SRH1440. The headphones look massive when you first see them. This is mainly due to them adding surfaces where you usually don't see them. For example, forks aren't slim but rather melt into the headband in a way that inspires a lot of confidence. With that said, the aesthetics are spot on. There is something about open back headphones that makes them look that much better than your average set of closed back ones. The exterior is all-black although Shure did include a few chromed details. Padding is great, both on the headband where they've used vinyl, and on the ear pads which are velour in nature. The only downside to this type of design is the fact that SRH1440 aren't collapsible.

Features

As we have already mentioned before, these are open back studio headphones. If nothing else, the massive grille on the outside of each driver housing is a dead giveaway. Speaking of drivers, Shure went with two well balanced 40mm Neodymium units that have proven to be more than capable of retaining definition across the range. Another interesting feature is that both drivers are fed separately, instead of pushing a cable through the headband. Even so, the cables are detachable. The only issue with this type of design is the somewhat limited choice of aftermarket cables should you decide to go with something else. The headband features a number of separate padding cushions which work great. Ear pads are well made and offer a velour exterior. Overall, the components designed to increase comfort are on point. Lastly, build quality is impressive.

Performance

Being open backed in nature means several things. For starters, Shure SRH1440 have a slightly biased frequency response that still retains plenty of transparency. Any bias you find is there mainly to make the sound stage more defined and natural. In that regard, Shure has done a great job. What is most interesting about SRH1440 is their fairly low impedance. Rated at 37 Ohms, you can squeeze out the optimal performance out of these even if all you have is a mobile device. Those who travel often but still need to do some recording or mixing, will most definitely appreciate this added versatility. When it comes to comfort, Shure SRH1440 are great. Despite being massive, you don't really feel them that much. We can attribute this to well designed and thought out padding on the headband as well as ear pads. Actually, they're among the more comfortable headphones out there.

Conclusion

Shure SRH1440 is a perfect compromise of style, performance and mobility. Even if you don't plan on using them too much outside of your studio, they still have a lot to offer. The sound stage these offer is among the best you will experience in this price range for sure.

For more info about the Shure SRH1440, click here.
For more Studio Headphones Under $300 you might like, click here.