Alright so I received my Shure SRH1840 a couple days ago. Here are my first impressions.
I used a Fiio X3 2nd Gen and a wide range of music. Jazz, Rock, Techno, Pop, Classic, HipHop, everything. Mostly flacs, but some normal MP3s as well.
Props to Shure for the packaging. 2nd pair of the velour pads, 2nd cable, a transport box. The headphones themselves look sleek, are very light but look and feel good.
They are incredibly comfortable, there is minimal heat build up on my ears due to the velour pads and the open back (it's summer and rather hot in here). They are so light that they don't need much pressure, I can move around and they fit perfectly while I barely even notice them.
Sitting still and listening to some music, after a couple songs, I forgot I even had headphones on my head. I was so immersed and as I said, they are just so damn comfortable.
Depending on what you are used to, the first listening experience can be rather unspectacular. There is no thumping bass and no overemphasized highs. It took me a couple songs to get accustomed to the very natural and neutral sound. But after that, I didn't want to take them off. My first night listening to them, I listened for so long that I fell into a state of half sleeping and half listening to the music while I just lay there and relaxed. They consumed me.
They are very well balanced, though kick bass impact is a little on the lighter side if you come from some more popular headphones like the Sennheiser HDs. Other than that, just incredible sound signature.
I've really come to love the sound of these headphones. Clear and analytical, while still being warm, well defined and great bass without being too much, really great mids.
The soundstage is not the widest out there, but in my opinion this is actually for the better. It has a good soundstage, the music feels airy and free but still personal and present. Very good separation and stereo imaging.
The thing that impressed me the most was how they present you a ton of little sounds and details you've never heard before in songs you know very well. It feels effortlessly and not forced, very detailed and clear without being too harsh in the highs.
It is a great package overall. The comfortable build and design, combined with the great sound make me get lost in my music library. The open back design obviously makes them basically only usable at home or in a studio. Very poor sound isolation in and out. I'm only listening at home, so it's well worth it for the better soundstage etc.
I bought them for 479 bucks and am seriously impressed after using them over the weekend. I've heard headphones that cost well north of 1.000 bucks that don't reveal that many details and aren't that balanced.
Verdict:
I simply love them. If you have up to 1.000 bucks to spend for headphones and like a natural, detailed sound, you have to take them into consideration. And could have 500 bucks left to invest in a better player, amp or whatever.
BUT:
I want a natural representation of the music, which people might find boring. There are better headphones out there if you don't care about the smallest details in a song and rather want to be excited by your music. Personally, I find them very exciting to listen to.
But I can see people wanting a more colored sound characteristic. Especially if you mostly listen to Pop or Electro, these might not be for you. Not because the SRH1840 do it badly, I enjoy them a lot for Electro. But other headphones have more exciting and thumping characteristics and might be better suited.