Syed Imran Haider The Shure SRH440A are part of the company’s lineup of headphones aimed at professional musicians, mixers and creators. This means that they are optimized for critical listening and studio listening.
Design
To begin with, the Shure SRH440A headphones are wired. They come a 3m cable and you can easily plug it into whatever source you wish to use them with. These are only available in black, which is both anonymous and discreet. They are made from plastic, with the earcups made of hard plastic, and this keeps them very light at just 268g. Therefore, you will find them very comfortable to wear even for extended sessions. They also have thick padding on the headband’s underside.
While the padding on the earcups is not the softest out there, but they do not produce a lot of pressure when you are wearing them. Even though they are not collapsible headphones, you do have the option of folding them flat. There is no carry case provided, which means they are not designed to be transported around. As the Shure SRH440A have a closed-back design, they will not leak sound. The noise-isolation is also acceptable, but they cannot block out all sounds.
Features
First and foremost, you will find that the Shure SRH440A have a wide frequency response. These headphones are easy to drive and they can also get very loud, as impedance is 40 ohms and sensitivity is 97db. According to Shure, the 40mm dynamic neodymium driver is capable of delivering a balanced and natural frequency response. There is also a 6.3mm gold-plated adapter available with the 3m cable, which ensures it is locked into the headphone and does not fall out.
Sound Quality
The Shure SRH440A have shallow earcups, which means they do not offer the widest soundstage. However, the headphones are quite capable of locking onto voices and the sound is thick and warm. Voices have a good level of detail and clarity and they sound dynamic and more natural. The headphones are able to pick sound very easily, even when it is low or distant. You do not have to raise the volume a lot, as compared to other devices.
You can use the headphones for both critical listening and to listen to music. However, the performance does vary, as per the tracks you play. Some tracks are punchy and bass is solid, while others may not be so good. The results depend on what you play. As far as treble frequencies are concerned, the Shure SRH440A are capable of producing clear and bright performance and the clarity is downright amazing. The sound is spacious, but the soundstage may not be coherent at times. However, this is definitely not surprising, given the price tag of the headphones. They are available at a very low price, which makes them a good deal.
The Verdict
If you are looking for headphones for podcasts and audio mix, the Shure SRH440A are quite reasonable. They also have a practical design and are easy to drive, since they do not require external amplification.
