Getting a pair of 440a tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to hear the difference! I like the original 440's very much - actually one of _very_ few headphones I really like without any eq ☺️
Srh44oA vs Srh44o Plastic feels cheap, comfy pads and padding. Compared to the original 44o's they are harder to drive. Not so much in spl, but going downwards in capacity from a DragonFly black, they change character quite drastically. Less bass is most noticeable, and over all less v-shaped. (DragonFly black sounds very full and "dark" on its own so every headphones will get affected . But it's so noticable with these I think it's worth mentioning) There is more room between instruments, wider soundstage. Quite good for a budget closed back IMO. A big difference from the 44o's, wich has a more "nearfield sound" But 44oA are v-shaped. Guitars, vocals, fiddles - anything midrange grounded, sounds lighter and brighter. Vocalists take a step back. From the midrange and up the theme is less meaty overall. For instance cymbals lacks some of the lower harmonics, and combined with a elevated treble they get more... sizzling? An occasional "treble-sting" can occur, but not a problem for me...and I'm quite allergic to peaks in the treble. They perform better than many other budget cans in this regard. Bass is not coherent with midrange. It sounds like adding a sub to a pair of bookshelf speakers. A bit boomy/one note bass. And it's elevated. I'm also guessing there is a resonance in lower bass somewhere, giving the impression of deeper bass than it actually can deliver. In general they don't suit my taste without eq (not many headphones do) And I get no "studio vibes" listening to them. But, I will keep them, as they change to the better (tonally) driven by my Integrated Pioneer amp/Denon all-in-one amp/surround receiver/smart phone. Not much headroom combined with these sources, but I mostly listen at low levels. But ok tonality combined with good comfort AND A STRAIGHT CORD makes them practical for me in a "all purpose" use...except for critical listening. So, that's my subjectively take on them, VS the original srh44o . And I love srh44o ☺️
The worst part of the first gen 440 and 840 was the headband - heavy, creaky and they break over time. This is a common flaw... I have both 440 and 840 and their headbands broke, so I had to replace them with a cheaper 3rd party options. Hopefully these are better.
I wonder how do you treat them. I have had the 440 for maybe 10 years, used them a lot and carried in a backpack. No breakage. One hinge broke because a full-grown woman stepped on them.
@@odiloglobochnik2259 Maybe it's my head and the strain on the the headband is greater compared to yours, I don't know. I've used them on the desk only. 840 was my daily driver at the office, which means I've used them for several hours during the day while coding and several cycles of putting them on and off my head during the day. The first thing that needed a replacement was the padding on top as the faux leather disintegrated. The Chinese headband made them much lighter and is still in tact, but I don't use them much anymore. Usually reaching for the 1540 now and recently bought Aonic 50 for travelling. Tempted to try the 840A, but I don't really need another pair of headphones. PS: Too bad the new headband seems to be unavailable as a spare part, otherwise it may actually fit the older models.
Great video man! I just bought audio technica M40s and they were way too tight around my ears. These were almost identical headphones, same price point ($100 usd for me) same color and style, similar quality. I had senheissers that were very similar also. Anyways, I exchanged the M40s for the srh440a and I'm listening to them now. Pretty awesome actually. I'm hearing sounds I havent heard before 🤣
@@lakshmisankararaju4493 Frankly I'm not an audio expert at all, I'm just a guy who listens to music, games and makes youtube videos. I think when I compared the two, the shures seemed to be very similar, I would say they do have a higher quality sound, maybe a bit less bass. I feel like I can hear more sounds in music with the Shures 🤣 They both sounded really good to be honest. I went with the shures because of the shape of the cups on the inside, theyre considerably larger. The M40s have small cups that laid on my actual ear, instead of around it, and that is way too uncomfortable for me. The shures are very quality all around and the best sounding headphones I've personally owned.
@@lakshmisankararaju4493 I also listen to asmr, which definitely utilizes sound quality, and I think the shures are fantastic. There's no price difference, but I would always pick the shures solely based on the fit on my head personally. The M40s also had a very tight clamping force. Though my dad has M50s and they seem to have broken in nicely.
Good durability haha, every pair of 840s i had met the same death, failure in the adjuster, my current headband is drilled and ziptied just to keep it going
