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Shure SRH1540 Closed-back Mastering Studio Headphones

Closed-back, Circumaural Headphones with Individually Matched Neodymium Drivers, Adjustable Headband, and Detachable Cable
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Shure Sets Another Benchmark in Comfort and Accuracy!

The Shure SRH1540 premium closed-back headphones will envelope you in comfort and great sound. With their detailed highs, rich bass, and superb accuracy, the SRH1540s make excellent studio monitors. Featuring an expansive soundstage with clear, extended highs, a liquid midrange, and warm bass, these 'phones are ideal for monitoring, mastering, and critical listening. You'll also love how comfortable and adjustable the SRH1540s are. When you're in the studio for hours on end, the last thing you need is a headache! If you're in the market for new headphones, check out the Shure SRH1540!

Shure SRH1540 Premium Closed-back Headphones at a Glance:
  • Amazingly speaker-like monitoring with spacious soundstaging
  • Extreme comfort and adjustability for extended studio use
  • Shure professional quality for years of use
Amazingly speaker-like monitoring with spacious soundstaging

The Shure SRH1540 professional closed-back headphones give you a convincingly speaker-like monitoring experience. This lets you dodge one of the main drawbacks of monitoring on 'phones: that mixes don't translate well when played back on various speaker systems. The SRH1540's accurate, extended frequency response and individually matched neodymium drivers serve up amazingly natural sound, a wide stereo image, and stunning depth of field. And the closed-back design minimizes atmospheric bleed, making the SRH1540s as valuable for live work as they are in the studio.

Extreme comfort and adjustability for extended use

The Shure SRH1540 headphones sport cushy Alcantara circumaural earpads that comfortably envelope your ears and a fully adjustable, premium padded headband. so you can monitor marathon sessions without discomfort. Sporting an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy yoke, the SRH1540s are so lightweight you might even forget you have them on!

Shure professional quality for years of use

Shure's SRH1540 headphones are designed and built for serious professional use, both live and in the studio. The SRH1540's oxygen-free copper cable is detachable and sheathed in a Kevlar-reinforced jacket. And the SRH1540s come with everything you need - a storage case, replacement Alcantara earpads, replacement cable, and a threaded, gold-plated 1/4" adapter. Monitor with legendary Shure quality with SRH1540 premium closed-back headphones!

Shure SRH1540 Premium Closed-back Headphones Features:
  • Speaker-like monitoring experience with spacious soundstaging
  • Individually matched neodymium drivers
  • Extreme comfort and adjustability for extended studio use
  • Fully adjustable, premium padded headband
  • Lightweight construction, with aircraft-grade aluminum alloy yoke
  • Detachable oxygen-free copper cable with Kevlar-reinforced jacket
  • Included storage case, threaded 1/4" adapter, replacement cable, and Alcantara earpads
  • Shure professional quality for years of use
Get superb monitoring, accuracy, and comfort with Shure's SRH1540 headphones!

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Wired
  • Open/Closed: Closed
  • Fit Style: Circumaural (Around the Ear)
  • Driver Size: 40mm
  • Noise Attenuation: Passive Noise Isolating
  • Frequency Response: 5Hz-25kHz
  • Impedance: 46 ohms
  • Connectivity: 1/8" plug, 1/4" adapter
  • Cable Type: Straight
  • Cable Length: 6 ft.
  • Detachable Cable: Yes
  • Color: Black
  • Material: Alcantara Earpads
  • Case/Bag: Hard Case
  • Weight: 0.63 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: SRH1540-BK

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Shure SRH1540 Headphones

Awesome Headphones! These have taken my studio mixes to another level!
Music background: Musician
Rated 5/5

Awesome!

I have a Cochlear Implant and I need a lot of power in my headphones and these are great! They power my piano beautifully with great precision in the sound quality! They are up there in price but they do the job and I love them !
Music background: Intermediate
Rated 5/5

Best I've Worn

Upon first wearing I heard things in 40-year-old music that I hadn't noticed before. After hours of wear in multiple live and studio environments, these headphones NEVER hurt my ears, like every other headphone I've worn. Worth every penny.
SI
Music background: engineer, vocalist
Rated 5/5

Fantastic closed-back headphones that feel open-backed

After several years, I finally broke my favorite tracking headphones, a pair of Focal Spirit Professional headphones. I had used Audio-Technica ATH M50s for tracking, but always found them a little lacking in clarity. The Focals were a significant improvement. Along the way, I picked up Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 open-backed headphones for another mix reference and when I'm on the road. I like the flat response of the 600s, but find 650s have better low midrange, depth and clarity. A friend recommended Shure SRH840 headphones, which I very much like but occasionally find to be slightly sizzly on top and a little too big on the low end on some material. So I finally picked up the SRH1540 closed back headphones. They come packaged in a box inside a very nice zipped hard case. They include two cables that are exactly the same. One complaint- I wish the cables were a bit longer. The headphones are incredibly lightweight, but very solidly built. The earcups are supremely comfortable. The material covering the cushions is perforated, which i found interesting. I was worried there would be bleed during tracking. There is not. How do they sound? Absolutely fantastic. I don't feel the "compression" or closed feeling that I normally do with closed back headphones. These sound and feel more like open-back headphones. Low end is very slightly more extended than my HD650s, and the midrange and high end are wonderfully clear. Will likely still used both sets of Sennheisers, but I very highly recommend these Shure headphones.
Music background: Producer, engineer, musician
Rated 5/5

Amazing Soundstage & Depth

I haven't experienced this level of soundstage and depth from a closed-back headphone since my Sony MDR-7509, 7509HD and 7520's. However, the Shure's are a few steps above where the Sony's were lacking. The Shure's have better low-end accuracy and extension. There's a slight boost at 100Hz, but I find that it can in provide better low frequency attack. The mid-range is better balanced, within +/-3 dB (according to Sonarworks calibrated testing). The high-end isn't obviously boosted nor rolled off. If anything, there's about a -3 dB dip between 1 and 4 Khz with 2 to 3 Khz being the target of the dip. This is most likely to compensate for possible listening fatigue, due to the higher mids being most sensitive to the ear. Almost all headphones are tuned to have a dip around the high-mid frequencies, whether it's to create a smoother tonality or to reduce ear cup resonance. The slight high-mid dip may make some material sound a bit dull if the mix is itself is on the darker side of smooth, but a slightly darker sound beats experiencing listening fatigue from a headphone with a brighter tone any day. The SRH1540 needs little correction from it's Sonarworks profile! Mostly extending some rolled off sub frequencies, lowering it's 100Hz bump and raising it's high-mid dip a tad and you're good!

As far as the Shure's comfort, it's fairly light weight for an over-the-ear frame and has a very flexible and low profile headband structure! Between the space inside the earcups and the perforated earpad material, there's very little to no sweat build-up after several hours of use! Very nice hard shell case with generous extra cable and earpads!

The Shure SRH1540's price may be a bit steep for some, but if you're looking for a great smooth-toned closed-back without resorting to an open-back model or a beefier amplifier, as of the submission date of this review, you'd be hard pressed to find a closed-back headphone that outperforms these cans! You can't go wrong with the Shure SRH1540's!
Music background: Disc Jockey, Audio Editor, Audiophile

Hear from a Sales Engineer

What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Jordan Dean

The SRH1540 headphones have been my gold standard for years. It is hard to find headphones that have all three: clean, accurate full-range response, exceptional comfort, and a perfect sound stage. These headphones do it all exceptionally well, and are a must-have for any of my sound design and production work. Additionally, the 1540's do not require a headphone amplifier, so I get very consistent results wether I'm working in the studio, or on-the-go without a high-end system.
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