Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsTHE Closed-Back Headphones to Buy
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015
Let me first say this: I am not an audiophile in that I know the frequency ranges that are ideal for each genre, or anything like that. I'm just a guy who loves to listen to music with the most ideal headphones for my particular taste. And let me say this now - If you're looking for closed-back headphones with the sound quality of open-back ones, purchase these.
The presentation is just astounding. None of the parts of the headphones are cheap and make you question your purchase. Each part is high quality (Unlike some headphones with flimsy plastic). These are also very big (You may want to look up pictures or videos of people wearing these to gauge an estimate). You can indeed wear these out in public transit (Which is what I will do), but just know that these are not the typical sized headphones that people normally wear outside.
Also, the items aside from the headphones are just great - a very good quality case, which contains two cables and an extra pair of ear pads, and the headphones themselves. However, again note that these headphones are not really targeted towards users who are using public transportation, and so the case may be a little larger than you'd expect. Again, definitely check the size and dimensions of it before thinking you can fit it in any bag. Besides this "con," however, the case is absolutely marvelous, and it's great to see companies like this give you the accessories for the price you pay.
Now for the sound? Excellent. It's neutral (Targeted at those working and editing tracks), but for a person like me, I found that I can listen to these with any genre - hip hop, rock, jazz, dance, etc. The added "effects" of other headphones can be bothersome when changing songs from one genre to another, and a neutral sound quality presented by the SRH1540 is fantastic.
There is noise isolation for these headphones, and I found it marvelous. If you're listening to some music at a low level, you will barely hear a thing! Also, the comfort level of these headphones is out of the world! The padding is excellent, and will hug your ears - this can prompt you to wear these for hours without feeling any discomfort. I must add that after a LONG period of time you will feel some slight clamping pressure, but I did not mind this at all. (NOTE: This varies with each person because of the differing head sizes, so I would definitely try to see if you can test wear these out at a local electronics store that sells them)
Now of course these headphones do have some flaws. I find that at high to very high volume levels the headphones kind of "dip" and can be hard to listen to songs with vocals (Particularly female). However, I've only had these for just one day, and will continuously monitor and update this post if necessary.
Another thing I didn't really like was the fact that the cables didn't have any volume control or functionality with the iPhones. Yes, I know that people like me aren't necessarily the target audience, but it would have been nice to receive some variations in the cables I'd receive.
IN SUMMARY:
+ Amazing build quality
+ Excellent sound
+ Comfort is just fantastic
+ Accessories don't try to cheat their way out
- Vocals (Particular female) at high volumes can be quite hard to listen to
- Some clamping force after a long period of time (I was wearing these for nearly 5 hours before I really felt anything, mind you)
- Cables don't have any functionality with your iPhones, Androids, etc.
OVERALL: 9.75/10
A+