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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.8 update for Headphones! Read the R&D Article to learn more.

Shure SRH 240 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Sep 05, 2017 at 03:14 pm
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:24 am
Shure SRH 240 Picture
5.5
Mixed Usage
7.2
Neutral Sound
5.1
Commute/Travel
5.4
Sports/Fitness
5.6
Office
4.3
Wireless Gaming
6.1
Wired Gaming
1.9
Phone Call

The Shure SRH 240 deliver a good enough sound for most listeners but feel a bit cheap when compared to the SRH 440. They're lightweight and decently comfortable but also bulky and cumbersome to carry around on your person. They barely block any noise and aren't versatile enough for other use cases except critical listening and home theater use.

Our Verdict

5.5 Mixed Usage

Mediocre-at-best for mixed usage. They have a good enough sound for critical listening but they're not very versatile headphones. They leak at high volumes, they don't block much noise and have a cheap and creaky build quality. They won't be ideal for commuting and they're too bulky and unstable for sports.

Pros
  • Lightweight and decently comfortable.
  • Above-average sound quality.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Cheap and plasticky build quality.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
7.2 Neutral Sound

Above-average for neutral listening. These headphones have a decent Bass and Treble but an overly emphasized mid-range. This makes instruments and vocals sound too forward and bit harsh on some tracks. That and the slight spikes in the treble range makes their sound slightly sharp overall. They also have a limited Soundstage due to their closed design but should sound good enough for most listeners.

5.1 Commute/Travel

Subpar for commuting. They don't block a lot of noise, they have no control scheme and they're kind of bulky and cumbersome to carry around on your person.

5.4 Sports/Fitness

Poor for sports. They're a bit too bulky and unstable to use while running. They're also not particularly breathable headphones, so your ears will get quite hot when exercising with these headphones on.

5.6 Office

Average for office use. They won't block the chatter of a busy office and leak a bit at higher volumes but shouldn't be too distracting to your colleagues at average volume levels.

6.1 Wired Gaming
  • 5.5 Mixed Usage
  • 7.2 Neutral Sound
  • 5.1 Commute/Travel
  • 5.4 Sports/Fitness
  • 5.6 Office
  • 4.3 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.1 Wired Gaming
  • 1.9 Phone Call
  1. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
  2. Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  3. Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
  4. Updated Sep 05, 2017: Review published.
  5. Updated Sep 03, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Sep 03, 2017: Early access published.
  7. Updated Sep 01, 2017: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Jun 26, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Type Over-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic

The SHR 240 look considerably cheaper than the SRH 440. They have the same headband and studio form factor that works for some but might be a bit too bland for others. However, the ear cups are made of a low-grade plastic that looks cheaper and creaks a lot more under stress than the higher priced model. The ear cups also have a glossy coating as opposed to the matte finish of the SRH 440, so they stand out a bit more but also lose some of the professional studio appeal, which some may prefer.

7.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.5 lbs
Clamping Force
0.8 lbs

The SHR 240 are decently comfortable but a bit squeaky. They have relatively large yet lightweight ear cups that should fit most users and they're about as well padded as the SRH 440. Unfortunately, the ear cups do not swivel like in the superior model which poorly distributes the pressure of the fit. It also makes the plastic of the headband and ear cup creak a lot as you move.

0
Design
Controls
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use N/A
Feedback N/A
Call/Music Control No
Volume Control No
Microphone Control N/A
Channel Mixing
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control N/A
Talk-Through
N/A
Additional Buttons N/A
6.5
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 5.8 °C
5.7
Design
Portability
L 8"
W 6"
H 3"
Volume 144 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

These headphones, unlike the higher-end SHR 440 do not fold. This makes them even less portable and a hassle to carry on your person if you don't have a bag. They also do not come with a case or pouch which is slightly disappointing.

0
Design
Case
Type No case
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A
6.0
Design
Build Quality

The Build quality for the SRH 240 is mediocre-at-best and not as durable as the SRH 440. The materials used in this build feel a lot cheaper than that of the superior model. The headband is still pretty flexible and should be able to handle a good amount of stress but the ear cups are not as dense. They feel more likely to break than the SRH 440 and do not have a detachable cable so they're more likely to succumb to regular wear and tear.

6.5
Design
Stability

The SHR 240A are about as stable as most over-ear headphones not meant for sports. They're a bit tight which means they won't easily fall off your ears during casual listening sessions. However, they do not have a detachable cable, so they will get yanked off your head if the cable gets hooked by something. They're also not stable enough to maintain a comfortable fit during physical activities. These headphones won't be ideal for running or working out.

Design
Headshots 1
Design
Headshots 2
Design
Top
Design
In The Box

  • Shure SRH 240A Headphones
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-6.67 dB
Treble Amount
-2.39 dB
6.5
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.74 dB

Mediocre consistency performance. In the Bass Range, there is a considerable amount of variation across our human subjects. This is most likely do due to sub-par ergonomics of these headphones that won't allow any swivel for different head shapes. This results in a poor seal on most people. The maximum amount of deviation we measured in the Bass Range is +/-6dB. In the Treble Range, these headphones perform noticeably more consistently.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
7.6
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.22 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
51.13 Hz
Low-Bass
-6.66 dB
Mid-Bass
-0.25 dB
High-Bass
0.64 dB

Good Bass Range performance. Low-frequency extension is at 51Hz, which is decent. Low-bass, which is responsible for low-end rumble and thump is lacking by 6dB. Bass and high-bass are within 0.7dB of our target and virtually flat. Also, their bass delivery varies noticeably across users, and is sensitive to the quality of fit, seal, and whether you wear glasses. The response here represents the average bass response and your experience may vary.

7.0
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
4.02 dB
Low-Mid
2.02 dB
Mid-Mid
4.91 dB
High-Mid
3.94 dB

Average Mid Range performance. The constant overemphasis from 500Hz to 2KHz, brings the Mid Range to the front and gives the sound a bit of a boxy and honky quality.

8.1
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.37 dB
Low-Treble
1 dB
Mid-Treble
-1.81 dB
High-Treble
-0.14 dB

Very good Treble Range performance. Low-treble is within 1dB of our target, but carries a bit of the overemphasis from high-mid. Treble is slightly recessed, negatively affecting the presence and brightness of the sound. However, the peak at 10KHz makes the S and T sounds on these headphones slightly piercing and sibilant.

7.0
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.97 dB
Dips
1.39 dB
8.1
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.74
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.71
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.81
6.3
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.88 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
3.15 dB
PRTF Distance
13.61 dB
Openness
6.4
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.9
7.8
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.162
WHD @ 100
0.147
Isolation
3.6
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-8.76 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
0.42 dB
Mid
-4.16 dB
Treble
-22.77 dB

These headphones isolate passively using their ear cups. They don't achieve any isolation in the Bass Range, and only 4dB in the Mid Range. In the Treble Range, they isolate the outside noise by about 23dB which is decent, but below average compared to most other closed-back over-ear headphones. The decrease in isolation above 5KHz is due to the poor seal caused by the poor ergonomics of the SRH 240.

6.9
Isolation
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
40.09 dB

Average Leakage performance. The significant portion of the leakage is spread between 500Hz and 3KHz, which is a relatively broad range. However, the overall level of the leakage is low.

Microphone
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
N/A
In-line
N/A
Boom
N/A
Detachable Boom
N/A
Mic No
0
Microphone
Recording Quality
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
HFE
N/A
Weighted THD
N/A
Gain
N/A
0
Microphone
Noise Handling
Speech + Pink Noise N/A
Speech + Subway Noise N/A
SpNR
N/A
Active Features
not tested
Active Features
Battery
Battery Type
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
Power Saving Feature
N/A
Audio While Charging
N/A
Passive Playback
N/A
Charging Port N/A
0
Active Features
App Support
App Name N/A
iOS N/A
Android N/A
macOS N/A
Windows N/A
Equalizer
N/A
ANC Control
N/A
Mic Control N/A
Room effects
N/A
Playback Control
N/A
Button Mapping N/A
Surround Sound N/A

No compatible app.

Connectivity
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
N/A
NFC Pairing
N/A
Line of Sight Range
N/A
Default Latency
N/A
aptX Latency
N/A
aptX(LL) Latency
N/A

Wired headphones, negligible latency.

0
Connectivity
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
Non-BT Line of Sight Range
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
9.0
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable No
Length 6.4 ft
Connection 1/8" TRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Connectivity
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC / PS4 Analog
Audio Only
PC / PS4 Wired USB
No
PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
Connectivity
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
Xbox One Wireless
No
0
Connectivity
Base/Dock
Type
N/A
USB Input
N/A
Line In
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A