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We've recently released our Test Bench 1.6 update for Headphones! Read the Latency R&D Article to learn more.

Shure SRH 440 Headphones Review

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1
Reviewed Aug 29, 2017 at 02:20 pm
Latest change: Test bench update Nov 21, 2019 at 11:24 am
Shure SRH 440 Picture
6.0
Mixed Usage
7.6
Neutral Sound
5.6
Commute/Travel
5.6
Sports/Fitness
6.2
Office
4.7
Wireless Gaming
6.5
Wired Gaming
2.1
Phone Call

The Shure SRH 440 are good-sounding headphones with a durable but plasticky design. They're comfortable, and have a well balanced audio reproduction for critical listening but aren't the most versatile headphones. They're a bit cumbersome to carry on your person, they don't block a lot of noise and they're too unstable and bulky for the gym. However, they are quite an improvement compared to the SRH 240.

Our Verdict

6.0 Mixed Usage

Mediocre for mixed usage. These headphones are best used for critical listening as they don't block enough noise for commuting, and they're a bit too bulky for sports. They leak a little at high volumes, so they won't be the ideal headphones for the office either. However, they deliver in the sound department and are a decent option for both casual and critical listeners.

Pros
  • Good audio reproduction.
  • Sturdy and durable build.
  • Comfortable fit.
Cons
  • Poor noise isolation.
  • Slightly bulky design.
  • Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
7.6 Neutral Sound

Good for neutral listening. The SHR 440 deliver a decently balanced sound that caters well to instruments and vocals. The Bass is punchy without being overwhelming, and instruments are not too distant or too forward on most tracks they reproduced. However, there is a pretty noticeable spike in the treble range that may make certain tracks and frequencies sound a bit too sharp. They also do not have the best Soundstage due to their closed back design.

5.6 Commute/Travel

Sub-par for commuting. Their passive isolation doesn't block much noise, they have no controls, and they're not the most portable headphones.

5.6 Sports/Fitness

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

6.2 Office

Mediocre for office use. They won't block the chatter of a busy office and leak a bit at higher volumes. However, they shouldn't be too distracting at average volume levels.

6.5 Wired Gaming
  • 6.0 Mixed Usage
  • 7.6 Neutral Sound
  • 5.6 Commute/Travel
  • 5.6 Sports/Fitness
  • 6.2 Office
  • 4.7 Wireless Gaming
  • 6.5 Wired Gaming
  • 2.1 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 Aug 29, 2017: Review published.
  5. Updated Aug 27, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated Aug 25, 2017: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  7. Updated Jun 26, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Compared To Other Headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-M40x

The Audio-Technica ATH-M40x and the Shure SRH 400 are both closed-back, open-ear headphones with similar performances for critical listening. The Shure are more comfortable and have a slightly more even sound profile, but they lack a bit in the low-bass. The Audio-Technica, on the other hand, have an overemphasized bass, particularly in the high-bass range, which can make them sound muddier.

Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO

The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO are better headphones than the Shure SRH440 thanks to better build quality and better and more consistent bass delivery. However, they are way more expensive, and the Shure are very comfortable headphones that offer great value for their price tag. They are all plastic, but if you’re looking for budget critical listening headphones, the Shure are a great pick for sound quality. On the other hand, the metallic frame of the Beyerdynamic feels more high-end, and they isolate a bit more noise than the Shure.

Test Results

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

The Shure SRH 440 look somewhat similar to the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. They also have a studio design that's a little bland, but the utilitarian look will work for some. They have a thick headband that's well padded and dense oval ear cups that make the headphone look durable. They only come in one color scheme, however, an all-black matte finish that's understated and won't stand out but also feels professional.

8.0
Design
Comfort
Weight 0.7 lbs
Clamping Force
0.9 lbs

The Shure 440 are comfortable over-ear headphones. They have large ear cups that fit well around most ears. The headband is not too tight and the whole build is mostly plastic so they're relatively lightweight on the head. The quality of the padding, however, could be improved.

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
6.3
Design
Breathability
Avg.Temp.Difference 6.3 °C
5.8
Design
Portability
L 5.8"
W 6"
H 3.7"
Volume 129 in³
Transmitter Required N/A

The SRH 440 are not the most portable headphones. They fold into a more compact format that can you can put in your backpack or bag but will be too cumbersome to carry around on your person.

6.0
Design
Case
Type Pouch
L N/A
W N/A
H N/A
Volume N/A

These headphones come with a soft pouch that will protect them from scratches while in your bag but it will not protect them from falls.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

The Shure SRH 440 are decently sturdy headphones despite their all-plastic design. The headband is flexible and won't break even under heavy strain. The ear cups are also dense enough to withstand a few drops without getting damaged. However, the build quality does feel a little cheap and the exposed audio cables from the headband to the ear cups could get damaged through regular wear and tear and cannot be replaced.

6.5
Design
Stability

The SRH 440s are not sports headphones. They will easily slip off your ears if you're doing high-intensity activities like running or working out. On the upside, they're stable enough during casual use and the detachable cable will disconnect if it's hooked on something provided you haven't locked it into the ear cups.

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

  • Shure SRH440 Headphones
  • Carrying pouch
  • Audio cable
  • 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter

Sound
Sound
Sound Profile
Bass Amount
-4.13 dB
Treble Amount
-0.51 dB
5.8
Sound
Frequency Response Consistency
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.02 dB

Sub-par consistency performance. The Bass Range of these headphones is susceptible to inconsistencies across humans. We also noticed that certain types of glasses could break the seal on these headphones and cause a significant drop in Bass. We measured the maximum of 18dB of difference at 20Hz between our human measurements. However, their Treble consistency is decent.

Sound
Raw Frequency Response
8.4
Sound
Bass Accuracy
Std. Err.
2.06 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
50.4 Hz
Low-Bass
-3.97 dB
Mid-Bass
0.05 dB
High-Bass
-0.46 dB

Very good Bass Range performance. Low-frequency extension is at 50Hz, which is decent. Low-bass, responsible for thump and rumble, is lacking by about 4dB. But the SRH 400 has more low-bass than SRH 240A. Bass and high-bass are nearly flat and within 0.50dB of our target. Also, their bass delivery varies significantly 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.

8.6
Sound
Mid Accuracy
Std. Err.
1.91 dB
Low-Mid
1.56 dB
Mid-Mid
1.22 dB
High-Mid
2.28 dB

Excellent Mid Range performance. The response is virtually flat, but consistently over our target by about 2dB. This gives a slight emphasis to the Mid Range, over Bass and Treble.

8.4
Sound
Treble Accuracy
Std. Err.
3.07 dB
Low-Treble
0.65 dB
Mid-Treble
1.77 dB
High-Treble
-0.9 dB

Very good Treble Range performance. Low-treble and treble are virtually flat up to 7KHz. The bump centering around 10KHz makes the S and T sounds on these headphones slightly sibilant and sharp.

7.6
Sound
Peaks/Dips
Peaks
1.72 dB
Dips
0.91 dB
8.5
Sound
Imaging
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.61
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.87
Weighted Phase Mismatch
5.25
6.7
Sound
Soundstage
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
3.22 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.81 dB
PRTF Distance
14.55 dB
Openness
5.3
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.9
7.7
Sound
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.145
WHD @ 100
0.234
Isolation
4.5
Isolation
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-10.12 dB
Noise Cancelling No
Bass
1.14 dB
Mid
-8.32 dB
Treble
-24.03 dB

Sub-par Isolation performance. These headphones do not isolate any noise in the Bass Range. In the Mid Range they achieve about 8dB of reduction, which is sub-par. In the Treble Range, they are able to reduce the outside noise by 24dB, which is about average.

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

Average Leakage performance. The significant portion of the leakage is spread between 500Hz and 5KHz, which is a relatively broad range. However, the overall level of 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
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
9.5
Connectivity
Wired
Analog Audio
Yes
USB Audio
No
Detachable Yes
Length 4.2 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
N/A
Line Out
N/A
Optical Input
N/A
RCA Input
N/A
Dock Charging
N/A
Power Supply
N/A