Game changers—whether or not you can afford to play

A good pair of headphones can make you feel the music instead of just hearing it. But any hip-hop producer can drop 808 beats so low that you feel them in your gut, and any headphone manufacturer can artificially pump up the bass to make their tiny speakers sound bigger than life. That doesn’t mean your headphones are good—it means you’re not listening to the music as it was produced and leveled. The Shure SRH940 headphones aim to balance the scales and change the game. They’re a reliable neutral, audiophile choice, at a reasonable, sub-$300 price point, and more comfortable and crisp sounding than many other headphones this price—in fact, they compare very well to headphones that cost much more than my car.

The SRH940s are clear, loud, and (thankfully) neutral—which means big bass is present in big bass sounds, but if you want obnoxious thunderclaps every few measures, you’ll have to take it up with the EQ. The SRH940s are particularly good with higher frequencies, and the human voice sounds pristine through these cans. Our only gripes pertain to the build of the headphones: the cord is extremely long (uncoiled it can stretch to about 15 feet), and the small band can be fatiguing on your head.

The bottom line. If you’re an audiophile looking for professional-quality headphones, try the SRH940s before spending much, much more on the competition. These are incredible headphones at an incredible price.