Shure’s SRH145 Portable Headphones are a very nice offer into the collapsible headphone arena. The sound quality is very good and the headphones are totally attractive. I took them on a business trip to Chicago with me and was able to truly test how portable these cans are. Shure’s SRH145 Portable Headphones retail for $39.00.
No one is going to mistake the SRH145 headphones for those big-name cans that shall not be named here, but that’s OK. These portable headphones have a style all their own with a sleek brushed stainless steel look that continues uninterrupted from the bottom of one ear, over your head, to the bottom of the other ear with Shure logos over each ear cushion. Uninterrupted may be a bit misleading, as there’s a seam where the headphones fold in on itself, but it’s not very noticeable while they’re being worn.
These headphones are designed as “on-ear” headphones, which mean that the ear cushions sit on your ear, rather than in or around your ear. The ear cushions are made of a comfortable faux-leather vinyl that feels good on your ears for medium-long listening sessions, but I wouldn’t count on them staying comfortable after longer than an hour and a half or so. The ears move up and down inside the headband in order to customize the fit on your head.
The SRH145 portable headphones are wired headphones with your run-of-the-mill 5 foot long 3.5mm stereo mini jack. There is no in-line headphone volume control, play/pause functionality, or microphone included which many similarly priced headphones come with these days. This functionality is included, however, in the SRH145m+, which is priced at $49.00. So, you’ll need to decide whether a $10 premium is worth the in-line microphone, volume control, and play/pause functionality.
Inside of the ear cushions lie 36mm dynamic neodymium magnet drivers that max out at 200mW of power. The drivers push out sound of a quality that you’d expect in headphones that sell for double the price of the Shure SRH145. These headphones truly live up to Shure’s history of quality sound products. Listening to Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy,” you can clearly hear the crisp high notes while also feeling the bass deep in your head. There’s a clarity of sound here that’s impressive for a set of so-called “portable headphones.”
Speaking of “portable headphones,” I brought these with me while traveling from New Jersey to Chicago to Niagara Falls, and back to New Jersey. I was happy to find that, once folded, the SRH145 headphones almost disappeared into my messenger bag and took up very little space. These are the perfect headphones for the traveler who isn’t looking for in-ear-style headphones.
Overall, I’m happy to report that the Shure SRH145 headphones are a great option for traveling or commuting. The sound quality is great while aesthetically, they look quite nice. Unfortunately, there’s no in-line volume control, play/pause functionality, or microphone, so if that’s something you’re looking for, you may want to upgrade to the SRH145m+.
You can purchase the Shure SRH145 directly from the manufacturer.
Source: The Shure SRH145 Portable Headphones were provided to me as a review sample by the manufacturer.
What I Like: Great sound quality; Beautiful simplistic design; Collapses into tiny package.
What Needs Improvement: Do not include in-line microphone, play/pause control, or volume control.