The Reloop SHP-8 delivers transparent midrange and comfortable design for music production, with an onboard bass boost switch for enhanced low-frequency monitoring. Our comprehensive review.

Reloop SHP-8 Headphones Review: Studio Reference Headphones with Bass Boost for DJ-Producers

Bridging Studio Reference and DJ Monitoring

The Reloop SHP-8 represents the company’s entry into music production headphones, targeting the increasingly common DJ-producer hybrid who needs tools serving both performance and creation workflows. These headphones attempt to balance the flat, analytical sound signature valued in production with practical features recognizing that many bedroom producers also DJ, creating dual-purpose requirements that pure studio references don’t address.

Design Philosophy: Dual-Purpose Functionality

Reloop explicitly positions the SHP-8 for both production and DJing applications. This dual-purpose approach manifests in specific design choices—swiveling ear cups typically associated with DJ monitoring, and studio-flat sound signature typically reserved for pure production tools. The combination addresses the reality that many electronic music producers also perform, needing headphones that transition between booth and studio rather than maintaining separate tools for each context.

The lightweight aluminum construction immediately distinguishes the SHP-8 from heavier studio references. At first contact, these feel remarkably light—possibly the lightest over-ear headphones in many production environments. This reduced weight delivers immediate comfort benefits for extended sessions where heavier designs create pressure fatigue and discomfort.

Large circumaural ear cups fit around ears rather than pressing against them, with soft synthetic ear pads creating comfortable seal without excessive clamping force. The pads accommodate large earrings and jewelry without discomfort—a specific but important consideration the reviewer highlighted from personal experience.

The swivel mechanism allows various monitoring positions between full on-ear placement and angled monitoring positions typical of DJ use. While you can’t fold these into compact balls for extreme portability, the swivel function provides positioning flexibility that pure studio references typically omit.

The Bass Boost Switch: Practical or Gimmick?

An onboard switch provides selectable bass boost at +3dB or +6dB levels—an unusual feature for headphones targeting production applications. The inclusion acknowledges that electronic music producers often need to isolate and evaluate low-frequency content that flat response might not emphasize sufficiently, particularly in untreated bedroom production environments.

In theory, the boost helps producers zero in on bass and sub-bass elements during mixing decisions. In practice, extended testing revealed preference for leaving the boost disengaged. The boosted response, while emphasizing lows, introduces coloration that sounds less natural than the flat response. For making critical production decisions, the unenhanced sound provides more trustworthy reference.

The boost might prove valuable for DJs wanting more prominent bass during performance monitoring, though the headphones’ overall character leans more toward production than DJ booth use. As a production feature, it’s interesting but not essential—most producers will find the flat response more useful for actual mixing work.

Frequency Response: Highs, Mids, and Lows

High Frequencies: The treble response is notably forward and present. Airy instruments, cymbals, and vocal sibilance rise prominently in the mix, creating a somewhat hi-fi sweetened character. While this can make music enjoyable for casual listening, it also means naturally bright material or poorly controlled sibilance becomes even more pronounced.

Testing with Björk’s “Stone Milker” revealed exaggerated sibilance and breath sounds—elements present in the recording but emphasized beyond natural balance by the headphone’s treble character. This forward high-frequency response helps identify potential issues in mixes but can also make bright recordings sound brittle or unnatural.

For producers, this characteristic means you’ll likely mix with slightly reduced treble to compensate for the headphones’ emphasis. Once you understand this tendency and adjust your mixing approach accordingly, the SHP-8’s behavior becomes predictable and workable. But initial impressions may suggest mixes are darker than they actually are when auditioned through flatter systems.

Low Frequencies: Without boost engaged, the bass response leans lean—appropriate for studio reference headphones aiming for flat response but potentially challenging for producers needing to isolate low-frequency details. Testing with Aphex Twin’s “Cock/Ver10″—a track featuring dense, complex drum arrangements—revealed that picking apart bass details can be challenging with the unenhanced response.

This lean bass characteristic makes the bass boost switch understandable, even if not ideal. For electronic music production where low-end balance is critical, having insufficient bass monitoring complicates mixing decisions. However, as noted, the boost introduces coloration that undermines its utility for critical decisions.

The solution involves either acclimating to the lean bass response and trusting your developing understanding of how it translates to other systems, or supplementing the SHP-8 with additional monitoring references for low-frequency decisions.

Midrange Frequencies: The midrange presentation is the SHP-8’s strongest characteristic. The mids sound gentle, spacious, and revealing without excessive coloration. Testing with Four Tet’s “2017” demonstrated the headphones’ ability to present midrange space and detail that illuminates production choices and arrangement decisions.

For picking apart vocal tracks, guitar layers, synthesizer textures, and the dense midrange content that defines much electronic music, the SHP-8 excels. This midrange clarity makes them valuable for the detail work that occupies substantial production time—editing vocals, balancing instrument layers, or evaluating synthesis timbres.

Soundstage and Imaging

The SHP-8 delivers commendable soundstage presentation—the sense of space and instrument positioning within the stereo field. The comfortable fit and lightweight design contribute to an almost “disappearing” quality where you become less aware of wearing headphones and more immersed in the music.

While not approaching the transcendent spaciousness of reference headphones costing many multiples of the SHP-8’s price—the Sennheiser HD800 and Focal Utopia represent this rarefied category—the SHP-8 delivers some of that transportive quality where music surrounds you rather than simply playing into your ears.

This characteristic proves valuable beyond pure enjoyment. When producing, the ability to perceive space and positioning helps make mixing decisions about panning, reverb, and spatial effects. Clear soundstage presentation makes these elements more obvious and evaluation more accurate.

Comfort for Extended Sessions

The SHP-8’s lightweight construction and comfortable ear pads enable genuinely extended wear without developing the pressure headaches or ear fatigue common with heavier designs. Marathon production sessions lasting hours remain comfortable, removing physical discomfort as a factor limiting creative work.

For producers who work late into the night—classic bedroom producer schedules—comfort during long sessions proves essential. The SHP-8 removes this concern effectively, allowing you to work as long as creative energy persists without physical limitations forcing breaks.

The accommodation of earrings and jewelry is particularly thoughtful. Many over-ear headphones compress jewelry against ears painfully, forcing removal or limiting usability. The SHP-8’s ear cup dimensions and padding eliminate this concern, broadening its comfortable usability across diverse users.

Replaceable Components and Longevity

The SHP-8 ships with replacement ear pads, acknowledging that these wear components eventually degrade with regular use. Including replacements extends the headphones’ useful life substantially—when pads wear, you replace them rather than discarding functional headphones.

The cable is detachable, featuring a lockable connection that appears permanent when attached but allows replacement if damaged. Standard adapters (1/8-inch to 1/4-inch) accommodate both consumer and professional connection standards.

These serviceability features reflect focus on long-term value rather than planned obsolescence. The SHP-8 is designed for years of production use rather than seasonal replacement cycles.

Who Benefits from the SHP-8

Bedroom producers expanding monitoring options: If you have entry-level studio monitors like KRK Rokits or Adam Audio T5Vs and want secondary reference tools for late-night work or detail evaluation, the SHP-8 provides complementary perspective at accessible price points.

DJ-producers needing crossover tools: If you produce electronic music and perform it, having headphones that work adequately in both contexts reduces gear proliferation. The SHP-8 handles both roles reasonably, though neither perfectly.

Budget-conscious producers seeking reference quality: The SHP-8 delivers genuine studio monitoring capability without the investment required for high-end references. For developing producers, this accessibility removes financial barriers to proper monitoring.

Producers prioritizing comfort: If extended sessions are routine and physical comfort affects your productivity, the SHP-8’s lightweight design and comfortable fit justify consideration even if sonic compromises exist.

Limitations to Consider

The forward treble response requires acclimation and mixing adjustment. If you’re accustomed to flatter references, expect an initial period understanding how the SHP-8’s character translates to other playback systems.

The lean bass response, particularly for electronic music production, may require supplemental monitoring for confident low-end decisions. While workable once you understand its character, it’s not ideal for bass-heavy genres where low-frequency balance is paramount.

As true reference monitors, dedicated studio headphones from established audio companies deliver flatter, more neutral reproduction. The SHP-8 makes compromises that pure studio tools avoid. For professionals where absolute accuracy is non-negotiable, dedicated studio references remain appropriate despite higher costs.

Value in Context

The SHP-8 competes primarily on value. They’re not the most accurate headphones available, the flattest, or the most detailed. But they deliver legitimate studio monitoring capability at prices accessible to bedroom producers building their first proper monitoring systems.

The combination of adequate accuracy, exceptional comfort, and practical features like replaceable parts and detachable cables creates long-term value exceeding the initial investment. These should last years of regular production use, making the per-session cost remarkably economical.

Real-World Production Experience

Extended testing producing actual tracks revealed the SHP-8’s practical usability beyond specifications. Despite their sonic quirks, you can produce complete, professional-quality music using these as primary references once you understand their character.

The key is developing familiarity. Producing multiple tracks while regularly referencing the SHP-8’s output against other playback systems—studio monitors, consumer speakers, car audio, earbuds—teaches you how the SHP-8’s presentation translates. This learned relationship allows confident production decisions despite the headphones’ imperfect neutrality.

The comfort factor proves more valuable than initially apparent. When physical discomfort doesn’t interrupt creative flow, production sessions extend naturally. Ideas develop without forced breaks. The creative state persists longer. These productivity benefits might outweigh minor sonic compromises for many producers.

Final Verdict

The Reloop SHP-8 represents Reloop’s successful entry into music production headphones, delivering legitimate studio capability at accessible prices. They’re not perfect references, and purists will identify various sonic compromises. But for bedroom producers building viable monitoring systems on realistic budgets, they provide essential functionality without financial barriers.

The exceptional comfort, spacious midrange presentation, and practical features like replaceable parts create long-term value. While the forward treble and lean bass require understanding and accommodation, they don’t prevent productive use—they simply demand awareness and adaptation.

For DJ-producers needing crossover capability or producers expanding monitoring options beyond entry-level speakers, the SHP-8 delivers practical value that justifies the modest investment. They’re tools that enable work rather than obstacles preventing it—precisely what affordable production tools should be.