Sennheiser HD480 vs 480 II -13 ll /600R
Jan 24, 2006 at 9:00 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10
Picklehammer

Picklehammer

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Need a bit of expert advice. I have a pair of HD480s that I have had for about 14 years and love them. They are on their 2nd set of pads and about to be on their 3rd cable. I recently bought some HD 497s but can't believe how bad they are compared to my old 480s.

I might be able to get my hands on a pair of HD 480 II-13 ll /600Rs but was wondering how they compare and what all this "13 ll /600R" means?

Any advice?
 
Jan 26, 2006 at 9:24 PM Post #2 of 10
Too late. Just bought them. I'll let you know what they are like when I get them.
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Jan 27, 2006 at 1:38 AM Post #3 of 10
600 Ohm impedance.... afaik they were also made in a 2000 Ohm variant, and a low-impedance version. Always thought the HD480 and HD450 had a nice design.

The "13 ll /600R" description i'm not so sure about.... Sennheiser usually call their headphone something with -13 (e.g. HD25-13, HD280-13) to imply it has a 600 ohm impedance and was intended for studio use. There were more than one edition of the HD480, the I and II
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Jan 31, 2006 at 10:31 PM Post #5 of 10
Quote:

Originally Posted by Picklehammer
How will the 600 ohm impedance affect the sound I get if I am using a generic type home stereo? Will it be awful? Do I need to buy an amp?


No, i don't think it will be awful. Many headphone outputs on speaker amps sound better with higher impedance headphones, some are better than others though.
You will just have to turn the volume dial further because of the higher impedance, but shouldn't make it sound worse. It all depends though.
 
Feb 6, 2006 at 9:38 PM Post #6 of 10
The 480 II (600 ohm) phones arrived. I am well pleased. I still think I will buy an amp but they are sounding sweet. Can't believe I got them for £25 brand new in original box! Think I'll keep both the 480s and the 480 IIs seeing as they are discontinued now I think.

Thanks for the help Daroid.

Anyone want to buy some cheap HD497s?

I have some HD570s arriving tomorrow.....that's my next problem. How will they compare and what do I keep?
 
Feb 18, 2006 at 6:16 PM Post #7 of 10
Also forgot there was a HD480 1700ohm impedance version specifically made for the BBC.
Just a guess, i think you prefer the HD480 to the HD570 by a wide margin, correct?
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I would keep the HD480, the HD500 and HD570 and HD575 (former HD500) are not good headphones for their original selling prices. They are from the Bionetic series which was not in the same league as the series before (HD265, HD535, 545 and HD565)
 
Feb 22, 2006 at 11:11 PM Post #8 of 10
Yip, you are absolutely right. The 570s are not as good as the 480s. They do have more of a spatial feel to the sound but thats probably because the drivers are further away from your ears.

I managed to get a replacement cable for my HD480s so I think I'll sell on the HD480 IIs to a friend as I have no need for 2 pairs.

You can obviously tell I like my Sennheisers and after finding out the 570s aren't as good I am looking for something better. Which of the new models would you recommend for under £100? (146 Euros)
 
Feb 24, 2006 at 11:34 PM Post #9 of 10
I have a pair of the 480II 600ohm model, and can confirm they do sound very, very nice. I don't have a problem with the impedence - nor can I confirm that they sound better or worse than the lower inpedence model, but they don't seem to need all that much extra power to drive them.

I'm using the standard headphone socket on my mid-80's Sansui amp and they never miss a beat.

I got mine for a shade over £15 delivered. Guessing you got them on eBay as well? Leighton Buzzard?
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--Rich
 
Feb 25, 2006 at 9:39 PM Post #10 of 10
I think it was actually! Leighton buzzard sounds familiar.

Well after all that, I'm back using my old HD480s with a new cable. After buying 3 new pairs of Senns (HD480 II/600 ohm, HD497 and HD570) I've decided that I would have been better spending the £20 on the new cable than looking for a replacement.

I'm still not happy though. I'm fancying a pair of HD25 or HD250 II. I think I'll start a new thread for that one though. Thanks for the help.
 
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