[pkshan]

 
left:Grundig Hörer220
top right:Telefunken TH60
bottom right:Sennheiser HD224X
 
Grundig is very good too,just not as good as telefunken
 
my rating:
TH60  95-98 almost perfect
Hörer220  85 very good, but still in a different league when compared to telefunken
HD224X 80 used to be my favorite,one of the best in Sennheiser family.
HD430 73
HD560 70
HD580 68
HD540 reference gold 65 ,clarity is better than 560,but vocal is recessed,540 has some issues in the mids & bass,feel bad in long term listening
HD800 60 vocal is even more recessed than 540

 

[GREQ]

I auditioned one of the lower end Telefunkens once... unfortunately I simply cannot remember the model number, but it had the same box-earcups and overall shape... kinda similar to the TH30, but probably wasn't.

It was a while ago, so take this with a large pinch of salt.
I remember that the resolution was poor. Very poor.
The bass was monstrous. Like, early beats territory. 
Overall sound was not unpleasant. Was actually a lot of fun, albeit severely lacking in almost all areas.
 
It strongly makes me doubt anything better from the higher end models which are also bound by the constraints put in place by those box-cups.
But I am seriously curious to audition if I ever get the chance since I've NEVER experienced such overwhelming bass volume from any vintage headphone ever.

 

[pkshan]

  I auditioned one of the lower end Telefunkens once... unfortunately I simply cannot remember the model number, but it had the same box-earcups and overall shape... kinda similar to the TH30, but probably wasn't.

It was a while ago, so take this with a large pinch of salt.
I remember that the resolution was poor. Very poor.
The bass was monstrous. Like, early beats territory. 
Overall sound was not unpleasant. Was actually a lot of fun, albeit severely lacking in almost all areas.
 
It strongly makes me doubt anything better from the higher end models which are also bound by the constraints put in place by those box-cups.
But I am seriously curious to audition if I ever get the chance since I've NEVER experienced such overwhelming bass volume from any vintage headphone ever.

I don't know,
TH60 bass quantity is similar to HD800/most stax lambdas,less than HD6xx
quality is even better than the best eletrostatic headphone
I hate Beats

 

[sgbwill2]

Just snagged a pair of HD 540's for £25. Yet to receive them but is this a bargain?

 

[Bostonears]

  Just snagged a pair of HD 540's for £25. Yet to receive them but is this a bargain?

That depends on their condition, but if they're in good shape, you definitely got a bargain.

 

[sgbwill2]

  That depends on their condition, but if they're in good shape, you definitely got a bargain.

They are mint apart from they need new pads
 

 

[RedBull]

left:Grundig Hörer220
top right:Telefunken TH60
bottom right:Sennheiser HD224X

Grundig is very good too,just not as good as telefunken

my rating:
TH60  95-98 almost perfect
Hörer220  85 very good, but still in a different league when compared to telefunken
HD224X 80 used to be my favorite,one of the best in Sennheiser family.
HD430 73
HD560 70
HD580 68
HD540 reference gold 65 ,clarity is better than 560,but vocal is recessed,540 has some issues in the mids & bass,feel bad in long term listening
HD800 60 vocal is even more recessed than 540

Maybe you just dont like the signature of open cans. Just like me, i can not like the sound from close can no matter how good they are.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Sennheiser HD250 Linear I or II is the least closed-sounding full-size sealed headphone that I have used. In terms of design, they are a closed-back HD540 and sound almost the same as the HD540 except that the HD250 has more bass (enclosure-generated, not a larger driver size), the HD250 midrange is a bit withdrawn/sucked out and the HD250 treble is ever so slightly more critical/prominent. Both are fantastic headphones though, with an engaging, neutral and transparent sound owing to excellent driver calibration. If I were to require a closed-back headphone though, I would select the Etymotic ER-4S earphones instead as I feel that they have a more engaging and present midrange than the HD250, which I prefer over the HD250s more realistic bass weight.
 
And that £25 HD540I is surely a bargain. The HD540 craps all over pretty much all modern headphone models that feature in the high street shops. Those wannabe headphones have prices as much as £250 and are still a pile of crap; I've gone into some shops and had a listen to the display units. I guess I was foolish to be open-minded enough to give them a chance... The HD540 is a professional tool for the audio engineer so it shouldn't be a surprise that it sonically ridicules such hollow competition.

 

[2leftears]

All AKG/Sennheiser I've heard, sound plastic when compared to TH60

I'm not sure I can image what "sound plastic" means in this context.

Other than that, just by the looks of the closed clamshell design of the TH60 I can't imagine myself liking it much, but I'll reserve judgement until I ever get the opportunity to hear one...

And yes, £25 for a working HD540 is a real bargain.

 

[2leftears]

I guess I was foolish to be open-minded enough to give them a chance...

That is never foolish. Who knows, one day you may be pleasantly surprised...

 

[Aulait]

 
 
left:Grundig Hörer220
top right:Telefunken TH60
bottom right:Sennheiser HD224X
 
Grundig is very good too,just not as good as telefunken
 
my rating:
TH60  95-98 almost perfect
Hörer220  85 very good, but still in a different league when compared to telefunken
HD224X 80 used to be my favorite,one of the best in Sennheiser family.
HD430 73
HD560 70
HD580 68
HD540 reference gold 65 ,clarity is better than 560,but vocal is recessed,540 has some issues in the mids & bass,feel bad in long term listening
HD800 60 vocal is even more recessed than 540

Your recommendations have made, that I bought  HD 224x and HD 222. In my opinion they are the worst of all Sennheiser headphones about which you wrote and whose I listened. Lack bass, have unnatural mids and  treble. I personally, definitely do not recommend these headphones.

 

[GREQ]

Your recommendations have made, that I bought  HD 224x and HD 222. In my opinion they are the worst of all Sennheiser headphones about which you wrote and whose I listened. Lack bass, have unnatural mids and  treble. I personally, definitely do not recommend these headphones.

Thanks for confirming what I suspected.
You saved me (and a few others) quite a few £$€

 

[2leftears]

Your recommendations have made, that I bought  HD 224x and HD 222. In my opinion they are the worst of all Sennheiser headphones about which you wrote and whose I listened. Lack bass, have unnatural mids and  treble. I personally, definitely do not recommend these headphones.

Well, pkshan also has the the HD430 rated higher that the HD800, HD540 and HD560! I am very familiar with all those models as my dad used to have an HD430 when I was still living at home (I had the HD540 already at the time). There is no way I would rate the HD430 higher than those three. From memory, the HD430 lacked any deep bass extension. The highs weren't too bad (if a little rolled off), but the mids were muddy and coloured with a lack of definition compared to the other three. In fact, after hearing my HD540 my dad decided to replace his HD430 (with an HD560 incidentally).

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I still stand by my belief that the HD540 is the best performing Sennheiser overall. HD560 is a very close second, with slightly less natural/relaxed stereo imaging. Not sure how anyone could say that the HD560 is better than the HD540; same accuracy but spatiality is slightly off. HD800 (the S/N 30466 unit I tested anyway), if it were to have a more engaging phase response to bring musicality into focus, it would beat every other Sennheiser model in musical enjoyment and not by a negligible margin. Sadly, the HD800 was betrayed in its calibration stage (and some of the design stage) and its full excellence was not completely achieved. This is a darn shame as the HD800 drivers would easily decimate the HD540 if applied optimally. Any listener who says that the old Sennheisers are more capable in the frequencies than the HD800 must not really be listening carefully or without bias. I'm a HD540II supporter yet I still acknowledge that the HD800 beats it in most areas; that's because I know I'm not delusional or lying. However, whilst the HD800 is more capable in the frequencies, the phase response is very unengaging, as if it needs a particular type of amplification in order to "bring it back to normal". HD250, HD540 and HD560 all have an engaging phase even straight out of a laptop headphone output. Obviously they become even more engaging when given adequate specialized amplification but they all have a musical quality that the HD800, as it is currently, does not have.
 
 
I may not be an audio engineer with professionally trained hearing but I am an educated amateur who has spent plenty of time analyzing headphone capabilities so maybe, just maybe, you will find that there is truth in what I am saying.

 

[pkshan]

Well, pkshan also has the the HD430 rated higher that the HD800, HD540 and HD560! I am very familiar with all those models as my dad used to have an HD430 when I was still living at home (I had the HD540 already at the time). There is no way I would rate the HD430 higher than those three. From memory, the HD430 lacked any deep bass extension. The highs weren't too bad (if a little rolled off), but the mids were muddy and coloured with a lack of definition compared to the other three. In fact, after hearing my HD540 my dad decided to replace his HD430 (with an HD560 incidentally).

have you tried the new hd430 pads?and few ten hours of break in/warm up
hd430 resolution,clarity,highs quality are even better than hd800/stax lambda signature
it lacks some bass, but it's much more musical than 800/540/lambda
and you will need a very good source & amp for it, on bad source, it can sound thin & harsh (hd430 is like a Sennheiser version of Sony SA5000)
 
hd224x try seal it better, otherwise it will sound dry & lack of bass,(just like etymotic ER4)
the later version (headband is thinner) may sound worse than the earlier version,
later version ear pad is a lot harder than the early version (which is very soft),it's a bit difficult to get a good seal
224x is far way better than hd250