[o0CosmoMemory0o]

MySphere, because of its small driver size, is very critical of its positioning at the ear. It can take time and patience to obtain the best sound but it is very much worth the effort. Sorry about your wallet but it is the only summit-fi headphone that I would risk dropping a multi-thousand amount on. I bought mine blind because of my trust in the K1000 and I am glad I took the risk. I use it with a resistive cable to increase impedance and reduce sensitivity and I plug it straight into monoblock speaker amplifiers. I bet it beats the Sennheiser Orpheus and not just slightly.

 

[mendye770]

MySphere, because of its small driver size, is very critical of its positioning at the ear. It can take time and patience to obtain the best sound but it is very much worth the effort. Sorry about your wallet but it is the only summit-fi headphone that I would risk dropping a multi-thousand amount on. I bought mine blind because of my trust in the K1000 and I am glad I took the risk. I use it with a resistive cable to increase impedance and reduce sensitivity and I plug it straight into monoblock speaker amplifiers. I bet it beats the Sennheiser Orpheus and not just slightly.

You’re referring to the he-1?

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Yes, MySphere, if implemented with care and consideration, could take on anything at any price. The impulse response is very fast and the frequency response is exquisitely flat. Its fit and driver angle/position can be tweaked until optimum sound quality is achieved.

 

[T 1000]

MySphere, because of its small driver size, is very critical of its positioning at the ear. It can take time and patience to obtain the best sound but it is very much worth the effort. Sorry about your wallet but it is the only summit-fi headphone that I would risk dropping a multi-thousand amount on. I bought mine blind because of my trust in the K1000 and I am glad I took the risk. I use it with a resistive cable to increase impedance and reduce sensitivity and I plug it straight into monoblock speaker amplifiers. I bet it beats the Sennheiser Orpheus and not just slightly.

Realistic portrayal
For me, the Huge Stage is the basis, and the quality of reproduction in it is what connects me with the intention of the artist.

 

[T 1000]

And the performances on stage are different
Both the Arya and HD 540 RG have a large stage, but with different fulfillments
The HD 540RG is more filled with mid,and has more details
neither is better than the other, they are just different, and the level of listening pleasure is the same

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I had my doubts about MySphere in the beginning, because the driver size is much smaller than the K1000. I thought this would translate to a smaller stereo image and less bass weight but this was unfounded. It turns out that the only advantage of the K1000's larger driver size is that it is much more tolerant to variations in driver positioning so it is simpler to obtain the full SQ; MySphere needs careful positioning and relies on the proximity effect for deep bass extention. I compared them side-by-side and MySphere can match the stereo imaging, assuming you don't use a K1000 completely opened out at high volume. To get speaker imaging, either would have to be paired with a Smyth Realiser A16.

 

[T 1000]

I had my doubts about MySphere in the beginning, because the driver size is much smaller than the K1000. I thought this would translate to a smaller stereo image and less bass weight but this was unfounded. It turns out that the only advantage of the K1000's larger driver size is that it is much more tolerant to variations in driver positioning so it is simpler to obtain the full SQ; MySphere needs careful positioning and relies on the proximity effect for deep bass extention. I compared them side-by-side and MySphere can match the stereo imaging, assuming you don't use a K1000 completely opened out at high volume. To get speaker imaging, either would have to be paired with a Smyth Realiser A16.

This is getting cruel
I believe that I could get a good match with a few thousand less.
Although I am of the opinion that headphones should be cheaper than amps

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Budget stuff like HD540 can provide a very enjoyable listening experience. I am just fussy.

The major thing with MySphere's small driver size is that the moving mass can be very very low so the speed is highly responsive. Starts quickly and stops quickly.

 

[T 1000]

Budget stuff like HD540 can provide a very enjoyable listening experience. I am just fussy.

The major thing with MySphere's small driver size is that the moving mass can be very very low so the speed is highly responsive. Starts quickly and stops quickly.

That's great

 

[T 1000]

Budget stuff like HD540 can provide a very enjoyable listening experience. I am just fussy.

And your excitement for them is an additional puzzle that describes them

 

[Precaud]

"Wang" is basically the shortened name for a Chinese eBay company that sells both pleather and velour pads to fit the Sennheiser range with the fairly common round ear cups, like the HD540 series, HD250 Linear, HD430, HD650/6xx etc. They are not expensive, don't tend to close the sound in like some of the thicker/deeper pleather/leather pads do (yes, they are 2-3mm shallower than many other pleather pads, benefits for some, not so much for larger eared colleagues), have oval rather than round inner ear space - I find this of great benefit to the soundstage and out-of-the-head imaging, personally - and in combination with the Mogami cable are very linear in overall response. This is unlike some deeper pleather pads that tend to lessen stage height in particular, as in narrowing the soundstage, while sounding a tad more focused at the same time (some, not all), while adding a little mid bass weight. I prefer the linearity of the "wangs"

I have never heard a set of 540's; over the years I went from 420's to 560's to 580's and now back to the 560's. I thought I'd pass on my experience bringing my HD560's back to life, and better than ever.

Based on Sennsay's description, a couple months ago I ordered a set of the wang oval pleather pads for my HD560's. I had already tried wang's velour pads and was not at all happy with the results. I asked Mr Wang if he would supply the ovals with the thin foam discs, which he did.

I had also been experimenting with dampening the "metallic" quality that was one of my main complaints about the 560's. It's pretty obvious where this comes from; the perforated metal grill which covers most of the back. A loose fill of the rear chamber with poly fiber (the kind used to insulate jackets) worked but impacted the lower midrange negatively. A layer of dense felt over the inside of the metal grill did pretty much the same. A layer of very thin (1mm) felt had the desired effect without impacting the mids.

I've been using this combo of wang oval pads + thin felt damper for a couple weeks now, and I have to say it is really good, especially with the Class A amp that I just finished. Everything Sennsay described about the HD540 applies to how this combo sounds with my 560's. The resulting freq response is very smooth, tilted ever-so-slightly "warm" in overall balance, but smooth and extended; nothing sticks out in an unnatural or annoying way. They have become my favorite dynamic 'phones, especially when perusing material online, where compression effects can be fatiguing.

With headphones, I am more concerned about transparency and a "unified" presentation than I am about soundstage, and this combo scores very well in that department.

 

[AudiophileJargon]

I think golds timbre is its strength.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

To my ears, I always thought HD540II and HD560II sounded almost exactly the same when they had similar headband clamping and similar thickness of earpads. The main difference was the position of the sound; 540 sound image had better placement than the 560II, in my opinion, so was consequently a bit more enjoyable to listen with.

 

[sennsay]

I have never heard a set of 540's; over the years I went from 420's to 560's to 580's and now back to the 560's. I thought I'd pass on my experience bringing my HD560's back to life, and better than ever.

Based on Sennsay's description, a couple months ago I ordered a set of the wang oval pleather pads for my HD560's. I had already tried wang's velour pads and was not at all happy with the results. I asked Mr Wang if he would supply the ovals with the thin foam discs, which he did.

I had also been experimenting with dampening the "metallic" quality that was one of my main complaints about the 560's. It's pretty obvious where this comes from; the perforated metal grill which covers most of the back. A loose fill of the rear chamber with poly fiber (the kind used to insulate jackets) worked but impacted the lower midrange negatively. A layer of dense felt over the inside of the metal grill did pretty much the same. A layer of very thin (1mm) felt had the desired effect without impacting the mids.

I've been using this combo of wang oval pads + thin felt damper for a couple weeks now, and I have to say it is really good, especially with the Class A amp that I just finished. Everything Sennsay described about the HD540 applies to how this combo sounds with my 560's. The resulting freq response is very smooth, tilted ever-so-slightly "warm" in overall balance, but smooth and extended; nothing sticks out in an unnatural or annoying way. They have become my favorite dynamic 'phones, especially when perusing material online, where compression effects can be fatiguing.

With headphones, I am more concerned about transparency and a "unified" presentation than I am about soundstage, and this combo scores very well in that department.

Well, I am very glad to have been of some service to your listening pleasure. I couldn't agree more with your last sentence and it's this "unified" presentation that is truly one of the great highlights of the HD540 Ref1s as I have them. They do this naturally, but it can be taken to a higher level, along with their innate timbral accuracy. An organic, 'of a piece' musical performance, intimate and alive. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[SIRKRA]

To anyone, those are in the 540 ref 2 that i received today, i took off the white mesh to clean them and with my surprise this what i found.
Clearly 2 different drivers, lg 300 transparent and with tinnier coil, if or lf 300 grey dark with bigger coil.
First I thought that the owner swapped one that maybe was broken, but the thing is that there are no signs of works, the 2 capsules are right and left and not 2 right or 2 left.
I even thought that the darker one was 600ohm because of the bigger coil but to my ears they sound the same, no imbalances or difference in volume.
So in the end, could this be REAL done by Sennheiser ( maybe ended a stock and used another with another revision ) or the darker one was taken from a 250 or 560?