This is time to review some vintage gear and today it will be my dear and trusthy Sennheiser HD 480 classic II.
Let's begin by saying this is the kind of hidden gem you must jump on if you see it in a garage sell or thrift store. It is easily findable on Ebay too at a price between 30 and 70$. Either way, you will find it's a great value if you have the right gear to amp them. Don't judge a book by his cover, this headphones may not be the sexiest one but they sound darn good my friend!
First time I listen to the Sennheiser HD480 classic II I was quite disappointed and find the sound kind of bright and distant, with a rather congestioned presentation and small soudstage. My eyes was fixating the MADE IN GERMANY writing on the earcups with an overwhelming confusion, I couln't beleive this was the sound they were suppose to produce.
It wasn't.
I was listening from my Ipod and Ibasso and both CANNOT drive them properly as this headphones are hard to drive 100 Ohm impendance with a low sensivity of 95db.
I plug them directly in my big Sansui amplifier and tadam: Angels can fly in my ears now.
SOUND:
LOW:
As with must of Open back headphones, the bass isn't very heavy even if the extension is very good. It is quite punchy, like the Grado Sr serie, and especially well suited for acoustic bass. The Bass is mid centric and thick but doesn't ''omph''. It is a neutral and realist presentation and feel very ''liquid''. Cello sound magestic. Double-bass fantastic. Low Organ is a hit or miss.
MID:
This is were all the magical begin. The HD480 sound is midcentric and especially good to reproduce vocal (male and female). The mids are full and warm without lot of texture, it is more a darkish kind of mids taking the front seat, neither agressive or cold, just musical and vast like a cocoon for the other frequencies. The overall sound is relaxed and can be enjoy for hours without any ears fatigue.
HIGH :
Even if treble is there and details retrieval are good, HD480 is not an analytical headphones. The sound is for easy listening session, so you can close your eyes and just be lulled by gentle musicality. No harshness or sibilance here, no treble sparkle neither, just a well articulated sound with enough highs to make it exciting and realist.
SOUNDSTAGE etc :
Very wide soundstage feeling like having speakers around you. Very enveloping with good instruments separation but not as clean as I will like, music is perceive more like a whole than a bunch of separate instruments and this sound presentation is really enjoyable with the HD480 because it is make in an elegant and very musical way, the whole sound dynamic, lively and exciting.
If you can grab this vintage headphones for 50$ or less, jump on it because I feel it is still superior to a lots of open air headphones between 75-150 price range. Just be sure to amp them with LOT of power. I'm very impressed by this Sennheiser headphones and will try more of the vintage HD line for sure!
