How Old Are Your Phones? Do You Use A Vintage Set?
Dec 8, 2006 at 7:13 AM Post #46 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by edstrelow /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So evidently not all design changes over the years are actually improvements.


Well, we're talking about what were high-end headphones back in their day. Back in the late seventies the masses were lucky if they owned a HD414. Stuff like the K340, SR-X, T50, ECR500, etc were really the crème de la crème of their era.
 
Dec 8, 2006 at 8:55 PM Post #47 of 132
At 15 € (not including new pads), I would hardly call HD414s a steal. Even my HD424 (more bass but still not that much, more comfy but also heavier) is merely gathering dust. I would keep an eye open for the HD420SL (quite lightweight and very comfortable once worn-in, decent sound sans EQ, fairly good with it, old pads stuffable at least), or maybe the even smaller HD410SL (foam pads still available, but due to the smaller size I'd expect more bass cancellation as well). A HD480 might be better still. Sadly bargains aren't to be had too frequently among oldschools Senns, but one can try. I've wanted to take a listen to a HD425 (bigger brother of the HD420 with circumaural pleather pads) for a long time but never actually got round to buying one.

I just tried my HD420SLs (EQ'd) with some test tones... there's not much beyond 13..14 kHz, and bass appears to be taking a steep dive below 40 Hz - that's about in line with what the HD424 can do, though the latter seems to have a more gradual bass dropoff.
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Dec 8, 2006 at 10:12 PM Post #48 of 132
None of the headphones I use are currently in production. SR-X/mk3, A/250, K340, K250. They vary from around 10 years old to around 30 years old.

Team Vintage-o-phile.
smily_headphones1.gif
 
Dec 8, 2006 at 10:45 PM Post #49 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by sgrossklass
At 15 € (not including new pads), I would hardly call HD414s a steal.


No, not a steal, but we're talking about a headphone that's a design icon.

Can you imagine someone looking at the Koss Pro 4AA and thinking "Hmm, we could miniaturize that and pair it with a small playback-only portable stereo cassette mechanism... We'll be rich!"
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Dec 8, 2006 at 11:23 PM Post #50 of 132
My HD650's are about 6 month's old now (bought them @ the end of may 2006). The HD212 I have is 5 years old but no longer works lol and my HD280 is 2,5 years old and I use them just for gaming.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 1:00 AM Post #51 of 132
My oldest one has to be the Koss HV/1 professional studio headphones, purchased in the 1970s as displayed in my sig. They sound fantastic and i still use them (replaced the padding last year from Koss).
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 2:50 AM Post #52 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif
None of the headphones I use are currently in production. SR-X/mk3, A/250, K340, K250. They vary from around 10 years old to around 30 years old.

Team Vintage-o-phile.
smily_headphones1.gif



Should I be worried I own 3/4s of that list?
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 3:40 AM Post #54 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Should I be worried I own 3/4s of that list?


Nah, it just means that we both have good taste...err, hearing. Or we might possibly need psychiatric help for a headphone addiction problem.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 3:42 AM Post #55 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by sgrossklass /img/forum/go_quote.gif
At 15 € (not including new pads), I would hardly call HD414s a steal.


Quote:

Originally Posted by wualta /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The best I can say is, they sounded great for 1973, which unfortunately isn't saying much to ears accustomed to modern totl dynamics.


Gentlemen, did you happen to spot this lonely thread by PinkFloyd? Heck, let me just quote it:

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I've had these guys for quite a while now and haven't really spent much head time with them so decided to sell them along with a few other 'phones that don't get much head time.

Well, long story short, I plugged them into my 3 watt ERGO amp just to check they were still firing on all cylinders and my god what an improvement when driven by this amp! Bass, air, dynamics.... the works! They sounded positively weedy driven by my other amps but the ERGO model 1 amp / HD-414 is quite a revelation.

So, it goes without saying, I've decided to keep the HD-414 now and have even ordered a pair of new 414 pads for them..... so good is the ERGO / 414 combo. A lot of these vintage 'phones are possibly well up there (or maybe better) with their modern equivalents but it may not be apparent if driven by the wrong kind of amp. If there are any die hard 414'ers out there then I urge you to try them with the ERGO model 1 amp (£169) quite superb and injects life and soul into these 'phones on a grand scale.


Have you heard your HD4x4 with a couple of watts coming in? This is the main reason I might sink 15 euros on a pair-- experimentation what, what.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 3:47 AM Post #56 of 132
STAX SR-404: 1999-ish? They were like new when I got them though, so they're not really old. I wouldn't mind swapping them for a pair of Lambda Pro's though.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 6:27 AM Post #57 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by smeggy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Only if the phones are old enough to be your dad.
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Well, perhaps not, but do I have three headphones older than I am, and only one from this century...


Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Nah, it just means that we both have good taste...err, hearing. Or we might possibly need psychiatric help for a headphone addiction problem.


I'd say yes.


Quote:

Originally Posted by facelvega /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Gentlemen, did you happen to spot this lonely thread by PinkFloyd? Heck, let me just quote it:

[...]

Have you heard your HD4x4 with a couple of watts coming in? This is the main reason I might sink 15 euros on a pair-- experimentation what, what.


2000Ω. That must need a heck of a lot of voltage.

If you feel like some fun, plug it into an electrostatic headphone amp/transformer and see what happens.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 7:45 AM Post #58 of 132
my dad's pair of sennheiser hd40, from probably 1979, produce amazing audio quality, brilliant. Destroys some sony MDR-V600s i've heard. Here's the good part, they made a bunch of them again, the M@h40, and you can buy them for $10. Definately definately buy a pair, ten dollars. 18Hz to 22,000Hz.
 
Dec 9, 2006 at 10:12 AM Post #60 of 132
Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Well, perhaps not, but do I have three headphones older than I am, and only one from this century...


Hmmmm, I may possibly be older than my SR-X MK3s...depends on their manufacture date. *sigh*
 
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