[Rex24-7]

I have a few questions. These headphones are my dad's which he bought in the 70's. I've plugged them into my Xonar Essence ST, used to my Sennheiser HD428s and not knowing what to expect but acoustic instruments and vocals sound amazing, but with heavy metal and more digital sounding music it sounded distorted (though still good overall). I was wondering if these are higher impedance than I'm using (0 to 64 ohms) and raising it would make the headphones sound less distorted. I'm also wondering if these headphones have better sound quality than my cheap Sennheisers, despite the age. Is it just because I'm not used to open back headphones?

 

[joelpearce]

If they are from the '70s, they're probably actually lower impedance than you are used to.  Probably 8 ohm.
 
The thing is, many of the older cans have paper cones instead of more modern materials, which makes them really hard to drive.  Depending on the amp, that could be your problem.  (I don't exactly know what those headphones are like)
 
It could also be the headphones themselves if they are that old.  Cables degrade, connections in the plugs start to flake out, and everything else starts to deteriorate a bit.

 

[Rex24-7]

Assuming the parts were still in good condition, are you saying my sound card could be outputting too much impedance so the sound is distorting?

 

[SunnyDaze]

The nominal impedance of these headphones is approximately 150 ohms. 151.4, to be exact. 
 
The cones are not paper. They are high velocity transducer elements. Actually, the drivers in the HV/1 and HV/1A's are built like tanks, however they have issues with the coil leads becoming separated from the terminals. 
 
Yes, these cans should sound superior to low end anything. I'd say they're on par with SR60's, etc... 
 
If you are ever interested in getting rid of these, please, let me know. I know this thread is six months old, but, I just came across it, so, here you have it. If you've got any more questions about them, ask away. 

 

[ma61]

Quote:

The nominal impedance of these headphones is approximately 150 ohms. 151.4, to be exact. 
 
The cones are not paper. They are high velocity transducer elements. Actually, the drivers in the HV/1 and HV/1A's are built like tanks, however they have issues with the coil leads becoming separated from the terminals. 
 
Yes, these cans should sound superior to low end anything. I'd say they're on par with SR60's, etc... 
 
If you are ever interested in getting rid of these, please, let me know. I know this thread is six months old, but, I just came across it, so, here you have it. If you've got any more questions about them, ask away. 

 
I just bought some replacement pads for my dads pair of HV/1a's, and listened to them for the first time in about 20 years.
They seem to have really subdued mids, and the highs are very ssssssss on the vocals.
 
Is this just the way they are or have these just seen better days..
 
I am comparing these with my new acquired pair of Koss PRODJ100, and my pair of Sennheiser HD428's.

 

[ma61]

Found out it was a bad RCA cable.
Changed it out and they sound amazing, I love them.

 

[takato14]

Quote:

If they are from the '70s, they're probably actually lower impedance than you are used to.  Probably 8 ohm.
 
The thing is, many of the older cans have paper cones instead of more modern materials, which makes them really hard to drive.  Depending on the amp, that could be your problem.  (I don't exactly know what those headphones are like)
 
It could also be the headphones themselves if they are that old.  Cables degrade, connections in the plugs start to flake out, and everything else starts to deteriorate a bit.

The HV/1A uses 150 ohm drivers. 
 
The HV/1A uses a large mylar driver, and are very good headphones. Theyre a modified version of the driver in the Pro/4AAA, and are designed for portable use.
 
Replacing the cable is a good idea, KOSS's cables often have very high impedances, which messes with the sound.

 

[RUMAY408]

  The HV/1A uses 150 ohm drivers. 
 
The HV/1A uses a large mylar driver, and are very good headphones. Theyre a modified version of the driver in the Pro/4AAA, and are designed for portable use.
 
Replacing the cable is a good idea, KOSS's cables often have very high impedances, which messes with the sound.

Just saw your post, any ideas on what cables you would recommend?  

 

[takato14]

 

  The HV/1A uses 150 ohm drivers. 
 
The HV/1A uses a large mylar driver, and are very good headphones. Theyre a modified version of the driver in the Pro/4AAA, and are designed for portable use.
 
Replacing the cable is a good idea, KOSS's cables often have very high impedances, which messes with the sound.

Just saw your post, any ideas on what cables you would recommend?  

I just put cut up an AKG cable, wired a 3.5mm jack in my 4AAA, and used a patch cable. So, I really don't have a suggestion.
 
If I remember correctly the HV/1A is dual-entry, so making your own cable from wires would be fine. Or, you could buy a cheapie dual-entry can (MDR-V150 and similar) and use the cable off of that.