deaconblues
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2005
- Posts
- 500
- Likes
- 16
I was recently the lucky buyer of a $75 pair of HD580s that recently went up for sale here (bought it 15 minutes after it got posted 
). However, at $75, it pretty much goes without saying that the HD580 is going to have some issues. I was able to deal with the following problems on this pair: It had a flattened headband pad (it looks like there was never any foam inside it ), no foam covering the drivers, the connection between the right driver and the cable would often cut out, and finally, although it's a standard feature, it had those universally unpopular HD580 grills
.
For the headband pad, I used a beyerdynamic pad that I had lying around from my Grado days. I had intended this to be a temporary fix until I could get a genuine Sennheiser pad, but it turns out that I like the look, and I'll probably just end up keeping it there. I cut some cloth off the front of an old speaker and used it to cover the drivers. However, if I can find any really thing foam like what Sennheiser uses, I'd like to use it instead. I dealt with the cable connectivity issue by hard wiring some starquad to the drivers. Finally, there's those darn HD580 grills. I was disappointed to read a thread in which mentioned that Sennheiser no longer stocks HD600 grills. So, I decided my best option was to paint the plastic HD580 grills. I was actually sort of inspired by a recent thread about painting the K1000's grills. I went to Walmart and grabbed a can of red spraypaint which was specifically meant for plastics. After a couple hours and a several coats of paint, it looks a lot better than than it did with the boring grey grills (at least to my eyes). That red really matches well with the black.
And now, the pictures
Once I manage to find some thin foam for the drivers, and some heatshrink to make the recable look professional (currently using electrical tape where there should be heatshrink), my bargain HD580 will surpass whatever former glory it may have had
edit: Replaced the Beyer pad with a new Sennheiser pad, and painted the headband black
). However, at $75, it pretty much goes without saying that the HD580 is going to have some issues. I was able to deal with the following problems on this pair: It had a flattened headband pad (it looks like there was never any foam inside it ), no foam covering the drivers, the connection between the right driver and the cable would often cut out, and finally, although it's a standard feature, it had those universally unpopular HD580 grills
For the headband pad, I used a beyerdynamic pad that I had lying around from my Grado days. I had intended this to be a temporary fix until I could get a genuine Sennheiser pad, but it turns out that I like the look, and I'll probably just end up keeping it there. I cut some cloth off the front of an old speaker and used it to cover the drivers. However, if I can find any really thing foam like what Sennheiser uses, I'd like to use it instead. I dealt with the cable connectivity issue by hard wiring some starquad to the drivers. Finally, there's those darn HD580 grills. I was disappointed to read a thread in which mentioned that Sennheiser no longer stocks HD600 grills. So, I decided my best option was to paint the plastic HD580 grills. I was actually sort of inspired by a recent thread about painting the K1000's grills. I went to Walmart and grabbed a can of red spraypaint which was specifically meant for plastics. After a couple hours and a several coats of paint, it looks a lot better than than it did with the boring grey grills (at least to my eyes). That red really matches well with the black.
And now, the pictures
Once I manage to find some thin foam for the drivers, and some heatshrink to make the recable look professional (currently using electrical tape where there should be heatshrink), my bargain HD580 will surpass whatever former glory it may have had
edit: Replaced the Beyer pad with a new Sennheiser pad, and painted the headband black
