[BURNART]

Check my "about" section
There are a lot of good vintage headphones out there. The order would probably be:
1. AKG K500EP / Stax SR-207 / HD540 Gold 600ohm
2. HD540 600ohm / Yamaha YH-100 / HD250 Linear
3. Fostex T10 / NAD RP18 / HD560 Ovation / DT880 Vintage
4. Stax Gamma Pro / AKG K400EP
5. MB Quart QP45X / Akai ASE-50

 

[jenkinsontherun]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hd250-sell-your-collection-mod.945239/

 

[elquixote]

I tried the ZMF Ori pads on my 250 (600 ohm) and got this insane measurement multiple times lol. Certainly sounds crazy boomy as the graph shows. I am currently using a foam disk that is from I don't know what, however I have the HD400 inner foam in route as well as the Wang pads. For comparison I added the measurement of my 250 with hifiman pleather pads and that random foam disk along with my 300 ohm 540 Golds with OG pads measurement which measures very close to the 250 for the exception of the 4k dip as well as the 250 being a bit more forward in the upper mids/low treble (also the 4.5k measurement which is to be ignored on the E.A.R.S).

I also tried AHG Th900 pads with again my foam piece over the driver with these measurements below. While not as bad as the Ori pads certainly still quite wacky.

My 250 is also missing those felt pieces from the diagram, #11 and #13.

 

[elquixote]

USING HD400 Foam Disks not HD430 foam as I miswrote on the graphs​

I just received the HD400 foam disks to put in my 250 600ohm EP cans. I removed the 3mm generic foam disk I had along with the foam ring I was using to give the pads a bit more depth. Here are the measurements below Matched at 84 dBSPL @ 300 Hz, with HPN compensation. The HD400 foam disks seem like the way to go with these, I am waiting for the Wang pads to arrive and will test with that setup.

Using Hifiman Pleather pads with 3mm foam disk and foam ring on pads. The roll off is pretty noticeable when listening.​

Using Hifiman Pleather pads with the HD400 foam disk and foam ring OFF pads. This is much better, the low mid range dip def makes me want to crank these up a bit volume wise.​

Measurements post EQ. I am using
LS @40Hz +2 db
PK @200hz -0.5db with Q=2.0
PK @400hz +2db with Q=2.0
PK @1250hz -2db with Q=5.0 ​

 

[sensei.russ]

Hi Everyone, I've just picked up a pair of HD250 300ohm MK1's in seemingly excellent condition on eBay.
I was very much looking forward to hearing these after reading this thread (and others) but unfortunately I'm really struggling with their bass. It just seems to dominate everything - I could almost say it swamps everything. My usual go to closed-backs are Sony mdr7520's or Sennheiser HD25's and when I switch between the three of them (and also my HD600's) the bass is much tighter and the overall sound more balanced.

Could it be I'm just used to a less bass heavy sound signature and need to give these time or could there be a problem with this pair I have? Thanks for any help.

 

[Monsterzero]

Hi Everyone, I've just picked up a pair of HD250 300ohm MK1's in seemingly excellent condition on eBay.
I was very much looking forward to hearing these after reading this thread (and others) but unfortunately I'm really struggling with their bass. It just seems to dominate everything - I could almost say it swamps everything. My usual go to closed-backs are Sony mdr7520's or Sennheiser HD25's and when I switch between the three of them (and also my HD600's) the bass is much tighter and the overall sound more balanced.

Could it be I'm just used to a less bass heavy sound signature and need to give these time or could there be a problem with this pair I have? Thanks for any help.

The bass on these headphones are quite strong, especially the sub-bass. However my pair does not drown out the other frequencies.
If you can take a couple photos of the earpads as well as the inside of the cup, including any material, if any, on top of the baffle and post them here.

 

[sensei.russ]

Thanks for your reply Monsterzero. Here are a couple of photos, do they help? The phones seem to be in great condition and the eBay seller seemed very genuine and helpful.

I should clarify, they don't sound broken, it's just that no headphones I own now or previously have sounded so bass heavy, bordering on muddy.
I've been listening to them all evening and they sound 'better' on acoustic and bass-light tracks and there is definitely detail there - but the bass dominates (too much). I'm not an expert with terminology but I want to say it's mid-bass that's dominating - not low end.

I'm also not trying to knock the the HD250s, I've read so many great things about them - hence me picking these up. Thanks

 

[510198]

Hi Everyone, I've just picked up a pair of HD250 300ohm MK1's in seemingly excellent condition on eBay.
I was very much looking forward to hearing these after reading this thread (and others) but unfortunately I'm really struggling with their bass. It just seems to dominate everything - I could almost say it swamps everything. My usual go to closed-backs are Sony mdr7520's or Sennheiser HD25's and when I switch between the three of them (and also my HD600's) the bass is much tighter and the overall sound more balanced.

Could it be I'm just used to a less bass heavy sound signature and need to give these time or could there be a problem with this pair I have? Thanks for any help.

From my experience I know there are black and white driver variations in 300ohm and 600ohm. The whites were a bit brighter up top compared to the black imo. Dampening and stock pads are definitely important to the overall sound sig... My ECP T3/HD250 combo was pretty decent for a vintage headphone. HD600’s midbass will not be as present on the HD250 and the HD600 is more polite in treble as well. Hence, the HD250’s “linear” connotation. Best of luck on your search... ZMF universe pads and others mentioned in the thread are also good options as well.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks for your reply Monsterzero. Here are a couple of photos, do they help? The phones seem to be in great condition and the eBay seller seemed very genuine and helpful.

I should clarify, they don't sound broken, it's just that no headphones I own now or previously have sounded so bass heavy, bordering on muddy.
I've been listening to them all evening and they sound 'better' on acoustic and bass-light tracks and there is definitely detail there - but the bass dominates (too much). I'm not an expert with terminology but I want to say it's mid-bass that's dominating - not low end.

I'm also not trying to knock the the HD250s, I've read so many great things about them - hence me picking these up. Thanks

Those do not look like the stock pads. Pads can make a huge difference in how a headphone sounds. For reference, here is my pair, with the stock pads. You can easily tell the difference.

I suggest reading back to get suggestions on which pads work best with the HD250.
I have never changed my pads, and as the old saying goes,

"If it ain't broke, dont screw with it"

 

[Coug]

Pads look like akg k240 style. Tried those and it was boomy. Don't know about the foam. HD430 foam work well and has been mentioned here as likely closest to the stock cupped design (I could only find it from Audiosanctuary in the UK). The Wang pads from eBay seem to work well too. Still very strong bass, but better controlled.

 

[elquixote]

Pads look like akg k240 style. Tried those and it was boomy. Don't know about the foam. HD430 foam work well and has been mentioned here as likely closest to the stock cupped design (I could only find it from Audiosanctuary in the UK). The Wang pads from eBay seem to work well too. Still very strong bass, but better controlled.

That is where I got my 400 foam pads from as well, was pretty quick all things considered and that its coming from the UK.

 

[ProLoL]

Thanks for your reply Monsterzero. Here are a couple of photos, do they help? The phones seem to be in great condition and the eBay seller seemed very genuine and helpful.

I should clarify, they don't sound broken, it's just that no headphones I own now or previously have sounded so bass heavy, bordering on muddy.
I've been listening to them all evening and they sound 'better' on acoustic and bass-light tracks and there is definitely detail there - but the bass dominates (too much). I'm not an expert with terminology but I want to say it's mid-bass that's dominating - not low end.

I'm also not trying to knock the the HD250s, I've read so many great things about them - hence me picking these up. Thanks

I've had these pads before, they're generic and awful. I suggest wang pads for balanced sound.

 

[ProLoL]

Pads look like akg k240 style. Tried those and it was boomy. Don't know about the foam. HD430 foam work well and has been mentioned here as likely closest to the stock cupped design (I could only find it from Audiosanctuary in the UK). The Wang pads from eBay seem to work well too. Still very strong bass, but better controlled.

The HD400 foam acts as innerfoam is the closest, according the sennheiser's engineer.

 

[sensei.russ]

Many thanks for all the info guys! I've just ordered a set of the wang earpads and the HD400 foams and will give those a go first and perhaps try something else after if they don't work. For today I've been using the HD250's 'as is' with the slightest touch of EQ which has made a big difference.

I'm using them with an Arcam rHead amp, would anyone know if it is generally considered a neutral amp and a good match for these?

Thanks

 

[Coug]

Quote:


OK, I now have another LP pair, and what I wrote above still holds. One "magic" MP pair that has more substantial bass and balance, while all the others (an EP, another MP, and 2 LP) all sound very similar, very good, but not as good to me as the magic pair. (All of these now have new pads btw.)

But now I have a theory.

The magic pair I have seems to have a naturally higher clamping force than all the others. Kind of like in a resting state off your head, if you try to pull the two earcups apart where they meet, all of the others are much easier to pull apart. The magic pair requires some force to do that (I'd estimate it as 3x the amount of force). I also have a fairly new K240 Mk II, and the force for those is in between (not 2x, but maybe 1.75x, closer to all the other Sextetts than to the magic MP pair). They are completely different anyway, but those are close to brand new.

Now, if I take any other Sextett pair, and apply more pressure while I'm wearing them, bam, more low end oomph.

But when I look really close at the magic pair, I can't see anywhere that the headband has been bent (re-bent?) to apply more force. Manufacturing variation? Maybe these ones were just used a lot less over the years so they retain their shape better? But really, *all* the other pair are very similar in their clamping force, just that the magic pair applies a fair amount more force.

The HD400 foam acts as innerfoam is the closest, according the sennheiser's engineer.

Oops, I stand corrected, HD400 foam. ( Ordered both for the 250, 400 foam is correct. I've used the HD430 foam in AKG K240 Monitors (a little brighter and better to me), and mixed the two up.). Thanks for correcting my flub.