Show us your vintage headphones!

[nofarewell]

I remember that they were almost impossible to buy already at the time. Note, I was referring to the mdr-44, not the bigger M44, which seems a very good headphones indeed

WOW, MDR-44? Just realized, from the *4 series, right. I really wonder how the MDR-94 would sound, that is the top of that line. Very exciting, as from the lightweight headband series as far as I'm concerned, it's the only one that has a 40mm diaphragm driver. The only other set I know and own is the Aiwa HP-X10 (my avatar picture ). The M44 is a nice set, although for some reason, it didn't provide that smooth Sony sound, or should I say it did, but with a kind of metallic overtone. But I'd gladly gave it another chance if I had one. The foam should be reconstructed somehow. And God would I own an Aiwa HP-T10...that's even older than anything we talked about recently, and if I can believe the gossips, a breathtaking experience.

 

[amartignano]

WOW, MDR-44?

Yep you can see them in the pic I posted some post ago

 

[nofarewell]

Guys, ANYONE here who owns an AIWA HP-X10?
http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/AIWA/HP-X10.html

 

[GREQ]

Guys, ANYONE here who owns an AIWA HP-X10?
http://20cheaddatebase.web.fc2.com/AIWA/HP-X10.html

Weird flex... but OK

 

[nofarewell]

Weird flex... but OK

What do you mean by "weird flex"? Apart from talking about it sound wise and praise it , I'd need advices for earpads

 

[GREQ]

What do you mean by "weird flex"? Apart from talking about it sound wise and praise it , I'd need advices for earpads

It's just a joke, since you're the only one around here who owns one ... so I'm joking that you're 'flexing' (showing off) before everyone
I think a lot of us wished we owned one

Maybe I can just scratch out two zero's off my HP-X1000?

 

[nofarewell]

It's just a joke, since you're the only one around here who owns one ... so I'm joking that you're 'flexing' (showing off) before everyone
I think a lot of us wished we owned one

Maybe I can just scratch out two zero's off my HP-X1000?

Oo I see; my intention is really not to flex. Just to get some advices about the pads.
I'd be really happy if all of you had one, we could talk about it, share experiences.
And I do these posts sometimes to find those who have it. There was a guy here who had
the X10, but his post dates back a couple of years ago, and he is not here anymore I think.
I have no clue why these are that rare though. I read somewhere that the HP-T10, the
predecessor of the X10 is even more rare. 1 piece (What) maybe found in Thailand, and 10
in the rest of the world, which I can't actually believe. Not fair at all.

 

[jerg]

Oo I see; my intention is really not to flex. Just to get some advices about the pads.
I'd be really happy if all of you had one, we could talk about it, share experiences.
And I do these posts sometimes to find those who have it. There was a guy here who had
the X10, but his post dates back a couple of years ago, and he is not here anymore I think.
I have no clue why these are that rare though. I read somewhere that the HP-T10, the
predecessor of the X10 is even more rare. 1 piece (What) maybe found in Thailand, and 10
in the rest of the world, which I can't actually believe. Not fair at all.

Personally my advice is just to do some general earpad-rolling if you want to get the most out of your vintage cans with deteriorated stock pads.

I.e.:

• Measure the diameter of the earpads
• Make a note of the earpad-attachment mechanism (is there a lip that the pads wrap over, or is it by adhesives, or clips etc)
• Go on Ebay and search for the appropriate diameter and attachment type, and order a whole bunch of earpads of different materials / thickness.
• Try each of them out and find what works best

 

[nofarewell]

Personally my advice is just to do some general earpad-rolling if you want to get the most out of your vintage cans with deteriorated stock pads.

I.e.:

• Measure the diameter of the earpads
• Make a note of the earpad-attachment mechanism (is there a lip that the pads wrap over, or is it by adhesives, or clips etc)
• Go on Ebay and search for the appropriate diameter and attachment type, and order a whole bunch of earpads of different materials / thickness.
• Try each of them out and find what works best

Thanks! Although I think the material is made from some kind of velour as it seems, unless I'm mistaken. As if there wasn't a foam material, but if the whole material was made of velour. I doubt they sell solid velour earpads unfortunately.

 

[Bonddam]

My Thunderpants arrived. I guess they are old

 

[Mellowship]

Yep you can see them in the pic I posted some post ago

I might have a Sony MDR"x"4 series somewhere, lost in a mouldy drawer in my country house. Are they worth it? Mine is from around 93-95, maybe. As I never listened to it again for decades, I really don't remember how they sound like...
If they are any good, I might go through the trouble of searching for them and give them another try, with some porta-pro or px-100 pads.

 

[nofarewell]

I might have a Sony MDR"x"4 series somewhere, lost in a mouldy drawer in my country house. Are they worth it? Mine is from around 93-95, maybe. As I never listened to it again for decades, I really don't remember how they sound like...
If they are any good, I might go through the trouble of searching for them and give them another try, with some porta-pro or px-100 pads.

Definitely get them and keep us posted

 

[Mellowship]

Definitely get them and keep us posted

I will! Over the next month I'm getting down there and I'll search for them. Once I find them, clean them and get some pads I'll post them here with pics and impressions.

 

[jerg]

Pioneer SE-700 full-sized earpad mod (for comfort mostly).

• Got these 105 mm diameter lambskin earpads with good memory foam.
• Got some double-sided tape and cut it up like so to adhere the earpads strongly to the outer clear plasic shell part of the headphones
• Also cut out adhere-backed felt donuts (80 mm outer diameter, 55 mm inner diameter) to damp the plastic surface around the driver opening grills.
• Adhered the felt donuts, then adhered the earpads.
• The headphones are way more comfortable now because these pads are large enough to be true circumaural.
• Sound-wise a bit more spacious but a bit less intimate from my previous smaller earpads, overall I'd say a wash.

 

[jerg]

Thanks! Although I think the material is made from some kind of velour as it seems, unless I'm mistaken. As if there wasn't a foam material, but if the whole material was made of velour. I doubt they sell solid velour earpads unfortunately.

Could it be possible that the original foam (probably not memory foam but something much less resilient) has fully disintegrated in the stock pads from all the years?

I notice that sometimes with old headphones - the stock pad foams just rotted away to nothing, leaving a squishy outer earpad "shell" only. With my SE-700 original pads it felt like that.