[DefectiveAudioComponent]

I've just bought a pair of very cheap Pioneer SE-205 headphones, late 70s. The plan is to use the nice pads, or the entire thing as a foster phone. The SE-205 is part of a very nice looking headphone series, and this one is in good condition.

Unfortunately, it's sound is poor from the E-MU 0404 headamp. It's bright, lacks bass (not completely, it can play reasonably deep bass, but then....), and sounds like it's playing inside a can. There are no damping materials in the large deep cups.

 

[ourfpshero]

the 205 was pioneers last paper cone holdout! the 305 and above use polyester cones. a lot of amp might help but they would make stylich and durable fosterphones.

what drivers are going in?

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

I'm tempted to try the east german planar magnetic drivers from the RFT-HOK-80. Unless some one else wants the HOK.

 

[boomy3555]

I took the 305's and put Denon 2K drivers in them, Dynamat, and recabled to balanced. The Denon drivers are very close in size to Pioneers so it didn't take but a tiny bit of dremelling to set them right in. I had to tweek the foam parts abit for my tastes but they are a great sounding set of cans that look so retro.

I just got another set off of eBay and I'm probaly going to put some Fostex T50rp drivers in them just for the hell of it. The one great thing about the Pioneers is the size. It's so easy to fit almost any drivers in them. and they are already angled. The earpads could use a bit more oomph. and the cables are junk.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Where did you get Denon 2K drivers?

I've been eyeing the headset for some time and when I found them at a second hand store for 4 euro, I thought I'd just grab them. The soft pads are great for me, since I wear glasses.

 

[boomy3555]

I actually bought an almost new pair of 2K's from the for sale forums and canablized the drivers,Earpads, and foam pieces. 200 bucks may seem a bit high but it's so hard to find good drivers to DIY with. The pair I just won were 15.00 US plus 10.00 shipping. and the ones I already have were 50.00 us on eBay as well. There are a few pair on eBay right now.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Did that end up sounding better than the stock 2K?
I really like the retro look of the Pioneer.

 

[boomy3555]

It sounded better than the stock 2K because of the Dynamat mod and recable but I would say only marginally better than the 5K and not near the 7K. Of course it was miles above the stock polyester drivers of Pioneers.

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Too bad it's so hard to find the Denon drivers... the retail price of the D2000 here is very high. And second hand they usually are expensive too

 

[boomy3555]

I got a pair of SFI drivers from wiatrob which I may end up putting into my new set of 305's

 

[DefectiveAudioComponent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boomy3555 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got a pair of SFI drivers from wiatrob which I may end up putting into my new set of 305's

Cool! report back how they sound from a closed-back with a large cup! (if you put them in there). I only have one SFI ortho, the Eagle International H4300 and it sounds good (but it has a small cup. headstage is shallow and narrow, kind of 2Dish, but extension is fine. Bright sounding with bass that has some punch.)

 

[boomy3555]

I listened to them just wired up and loosly hanging over my ears and they are going to sound great.... I'll probably dynamat the cups for the SFI's and definitely recable.

 

[ourfpshero]

resurrection-
i just got a broken set of pioneer hdj-1000 (along with a good one). the 50 mm drivers are pretty nice in range, with a smile shaped eq. i have an se-405 i am thinking of putting the drivers in

 

[Kenneth irl]

I have been using a pair of Pioneer SE-205 headphones myself for about a month now, and I think personally feel that the sound produced is of a very good quality to my untrained ears. The bass is really stable and tight and not at all boomy like my pair of JVC-HARX700 is. The build has a very good sense of quality to them overall and the pads are quite comfortable, too. And the fact that they're so old only makes you appreciate them all the more. Cheers

 

[Oregonian]

Resurrecting this thread for my new addition............