[sotto123]

Try cheap HD250 Linear 1 600 ohm. They are far from boring. Order 2 sets of pads - sennheiser hd430 pads from thomann - bright pads. And wangs pleather pads from ebay - all rounder pads. With bright pads try Dire Straits On the Night (live). With wang's pleather pads try anything. Share your impressions here afterwards

Ps you may think you know what you want (bass ..) but you might be surprised to find out what lies out of such comfort zone. I am saying it is more interesting sound than that of hd540.

Same years, same excellence, same Sennheiser, but another result.


Cable terminations that fit in the shells must be carefully trimmed on sides with a razor blade or something similar to allow deeper insertion in case it does not plug inside deep enough. Just follow the already thinner part that fits in and make it few milimeters deeper. Do not forget to post selfie from hospital if anything goes wrong!

Stock replacement pads are found by buying another pair of HD540 Reference 1 headphones on ebay, or read what I wrote about replacement fabric pads here yesterday or so.

The only issue with the HD250 is that it's a closed headphone and I generally really dislike closed headphones. I've heard it sounds quite open, though it's never going to give the same experience as an open design.

To be honest, I think I'm being a bit fussy and have already found an upgrade (or sidegrade) in the HP-1000. Some days I prefer the HD540G and others the HP-1000. The Grado is similar to the Gold in the way that it was designed to be as neutral as possible, yet it greatly improves upon the 540's lack of bass. For me both offer a similar sense of realism but it's achieved in different ways. My only issue with it is that it can sound quite closed in.

However, play some acoustic tracks and even the Golds can't compete with its naturalness of sound. It seems to give each instrument the perfect amount of body, which is the other area I feel it improves upon the 540G on the most. When it comes to rock things get a bit more complicated. Due to the more open nature and better transient response I find the Gold's are often the preferred option for faster rock despite the lack of bass.

Both are really just the finest headphones I've ever heard. I don't think there's an equal today in terms of qualities they offer. There tends to be something tonally wrong with every single flagship released today judging from numerous impressions I've read of each one. This is why the MySphere is the only other headphone I have an interest in hearing.

Hi sotto123, I have a feeling you may find the Mogami cable adds just the extra quality you seek, especially if you are currently using your Golds with the stock cable. Balance and extension, a superbly natural expression of music while keeping all that is wonderful about these headphones is the Mogami experience. I have found this also occurs with all my other headphones that now have Mogami cable, without exception ... basically all of them now.
The trimming of the cable jacks is simple, a sharp fine edged craft knife or surgical blade is all that is required, the plastic plugs are quite soft and just a slight trim off the sides to match that of the original plugs is all that is required. Depending on which Mogami cable you have bought, you will find that it's a bit heavier than the original cable, I find that the cable made with the #2893 is lighter than the #2534 which is often used from eBay stores. While I use the #2893 cable, a full 10' length (as per the original cables) is noticeably heavier than stock and I find around 6' or so is a better match, although I do use my 10' cable when I need to. The quality upgrade is worth it!

I ordered the Venus Audio one off eBay. I tried the HD650 stock cable, which actually fits perfectly, but it took away some of the magic that the Gold's stock copper cable seems to provide. I had a feeling you might say that, as it was after having read your and others' opinions that persuaded me to get the Mogami cable.

 

[sennsay]

The only issue with the HD250 is that it's a closed headphone and I generally really dislike closed headphones. I've heard it sounds quite open, though it's never going to give the same experience as an open design.

To be honest, I think I'm being a bit fussy and have already found an upgrade (or sidegrade) in the HP-1000. Some days I prefer the HD540G and others the HP-1000. The Grado is similar to the Gold in the way that it was designed to be as neutral as possible, yet it greatly improves upon the 540's lack of bass. For me both offer a similar sense of realism but it's achieved in different ways. My only issue with it is that it can sound quite closed in.

However, play some acoustic tracks and even the Golds can't compete with its naturalness of sound. It seems to give each instrument the perfect amount of body, which is the other area I feel it improves upon the 540G on the most. When it comes to rock things get a bit more complicated. Due to the more open nature and better transient response I find the Gold's are often the preferred option for faster rock despite the lack of bass.

Both are really just the finest headphones I've ever heard. I don't think there's an equal today in terms of qualities they offer. There tends to be something tonally wrong with every single flagship released today judging from numerous impressions I've read of each one. This is why the MySphere is the only other headphone I have an interest in hearing.



I ordered the Venus Audio one off eBay. I tried the HD650 stock cable, which actually fits perfectly, but it took away some of the magic that the Gold's stock copper cable seems to provide. I had a feeling you might say that, as it was after having read your and others' opinions that persuaded me to get the Mogami cable.

I agree with your comment on the HD650 cable, it works and is certainly much better than the old steel HD540 cable, but it is no Mogami, as it still emphasises the upper midband to some degree and does not have the linear bass extension. How different your Golds may be over my HD540 ref1s, I don't know, probably not a lot. I'll be interested to hear how you get on with the Mogami, the cable may need some time to 'run in' a bit, but I don't find it anything like the time required for the silver cables I use elsewhere, just moving from a little 'fresh' to being completely at ease over some days. Even my Sony MDR-1R's have taken on a whole new natural openness and improved freedom of sound from the capsules (they are closed back), an ease of expression while maintaining the timing and expression I liked about them from the start.

 

[2002tiiguy]

The hot glue didnt come out perfectly , but for my first set of sennheiser plugs i wasn't too upset, soldering was a little sketchy on the first few but the last one i got right and pretty. Made this out of a cable i had for my he-400i's. Ended up with 2 and wanted to make a balanced cable for the 540s to see if it was worth spending more money on a really nice cable.

 

[myusernameislove]

The only issue with the HD250 is that it's a closed headphone and I generally really dislike closed headphones. I've heard it sounds quite open, though it's never going to give the same experience as an open design.

To be honest, I think I'm being a bit fussy and have already found an upgrade (or sidegrade) in the HP-1000. Some days I prefer the HD540G and others the HP-1000. The Grado is similar to the Gold in the way that it was designed to be as neutral as possible, yet it greatly improves upon the 540's lack of bass. For me both offer a similar sense of realism but it's achieved in different ways. My only issue with it is that it can sound quite closed in.

However, play some acoustic tracks and even the Golds can't compete with its naturalness of sound. It seems to give each instrument the perfect amount of body, which is the other area I feel it improves upon the 540G on the most. When it comes to rock things get a bit more complicated. Due to the more open nature and better transient response I find the Gold's are often the preferred option for faster rock despite the lack of bass.

Np, I am just saying, that you will not make mistake and they will surprise you. Maybe I need to buy HD540G, but HD540 Reference 1 just looses misserably to HD250 Linear 1 in the timbre and pleasant area. Linear 1 has soul and my HD540 is only about sound excellence.

 

[myusernameislove]

Stock pads HD540 Ref 1 600 Ohm and process of change of their foam insides to cheap Hifiman pads' foam while keeping some features of original foams in place. I still need to stitch pleather rings onto it. These rings were cut from Akg K240 DF stock pads. Last pictures show the state of pads now - after 2 months of use.

 

[zfisch1]

What is the average asking price for a Sennheiser HD 540 Reference Gold with the original wood box? Not sure what version.
The person is asking 165 USD.
Thanks for the info!

 

[jon parker]

What is the average asking price for a Sennheiser HD 540 Reference Gold with the original wood box? Not sure what version.
The person is asking 165 USD.
Thanks for the info!

Buy them NOW

 

[sotto123]

Np, I am just saying, that you will not make mistake and they will surprise you. Maybe I need to buy HD540G, but HD540 Reference 1 just looses misserably to HD250 Linear 1 in the timbre and pleasant area. Linear 1 has soul and my HD540 is only about sound excellence.

I'll keep a lookout for a pair. The good thing about these vintage cans is that (most) are inexpensive enough to just buy without much thought.

What is the average asking price for a Sennheiser HD 540 Reference Gold with the original wood box? Not sure what version.
The person is asking 165 USD.
Thanks for the info!

Jump all over that, you will never find one cheaper. The Golds seem to be pretty hard to find outside Europe, let alone at anywhere close to that price. I hope the condition is decent.

 

[jon parker]

The only issue with the HD250 is that it's a closed headphone and I generally really dislike closed headphones. I've heard it sounds quite open, though it's never going to give the same experience as an open design.

That is exactly what makes them So special and unique. They sound just like an open back headphone! In many ways they sound very similar to their sister headphone the 540!

 

[dakanao]

The impressions and reviews I've read of the HD 250 was that the highs are not as controlled as the HD 540

 

[quimbo]

There are some Gold 540s on ebay, would be about 350 USA for me. been going back and forth with myself for 2 days. I would probably sell 2 of these 3 - HD 540 Ref I, HD 540 Ref II or HD 250 Linear if I were to purchase

 

[dakanao]

lantian, can you please check out your pm

 

[dakanao]

Ordered the Sheepskin pads, hopefully they'll have the same full tonality as the thin pleather but with more bass

 

[myusernameislove]

PADS PADS PADS

I compared most of pads that I own now with my HD540 Reference 1 600 Ohm headphones.
I recommend pads no. 2 (enhanced), 6 (enhanced) and 1 (stock pads).

For no. 1 I had to use regular thin foam inserts to reduce spikiness of highs. For all other pads I chose very thin cloth inserts from ebay user messihinmessiher to keep as much highs in sound as possible.


+++ = best (heavenly)
++ = good (heaven entrance)
+ = with flaws (may suit some genres)

++++ (above heaven)

Reserved for modified pads and tuning them close to original stock experience (fabric pads with pleather top ring). Also stock HD560 velour pads were not tested (at least one user prefers them to everything else).

6 (enahnced) - glue a 0.5cm wide Foam ring with a small amount of a textil glue to the bottom part of pad no. 6 to increase height and seal for a MUCH higher amount of bass than with original pad no. 6 and to achieve better quality space while still keeping the tonality a bit brighter and the sound less bassy then the sound with enhaced pads no. 2. The result has more highs and the sound is very close to ideal. Excellent pairing with warmer and darker amps.

+++

2 (enhanced) - insert 0.5cm wide foam ring into the bottom part of pad no 2 to increase height and seal for a better space and tighter bass and to undo weird quality of mids od pads no. 2. The result is more bassy than that of enhanced pad no. 6. Excellent pairing with brighter and cleaner amps.

1, stock HD540 Reference 1 pads with exchanged filling (taken from cheap Hifiman pads) and stitched back together (fabric, tall profile, without pleather top ring, but with ) - even more clear than wang_yifei's pleather pads. Spikier highs, very neutral sound (some of you may actually prefer little warmer sound of no.2 and no.3 pads). Space is exceptional and imaging is precise. Exceptional tonality and technical mastery. Although tonality is perfect, and bass is not missing in the sound, it's bass is not as easily identified as with all of the other pads (no.2, 3, 4, 5) and therefore I take one star down in bass quality.. Quality of highs ++++ (yes, here it shines), amount of highs +++, quality of mids +++, quality of bass ++, amount of bass ++, quality of space +++, technical excellence (ability to display texture of notes - you need very clean sound and good quality bass for this to work, amount of aftersounds, sweetness of sound) +++.

++

2, replacement pleather pads from ebay user wang_yifei (soft pleather, flat profile) - almost perfect, better (tight) bass than no.1. Unfortunately its middle frequencies sound weird in comparison to stock pads (no.1), but if you do not have those for comparison, you may not even notice it. Space is as exceptional and imaging as precise as no.1. Sound is a little warmer and also more sharp than no.1. Quality of highs +++, amount of highs +++, quality of mids ++ /a little too tin can sounding/, quality of bass +++, amount of bass ++, quality of space +++, technical excellence +++.

3, replacement Sennheiser HD560 Ovation / Ovation II Earpads (Black) from Audio Sanctuary (velour) - softer sounding, near to perfection. One could argue that timbre is better with this softer kind of sound. Definitelly more relaxed and less sharp. Quality of highs ++, amount of highs ++, quality of mids +++, quality of bass ++ (softer), amount of bass +++, quality of space ++, technical excellence ++ (softness takes half of this perfection away, but there is still enough of it for you to enjoy).

+

4, replacement Brainwavz memory foam pads. Oval. (thick pleather, tall profile) - more bass, too much (it muddens the sound). Main problem of it is, that it does not have that natural sound that most of us love with HD540. Space and imaging is also broken (mediocre). Could be good choice for modern music. Quality of highs ++, amount of highs +++, quality of mids ++, quality of bass ++, amount of bass ++++, quality of space +. technical excellence ++ (hidden).

5, stock pads from HD250 linear II - (soft pleather, tall profile) - natural sound, but too dull for my taste. Space and imaging is mediocre, hint of dullness muddens space and timbre. If you like a little more bass and also want a little compromise in natural sound character, this could be your choice. But it sounds too dull to me. Quality of highs ++, amount of highs ++, quality of mids +++, quality of bass ++, amount of bass +++, quality of space ++. technical excellence + (dullness kills most of it).

6, replacement Sennheiser HD430 ear pads. Colour: Black. (soft pleather, medium to flat profile) - very clean, almost bright as it lacks bass, but otherwise sound is perfect. Space and imaging is a tiny bit behind that of wang_yifei's pleather pads. Too bass light. Quality of highs +++, amount of highs +++, quality of mids +++, quality of bass +++, amount of bass +, quality of space ++, technical excellence + (it is clean, but because it lacks bass it cannot show muscles).

-

reserved for mediocre pads

1 (destroyed), glue bit of pleather to the front part of the pad. The glue kills it. Before it was glued and only placed on the front, it sounded well - maybe better than original. High amount of glue made it sound too bright. If you want to try this mode, stitch the pleather ring to the pad instead. And do not use too wide ring. Use as narrow ring as it was originally narrow.

--

7, (added 3.1. 2019) Brainwavz hybrid pads (thick pleather on sides and velour top, tall profile) - their tonality is even bassier then Brainwavz memory foam pads (4), and at the same time their sound is muddier than any pads in the test so far (from no. 1 to no.6). They just destroy everything that these headphones do well. Quality of highs -, amount of highs +, quality of mids +, quality of bass - (soft and muddy), amount of bass ++++, quality of space ++, technical excellence - (muddy).

---

reserved for worst ever pads

Pads No. 1 (destroyed), pads no. 2 (enhanced) and pads no.6 (enhanced) added.

Best pads so far found - use pad no.2 with additional foam ring with Chord Mojo or pad no.6 with additional foam ring for tube amps / R2R.

To get 2 foam rings buy cheap pads, open them and cut one of them horizontally in half or so, then follow instructions above.

 

[dakanao]

Pads No. 1 (destroyed), pads no. 2 (enhanced) and pads no.6 (enhanced) added.

Best pads so far found - use pad no.2 with additional foam ring with Chord Mojo or pad no.6 with additional foam ring for tube amps / R2R.

To get 2 foam rings buy cheap pads, open them and cut one of them horizontally in half or so, then follow instructions above.

Is it okay to use foam from the old stock earpads as a ring?