[meatroll]

Someguy selling HD540 for 110$,he said it's 600ohm version,so it's ref 1 or ref 2 and how im i check it ?
Thank everyone

 

[ArChaos]

Someguy selling HD540 for 110$,he said it's 600ohm version,so it's ref 1 or ref 2 and how im i check it ?
Thank everyone

600 Ohm should be Ref.I_ all ref II are 300 Ohm. Which version of ref.I is another story...
Anyways, you could also ask for pics, Ref.II look a bit different, the headband has "sennheiser" name and logo printed near the cups connection ends, the suspension headband is a bit different, and the cups have "reference II" printed on them.

 

[meatroll]

600 Ohm should be Ref.I_ all ref II are 300 Ohm. Which version of ref.I is another story...
Anyways, you could also ask for pics, Ref.II look a bit different, the headband has "sennheiser" name and logo printed near the cups connection ends, the suspension headband is a bit different, and the cups have "reference II" printed on them.

Thank you ,i got it yesterday and it's really 600ohms version

 

[meatroll]

I'll write a little compare my new hd540 with hd560 soon as i can
Hope my bad english not ruin it

 

[ArChaos]

I'll write a little compare my new hd540 with hd560 soon as i can
Hope my bad english not ruin it

Great. I'm waiting for this quite a long time...
Don't worry about your English - we're a headphones' site, not a language/grammar check one...

 

[meatroll]

8-90s Reference brothers

:

 

[ProLoL]

Does anyone shares a black driver HD540 like mine?

 

[Stfagos]

Hi, I'm aware this is hijacking the thread a little, but I'm asking here because you guys clearly know how to get beautiful sounding audio for not that much money. Does anyone have any particular recommendations of second hand speakers, in a way like the 540s, that are hidden gems from the past that still sound incredible now. Appreciate the advice! And sorry again that it's off-topic.

 

[ArChaos]

Does anyone shares a black driver HD540 like mine?

No, but my 250's Linear I are the black driver version.

 

[ProLoL]

Hi, I'm aware this is hijacking the thread a little, but I'm asking here because you guys clearly know how to get beautiful sounding audio for not that much money. Does anyone have any particular recommendations of second hand speakers, in a way like the 540s, that are hidden gems from the past that still sound incredible now. Appreciate the advice! And sorry again that it's off-topic.

Absolutely, JBL Studio 530 which recently came back to production over almost 10 years only because what a gem they're.

 

[Stfagos]

Absolutely, JBL Studio 530 which recently came back to production over almost 10 years only because what a gem they're.

Thanks a lot, I'll check these out. I was intending to buy second hand. But if they're awesome for the price, then they are definitely worth considering.

 

[T 1000]

Hello everyone in the club.
I have headphones that were with ChaptainFantastic.
I bought them because I was attracted by nostalgia, in fact mine were 540 HD references.
On the second thread I stated that their sound is more impressive than HD 700 and HE 560, ... later I regretted saying that thinking that it was my first love, and as such it is the most impressive.
When I got them and connected them to the Marantz HD DAC 1 they sounded kind of muted, I thought .. no problem I'm glad to have them .... the next day I plugged them in again and ... that was the sound I remember.
I compared them alternately with the HE 560, which has heavier bass and more power and speed, but lags behind the HD 540 gold reference in more sound qualities; sound stage, precise placement of instruments in space, musicality, ...
I intended to buy used headphones for the price of 1k ... now I don't have that desire anymore.
It's amazing how good sound can be bought these days for little money.
I wonder in which direction the headphone technology has gone in the last 30 years?
I noticed that they need a little time on high gain to shine.

 

[sennsay]

Hi, I'm aware this is hijacking the thread a little, but I'm asking here because you guys clearly know how to get beautiful sounding audio for not that much money. Does anyone have any particular recommendations of second hand speakers, in a way like the 540s, that are hidden gems from the past that still sound incredible now. Appreciate the advice! And sorry again that it's off-topic.

For this occasion, ok I picked up a pair of 1968 Sansui SP-300 speakers in a whole set-up ridiculously cheap, sold off the rest of the gear and kept the Sansui's, they are stunning! Horn mids and tweeters that don't yell or peaky-shrieky at me, extremely efficient and heavy at 36kg each cabinet. They remind me of the way the Senn HD540 Ref1s communicate music so effortlessly, superbly detailed no matter what's going on. Pure gems, they are not going anywhere! I've owned supposedly classier speakers - many many times the price I paid for these Sansui's - but none that do quite what the SP-300s do overall. Everyone who hears them loves them for their service to the rhythm, timing and communicative flow. They are rare here in Australia, but can be found in the US etc more often. Just a few quality watts will easily fill a moderately large room, the horns loading the very air around them in ways that evade more directly radiating drivers, addictive! They actually remind me of the Ref1s for those very qualities. That's my bit
PS A friend of mine has a rebuild pair of these and relates how they destroyed a pair of JBL-L100s and another set of JBL speakers, L4100's? Something like that. He had no problem at all moving the JBLs on.

 

[Stfagos]

For this occasion, ok I picked up a pair of 1968 Sansui SP-300 speakers in a whole set-up ridiculously cheap, sold off the rest of the gear and kept the Sansui's, they are stunning! Horn mids and tweeters that don't yell or peaky-shrieky at me, extremely efficient and heavy at 36kg each cabinet. They remind me of the way the Senn HD540 Ref1s communicate music so effortlessly, superbly detailed no matter what's going on. Pure gems, they are not going anywhere! I've owned supposedly classier speakers - many many times the price I paid for these Sansui's - but none that do quite what the SP-300s do overall. Everyone who hears them loves them for their service to the rhythm, timing and communicative flow. They are rare here in Australia, but can be found in the US etc more often. Just a few quality watts will easily fill a moderately large room, the horns loading the very air around them in ways that evade more directly radiating drivers, addictive! They actually remind me of the Ref1s for those very qualities. That's my bit
PS A friend of mine has a rebuild pair of these and relates how they destroyed a pair of JBL-L100s and another set of JBL speakers, L4100's? Something like that. He had no problem at all moving the JBLs on.

Thanks so much. The SP-300s look absolutely beautiful. I'll definitely keep a look out for them. I can only find the SP-200s online here in the States currently, but the 300s definitely look like one for my bucket list. Much appreciated and sorry for the detour! I'm such a big HD540 fan, so asking this community seemed to make the most sense, as the desire for an effortless clarity is something that is clearly understood here.

 

[sennsay]

Thanks so much. The SP-300s look absolutely beautiful. I'll definitely keep a look out for them. I can only find the SP-200s online here in the States currently, but the 300s definitely look like one for my bucket list. Much appreciated and sorry for the detour! I'm such a big HD540 fan, so asking this community seemed to make the most sense, as the desire for an effortless clarity is something that is clearly understood here.

Heh heh, I've been listening to both over the last few days, they definitely have that effortless communication in common. The Sansui's convert a small signal to sound so easily that once heard at such a low level of distortion, you can sit right in front of them even though the room is filled with music, no strain. If anything, the Ref1s are much fussier about the impedance output of the amp driving them, but when got right ... they've just got it! I ran my QP1R via an AQ Evergreen cable into a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 hybrid preamp I've recently serviced, via the pure silver Slinkylinks into a hotrodded h/p amp and just listened to a whole Joan Armatrading concert enraptured. Completely immersed in the space of the venue. Although the HifiMAN HE400S might be more finely detailed and super focused, there is still the sense of listening TO headphones, not having them removed from the picture as with the Ref1s, which just seem to vanish. The HE400S also compress the stage in height to between the top and bottom of the pads with some extension above - it varies a little depending on amplification, the Ref1s just open right up and have no such limitations, with bass notes appearing to come from below chin level on some recordings, opening the sound stage down and occasionally appearing to creep behind my ears a tad. Not all recordings are anything like that good though, but the Refs will do it. It makes listening 'effortless', immersive and fully present. The Sansui SP300s, despite their lower floor height compared to a modern floor stander, can also through the finest information from behind and above the speakers, whilst filling a room so easily. It's the horn mid and treble drivers that load the air so easily - like a live concert, the lower model Sansui's are loved too, but often have multiple cone mids and tweeters, I couldn't go back there now. It's this coherence that aligns the Ref 1s and SP300s in a similar experience.