[stratocaster]

HD560 Ovation I,  waterfall plots:
 

 
 

 

[vid]

Looks like decent decay. I'm guessing you may have a fluorescent lamp on where you're doing the measurements.
 
But I'm disappointed there was no EQ that I asked for. Let me get it done myself (again) and I'm sure a few more observant folks get it:
 
1. Bad-quality earbuds

 
2. Better-quality earbuds

 
3. Bad-quality earbuds from 1 EQd to match better-quality earbuds from 2

 
The same applies to modding old headphones, even if the most handy graphs I had were of earbuds. That is, where sound quality can be improved by putting felt in front of the driver, the same improvement is had by EQing, with the exception that EQ is non-invasive and more accurate than stuffing something in the cup.
 
This also ties in with the discussion of the innateness of hifi, since to argue for it, someone would have to show there to be a difference between the fast decay and neutral-ish response of the higher-quality buds and the equally fast decay and neutrality of the EQd - formerly bad-quality - buds, or to define hifi in a way that either downplays or doesn't include these features.

 

[Hairspray]

For anyone who cares about my opinion, I personally believe that a significant majority of modern "high-end"  headphones are not high fidelity at all. They are nothing more than a joke; one that is simply not funny. In fact, most people's perception of what high fidelity actually sounds like are incredibly distorted as they haven't been taught correctly or have misunderstood. I have had to wade through so much misinformative crap in order to find the truth. It's taken me about 4 years of obsession with headphones and hi-fi to finally glimpse the real truth.

A vast majority of today's "hi-fi", considering the science that is now available, is nothing more than a scam. The truth hurts... but there it is.

^^^ agree ^^^


...

 

[Hairspray]

​

The revelation for me was that it wasn't me who was dependent on this or that headphone being hifi, it was the existence of hifi that was dependent on me.

That's almost analytical philosophy
Anyway, that made my day, and i agree
...

 

[pkshan]

  For anyone who cares about my opinion, I personally believe that a significant majority of modern "high-end"  headphones are not high fidelity at all. They are nothing more than a joke; one that is simply not funny. In fact, most people's perception of what high fidelity actually sounds like are incredibly distorted as they haven't been taught correctly or have misunderstood. I have had to wade through so much misinformative crap in order to find the truth. It's taken me about 4 years of obsession with headphones and hi-fi to finally glimpse the real truth.
 
A vast majority of today's "hi-fi", considering the science that is now available, is nothing more than a scam. The truth hurts... but there it is.
 

 
I did some comparison on a HDVD800
my early production HD540 gold(#1xxx) have better resolution than the HD800s
540 golds are clearer & cleaner, and are much more musical than the 800s
 
Axel grell said "A lot of Sennheiser employees are DJs, musicians, sound engineers."
So just like the music, 80-90's music quality is way way better than nowadays
 
The musicians & engineers from that era were much more talented,serious than it is now
 
I've heard the Orpheus too, they are very good, sound very real & natural,
and I didn't found my HD540 gold's are bad when compared to Orpheus directly
acturally the 540 golds are unbelievably good! the 540 golds sound even more gorgeous than the Orpheus
(the Orpheus sound a little veiled & dull, maybe the condition of the HEV90 was not very good)

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

There is a lot of incredibly composed and produced music these days; you just have to go out and find it. Most of my favourite music has been produced within the last 20 years.
 
When I compared HD800 and HD540II, I actually dared to call the HD800 "veiled" in direct comparison. I felt the HD800 was slightly dull and out of focus with the music in comparison however the HD800 has slightly more audible microdetail, a larger projected stereo image,  more audible low bass extension and more powerful bass impact; all due to larger driver. HD540II seems a bit bass-light when I go back to it but that is because it has a linear bass response with a much small driver.
 
I shall have to get a Ref Gold to see what all the fuss is about. When I compared my Ref I 600 Ohm to my Ref II, I just couldn't tell them apart... They sound virtually identical and I couldn't decide on my preference. I used equivalent parts with both.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

If an electrostatic headphone seems to sound "dull" or "veiled" then it's probably because it hasn't been calibrated for a transparent, non-signature frequency response or maybe because it isn't faithful to phase? Or perhaps the tubes used with it have gone past their optimum, adding signature to the signal? The electrostatic technology itself is capable of improved sound fidelity when compared to the dome driver of the HD540.
 
IMO, the strength of the HD540 is its simply excellent calibration, which probably makes it a better performer than many electrostatic headphones.

 

[Halfabee]

I just rediscovered how good a headphone can sound and have been bargain hunting online for a few weeks. Keeping it low-budget, really. After reading some of the praise from this thread I managed to snatch up an old HD 540-2 which was "just missing a felt cover and one driver stopped working, maybe a loose connection inside" according to the previous owner. Sure enough, through the missing foam/felt back cover you could see one of the tiny gold wires hanging off to the side.
 
Once I opened it up I found this: http://imgur.com/8f8bLLv
 
The other side seems and sounds okay. It really is quite difficult to hear with just one driver to your ear, but the sound seems pretty well defined. Opened it up (back felt is very fragile there too) and inspected the driver. Just a single hair to remove but no visible flaws. I figure someone mishandled something and put it through the cover and against the broken driver somehow. I have no idea how that could have happened. Either way, the little wire is broken and the other end is somewhere underneath that ruined bump.
 
I know you guys are serious experts and I'd really love to hear what you're so enthusiastic about. I realise some of you are restoring old ones and looking for parts, but I'm really wondering how much chance I have of getting this thing to work myself. Are drivers like these replaceable? Is the back foam/felt something that can be found or recreated?
 
Thanks

 

[Hairspray]

  I just rediscovered how good a headphone can sound and have been bargain hunting online for a few weeks. Keeping it low-budget, really. After reading some of the praise from this thread I managed to snatch up an old HD 540-2 which was "just missing a felt cover and one driver stopped working, maybe a loose connection inside" according to the previous owner. Sure enough, through the missing foam/felt back cover you could see one of the tiny gold wires hanging off to the side.
 
Once I opened it up I found this: http://imgur.com/8f8bLLv
 
The other side seems and sounds okay. It really is quite difficult to hear with just one driver to your ear, but the sound seems pretty well defined. Opened it up (back felt is very fragile there too) and inspected the driver. Just a single hair to remove but no visible flaws. I figure someone mishandled something and put it through the cover and against the broken driver somehow. I have no idea how that could have happened. Either way, the little wire is broken and the other end is somewhere underneath that ruined bump.
 
I know you guys are serious experts and I'd really love to hear what you're so enthusiastic about. I realise some of you are restoring old ones and looking for parts, but I'm really wondering how much chance I have of getting this thing to work myself. Are drivers like these replaceable? Is the back foam/felt something that can be found or recreated?
 
Thanks

 
Hi Halfabee, welcome!
Sorry to read about that...
But we have... o0CosmoMemory0o, THE Sennheiser 540 expert.
He is always ready to help others.
So just drop him a PM.
And, if possible, give us a feedback.
..

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Looking at that image you linked us to, one of the hair-like connection wires is missing/severed and the driver diaphragm also looks ruined with that large dent in the surface.

Hopefully you didn't pay too much for the headphone and hopefully the other driver works flawlessly? If you have one good driver, I would wait for another broken HD540II to come up on ebay with one working driver. The HD540II appears to have received a consistent controlled quality in its manufacture and are all 300 Ohm impedance so even drivers with different codes/appearance should be a very good sonic match. I made one operational HD540II from two broken pairs and it sounds just as good as my best ones.

 

[Halfabee]

Thanks for the quick responses! This restores some of my hope of at least finding a replacement driver. I was worried old drivers like these would have big differences in acoustics in a batch. Looking at the pictures of disassembled drivers a few pages back the broken driver is truely gone. I can try to dig into it a bit more since it's ruined already, but you're probably right that the voice coil wires are completely unrestorable even if I do manage to somehow undent the diaphragm.
 
I didn't pay too much, fortunately, but guess I'll keep on hunting. The HD 540 Gold isn't the same driver and just a fancy color scheme, I assume?

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I haven't yet heard a Ref Gold but it appears to share the same physical design as Ref I/II so I'd imagine that it probably sounds pretty much the same unless they gave the drivers different calibration? The Ref Gold drivers are "matched" but other than that seem to just be a repackaged HD540 I/II with some extra "luxury".
 
I have only been recommending the Ref II to other people because I'm much more confident that it gives consistent sound quality across production batches (I have about 14 HD540IIs and they seem to all be able to perform equally well). The Ref I, on the other hand, seems less consistent in my experience so it may be pot luck as to whether you get a good one or a great one. My one remaining Ref I sounds just as good as my Ref IIs whilst the two other Ref Is I had before sounded a bit dull and a bit off. I would hope that the Ref Gold has the same consistency as the Ref II but because of limited edition status (etc), you will likely find yourself paying quite a lot more for it.
 
I have been trialing the well-regarded HD800 against the HD540II and whilst the HD800 does beat it in most areas, the HD540II is still the headphone that I go to when I just want to enjoy music. HD800 driver is superior but there seems to be something slightly wrong with the way it is calibrated... Sounds slightly out of focus or out of phase. Maybe it's just me... but I'll stick with the HD540II for its purity. For an even more open and spatial experience than both of these headphones, I get out the AKG K1000.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I have just bought an excellent condition Ref I, as I've decided to give it another chance. Hopefully it'll sound as good as all of my Ref IIs. Spin the roulette wheel once again...

 

[pkshan]

  I have just bought an excellent condition Ref I, as I've decided to give it another chance. Hopefully it'll sound as good as all of my Ref IIs. Spin the roulette wheel once again...

540I's have better micro details & focus than II
some 540's need a lot of time to break in.
 
my previous HD540 gold 600ohm sound like a K140m ,sounded warm,thick and dirty.
after 3000 hours break-in, they sound similar to my 540gold 300ohm, a little thin,crystal clear,highs are smoother than 300ohm

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

It won't be a complete tragedy if it is another mediocre Ref I when I listen to it. If that's the case, I will just swap its drivers into used Ref II parts and sell it on for a low amount whilst the Ref II drivers will go into the Ref I housing so I have a resulting headphone that both looks new and sounds amazing.