Fearless1
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2011
- Posts
- 2,133
- Likes
- 300
No one on earth would read that wall of text "several times".
Answer his question please (under 500 words or less), you have me curious as well.
Wow! Sennheiser HD 540 Reference are so good.
- Thread starter Hairspray
- Start date
No one on earth would read that wall of text "several times".
Answer his question please (under 500 words or less), you have me curious as well.
GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
o0CosmoMemory0o
100+ Head-Fier
If you want to hear the HD540II at its best, connect it to a Graham Slee Solo or Bitzie, after performing the other physical alterations I suggested. Slee's reference headphone is the HD250II, which is a closed-back version of the 540 model. Many of their parts are interchangeable as their core designs are very similar and are both 300 Ohms. Both sound very similar from Slee amps. I have listened to about sixteen different HD540II and they were pretty consistent once carefully set up and once used enough. Their bass is well extended and transparent but lacks weighting (driver just can't move enough air in the open design...) and the HD800 bass weighting is a massive improvement. I would still term the 540II as "neutral" though as the tonal accuracy is correct and if set up properly doesn't emphasize any frequency region IMO. The bass has inadequate oomph compared to HD800 et al though, even when fully amped but this does not affect its superb tonality. AKG K1000 is the only headphone I've used whose sound I consider to beat the HD540II without any compromise.
GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
No offence, but you've mentioned this over 5 times in the entire thread already.
I do however appreciate you chiming in and everything you've contributed to the thread for HD540 fans over the years and your clear passion for quality sound/headphones.
o0CosmoMemory0o
100+ Head-Fier
Ha ha, yeah, you're right. I have repeated this stuff so many times now. I mainly do it for new readers, so they don't have to go back dozen of pages in the thread to read my thoughts. It also shows that my views have remained quite consistent over time because I do genuinely believe in what I have been saying and describing in my own comparisons. Thanks for noticing my parrot antics.
coolhand
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2008
- Posts
- 76
- Likes
- 161
Absolutely fair enough GREQ, not everybody shares my thirst for knowledge in subjects of interest to them, and not learning all the science behind headphones and amplifiers shouldn't get in the way of musical enjoyment.
I don't 'feel special' about my technical knowledge or more often lack of it... which is why I have made a point to read & mostly quote from others and link to their pages in my responses, people whom I greatly respect for having shared their time & valuable information by making it freely available on the internet to be accessed by curious others.
I like to discuss stuff with like minded people, that's how figure most people also naturally interact in life outside of online forums, expanding their consciousness and enjoying life
Previously I made it clear that there are no miracles, no magic amps or headphones for that matter... in fact absolutely everything in life is the result of an interaction.
The notes I posted above clearly inform an even vaguely interested reader of several things most pertinent to this discussion (and so lets see if I can fit this in less than 500 words
:"Higher impedance headphones (150Ω to 600Ω), also depending on the rise of the impedance in certain areas again may sound better on higher output resistance amps"
"High impedance headphones are designed to be used with higher voltage amplifiers"
"High voltage amps can drive high and low impedance headphones with a series resistor.."
"The T1 was definitely designed for a higher Ohmic amp, The HD800 also benefits and this explains also why some find the HD800 lacking in lows and others have no complaints.
In many regards the HD540 is not entirely dissimilar to the HD800 and so the above is a highly relevant observation....
If I am to presume that you have an even slight interest in making the most of these headphones, I may also take the liberty to presume that you are aware that they are of a higher impedance type and are 300 or 600 ohm... and thus having read the above you may begin to understand that in order to sound their potential best, the HD540 requires both:
-An amp which can swing a lot of voltage
-An amp with a relatively high output resistance
The vast majority of specific 'headphone amps' on the market regardless of cost or complexity do not have both of these characteristics together, in fact it's extremely rare.
One reason why is because the vast majority of headphones on the market are far lower impedance types and the other reason goes hand in hand with these lower impedance types, that is high output resistance amps will make most low impedance headphones sound lousy, with very pronounced deviations in acoustic response.... for instance boomy bass and peaky highs.
It's also a generalised attitude by amplifer designers that the best sounding amps have the lowest output resistance, and indeed this holds true for a large majority of cases, but not all.
The HD540 is a case in point, (although there are numerous others such as the T1 and the AKG701 etc...)
Actually the 600 ohm HD540 is the better sounding version for reasons which I wont elaborate upon here, and it further exemplifies the point.
SO THEN, EXACTLY WHAT PHARKING AMP IS BEST FOR THEM ALREADY ????????????????????????????????
GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
Absolutely fair enough GREQ, not everybody shares my thirst for knowledge in subjects of interest to them, and not learning all the science behind headphones and amplifiers shouldn't get in the way of musical enjoyment.
I don't 'feel special' about my technical knowledge or more often lack of it... which is why I have made a point to read & mostly quote from others and link to their pages in my responses, people whom I greatly respect for having shared their time & valuable information by making it freely available on the internet to be accessed by curious others.
I like to discuss stuff with like minded people, that's how figure most people also naturally interact in life outside of online forums, expanding their consciousness and enjoying life
Previously I made it clear that there are no miracles, no magic amps or headphones for that matter... in fact absolutely everything in life is the result of an interaction.
The notes I posted above clearly inform an even vaguely interested reader of several things most pertinent to this discussion (and so lets see if I can fit this in less than 500 words
"Higher impedance headphones (150Ω to 600Ω), also depending on the rise of the impedance in certain areas again may sound better on higher output resistance amps"
"High impedance headphones are designed to be used with higher voltage amplifiers"
"High voltage amps can drive high and low impedance headphones with a series resistor.."
"The T1 was definitely designed for a higher Ohmic amp, The HD800 also benefits and this explains also why some find the HD800 lacking in lows and others have no complaints.
In many regards the HD540 is not entirely dissimilar to the HD800 and so the above is a highly relevant observation....
If I am to presume that you have an even slight interest in making the most of these headphones, I may also take the liberty to presume that you are aware that they are of a higher impedance type and are 300 or 600 ohm... and thus having read the above you may begin to understand that in order to sound their potential best, the HD540 requires both:
-An amp which can swing a lot of voltage
-An amp with a relatively high output resistance
The vast majority of specific 'headphone amps' on the market regardless of cost or complexity do not have both of these characteristics together, in fact it's extremely rare.
One reason why is because the vast majority of headphones on the market are far lower impedance types and the other reason goes hand in hand with these lower impedance types, that is high output resistance amps will make most low impedance headphones sound lousy, with very pronounced deviations in acoustic response.... for instance boomy bass and peaky highs.
It's also a generalised attitude by amplifer designers that the best sounding amps have the lowest output resistance, and indeed this holds true for a large majority of cases, but not all.
The HD540 is a case in point, (although there are numerous others such as the T1 and the AKG701 etc...)
Actually the 600 ohm HD540 is the better sounding version for reasons which I wont elaborate upon here, and it further exemplifies the point.
SO THEN, EXACTLY WHAT PHARKING AMP IS BEST FOR THEM ALREADY ????????????????????????????????
Please take your discussion here - http://www.head-fi.org/f/133/sound-science
I'm done.
nick n
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Posts
- 5,317
- Likes
- 1,734
Hey GREQ ,
Just go put a large amount of the Twaron Angel Hair in there, it'll drop out some highs, and lift the low end. Yeah even if it is open back.
Unless you tried that. ( but may need lots )
pad opening may be too large also, if there is some way of reducing that just to where the airy part starts dropping out, but AH will compensate.
That's my theory anyhow. Got a mental transmission just now about that from the future where you've already posted back with results.
Just go put a large amount of the Twaron Angel Hair in there, it'll drop out some highs, and lift the low end. Yeah even if it is open back.
Unless you tried that. ( but may need lots )
pad opening may be too large also, if there is some way of reducing that just to where the airy part starts dropping out, but AH will compensate.
That's my theory anyhow. Got a mental transmission just now about that from the future where you've already posted back with results.
DangerClose
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2013
- Posts
- 653
- Likes
- 89
GREQ
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks guy.. you're like some sort of personal headphone guardian angel.
No I havn't actually tried putting anything behind the driver yet, all the funs were had ear-side. I'll get on to it after work, sounds interesting.
I would guess that reducing the pad size ear-side will interfere with the airiness and soundstage, but there's no harm in trying.
lucianpescaru
100+ Head-Fier
Anyone interested in a 540 reference II in very good condition? http://www.head-fi.org/t/821064/sennheiser-hd540-reference-ii-as-new-not-hd560-hd580-hd600 EU/UK only.
I recommend using very thick angled ear pads on the HD540/530 headphones, it really transformed mine from mid-fi to hifi. Try this: angle your stock headphones just with your hands while playing music just to get a taste of what you get. God bless.
Self-made (actually an amazing woman did them).
Users who are viewing this thread
