[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I shall have to investigate the HD530 as I keep hearing good things about it. I could sell a HD560II to fund a 530 purchase. Should be interesting if HD250 pads fit it perfectly as this would imply that HD540II velours will fit with no problem.

 

[VISAVIS-GER]

Thats what I did. I sold my Sennheiser HD 560 Ovation on Ebay for 200€ a month ago and bought instead of the HD 540 II and HD 530 II and there is still some money left. So it was a good deal I think. The HD 560 Ovation is somehow overhyped in Germany and everyone is paying a lot for them.
 
The HD 530 II is from the sound aspect (not the wearing comfort) the better headphone in my opinion. But I still dont know where I should rank the HD 540 II....maybe the HD 250 leather pads were not a good choice fo replacing the old velour? What about the HD 430 Pads, cause they are even cheaper and look the same?

 

[Hairspray]

Thats what I did. I sold my Sennheiser HD 560 Ovation on Ebay for 200€ a month ago and bought instead of the HD 540 II and HD 530 II and there is still some money left. So it was a good deal I think. The HD 560 Ovation is somehow overhyped in Germany and everyone is paying a lot for them.

The HD 530 II is from the sound aspect (not the wearing comfort) the better headphone in my opinion. But I still dont know where I should rank the HD 540 II....maybe the HD 250 leather pads were not a good choice fo replacing the old velour? What about the HD 430 Pads, cause they are even cheaper and look the same?

IMO, the HD 430 pads are a kind of compromise between 540 velour and 250 Linear.
I use them with my Ref II since the original velour are done: way to shallow, ruin the soundstage and makes the mids sound shouty. Plus, they are dirty and uncomfortable.
HD 430 are thinner than 250 but more than 540 velours. Excellent for the price.
250 are OVERPRICED

 

[VISAVIS-GER]

Thats an interesting point, because I have also try to wash my old HD 540 II velour pads. I mean now they are very clean , but they are still so flat and uncomfortable that you cant use them for over 30 minutes without hurting your ears. I am also not satisfied with the sound and that was the reason why I decide to look for replacement. So there is only the option between HD 430 and HD 250 pads.
 
The quality and the wearing comfort on the HD 250 earpad is awesome, but the sound imaging doesnt fit my expectations, so I guess the material is to thick. The HD 530 leather pads are much thinner but still sound better to me (on the HD 530), so I hope the HD 430 pads are somehow comparable to these.
 
I still can not believe that my HD 530 II sounding better to me, so I try to bring the HD 540 II on the same level, cause the looking, wearing and haptic is much better on these. So its worth a last try.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

The HD560II sounds very good but the stereo image it presents is less natural than both HD540 I & II that I have here. I'm still trying to decide which HD540 sounds better but now they're both being judged with equal variables, they're neck and neck in performance now. The HD530 is going to have to be something extraordinary to match or beat these HD540s that I have.

 

[Mjolnir125]

IMO, the HD 430 pads are a kind of compromise between 540 velour and 250 Linear.
I use them with my Ref II since the original velour are done: way to shallow, ruin the soundstage and makes the mids sound shouty. Plus, they are dirty and uncomfortable.
HD 430 are thinner than 250 but more than 540 velours. Excellent for the price.
250 are OVERPRICED

It is sort of unclear from your post; are you saying the HD430 pads ruin the soundstage or the hd250 pads do? How well do the HD430 pads fit on the reference II's?

 

[VISAVIS-GER]

I think he means that the HD 250 Pads ruin the sound character of the HD 540 Ref. II. Thats also something that I have discovered. So I would not recommend these, cause the Pleather on them is to stiff and to thick, so that the sound waves cant pass through them when compared to the original velour pads.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

  I think he means that the HD 250 Pads ruin the sound character of the HD 540 Ref. II. Thats also something that I have discovered. So I would not recommend these, cause the Pleather on them is to stiff and to thick, so that the sound waves cant pass through them when compared to the original velour pads.

Yes, I also agree that the HD250 pleather pads negatively affect the performance of the HD540II; I did my own listening tests and the difference was significant. Sound waves cannot pass through the pleather material (they can only go around them) like they can with the original velour material, confining the sound image and introducing reflections/diffraction.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Conversely, I used a HD250 Linear I headphone with HD540II velour earpads instead of pleather pads and the performance improved IMO. Any tendency for low bass resonance disappeared, the bass quantity became more controlled and I personally felt that the performance became more enjoyable, with a more even frequency presentation.

 

[vid]

The HD 530 (not II) to me sounded very similar to the K 701. The K 701 were a bit brighter and the soundstage was a bit larger; I preferred the 530. Paid 25 euros vs. 200 for the 701, which I sent back - that said, I think it was the 701 that were overpriced rather than the 530 being underpriced.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I can get two HD560IIs sold soon then investigate the HD530 I/II briefly before I move on to trying the AKG K1000.
 
In the future, I could do a side-by-side comparison of something like:
 
HD530II VS HD540I 600 Ohm VS HD540II VS HD560II VS AKG K1000

 

[VISAVIS-GER]

So can someone tell me the difference between the Sennheiser HD 530 I and II?  Maybe the drivers are the same and only the housings have some minor changes? The housing of the HD 530 II is very low quality in my opinion. They have used silver colored plastic rings to stabilize the thin housings.
 
As I have seen on the pictures, the HD 530 I seems to make a better quality impression. But how does the sound compare?

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Here's the II.
 
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/345498/Sennheiser-Hd-530-Ii.html?page=2#manual

 

[VISAVIS-GER]

This will tell me what? Nothing  !

 

[Mjolnir125]

 
Yes, I also agree that the HD250 pleather pads negatively affect the performance of the HD540II; I did my own listening tests and the difference was significant. Sound waves cannot pass through the pleather material (they can only go around them) like they can with the original velour material, confining the sound image and introducing reflections/diffraction.

That isn't entirely accurate; while the smooth pleather pads probably have a higher reflection coefficient for sound waves, they aren't going to reflect ALL the sound; some is going to be transmitted as vibrations in the pads. Velour pads, with their "rougher" surface probably absorb more sound waves without reflection similar to how an anechoic chamber works.
 
 
It seems like the genuine HD430 pads are available easily for around 20 bucks; can someone confirm that the mounting ring is physicallly the same size as the one in the HD540 II? I know the HD 560 has velour pads, but apparently they use a smaller mounting ring so don't fit without modification.
 
Also I wouldn't say the AKG K70x are overpriced... I suppose that would depend what you paid for them, but I got a pair of K702s for $190 (new) and they are dramatically better than other headphones I have used in that price range. Granted these were mostly closed headphones, but I still don't feel they are overpriced. Perhaps at $350 they are.