[moriez]

Ah ok, not yet. D200 is a fine piece. I can tell you that.
 
Btw, you didn't know that 540 II's are total crap? We have been saying it over and over. Just look back a few pages
Kidding aside, I needed the money for another purchase and I have the 540 Gold which will serve me well for the moment.

 

[vid]

  I now need to buy a HD530, HD540g, HD430 a Unipolar 2000 and a HD800 to compare with my HD540 II

 
The Unipolar are not recommended unless looking to mod, and the mods are a fair bit more involved than swapping pads etc.

 

[TominJapan]

Aren't the Unipolars cables to be connected to the amp speaker out ?

 

[vid]

Need a speaker amp and the HER 2000.

 

[pkshan]

Some 540s sound so different, it's because the 540s need a loooong time to break-in.(2000-3500 hours)
 
I used to own two pairs of hd540 gold, serial #9xxx(600ohm) & #13xxx(300ohm)
The #9xxx had no high frequency,too much mids & bass,sound muddy, like a broken akg k240m
#13xxx sound dull,bland, mid-highs felt cheap.
 
After broken-in they sound almost the same,
crystal clear sound,highs are sweet,gorgeous. a little thin sounding. 
 
540s & 560s both sound like a good electrostatic headphone

 

[vid]

Another way to make headphones sound different before and after is to EQ 5 dB off 2 kHz and to listen to your music for a moment. When the EQ is taken out, it's as if a mysterious force has altered the transducers from how they sounded before toggling the EQ.
 
Maybe the transducers really were altered in some physical way, who knows and who can prove they didn't, but frequency measurements before and after would sure give more info to go on.

 

[moriez]

Is there anyone who bought himself a protective case for the 540? Recommendations?

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I'm not sure Moriez. I'd just put them in a new white ideally-sized cardboard box and leave it as that. XD

I'm not a fan of luxury boxes. I'd rather have a plain box that I could flat-pack when not required. =P


Although...

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/protective-cases/protective-waterproof-cases-small.php

 

[moriez]

I lean towards going simple on it so the cardboard idea isn't crazy. Even something like from roofbox seems silly to spend money on. It's not that I'm putting the headphone away in the basement and to have that type of case on my desk just hurts my eyes. On the other hand, the Gold is in such pristine condition that I should take extra care of it. Maybe I better look at a nice stand.

 

[Mahay]

I did compare the HD800 of a friend with my HD540 reference and HD540 reference II out of my Pioneer SX1250 (link here) and I can say that I have nothing to lose with my HD540 and glad that I didn't fall into purchasing the overpriced HD800. We both thought that if the sound from HD800 worth $1500, then the sound from HD540 should worth more than $1400. I am learning that the best way to enjoy audio is to go vintage. People say vintage phone are old and can die anytime, but I think that this is just BS. They can last for generations, they are built like a tank (better built quality than most of modern headphones). As long as you don't abuse and crank the volume to the maximum all the time (which is actually also valid for any modern headphones), they are your best choice (trust me, you will thank me for that!!!). I have a shure SE535 that I use for outdoor, but the sound is nothing compare to my indoor cans. The shure is my very first expensive purchase and I regret it all but I kept it as reminder. FYI, I was tempted for a long time to upgrade the shure with a custom JH-13 or JH-16 pro, but a friend who sold his JH16 pro discouraged me that it is a waste. I used the money to purchase the SX1250 instead and I thank him for that.  The shure is good but I wasn't that impressed when I compared it to my very very first headphone Sony MDR-G57 that I still use when I do my exercise (that is why I wanted to upgrade).

 

[the Ortherion]

  Is there anyone who bought himself a protective case for the 540? Recommendations?

 
In fact i was thinking about the same for my Ovation II. Sometimes i just want to take them with me to a friends house or something and don't want to push them into a backpack or something. Any recommendations? I've seen the cheap ebay cases but im afraid they will be to soft. What about the Brainwavz case for the HM5? Anyone has tried it yet?
 
 

  I did compare the HD800 of a friend with my HD540 reference and HD540 reference II out of my Pioneer SX1250 (link here) and I can say that I have nothing to lose with my HD540 and glad that I didn't fall into purchasing the overpriced HD800. We both thought that if the sound from HD800 worth $1500, then the sound from HD540 should worth more than $1400. I am learning that the best way to enjoy audio is to go vintage. People say vintage phone are old and can die anytime, but I think that this is just BS. They can last for generations, they are built like a tank (better built quality than most of modern headphones). As long as you don't abuse and crank the volume to the maximum all the time (which is actually also valid for any modern headphones), they are your best choice (trust me, you will thank me for that!!!). I have a shure SE535 that I use for outdoor, but the sound is nothing compare to my indoor cans. The shure is my very first expensive purchase and I regret it all but I kept it as reminder. FYI, I was tempted for a long time to upgrade the shure with a custom JH-13 or JH-16 pro, but a friend who sold his JH16 pro discouraged me that it is a waste. I used the money to purchase the SX1250 instead and I thank him for that.  The shure is good but I wasn't that impressed when I compared it to my very very first headphone Sony MDR-G57 that I still use when I do my exercise (that is why I wanted to upgrade).

 
Thank you for the comparision. Let me ask you one thing. How you like that Pioneer amp? Currently im running my Ovation II from the headphone jack of my macbook and have a BSG Cmoy on the way to me but i was considering a "better" setup since we can buy these vintage amps pretty cheap nowadays. Will i be able to connect my macbook to a vintage receiver like this? Any input (phono,tape,cd in) will accept that connection?
Btw, any cheapish recommendations for a good desktop setup that won't break the bank? lets see about 200usd for both DAC+AMP?

 

[vid]

http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=6762&view=findpost&p=69916
 
There's a guy who very literally compared a HD 540 to a HD 530 and found them for all purposes identical. He's surprised by how loud the HD 540 play even out of cheap sources, supposedly in comparison to the HD 530, so I'm guessing it's a 300-ohm HD 540 vs a 600-ohm HD 530.
 
I already outlined it in the defunct HD 530 thread that there's not a bit of consensus about variation in the HD 530 lineup - just a bunch of conflicting impressions - and even a bit of reading in this thread shows that there's equally no consensus about the HD 540 variants nor about their relation to the HD 530 or the HD 560 - the latter two, by the way, sound almost identical according to certain reviewers, which is a problem since some other reviewers find neither to be as good as the HD 540, yet some others find the HD 540 bested by the HD 530, while yet others will give good word of the HD 560 while shunning the HD 530.

 

[Mahay]

  Thank you for the comparision. Let me ask you one thing. How you like that Pioneer amp? Currently im running my Ovation II from the headphone jack of my macbook and have a BSG Cmoy on the way to me but i was considering a "better" setup since we can buy these vintage amps pretty cheap nowadays. Will i be able to connect my macbook to a vintage receiver like this? Any input (phono,tape,cd in) will accept that connection?
Btw, any cheapish recommendations for a good desktop setup that won't break the bank? lets see about 200usd for both DAC+AMP?

Ortherion,
I looove my pioneer amp. My friend has a Woo WA2 with his HD800, that I actually tried with my HD540, DT990 600ohm and Yamaha YH100. Indeed, the sound signature is different, the sound from the Woo is great with my HD540 and a lot of people swear about tube amp but I personnally prefer the sound out of the pioneer. The pioneer has this non fatiguing warm, smooth and well textured sound. Combined with my HD540, it give me this feel of that's how headphones should really sounds like. First listen, you can feel that it is a very superior amp, well built and it can easily drive any headphone you plug in. That been said, your ovation couldn't be happier if connected with this pioneer. I never tried the ovation, but I heard a good thing about them. Some people say the Ovation is even better than the Ovation II. If you live in Virginia, I wouldn't mind to organize a little meet so we can compare. 
 
Anyway, I believe that this pioneer is one of the best and well engineered vintage receiver ever made. The HD540 and HD800 will blow your mind with this amp. Volume set up at 9 o'clock (not loud at all), and trust me, you don't wanna ask more. With my Koss ESP9, I set the volume between 10 and 11o'clock and that's it. Even though the sound of the ESP9 is far superior, I still prefer the HD540 for some reason. Superior than the HD540 in term of details, but I always find the HD540 more fun to listen to and more comfortable. The ESP9 is a heavy dude and uncomfortable to wear but the sound man!!!! The sound.... My next step is to compare it with stax when someday my budget will allow it and we'll see. That will be my last headphones purchase if I still have to get one but for now I am pretty happy with what I have. I prefer to audition the STAX before I purchase one because I have a feeling that it's not going to be any good as the ESP9.
 
However, if space is an issue and you want to use this receiver for just headphones, then I do not recommend it. This receiver is Huuuge and heavy so be prepared to build space. If you plan to get nice speaker along with it then yes, I would definitely recommend it so you will have complete system.
I never use a DAC but thinking about getting one but I need to do some research. I use my sony CDP X707ES as source or my Laptop (foobar). I connect my laptop to the pioneer respectively via 3.5mm output to RCA at the AUX input and that's it. I don't know about the BSG Cmoy, but directly out of my laptop, the HD540 sounds already great, and with the pioneer, you can feel a big difference. The bass is more present and more structured and you can tell that the headphones are well fed and can show you their potential.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I did compare the HD800 of a friend with my HD540 reference and HD540 reference II out of my Pioneer SX1250 (link here) and I can say that I have nothing to lose with my HD540 and glad that I didn't fall into purchasing the overpriced HD800.

I am learning that the best way to enjoy audio is to go vintage.

My HD540II (and therefore my 600 Ohm Ref.I) are both a match for the HD800, from my listening so far. Not sure whether HD800 imaging is more natural but it certainly had a larger stereo image than the HD540. Not massively but noticeable. This may be due to earpads but I am still looking into this. HD540 (the ones that I have anyway) match the frequency balance and tonal accuracy of the HD800. They may even be more natural but I cannot yet draw such a conclusion.

Be warned that the majority of the hobby of hi-fi is plagued by BS; most of it is a misinformed dogma that is not to be trusted. Money don't mean nothin' and neither does the technology that is marketed. It is the APPLICATION of that technology and the attention to rational engineering that makes the difference. Science must be used to pin down the answers and listening will reveal if the science got it right. Analytical mathematics only tells you so much; you still have to listen to the equipment to verify that the reality supports the theory.

 

[Hairspray]

  my collections
 
 
 
 
 
sound quality: hd540g > hd430 > hd560  (hd560 > grado wooden cans > k812 > hd700 > hd650 = k701)
tonal fidelity: hd430 >= hd540g > hd560 (hd540 ref gold sound a bit too gorgeous, too beautiful,like its name,it really has a golden sound signature)
comfort:hd560 > hd540g > hd430
overall:hd540g > hd560 = hd430
 
all of them are very musical, the most musical dynamic cans I've ever heard
 
and early production is better than the late production, early production has better micro detail,better sound quality
more clear & stable sound image, even more musical.
(early hd540g SQ is better than hd800 & most stax lambdas,someone said the timbre of hd540 ref gold is closest to he90), 

 
wow..! very nice collection...
just two questions:
1) is the 540 Ref I G 600 ohm?
2) are those HD430 pads?
 
Anyway, the popularity of this thread is far beyond my expectations.
Glad so many people care about realism (timbre, imaging, FR transition, coherence, etc.) and not only about "crystal clear treble", "tight punchy mid-bass", "rumbling low bass" and other stuff from the HPs marketing terminology.