[o0CosmoMemory0o]

I'm listening to this track with a 300 Ohm HD540 Reference I (original pads but copper cable) and the sound is addictively pure and in control. There may be limits to the amount of air that the small driver can move for powerful bass reproduction but the linear calibration of its very good bass is just sublime. Beautiful; and it's not even plugged into DAC/amp at the moment. I can enjoy its pure musicality from even mediocre signal sources. That's what music listening is all about; bathing in a breathable ambience and forgetting about hi-fi specifications.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fDYWSvmmt8

 

[the Ortherion]

the soundstage of the HD540 is pretty much stellar when you go balanced

 
How did you go balanced with the HD540? What dac/amp/cable are you using? CAn you post pictures of all the setup?

 

[TominJapan]

How did you go balanced with the HD540? What dac/amp/cable are you using? CAn you post pictures of all the setup?

Pretty simple I bought balanced cables for the HD650 and replaced the original HD540 cable with it. I bought this one for around 40€ here in Shanghai yet with two three pin XLR connectors instead of the 4 pin connector :
http://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Version-balance-ZY-002-2-5M/dp/B00A2QJLY8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413368407&sr=8-1&keywords=Hd650+xlr
And my DAC/amp is a DA8 (has 2 3 pin XLR outputs on the rear panel) that I bought relatively cheap instead of the D200.
Amp of the DA8 is just ok by the way to drive the HD540... But works fine overall. And soundstage is simply stellar

 

[syberbd]

I read that those cables are japan made, so doesn't surprise me that they would be high quality.  I feel like sennheisers are quite good headphones, but the problem often is matching the right cables/adapters to get the sound you prefer out of them.  Those seem reasonable in terms of cost compared to other cables that I've seen.  You didn't have to DIY them at all to get them to fit the hd-540?     Thanks for the link, I find that very interesting.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Hmmm, I've been trying to get my head around the difference between balanced and single-ended interconnects. You'll have to excuse me but I haven't taken the time to understand the basic principles until now.
 
Well after a brief read, it seems that balanced configuration is a simple technique used to remove any introduced noise along a cable length. It takes advantage of destructive wave interference (wave superposition) by sending inverse (but otherwise identical) waveforms through two parallel cables, which seem to have a common ground. Assuming the source of noise/interference alters both signal lines identically, when the signal from one line is inverted in polarity and superimposed on the signal of the adjacent line, they are identical in every way apart from any introduced noise. The original signal is reinforced by waveform summation whilst the noise and inverse noise cancel out, eliminating it completely.
 
Single-ended/unbalanced cables only possess the one signal line whilst (by convention) the negative wire stays close to ground potential. So without the dual-line, the receiving equipment cannot remove introduced noise by superimposing inverse noise waveforms. Any interference experienced by the interconnect will remain.
 
However, if the interconnect length is quite short, the likelihood of audible noise is significantly reduced. I guess it's associated with how close the offending EMI frequency comes to matching the resonant frequency of the interconnect, which would influence the amplitude of the noise. So unbalanced configuration is only really significant for long cable runs, where noise has more opportunity to summate along a larger travel. So if you have a short, high purity headphone cable, you probably won't be able to hear a difference against a balanced interconnect. The human ear can only resolve down to a particular amplitude level.

 

[the Ortherion]

Going balanced is way out of my league =/ @TominJapan did they fit without any modification? The plugs of the cable of the HD580/600/650 are different from the HD540/HD560

 

[TominJapan]

Yes these cables fit without any modification the plugs are not identical but you do not have to shave off plastic as opposed to other cables. I did not want to spend 100s of € just for a cable, these ZY are in my eyes very well made and look nice (if this is a criterion for a cable).
For the balanced vs single ended I think the DA8 has different sound signatures including soundstage as a function of which connection you use as the primary reviewer for this DAC, project86 also noticed. So admittedly I do not compare apples with apples as the internal circuits might be completely different between both interconnects.

 

[the Ortherion]

Yes these cables fit without any modification the plugs are not identical but you do not have to shave off plastic as opposed to other cables. I did not want to spend 100s of € just for a cable, these ZY are in my eyes very well made and look nice (if this is a criterion for a cable).
For the balanced vs single ended I think the DA8 has different sound signatures including soundstage as a function of which connection you use as the primary reviewer for this DAC, project86 also noticed. So admittedly I do not compare apples with apples as the internal circuits might be completely different between both interconnects.

 
 

  Hmmm, I've been trying to get my head around the difference between balanced and single-ended interconnects. You'll have to excuse me but I haven't taken the time to understand the basic principles until now.
 
Well after a brief read, it seems that balanced configuration is a simple technique used to remove any introduced noise along a cable length. It takes advantage of destructive wave interference (wave superposition) by sending inverse (but otherwise identical) waveforms through two parallel cables, which seem to have a common ground. Assuming the source of noise/interference alters both signal lines identically, when the signal from one line is inverted in polarity and superimposed on the signal of the adjacent line, they are identical in every way apart from any introduced noise. The original signal is reinforced by waveform summation whilst the noise and inverse noise cancel out, eliminating it completely.
 
Single-ended/unbalanced cables only possess the one signal line whilst (by convention) the negative wire stays close to ground potential. So without the dual-line, the receiving equipment cannot remove introduced noise by superimposing inverse noise waveforms. Any interference experienced by the interconnect will remain.
 
However, if the interconnect length is quite short, the likelihood of audible noise is significantly reduced. I guess it's associated with how close the offending EMI frequency comes to matching the resonant frequency of the interconnect, which would influence the amplitude of the noise. So unbalanced configuration is only really significant for long cable runs, where noise has more opportunity to summate along a larger travel. So if you have a short, high purity headphone cable, you probably won't be able to hear a difference against a balanced interconnect. The human ear can only resolve down to a particular amplitude level.

 
 
To be honest i don't understand very much about this. In fact i'm only starting my journey in this hi-fi world. But i do know that to go completely balanced we need to have true balanced dac and amp. And that's not cheap. See schiit offerings for instance (schiit is supposed to be "cheaper" than the other companies). Some people say that going balanced is night and day and other claim it's not worth the expense. To be honest i would like to ear that by myself and take my conclusions.
 
Hey guys, one quick question. I've been reading some reviews on the HD580 and the HD600 because i'm curious how my HD560 stand against these newer headphones (i now csmomemory did the test but i want to listen to myself =P ) and one crazy idea just it me. I noticed that the transducers are almost the same size and have the same pins to lock them in place. It theory that should be possible for using and HD540/HD560 transducer on newer HD600 shells and vice-versa right? Anyone did try this? It would be a good alternaty to throw away older headphones that don't have a working driver.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Yes, I compared HD250 Linear I and II to the HD600 and in comparison I felt the HD600 was unfaithful to instrument tonality and dynamic changes due to upper bass emphasis. It's quite obvious on extended listening. The HD600 has a wonderful midrange though, which is what I didn't like about the HD250. I listened carefully to the HD250 and it's pretty close to the HD540/HD560. HD250 has slightly withdrawn midrange and slightly overpowering bass though whilst the HD560 has a slightly withdrawn stereo image compared to HD540. HD800 technically beats all of them but is slightly musically withdrawn so I still prefer HD540II. HD560II is a close second but I have sold all of them now. Sale of some HD540IIs will shortly follow.

 

[TominJapan]

To be honest i don't understand very much about this. In fact i'm only starting my journey in this hi-fi world. But i do know that to go completely balanced we need to have true balanced dac and amp. And that's not cheap. See schiit offerings for instance (schiit is supposed to be "cheaper" than the other companies). Some people say that going balanced is night and day and other claim it's not worth the expense. To be honest i would like to ear that by myself and take my conclusions.

Hey guys, one quick question. I've been reading some reviews on the HD580 and the HD600 because i'm curious how my HD560 stand against these newer headphones (i now csmomemory did the test but i want to listen to myself =P ) and one crazy idea just it me. I noticed that the transducers are almost the same size and have the same pins to lock them in place. It theory that should be possible for using and HD540/HD560 transducer on newer HD600 shells and vice-versa right? Anyone did try this? It would be a good alternaty to throw away older headphones that don't have a working driver

To be honest i don't understand very much about this. In fact i'm only starting my journey in this hi-fi world. But i do know that to go completely balanced we need to have true balanced dac and amp. And that's not cheap. See schiit offerings for instance (schiit is supposed to be "cheaper" than the other companies). Some people say that going balanced is night and day and other claim it's not worth the expense. To be honest i would like to ear that by myself and take my conclusions.

Hey guys, one quick question. I've been reading some reviews on the HD580 and the HD600 because i'm curious how my HD560 stand against these newer headphones (i now csmomemory did the test but i want to listen to myself =P ) and one crazy idea just it me. I noticed that the transducers are almost the same size and have the same pins to lock them in place. It theory that should be possible for using and HD540/HD560 transducer on newer HD600 shells and vice-versa right? Anyone did try this? It would be a good alternaty to throw away older headphones that don't have a working driver.

You could give the Yulong D200 DAC/amp a try, search for it here and you'll see the head-fi community loves it.....

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Or if you want high performance for an affordable price, the Graham Slee Voyager is an excellent companion for the HD560II.

 

[Bostonears]

 
Hey guys, one quick question. I've been reading some reviews on the HD580 and the HD600 because i'm curious how my HD560 stand against these newer headphones (i now csmomemory did the test but i want to listen to myself =P ) and one crazy idea just it me. I noticed that the transducers are almost the same size and have the same pins to lock them in place. It theory that should be possible for using and HD540/HD560 transducer on newer HD600 shells and vice-versa right? Anyone did try this? It would be a good alternaty to throw away older headphones that don't have a working driver.

The transducers in the HD580/600 are not physically compatible with the HD540/560. In the 580/600, the transducer is in a removable capsule that inserts into the oval frame. In the 540/560, the transducer is permanently fused into the round frame. There is no way to extract the 540/560 transducer from the frame without destroying it.
 
Here's a pic of an HD540 II assembly.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Even if you had have been able to transplant drivers across, the HD600 transducers have a different sensitivity (and freq. calibration) to the HD540 drivers so you wouldn't be able to mix them.
 
And also, I think the HD560 drivers can be isolated; they're not fused into a circular capsule like the HD540 drivers are.

 

[pkshan]

Why you want to do this
hd540/hd560 are better than HD580/6xx,
 
for vintage sennheiser 
don't do any modifications or swap the cable,or change the grill(HD580->HD600),
things will only get worse.
because their designs are too good
 
all you can do is change the earpads/foam disks to the new one

 

[the Ortherion]

  Yes, I compared HD250 Linear I and II to the HD600 and in comparison I felt the HD600 was unfaithful to instrument tonality and dynamic changes due to upper bass emphasis. It's quite obvious on extended listening. The HD600 has a wonderful midrange though, which is what I didn't like about the HD250. I listened carefully to the HD250 and it's pretty close to the HD540/HD560. HD250 has slightly withdrawn midrange and slightly overpowering bass though whilst the HD560 has a slightly withdrawn stereo image compared to HD540. HD800 technically beats all of them but is slightly musically withdrawn so I still prefer HD540II. HD560II is a close second but I have sold all of them now. Sale of some HD540IIs will shortly follow.

 
I got a little confused in there. Directly comparing the HD560II to the HD600 you say the HD560II is better? More neutral at least? Im really happy with the HD560II but sometimes with rock and music it's not very engaging. But it shines completely on classical and/or orchestral. Newer music in general sounds bad, but that maybe because of the recordins. For instance Radiohead's OK Computer is absolutely gorgeous on the HD560II. To be honest im just curious how these "old" cans can beat the newer HD600.I've tried the AKG Q701 and i prefer mine. Btw, i read that the HD600 is more neutral than the HD650 so it's the "natural sucessor" to the HD560 right (after the HD580)
 

  Or if you want high performance for an affordable price, the Graham Slee Voyager is an excellent companion for the HD560II.

 
Im all set on the Vali for an amp. And im looking for a DAC under 100€. Maybe it will be the Modi.
 

  The transducers in the HD580/600 are not physically compatible with the HD540/560. In the 580/600, the transducer is in a removable capsule that inserts into the oval frame. In the 540/560, the transducer is permanently fused into the round frame. There is no way to extract the 540/560 transducer from the frame without destroying it.
 
Here's a pic of an HD540 II assembly.

 
I know. i checked and despite the transducers are similar and the mount is simillar between the HD560 and the HD600 they are different.  The part that connects the transducer to the cable is straight on the HD600 and on the HD560 is angled (see picture below of my transducer and the HD600 HERE). Even if possible it would require a little bit of DIY/modding. But obviously im not attempting this. 
 

 
 

You could give the Yulong D200 DAC/amp a try, search for it here and you'll see the head-fi community loves it.....

 
To out of my range. But thanks anyways. Im just wetting my feet for now =P
 

  Even if you had have been able to transplant drivers across, the HD600 transducers have a different sensitivity (and freq. calibration) to the HD540 drivers so you wouldn't be able to mix them.
 
And also, I think the HD560 drivers can be isolated; they're not fused into a circular capsule like the HD540 drivers are.

 
I was talking about a complete transplant. Right now if one of my drivers goes caput i think i wont be able to find another replacement. So instead of throwing the headphone out i would be making some DIY with newer drivers. But as i stated earlier that would be a little difficult.