[pkshan]

  I heard one of those Telefunkens once... unfortunately cant remember which model, but they had the loudest bass I've heard from any vintage headphone.
Must have been a lower-end model because the resolution was seriously bad.... like no-brand 8-ohm paper-cone-headphone bad. 

 
Which model? Telefunken went downhill after 1980's
 
TH600 is a little bass shy,
clarity,resolution are the highest I've heard so far,it sounds like the singer is in front of you

 

[pkshan]

Music performance is more important than room/speaker effect imo
 
I don't recommend HD540s to people, because their mids are not very good

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

   
I don't recommend HD540s to people, because their mids are not very good

 
I'm pretty confident that all of my HD540II customers would disagree with that, as do I. The midrange of the HD540II is one of the highlights of the headphone, along with its well extended treble. The bass region is where the main limitation is; the bass extension is very good (neutral all the way down) but is lacking a bit of authority because the drivers are too small to move a lot of air.
 
Stereo imaging, in my opinion, is a very important aspect of the music itself. It allows the listener to feel naturally immersed in the sound, as if able to inhale it. No conventional headphone design will have entirely natural imaging, due to left/right positional extremes, no interaural crosstalk and limited air inside the listening enclosures. Many people prefer listening to speakers in order to get that extra immersion.

 

[harry015]

   
I don't recommend HD540s to people, because their mids are not very good

I've always enjoyed my HD540's, which date to their original purchase, new, shortly after they were released. I did find more spacious sound from my Stax SR-Gamma's, but that's a bit like apples and watermelons...
 
Still looking for someone, preferably in the US, who can do what is hopefully a simple repair on a Stax SRD-7 adapter.
 
Harry

 

[GREQ]

 

  I heard one of those Telefunkens once... unfortunately cant remember which model, but they had the loudest bass I've heard from any vintage headphone.
Must have been a lower-end model because the resolution was seriously bad.... like no-brand 8-ohm paper-cone-headphone bad. 

 
Which model? Telefunken went downhill after 1980's
 
TH600 is a little bass shy,
clarity,resolution are the highest I've heard so far,it sounds like the singer is in front of you

 

[daltonlanny]

I don't recommend HD540s to people, because their mids are not very good

I respectfully disagree.
I love the mids on my HD 540 Reference II that I purchased from o0CosmoMemory0o.
The mids are clean, clear, very detailed, and the highs are very extended, open, and electrostatic like.
Many years ago I owned the Stax SR Lambda Signature, and the highs and mids are close, but the HD 540 has better dynamics than the Stax had.
No, they don't have the organic body and warmth of the HD 650, Audeze LCD 2 v.2, or HiFiman HE 560, but they are still excellent.
I also prefer them to the Sennheiser HD 600 mids. To my ears the HD 600 has excellent mids, but I find they also sound alittle "hot" or peaky sounding around 4khz, which is confirmed as well by measurements from Headroom, among others.
The mids on the HD 600 especially sound this way after hearing the HD 540, and HD 650.
Maybe I am just sensitive to this 4khz peak?
I find the HD 600 and HD 650 can sometimes have an annoying bass hump, and lack ultimate top-end extension compared to the HD 540 Reference II.
I personally think the HD 540 have a wider and more open soundstage than any of the headphones I mention in this post.
In my personal opinion, the HD 540 sounds more open and detailed than the HiFiman HE 560, and has a more extended top octave.
I also love my vintage Beyerdynamic DT 990 with new earpad foam, but the mids are slightly more recessed than the HD 540, and they can sound a touch brighter, but they are still excellent...better than the modern Beyers.
The HD 540 is one of the most accurate headphones I have tried, or owned, and has excellent timbre.
Maybe its the new foam that o0CosmoMemory0o installed inside the original velour skins that makes them sound do good?
The only slight downside that I can find on the HD 540 Reference is a very slight hardness, and a slight lack of bass power and bass extension.
I guess in the end, it all boils down to personal tastes, as we all hear differently.
This is just my 2 cents.

 

[TominJapan]

Daltonlanny, could not have expressed it better, your post sums it up
And no it's not the foam, I own the HD540 I and II both have different foams, agreed they were replaced to new ones, yet both are pretty equal with more than outstanding performance.
And I immediately sold my HD650 which is completely overrated... On this forum included imho....not in this thread of course

 

[daltonlanny]

Thanks TominJapan.
I really appreciate the kind comments.
I actually prefer the HD 540 to all my current headphones, or ones I have owned or auditioned in the past, overall.
My bass light AKG K340 is a good headphone too.
The K340 does have exceptional detail and wide soundstage in the upper mids to upper treble, but it has a sort of odd sound in the mids, is lacking bass, and is hard to drive. The 540 is more balanced with a more coherent sound, and better bass, and easier to drive. The K340 does have somewhat better seperation of voices and instruments, and maybe better treble resolution, however.
My particular HD 560 Ovation II also sounds great, but sounds somewhat thinner, brighter, and more closed in than the HD 540.
The vintage Beyerdynamic DT 990 sounds really great, but has a somewhat recessed midrange, which makes it sound slightly muffled, it also has somewhat brighter highs, and about equal bass, and top-end extension as the HD 540.
I prefer the HD 540 by a hair.
So far, I like the HD 540 Reference II and vintage Beyerdynamic DT 990 the very best compared to the K340, HD 560 Ovation II, HD 600, HD 650, Q701, LCD 2 v.2, and HE 560.

 

[GREQ]

(Sorry for derailing/OT)
Quote:

My bass light AKG K340 is a good headphone too.
The K340 does have exceptional detail and wide soundstage in the upper mids to upper treble, but it has a sort of odd sound in the mids, is lacking bass, and is hard to drive. The 540 is more balanced with a more coherent sound, and better bass, and easier to drive. The K340 does have somewhat better seperation of voices and instruments, and maybe better treble resolution, however.

That's too bad.
My k340 is as far as I can tell 'bass heavy' (compared to neutral headphones like HE-500). 
Somehow I don't feel there is an odd sound anywhere, and there is a strong synergy or harmony between the dynamic and electret... maybe bass heavier versions have a more unified sound/FR?
Although this might be because it has some old plush pleather beyerdynamic earpads (the only mod I am aware of in the headphone).
I think they might be custom one pads, but I guess I need to post a photo up so someone can confirm what they are. (they came with the headphone)
 

The vintage Beyerdynamic DT 990 sounds really great, but has a somewhat recessed midrange, which makes it sound slightly muffled, it also has somewhat brighter highs, and about equal bass, and top-end extension as the HD 540.

Try them out with Philips SBC HP200/250/2500 earpads (similar models, identical earpads with slightly different colours).
They're totally velour inside and out, and are slightly angled. These have much better synergy than the new silver pads.
All use these all day at the office and have bought spare pads in case they stop making them. (although don't mind is someone else finds/provides a better solution for them)

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Well if I am to be completely honest, headphones such as the HD650 and LCD-2 are just a pile of crap. They are not faithful to the original signal and should not be marketed as high-fidelity devices IMO. This is just my opinion though and you are free to ignore it. The HD540, especially II, is an excellent headphone within its physical limits; the best of its type IMO. The earpad acoustic properties, headband clamping, cable material and drive/source all play a crucial role in what you hear overall. I feel the HD540II engage more with music than the technically excellent HD800 due to a more faithful phase calibration. My enthusiasm for the AKG K1000 is because the sound can be free of an enclosure; less confinement permits much more realism and sonic immersion, to my ears and mind. HD540II is among the best enclosure headphones ever made. The frequency balance is not far off perfect for enclosed audio, despite the age of the design.  Due to small drivers, it sounds best at lower to moderate volume where the bass seems to have best presence and is in line with the rest of the frequencies. As I say though, the bass, especially low bass, lacks a little bit of power and authority. Its transparent presentation is the reward though. Compared to something with boosted bass regions like D7000 and PS1000, it is correct for the sound engineer IMO. I don't feel the HD540II sounds hard; to me, it sounds pretty neutral even though its spatial sound is bound within the enclosures. About as accurate as you're going to get from drivers in enclosures, positioned so close to the ears.

 

[Halfabee]

Hooray! 
 
I gave up on finding a single spare driver for the fix-me-upper I bought earlier. Had a brief stint with a HD600 while I was waiting but sold that too last week. Uncomfortable and dry. For about 70 euro's I got a hold of a second hand HD 540-2 a few days ago. Thought that was a steal, but when I received it I found out the seller certainly had a creative way of taking the photos. One of the cable connections was bad, the headband was partly disintegrated and the earpads are plain flat. I was pretty lucky though; the  two sets of parts combined now make one decent HD 540-2!
 
After removing tons of hair from the diaphragm surface (yuck!) I'm now listening to them for the first time. Very impressed! Coming from an AKG K500 the soundstage is very confined, but the detail and sound signature now make the fast and well-mixed tracks very fun to listen to. Will have to listen more to get a proper impression, but there's still some stuff to be done:
 
- try my hand at refoaming the flat pair of earpads (the 'good' ones aren't much better)
- find some sort of cover fabric for the drivers so I don't have to redo that disgusting hair-removal job again
- find out if I need a more neutral amp than my modded Bravo v2 with RCA Clear Top tube..
 
I don't mind the spare driver for now, but if anyone's in the same situation I was for months with half an HD 540-2, let me know and I'll let go of the third driver.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

By the way, as I managed to wreck one of my 600 Ohm HD540I capsules, I have a spare one to sell, for anyone who needs a means to repair their own 600 Ohm HD540I. I can also advise others wishing to re-foam flattened HD540II pads. I will be relinquishing some of my HD540IIs for sale after I have sold the remainder of my excess audio equipment.

 

[Aulait]

This is my collection
 


HD 424, HD 430, HD 540 Reference I 300 Ohm, HD 540 Reference I 600 Ohm, HD 560 Ovation I, HD 520 600 Ohm, HD 540 Reference II, HD 530 II, HD 520 II, HD 580 Precision, HD 565 Ovation.
 
 
 

 
HD 540 new and old headband.
 
 


 
 


HD 222, HD 250 Linear, HD 224x.
 


HD 480, HD 420.
 

 
Sennheiser trio - HD 540 Reference I, HD 540 Reference II and HD 540 Reference Gold.
 

 
HD 540 I, HD 540 II and HD 540 Reference Gold.
 
In my opinion HD 540 Reference I 600 Ohm  are the best.
Mids are clean, clear, very detailed, and the highs are very extended, open.
Have the most wider and the most open soundstage.
 
Below links to what I sell (HD 540 II, HD 224x, HD 250, HD 480):  http://www.ebay.pl/sch/jurekkora/m.html?item=251703840801&hash=item3a9ab7d021&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_212&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

 

[Storydog]

What for a ultimative Sennheiser Collection.
 
I have only the HD 530 II.
How can this be compared with the other Sennheiser in your opinion.
Opinions can be various, of course. But it is everytime interesting.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Great pictures, great condition too.