[Bostonears]

 
Thanks for your reply. I wonder if there is a general rule of thumb that the ones with impedance stamped on the outside are always 300 ohm, and the ones with the value stamped behind the earpads are always 600 ohm (can't really determine from your picture if it's 300 or 600).
 
Since I'm looking to buy through an online auction site I'm thinking it might too much to ask from the seller to dismantle the headphones to find out, and if he or she do not speak English it would be hard to explain anyway. What I'm getting at is if there is a way to find out the impedance by just looking at pictures of the exterior (provided such pictures are available). 

I've seen both 300 and 600 ohm versions of Ref.1 marked on the outside. The earliest units made were all 600 ohms, so there was no need for external marking when they were all the same impedance. I believe the outer marking only started when both impedance versions became available. I'm not sure whether Sennheiser ever made 300 ohm Ref.1 units that were unmarked on the outside, but I haven't seen one. The Ref.2 didn't need outside marking because they were all 300 ohm.
 
By the way, the unit in my picture is 300 ohms.

 

[MrPhilicorda]

  I've seen both 300 and 600 ohm versions of Ref.1 marked on the outside. The earliest units made were all 600 ohms, so there was no need for external marking when they were all the same impedance. I believe the outer marking only started when both impedance versions became available. I'm not sure whether Sennheiser ever made 300 ohm Ref.1 units that were unmarked on the outside, but I haven't seen one. The Ref.2 didn't need outside marking because they were all 300 ohm.
 
By the way, the unit in my picture is 300 ohms.

Thanks, that was useful information. So staying away from the unmarked ones seems to be the way to go for me. Now I just need to keep my eyes peeled for a good specimen and hope the prices won't be crazy.

 

[MrPhilicorda]

Yay, just made a purchase for a very nice pair of 540 Reference II with velour earpads! They were not exactly cheap but from the pictures they look immaculate, even the original box that is included looks brand new. I need to ask the seller what the history of these headhones is.
 
Can't wait to have them in my hands and on my ears!

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

HD540II is one of the most enjoyable headphones ever made IMO. I feel that they should retail for £200 GBP if they were to still be made as they are an extremely competent reference headphone for the genuine professional. Within their physical limits, they are truly excellent. It took an AKG K1000 to sway my loyalty from these.

 

[MrPhilicorda]

  HD540II is one of the most enjoyable headphones ever made IMO. I feel that they should retail for £200 GBP if they were to still be made as they are an extremely competent reference headphone for the genuine professional. Within their physical limits, they are truly excellent. It took an AKG K1000 to sway my loyalty from these.

I hope I will feel the same once I get them!
 
Can anyone say how they compare to a pair of AKG K240's? I have used the K240 Studio for music production & mixing for several years so I'm very familiar with them. I really love them but it would be nice to have second pair of headphones as an alternative. I'm hoping the HD540II could be my new mixing buddy.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

If any of you need replacement earpad foam to restore their shape, I'll be selling away my stock foam soon. Got enough for quite a few pairs and I can take you through any methods, step by step. The K1000 is limited edition with less than 12000 units in the world so I cannot recommend them as they're rather unobtainable. Therefore the HD540II is still at the top of my headphone recommendation list. Have patience with tweaking them and results are amazing.

 

[frobek]

I'm looking for 600Ohm driver for 540 Ref. II, do you have any for selling?

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

The Reference II model only has 300 Ohm drivers, as far as I am aware. And I no longer have a spare single Reference I driver; it was sold.

 

[SteveHiFi]

   
Can anyone say how they compare to a pair of AKG K240's?

I've used K240 DFs for mixing now for well over 10 years, but I haven't tried mixing with the HD540 (admittedly I have the mk.1 HD540).
 
It's all a matter of what you're used to - I imagine the HD540-II will be just as good for spotting details, mixing might take a bit more practice with the headphones. They have more bass than the old K240 DFs but I always found myself EQing up the bass on my desk for those anyway.

 

[MrPhilicorda]

  I've used K240 DFs for mixing now for well over 10 years, but I haven't tried mixing with the HD540 (admittedly I have the mk.1 HD540).
 
It's all a matter of what you're used to - I imagine the HD540-II will be just as good for spotting details, mixing might take a bit more practice with the headphones. They have more bass than the old K240 DFs but I always found myself EQing up the bass on my desk for those anyway.

If they have more bass than my K240's it's a welcome feature. I love the K240's for their ability to focus in on mids and highs but sometimes it's a bit of hit and miss if your trying to tidy up things in the bass department in a mix.

 

[Bostonears]

  I'm looking for 600Ohm driver for 540 Ref. II, do you have any for selling?

 

  The Reference II model only has 300 Ohm drivers, as far as I am aware.

CosmoMemory is correct that the Ref. II was only made in 300 ohm. If frobek has a Ref. II with a 600 ohm driver, it must have been transplanted from a Ref. I.

 

[MrPhilicorda]

Got my HD540 II today and been using them for a while now.... Whoa! Wasn't quite what I expected. Here are some initial impressions:
 
I have mostly been listening to various songs (50's & 60's easylistening, 00's pop/indie music) while comparing them to my AKG K240 headphones and Yamaha HS50M monitors. First thing that struck me was the extremely pronounced treble. In comparison both the 240's and HS50M monitors sound almost muffled even if they are supposed to be very flat and honest. Not quite sure how I feel about this aspect; on the one hand the HD540 are EXTREMELY detailed, but almost to a point where they sound unnatural. The obvious benefit of the treble pronounciation is the sense of openess and super wide sound stage though.
 
They are slightly thin in the bass and low mid department, but on the other hand, this leads to lots of clarity making it very easy to hear what's going on in the lower frequencies. It's easy to distinguish between drums, bass and other instruments that usually occupy this spectrum of the sound. The flip side being slight lack of body and punch.
 
When it comes to comfort I give them 10 out of 10 points. At first it felt a bit odd because they are so roomy. Nothing is actually touching my ears, instead the earpads are resting solely on my head. This gives an impression that you are listening to speakers rather than headphones. The fact that the drivers are some distance from your ears means they actually are one step closer to a speaker experience even from a technical point of view.
 
I'm looking forward to giving these some more time to see how my impressions develop. One thing is for sure: they are very analytical and reveal details that cannot be heard with my other headphones. Not quite sure yet whether these are better for casual listening or actual mixing work.

 

[Aulait]

For me, the HD 540 sound best in a configuration HD540+ Luxman L-530 (The Class-A operation 2 x 15W) + Marantz CD 60 Scorpion (TDA 1541 NOS DAC, output tube). Such a system is powerful and fast bass, mids beautiful and a very large and wide soundstage. HD 540 need a good amplifier with a powerful low bass and powerful current. Otherwise, they will play correctly, but not the best as can.
I recommend you test  HD 540 600 Ohm, for me, are even better than the HD 540 II.
 
I compared recently the HD 540 I 600 ohms, the HD 540 Gold 600 ohm, HD 540 II and HD 800. I prefer listening the HD 540 but more bass and more space have  HD 800.
 

 

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

The HD540I 600 Ohms and the HD540II that I compared, both with HD540II velour earpads, were neck and neck. I could not decide which one sounded better. At first, I thought that maybe the HD540I was slightly better but I think really that it was just very slightly different. The pads are ultimately what seem to make the most significant difference.
 
HD800 has boring phase so the HD540 is more engaging even though it has a bit less sense of scale and less bass weight. HD800 microdetail resolution is a bit more distinct. Still enjoy using the HD540 more overall though. Neither image exactly like speakers because the listening enclosures characterize the sound in some way. Left and right positional extremes and no interaural crosstalk between ears for a genuine three-dimensional perception. Not sure if any head-worn listening transducer can improve on what the AKG K1000 achieved. Maybe a K1000 with a redesigned headband to position the speakers a little further in front of the ears/face to further enhance depth perception... yeah, that might do it... Just crank the volume up more to compensate.

 

[Ashback]

This seems to be the place to be to share my story.  I bought a pair of these in Cambridge (UK), for GBP 100, more than 20years ago, second hand.  They have traveled with me since, I now live in Bangkok and they are still a complete joy.  I thought I'd just check on google if there were any comment about them, as I've always found them truly gorgeous.  How delightful to discover that I had stumbled on a classic.  The first post  - 60 pages ago! - mentioned new pads.  I'll investigate this, as mine too have disintegrated.  Still sound fab, 'though.