Latest Thread Images

Wow! Sennheiser HD 540 Reference are so good.
May 31, 2015 at 4:48 AM Post #1,098 of 4,363
Since my new HD540 shells arrived from 'moriez', I was thinking about re-spraying the scratched up old shells a new colour.
 
These are just ideas (using photoshop)
What do you guys think?
 
   (to match my brown Sennheiser Momentum? 
tongue.gif
)
 
I'm still not sure exactly what colour/colours I want to use, sine I'm not sure what direction I want to take with this.
If you've got a colour scheme idea you want to see, I'll whip it up on photoshop, post it up and we can see how it looks.
 
May 31, 2015 at 1:21 PM Post #1,101 of 4,363
bark snarly said:
  Brown and a reddish brown/maroon in the grill could look neat
Click to expand...


not exactly my taste... but it's kinda cool... would have to find a nice maroon fabric though. 
 
Jun 9, 2015 at 8:50 AM Post #1,103 of 4,363
o0cosmomemory0o said:
  HD540 is the result of old driver technology that was implemented exceedingly well. It was designed for a high resolution, transparent and neutral sonic representation; to have a likeness of the original recording. Driver fabrication techniques have been given the time and attention to improve over the years since the HD540's introduction so some drivers such as the HD800's have the potential to be better in all aspects. Phase fidelity seems to be where hi-fi has gone low-fi. Analogue media like vinyl tend to be very musically engaging especially if mastered well, because I think you will find that the medium is very faithful to phase response. Sadly, the same probably cannot be said for poorly implemented digital audio... All the audiophile mindset stays on is dynamic range and frequency response, both of which do not determine an engaging musical sound. At least I'm now starting to understand why some music lovers use vinyl for the heightened emotional immersion. Anyway, back to the HD540...
 
What I feel that the HD540 demonstrates well is the poor calibration of most headphones today; most models are simply not calibrated to provide a transparent, balanced response; and it's not just the frequencies either... Phase response is just as important in order to give an engaging musical sound but many models have a flat boring sound. By "flat" here, I'm not referring to the frequency representation, I instead mean that the sound is musically withdrawn and lacks an engaging quality. For example, K550 and HD800 both have a well-balanced sound yet are both quite boring. Have today's sound engineers lost an understanding of what it feels like to be immersed in a fluid sound?? To experience a sound that literally feels like it's leaping from the speaker diaphragms with spectacular, neutral coherence, achieving an almost lifelike three-dimensional presence...
 
It's difficult to fully explain what I mean so I guess it's pointless for me to grumble about it here.
 
I agree with GREQ; the HD540 is excellent but could do with a little more bass weight (what the HD800 achieves). I still highly recommend it though. Exquisitely faithful tonality.
Click to expand...

 
The HD 540 has always been a well calibrated headphone compared to most others out there.  I am not sure driver technology has actually improved that much since.  Driver production tolerances will probably be much better now, with lighter materials and stronger magnets now available.
 
Re. vinyl aficionados: I bet most would not like to admit it, but the measurable and audible degree of managed harmonic and IM distortion that the better set-ups can achieve is something a lot of them actually prefer to a "clean" sound.  Furthermore, the implementation of digital noise shaping filters in early CD players was (and to some extent still is) far from perfect.  I bet if the argument had been about the 20+ bit digital master tapes vs. vinyl instead of CD vs. vinyl, the debate at the time would have been quite different.
 
 
the ortherion said:
  What you guys are using to amp your HD540?
Click to expand...

  1. Lehmann Linear
  2. Marantz HD-DAC1
  3. DIY headphone amp from 1992 http://www.head-fi.org/t/85561/post-pics-of-your-builds/9510#post_10274016
 
Jun 16, 2015 at 4:34 AM Post #1,105 of 4,363
Hi to everyone, I'm now in the hd 540 club, last week I received my mint 300ohm ref I.
 
It has original pad, they are in good condition as they have never been used, but I feel like the fake leather is going to crumble any minute, and probably would be better to just replace them and put them aside for "historical preservation".
 
So, i would like to ask, if anyone compared Hifiman velour (20€) to sennheiser hd560 velour (40€), and which one do you suggest for my version?
A couple of photos:
 
http://i.imgur.com/nGGjcZS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XYkCQq4.jpg
 
Tanks!
 
Jun 19, 2015 at 8:44 AM Post #1,109 of 4,363
johan in brabant said:
  Left driver of my HD-540 died again....
Please contact me if you have a 600 ohm driver or know where to buy one.
 
Thanks in advance
 
Johan
Click to expand...

That's the second time your left driver died !?
 
I would check the left channel output of your amp if I were you.  Check for high DC offset or HF instability, both of which could fry the driver.
 
I assume you have been able to rule out a cable problem?
 
Jun 19, 2015 at 2:07 PM Post #1,110 of 4,363
I mainly used it with a (1 year old) laptop; no problems with my Beyer Dynamics in-ears on the road.
But checking it nonetheless is a very good idea; will do at a later time.
The first replacement was a used one so might have been dodgy to start with.
This stuff is 30 years old and fairly fragile so I'm actually not really surprised it died on me (disappointed I am...)
 
Not sure where I will go from here
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 4 (members: 0, guests: 4)
Back
Top