[sennsay]

Sorry to hear that. I hope you eventually get them and that they actually ARE the right version > Gray1). AS far as I know, you cannot presently order the Gray1 model - the seller does not have them in stock any more - the alternative is inactive when you try to choose the model. If he somehow agrees to sell you again, make sure he sends you the right model, and not the Gray2 that he usually keeps in stock.

I have received a reply from the seller not long ago and I have replied that I want them ASAP, even if they have to send them Airmail! If they don't have GREY 1s then I will accept Black 1s. If they send BLACK or GREY 2s then they can have them back again! How hard can it be?

 

[ArChaos]

I have received a reply from the seller not long ago and I have replied that I want them ASAP, even if they have to send them Airmail! If they don't have GREY 1s then I will accept Black 1s. If they send BLACK or GREY 2s then they can have them back again! How hard can it be?

Unfortunately, harder than you think... I will not exhaust you here with the endless mails correspondence I had with him TWICE, regarding these ear pads. First time I eventually got a pair of the right ones, second time, when I ordered two more pairs, he sent again the wrong ones and after a second round of endless mails exchange he sent me a refund... and after that, he changed the listing to "out of stock".

This is the link to the sale.: as you see, the gray1/black1 are out of stock.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/385131959368?var=653012870533

There is a nice saying in French:
Meme la plus belle fille du monde ne peut donner que ce qu’elle a...

Which in English translation would sound like:
Even the most beautiful girl in the world can only give what she has...

Wish you good luck... Hope is a nice thing to live by

EDIT: By the way, the black1 and the Gray1 have two different velour materials and the Black2 a third variation, which is insanely pleasing to touch but acoustically less suitable.

 

[sennsay]

Unfortunately, harder than you think... I will not exhaust you here with the endless mails correspondence I had with him TWICE, regarding these ear pads. First time I eventually got a pair of the right ones, second time, when I ordered two more pairs, he sent again the wrong ones and after a second round of endless mails exchange he sent me a refund... and after that, he changed the listing to "out of stock". This is the link to the sale.: as you see, the gray1/black1 are out of stock. https://www.ebay.com/itm/385131959368?var=653012870533 There is a nice saying in French: Meme la plus belle fille du monde ne peut donner que ce qu’elle a... Which in English translation would sound like: Even the most beautiful girl in the world can only give what she has... Wish you good luck... Hope is a nice thing to live by EDIT: By the way, the black1 and the Gray1 have two different velour materials and the Black2 a third variation, which is insanely pleasing to touch but acoustically less suitable.

Indeed, nice quote there If he really has nothing .. and he hasn't implied that at all ... then I will get a refund and buy another set of wang pleathers instead. No other velour type pads seem to come close enough to the original size, so I will flag it away as a lost cause when I hear back if it's a no-go.

 

[ArChaos]

Indeed, nice quote there If he really has nothing .. and he hasn't implied that at all ... then I will get a refund and buy another set of wang pleathers instead. No other velour type pads seem to come close enough to the original size, so I will flag it away as a lost cause when I hear back if it's a no-go.

By the way, speaking about the wang ear pads - you may be interested in these two posts, I sent to the HD560 thread:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd-560-ovation-ii-review.71934/page-16#post-17196627
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd-560-ovation-ii-review.71934/page-16#post-17200774

 

[sennsay]

I've actually just gone and had a look at that link and apparently there are two sets left and 25 sold, or he's telling porkies. I've emailed him and suggested that if he actually does have two sets of GREY1 OR BLACK1 pads left, I will take them, otherwise if there's only 1 set left I will take those ones of either colour and use the rest of the funds to send them via AIRMAIL! We'll see what happens next .....

 

[ArChaos]

I've actually just gone and had a look at that link and apparently there are two sets left and 25 sold, or he's telling porkies. I've emailed him and suggested that if he actually does have two sets of GREY1 OR BLACK1 pads left, I will take them, otherwise if there's only 1 set left I will take those ones of either colour and use the rest of the funds to send them via AIRMAIL! We'll see what happens next .....

How can that be? I also checked... At my place they show "out of stock"

 

[sennsay]

By the way, speaking about the wang ear pads - you may be interested in these two posts, I sent to the HD560 thread:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd-560-ovation-ii-review.71934/page-16#post-17196627
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd-560-ovation-ii-review.71934/page-16#post-17200774

Interesting points to consider ... except I lose not a jot of transparency with the wangs/Mogami with the FrankenZero and Burson Vivid V6, in fact I am hearing things in albums both familiar and those that I have avoided for years that sound as if I'd never heard them before in the first place. Stunning transparency that reveals whole new levels of emotional connection and intention in the music, due in part to fine textural and timbral detailing not previously available. In saying that, everyone here uses different gear with differing levels of resolution. The wang pleathers certainly have a fuller and more extended bass sig than velour pads, but as long as it is evenly extended (the HD250s are horridly bumped up!) and doesn't impinge on the upper bass and mids - which it doesn't in my system - then I am not in the least bit bothered. The Vivid V6 opamp modules have a superb bass control and definition that I have not heard from any other gear I have used over the years and I'm revelling in it. I would enjoy ... probably ... having a near-original balance with velour pads if I could actually find any that came close to the original cloth joys. I might have an old set of wang pleathers I could strip the remaining pleather from, I shall take a look and report back any findings, awful or otherwise

 

[sennsay]

How can that be? I also checked... At my place they show "out of stock"

Hmm, so they do. Sigh, I shall email him again and get a refund. I'll use the $$ to buy another set of wang pleathers instead.

 

[sennsay]

Hmm, so they do. Sigh, I shall email him again and get a refund. I'll use the $$ to buy another set of wang pleathers instead.

I have written and done just that. Maybe the ones that have apparently been sent back in early to mid May, just might turn up one day/week/month.

 

[Vonx]

Congrats You've nailed most of the finest attributes, include very fine and natural timbre to that. I'm getting more micro dynamics now that I'm using a Burson Audio Vivid V6 'discrete opamp' in my DAC, makes me love the Senns even more. Much of what else you ascribe to them are due to the stock cable, which adds grain and that 'push' in the upper mids, but I lived with that for years and still chose them every time over HD650s. No internal foams will create a loss of focus, but hey, that problem is easily sorted. Strangely, I didn't like mine that much with an OTL Schiit Valhalla 2 amp, bit thin and hard in the mids, so I sold it after some months as it just didn't grab me emotionally. I've heard of much better results with other tube amps. I imagine yours may not have the lovely original cloth pads on them?

Thank you

I had a fellow hd540 fan confirm the pads and they are original full velours. Probably a big part of the good experience I had.

I wouldn't count out OTL's based on your experience with the Valhalla, the Valhalla is a rather insipid and dry amp and not a good representation of what OTL's can do IMO. A crack with some simple mods can be much better, and the Apex Teton leaves nothing to be desired with them. The high impedance output nature of most OTL topographies should (and do, ime) make them a naturally good pairing with the 600ohm hd540s.

Yes I'll definately need to replace the foams with these; if the imaging can improve but everything else stay the same, I'll be even more impressed with these! Thanks for the tip.

I already picked up another HD540 again.. this one is an HD540 gold 600 ohm with an early SN... I'm falling down another Senn rabbit hole

 

[Vonx]

Just wanted to say I love how active this thread is and how much love this headphone gets. It seems much easier to get a good pair of 540s than a good pair of 6X0s (after owning 15+ 580s/6XOs over the years, only some of the earliest were truly excellent and even then, lots of driver variation and not a sure thing).

Also the fact that the hd540 golds came with a proper wooden box, real driver matching, and high quality cables/plating for the prices they did is a real accomplishment compared to the "TOTL" offerings today, even inflation adjusted.

Has anyone owned a number of early 540 ref 1s and found they mostly sound the same (with same pads) or is there also a bit of variation with these too?

 

[lawrence2357]

Just received my new HD540 Ref IIs after stupidly selling mine a few years ago. Sounding great with my Audio Gd R2R 11 DAC/amp. The pads are soft velvet and a bit compressed, which I think are the originals. The foams are long gone so I cleaned the residue out and put in some cloth circles I got off eBay from a guy in Germany. The cable may be original, it has a 3.5mm jack concealed in a 6.35mm converter, not sure if Sennheiser made these then or it's a later replacement. Condition is very good for their age and I'm well chuffed

 

[sennsay]

Just received my new HD540 Ref IIs after stupidly selling mine a few years ago. Sounding great with my Audio Gd R2R 11 DAC/amp. The pads are soft velvet and a bit compressed, which I think are the originals. The foams are long gone so I cleaned the residue out and put in some cloth circles I got off eBay from a guy in Germany. The cable may be original, it has a 3.5mm jack concealed in a 6.35mm converter, not sure if Sennheiser made these then or it's a later replacement. Condition is very good for their age and I'm well chuffed

Indeed, they are very well made and long-lasting headphones, both of mine are in superb condition and the first pair has had probably close to a thousand hours on them, or more, since I bought them new back in 1989. You have the original old steel cable there and although it can add some upper mid exposure and a little grain, it may actually suit the R2R-11, as I used to own one. The Ref IIs have a small lower treble peak themselves. Glad you're happy with them.

 

[sennsay]

Just wanted to say I love how active this thread is and how much love this headphone gets. It seems much easier to get a good pair of 540s than a good pair of 6X0s (after owning 15+ 580s/6XOs over the years, only some of the earliest were truly excellent and even then, lots of driver variation and not a sure thing).

Also the fact that the hd540 golds came with a proper wooden box, real driver matching, and high quality cables/plating for the prices they did is a real accomplishment compared to the "TOTL" offerings today, even inflation adjusted.

Has anyone owned a number of early 540 ref 1s and found they mostly sound the same (with same pads) or is there also a bit of variation with these too?

Mine are 1989 Ref 1s (plus or minus a year or two with the No 2 pair that I picked up second hand a couple of years ago) and both of them have virtually identical impedance and are closely matched per capsule ... or as close as I can measure accurately. Both made In Germany .... the only thing better would be if they were engraved with the name of the man or woman who assembled them, like an AMG badge on a Mercedes.
Agreed, Vonx, this is easily the finest thread I have ever come across, everyone seems to respect the opinions and findings of fellow HD540 comrades (and similar models), is happy to share notes and experiences and just enjoy what I would consider one of the finest all-round headphones on the planet. I've heard others that are 'better' with some aspects of sonic reproduction, but almost none of them I would want to live with day by day, album after album, revelling in their musical organic sounding goodness. Even a set of Focals I borrowed for a while just left me emotionally cold, despite their pinpoint image focus and clarity, I happily handed them back. They lacked involving me in the Life of the music.

 

[o0CosmoMemory0o]

Glad to see the HD540 models are still receiving attention and providing musical enjoyment.

Several years back, I remember comparing HD540II and HD800 side-by-side over many days. The 800 is the better technical performer with deeper bass extension, higher resolution of detail/dynamics, cleaner highs and a larger more spatial stereo image than the 540II. They were however a bit boring to listen to; 540II was more musical/rhythmic/analogue with exciting pacing whereas the HD800 just focuses on the background noise. 540II is more compact, comfortable and lightweight to wear, with simpler part modularity. AKG K1000 lower serial numbers thrashed both of these models by kind of combining the enjoyable qualities of each. I eventually went from the K1000 to MySphere 3.1, which solved the subtle shortcomings the K1000 had. MS 3.1 is the only high end headphone I would buy. More versatile than the RAAL SR1a with much better power efficiency, modularity and finish quality.

Nowadays, I use Mark Audio speaker drivers inside nearfield cardboard boxes from Proprius monoblock amplifiers. Fantastic sound quality.