[arnobartels]

@arnobartels
How do you hold those cotton discs in place?

Good question. I would like to know how the felt disks on the Gold version are held in place.

I use a decorative ribbon of a fairly stiff plastic fabric:

Cut to size of outer diameter of the retainer ring:

Temporary attach with masking tape:

With the cotton in place insert the retainer ring and I put 3 small blobs of glue to fix the cotton to the ribbon:

Basically you could place tape all around and insert the ring in the pads like this but I cut the ribbon to the inner diameter of the ring:

now I can insert it in the pad after I install the ring:

Or lay it on the driver and install the pads:

The ribbon can't go anywhere after you install the pads because the ring will keep in place.

 

[sennsay]

Seems like AliExpress are on the ball, my single set (!) of new pads is on it's way, let's see how long from now and it will be nice if they actually get here, unlike the
nice looking velour pads (with the single row of holes in the back --- see several pages back in this thread) which somehow got lost around the planet and are now no longer available. Shame, they could have been a good option as a close(ish) match to the original cloth pads.

 

[McLovin]

New to the world of halfway decent headphones I saw these on FB marketplace and decided ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I removed the ear cups because the foam was disintegrating. I ordered a couple sets of earcups from eBay (seller wang_yifei) based on the last comment here: https://overearmania.com/2019/02/20/sennheiser-hd540/. I ordered the pleather variety with thinner foam inserts per his comment but I'm looking for a consensus--I just wanted to get something ordered ASAP. I do have the plastic rings that were holding the old cups on along with the felt pads that are still in good shape. The original cable came with it but probably going to replace it with something a bit less stiff and prone to tangling.

I plan to use these as "studio" headphones. Primarily w/ an audio interface (RME Babyface) or plugged directly into a YC88 stage piano. They're 600Ohms, would I be able to drive them properly with an audio interface/stage piano? For what it's worth, I'm not really listening critically as much as I'm noodling around with VSTs. Playing along to with songs, listening to music back thru the interface. Whatever deficiency they might have with regard to frequency response wouldn't negatively affect anything I manage to record any more than my lack of talent/ability/education.

I wanted them because it seems like they punch well above their weight.

Anything I should know as a newbie going into "restoring" these headphones?

 

[sennsay]

Welcome to this thread and coming into it with what I reckon is a stonking bargain! Yes, the stock cable is a bit stiff, but it's also really strong! Once upon a decade I danced my socks off to these headphones, ripping the cable out of the capsules from time to time and never once has the cable broken, a plug come off or the capsule inputs been damaged. The cable did separate between the two channels down the middle for some of it's length eventually, but it still all worked for years afterwards (and still does) until I made my own with #2893 mini quad core Mogami. The Mogami may still not be as flexible as you might want, though it a fabulously 'quiet' (sonically, as in zero background hash, which it is why Mogami cables are used in so many studios) and extremely neutral, I prefer it over the HD650 cable, but that one may actually suit you better and is easily available on eBay. I have no idea though if your audio interface/stage piano will be able to drive the 600 ohms, you might want to add a good budget headphone amp such as a Schiit Magni 3+ or Heresy, even an older Magni 3 would do just fine for not much cash. All the best with them!

 

[McLovin]

I know nothing about amps/preamps. My audio source will be my computer, the piano, and the occasional synth or other musical instrument. I need an elementary education on the need-to-know basics. Folks like you are a tremendous help so thank you so much!

 

[sennsay]

Thank you, I'm glad to offer any suggestions that are useful.
Fortunately with something as simple as, say, a Schiit Audio Magni headphone amp as a example (though there are some suitable others that will drive 300-600 ohm headphones), all you may need to do is to take a simple stereo 6.5mm jack to Left and Right RCA cable from your headphone output and amplify the signal from there if you find that the headphones plugged into the RME distort or don't give enough volume, which I suspect they won't. The output from the computer headphone jack will be far from suitable, you'd need USB (or Optical) out from there to a separate DAC/amp, which a bit more complicated. I'm not too familiar with audio interfaces, I'd imagine they'd need more sensitive headphones, 600 ohm cans are not that common these days.
Going with my first suggestion, the Magni and it's later Magni 3+ version (I use the latter regularly, it's brilliant) can be happily used with 600 ohms, as I have done for years. Others here may have better, or just different, ideas.

 

[arnobartels]

I ordered some polyester felt cloth of between 1 and 2mm thickness to create a poor man's Gold version of my Ref II.
Some tiny drops of glue on the black inner plastic ring hold it in place.

Before and after measurement:

Dampens the high end somewhat.
Here is a measurement of the Gold I found on Youtube made on a system similar to a GRAS 43AG.

Comparison with my poor man's Gold.
Red and Blue: Measurement of the Gold and HD800S by "DMS" from YouTube. Black: My Ref II with felt ring.

Not too shabby. It actually measures like a GOLD. Of course it needs more attenuation in the highs so in goes a single ply of toilet paper:

My favourite tuning so far. The cotton rings I posted before lost bass output. There's no loss of bass here and the highs are better than with the double ply of toilet paper.

 

[moriez]

Whatup fellas,

Given the shared love for HD540's and for some of its siblings I feel it's only right that on my way out I give a quick heads-up to the inner circle.
I know I would've been insanely happy with a opportunity to IMO a treasure like this a couple of years ago. Thanks, keep enjoying and arrivederci

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/sennheiser-classics-spares-collection.55578/

 

[IgorUA]

I've been experimenting with my 540 II headphones for a long time now. And I also tried inserting a disc the same size as the baffle without covering the speaker itself. The driver itself was completely open. To my ears, this adds to the midrange but reduces the clarity of the sound. Am I right? Can someone explain to me how this baffle works scientifically? Why, in comparison with the first model, did the engineers reduce its area in the HD540 II, eliminating 2 sectors from the bottom and top? How does it change the sound if it is more or less acoustically transparent?

 

[sennsay]

Good old AliExpress, eh, what an oxymoron in terms, there is no express in Ali! 6 1/2 weeks ago I ordered my pads, still haven't arrived at my mailbox, apparently having landed in OZ on Oct 3rd. Just like the other velour pads I ordered and they never arrived either once landing here. And yet, during this same time I ordered a 3D printed part for a Sony CD player from the Czech Republic and it arrived swiftly in two weeks. What gives, Ali-non-Express? Now they have the same pads for 'sale' again at $5.25 and I am NOT tempted! They gave no option to fast-track mail by air either, I would have happily paid the premium. In future, I will either stick with the wang-yifei pleathers or Orhpolsters from Germany. There is seriously something wrong with the Ali's Chinese distribution system once it lands in OZ. I'll have to see if the Aussie Postal service can track them down. They might turn up one day.
Bye bye, Ali-non-Express, not a $ of mine will you ever have again.

In much much better news, the lovely pleather Orhpolsters on my fully refurbed 600 ohm HD430s, are doing sterling service. These cans are perfect for listening to YouTube videos, either music or doc-style items. I use the terrific MusicStreamer II+ DAC from the iMac, silver cables to the Magni 3+, great combo, even with the stock mint cable that came with the HD430s. They look like they have come straight out of the box from the factory, only the gold Sennheiser name on the headband has faded a bit, stitching is perfect and none of the plastic is marked. So light to wear and the sound stage is so open. All new foams in black, almost 'stealth' cans, apart from the gold outer ring and the red/yellow cable inputs. Lovely to have them.

 

[ArChaos]

Good old AliExpress, eh, what an oxymoron in terms, there is no express in Ali! 6 1/2 weeks ago I ordered my pads, still haven't arrived at my mailbox, apparently having landed in OZ on Oct 3rd. Just like the other velour pads I ordered and they never arrived either once landing here. And yet, during this same time I ordered a 3D printed part for a Sony CD player from the Czech Republic and it arrived swiftly in two weeks. What gives, Ali-non-Express? Now they have the same pads for 'sale' again at $5.25 and I am NOT tempted! They gave no option to fast-track mail by air either, I would have happily paid the premium. In future, I will either stick with the wang-yifei pleathers or Orhpolsters from Germany. There is seriously something wrong with the Ali's Chinese distribution system once it lands in OZ. I'll have to see if the Aussie Postal service can track them down. They might turn up one day.
Bye bye, Ali-non-Express, not a $ of mine will you ever have again.

In much much better news, the lovely pleather Orhpolsters on my fully refurbed 600 ohm HD430s, are doing sterling service. These cans are perfect for listening to YouTube videos, either music or doc-style items. I use the terrific MusicStreamer II+ DAC from the iMac, silver cables to the Magni 3+, great combo, even with the stock mint cable that came with the HD430s. They look like they have come straight out of the box from the factory, only the gold Sennheiser name on the headband has faded a bit, stitching is perfect and none of the plastic is marked. So light to wear and the sound stage is so open. All new foams in black, almost 'stealth' cans, apart from the gold outer ring and the red/yellow cable inputs. Lovely to have them.

All my Chinese ear pads were ordered through eBay and they arrived all right - until now, at least...
Hope you'll finally get them

 

[sennsay]

All my Chinese ear pads were ordered through eBay and they arrived all right - until now, at least...
Hope you'll finally get them

Hmm, maybe that's why you received yours ok, eBay may use a different delivery system than Ali-nonExpress does from their own site. Although I paid very little for them, that's really no excuse for a dodgy distribution service. I suspect most eBay stuff comes through Australia Post once it gets here and they are mostly pretty good. I'll just give up on them and they might turn up before the end of the year.

 

[sennsay]

Well, time's up for AliNonExpress, their communication is very poor, they don't seem to understand that my pads HAVEN'T arrived and have marked me as confirmed arrival of item anyway. I've given them the boot, three months for a simple and light parcel to arrive from China is ridiculous and no-one can seem to find it and AliNonExpress can't be bothered anyway no matter what I say to them. When a box of parts arrived yesterday from Digikey in Minnesota to my home in OZ in 5 working days WITH free shipping, and a 3D printed part arrived from the Czech Republic in less than two weeks, then surely mail from China can make it here in good time! Heck, I've had a parcel arrive from HK to NZ in 4 days before. There's something quite wrong with A-Non-E's mail system, especially to OZ.
Never mind, I'll just keep buying wang pleathers and keep a look out for other options from time to time.

 

[lawrence2357]

I thought Ali Express was just a website the sellers on there are independent and will sort their own postage out. Same as eBay before they introduced their own postage options.

 

[sennsay]

No idea, at this point. I'm done with them.
Meantime, I upgraded the power supply and a few other capacitors not directly in the audio path of my FrankenZero DAC today, been meaning to do it for a while now, since it was in 2008 when I did the major upgrade work of Frankie overall. I pulled one of the stock 100uF caps around the Optical input control and it read almost 400uF! That started a chain reaction and I replaced all remaining stock caps that run the controlling aspects, the relays etc and found a couple more that were not on spec. Now the whole DAC has been done. For those who know what the heck I'm talking about, and there are a few here, the already good Nichicon PW series caps in the main digital supply were swapped out for larger value audio grade Fine Gold series and then bypassed with the fabulous and now extremely rare Black Gate 0.1uF NX bipolar caps, tiny in size but the difference they make to the high frequency performance of a power supply capacitor is well documented. They take many hours to full form and run in, but the wait is worth it, something I have experienced before several times.
Since this DAC is my main source, along with the Questyle QP1R DAP, to feed the Magni 3+ and Senn HD540s, any positive changes to transparency and soundstage will be most beneficial. I've given the system a few hours on iTunes fodder, some of which is rather fine to listen to and checking in some half hour ago the initial sound of new parts (sort of like something really organic that has become more artificial and electronic in nature) has eased off and a new level of transparency is making itself apparent, not night and day, just a noticeable, 'ah hah' in even more dynamic expression with great clarity and a small veil lifted over the lower bass. I'm currently using the excellent Burson Vivid V6 in the output stage, I will pop the A-gd Earth HDAM in tomorrow. For tonight, a few favourite tracks from the likes of Ricki Lee Jones Naked Songs live album, Richard and Linda Thompson live and maybe something from Ani diFranco.
I can add some pictures if anyone is interested.