Your opinions please: Sennheiser HD497 or HD535?
Jul 12, 2002 at 10:09 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

laevi

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I believe both can be obtained for no more than $65. I would like to hear your opinions on these two cans relative to each other. Also, I understand that the HD497 will be more easily driven off a PCDP compared to the HD535; exactly how great a loss in sound quality will result from using the HD535 with a portable that supplies 7 mW or 12 mW per channel? Thanks in advance.
 
Jul 12, 2002 at 10:52 PM Post #2 of 5
hi laevi


first let me say welcome to head-fi ..sorry about your wallet
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ok...the HD497s can be driven very well with a portable..i use a sony mz-n707....5mW per channel..so ...7mW or 12mW would definitely do the job...

i have also had the pleasure to listen to the HD535...and they are awesome...they are an older model however...but....the drivers look suspiciously just like the drivers in my HD600s.....

and...it really depends what you are wanting to do with the cans...the HD497s are smaller ..hence more portable...and the HD535....well its kinda big....

i love my HD497s but....those HD535s are the better pair.....

i'll say that....i A/B'ed the HD535 and the HD600 out of a yamaha receiver watching U571 (the depth charge scene)....and the HD535 did extremely well....

just my .02 cents....hope i helped

ray
 
Jul 12, 2002 at 11:13 PM Post #3 of 5
If the HD535 sounds anything like the HD545, which it probably does since they use the same drivers and enclosure, then it is much better than HD497 based on a brief listen to HD497 at the Headroom show. The HD545 is very similar to HD580/600, albeit with thinner bass and slightly less detail. It is just as smooth with the same spacious soundstage and clarity. I saw a used HD545 for sale just this week, either here or at headwize for $50 -- it may still be available. HD545 vs. HD580 is very similar to a comparison of Grado SR-80 vs. Grado SR-225, with the more expensive model possessing slightly better details, soundstage and frequency extension.

A portable with good power can drive HD535 but that is not the ideal. I did enjoy my HD545 powered by 10mW and 15mW (into 32 ohms) cd players, but I don't really think of the HD545 as a portable headphone. For portable use I would sooner reach for Koss KSC-35.
 
Jul 12, 2002 at 11:46 PM Post #4 of 5
Well, I've found the HD535 to have even thinner bass than the HD545. And not only that, but less low bass extension as well. But in the midband and treble frequencies, the two share similar characteristics. Nonetheless, I didn't enjoy the HD535 much. I really wanted to like those 'phones!
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About smaller 'phones... I've found that my KSC-35's are getting far less use than ever, now that I've been using Etymotics almost exclusively for portable use. And I've found that I wasn't listening to music at all on a bike ride (I used to do such a thing) - my portable use is almost exclusively on the bus. And had I continued to use my KSC-35's, I would have had to nearly max out my TAH amp just to barely cut through the increasingly loud motor noise inside the bus.
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Jul 13, 2002 at 2:48 AM Post #5 of 5
Thank all of you for your opinions. I guess I will go with the HD535 and see if I can get a deal on a cheap "portable" amp somewhere. Perhaps as my audio tastes mature, I will one day transition to something better.
 

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