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Thread: Headphones

  1. #1
    RIP 2021 SEAWOLF97's Avatar
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    Question Headphones

    .
    Despite my enjoyment of JBL's, I've always really preferred headphones (Cans to our Euro friends) ...

    In my military days I bought a pair of Pioneer SE-50's ....big white closed backs with volume and tones controls for each ear . had the various Koss's too. At one point there were so many around here that I started liquidating ..sold 12-13 pairs on the bay ...lots of Senns and AKG's. The ones that I should not have sold were a pair of Fostex's.

    Started re-accumulating after that and pretty much limited to Sennheiser and AKG. Bought only the second pair that were brand new ...Senn HD-580's and haven't needed any more than those. lately tho I've been finding lots of new (to me) hphones and discovering some old ones that I'd forgotten ... some nice little Senn HD 400's that I use on the computer , some Senn HDR 120's and HDR 130's (both wireless) , big circum HD 570's , noise cancelling PCX-150's (my first exposure to neo magnets) . 2 pairs of AKG K-55's this month. I like everyone of them, but for different reasons.

    Yesterday I grabbed some Senn HD-25-1 mk2's ....neo also. People seem to toss out phones when the ear pads wear out or get flaky, and that was the case on the HD-25's ...I keep lots of extra pads around just for that case. So got the 25's re-padded and ran them thru the pod last night. gotta say that Senns just keep getting better and better.
    I looked up the 25's and they seem to have quite a following ==>> http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD2.../dp/B000TDZOXG . They don't have much of a "bling factor" , but the music is what is important for me ....the 25 kind of reminds me of the old 4410's , very accurate and not bass heavy. They are "over ear" , which I generally don't like, but they are comfortable and sure do block out external noise. I think they are keepers.

    So does anyone else share my affection of 'phones/cans ? what are some of the forumites favorite brands / models ? ....have any of you used the HD-25-1 mk2's ? and if so, what are your thoughts ?

    oh yeah, you don't normally associate Sennheiser with Ireland, but the 580's and 25's were produced there.

    http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...Fe1_QgodmRMAJg
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  2. #2
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    I ordered my daughter some HD-201 for $17 shipped from New Egg a couple of months ago to replace her PX-100 collapsibles that had a bad cord. I bought some HD-280s about six-years ago that I use infrequently. They replaced my Superex ST-ProB-V I've had since I was in high-school. I recently auditioned several sets of cans at our local Crutchfield retail store, from about $900 on down. They even had a pair of HD-280s connected so I had a baseline to compare. Of all the brands at all the prices I preferred the sound of the Sennheiser HD-598 to anything there. Amazon had them recently for very close to $200 but I couldn't pull the trigger because they were so ugly with their beige leather and burl-wood accents. Sennheiser says the design was inspired by "European Sport Sedans" but they're closer to a Lexus and, worse, reminded me of everything that is hideous about the Maserati TC, with apologies to T-dome who seems to love the bastard offspring of Lee Iacocca and Alejandro de Tomaso with a bit of Chrysler Daytona and Mitsubishi thrown in just to really screw it up.



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  3. #3
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    Since the late 1970s, I have been using 3 memorable types of headphones.

    First set was some big closed Pioneers that made me look as if I was flying an helicopter. But hey, I was 17 and spent my first pay check on those. In the early 1980s, the following sets were all open Sennheisers with the yellow foam (HD40 and HD400). I loved the airy feel of the music (no wonder they were widely used in broadcasting). Then thru my Walkman and iPod years, I had the small collapsable Senheiser PX100 and loved them. Light, open music and good solid bass.

    If I could find some HD-400 in good shape, I'd buy them on the spot. ;-)

    Pioneer
    http://img2.etsystatic.com/000/0/614....313369478.jpg

    Sennheiser - HD40 and HD400
    http://www.wikizic.org/1-018-018894-...ser-HD-400.jpg
    http://mnisula.byethost32.com/hd40/hd40iso.jpg

    Sennheiser -PX-100
    http://www.best-ipod-online.com/imag...adphones-2.jpg

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    Of all the brands at all the prices I preferred the sound of the Sennheiser HD-598 to anything there. Amazon had them recently for very close to $200 but I couldn't pull the trigger because they were so ugly with their beige leather and burl-wood accents. Sennheiser says the design was inspired by "European Sport Sedans" but they're closer to a Lexus and, worse, reminded me of everything that is hideous about the Maserati TC, with apologies to T-dome who seems to love the bastard offspring of Lee Iacocca and Alejandro de Tomaso with a bit of Chrysler Daytona and Mitsubishi thrown in just to really screw it up.



    wow, its rare that I agree with Phil twice in one post.

    I think Sennheiser is best when they stick to basic industrial black ...my HDR-130's have these tacky looking "chromed window screen" endcaps ...looks like they were pasted on at the last minute by some marketing weenie. colored earpads are fine, but stop there. Apple already has the corner on sissy white stuff, so leave that fine idea alone.

    The TC ? I've seen a couple ..not inspiring. Wiki prolly says it best "the idea of putting a Maserati body with a Chrysler engine was viewed by some as taking the worst from each partner.[6] The automotive press was critical of the Chrysler TC, observing its similarity to the Chrysler LeBaron GTC convertible that cost much less.[4] Lee Iacocca was a proponent of the new model "to change the way the world looked at Chrysler" and to create a new image for the automaker.[7] It was expected to achieve annual sales between 5,000 to 10,000 units."

    Chrysler's TC by Maserati was a "Q" body based on a modified second generation Chrysler K platform

    (and we all know how much love those K cars deserve)

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee in Montreal View Post
    Since the late 1970s, I have been using 3 memorable types of headphones.

    First set was some big closed Pioneers that made me look as if I was flying an helicopter. But hey, I was 17 and spent my first pay check on those. In the early 1980s, the following sets were all open Sennheisers with the yellow foam (HD40 and HD400). I loved the airy feel of the music (no wonder they were widely used in broadcasting). Then thru my Walkman and iPod years, I had the small collapsable Senheiser PX100 and loved them. Light, open music and good solid bass.

    If I could find some HD-400 in good shape, I'd buy them on the spot. ;-)
    my HD-400's are not efficient enough for the iPod, but do sound fine plugged into a receiver.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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    Administrator Mr. Widget's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97 View Post
    my HD-400's are not efficient enough for the iPod, but do sound fine plugged into a receiver.
    It may be an impedance mismatch and not a sensitivity issue.

    I agree about those Sennheisers looking pretty butt ugly!

    Widget

  6. #6
    Senior Member WDJ's Avatar
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    Sennheiser HD414

    I've had my Senn HD414s since about 1980 (thats about six sets of foam). My daughter "adopted" them for a few years so she got her own set of them (off ebay) for Christmas...

    I still use them pretty often; cables long enough that you aren't trapped and sometimes others in the house (or sometimes outside......) don'twant to hear what I do!

    Sennheiser made replacement cables for the 414 with 1/8 vs 1/4 connectors

    Had a set of Stax but they were just too heavy
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  7. #7
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    It looks like HD 414s have become collector items ;-) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-rare-v...item19d8fd4fef

  8. #8
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Widget View Post
    It may be an impedance mismatch and not a sensitivity issue.
    The HD 424's impedance was 2000 Ohms

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    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    All Stax for me since 1975, excepting some old Beyers for computer use. Once you go Stax, you never look bacx.
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


  10. #10
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    The good ol' headphones ;-) Even the base HD-420 wasn't bad at all. I still have that set. Somewhere.



  11. #11
    Senior Member grumpy's Avatar
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    hmm... must have been a pair of HD-430 I enjoyed for quite awhile quite a
    difference (and relief) after my first pair, the well isolating, but fairly
    heavy Koss Pro 4AA.

    After hearing a rather expensive set of STAX headphones in the early 90s
    it was hard to go back to something less... so I haven't (not for serious listening).

  12. #12
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    Friend of mine had a set of Stax electrostatic headphones back in the very early 80s. Those were sweet.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee in Montreal View Post
    It looks like HD 414s have become collector items ;-)
    I've had a couple of those ..look like kids plastic toys, buy wern't bad sounding

    Quote Originally Posted by Ducatista47 View Post
    All Stax for me since 1975, excepting some old Beyers for computer use. Once you go Stax, you never look bacx.
    Had some Beyer ...DT-880 ?? nice , but preferred the Fostex.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lee in Montreal View Post
    The good ol' headphones ;-) Even the base HD-420 wasn't bad at all. I still have that set. Somewhere.
    Have gone thru a couple of those too , liked them, don't know why I sold ...they were so stylish that even my dentist had them for patients.

    My used stereo shop was offered a pair of Stax while I was there , one ear NON-working. He wouldn't buy them. One local stereo shop had a grand opening and prizes for the first 10 in the door at opening ...I was #9 . Prize was some over the ear AKAI mylar phones that really didn't sound half bad.

    Do you all prefer OPEN/CLOSED back ? AROUND the ear or OVER ear ? Most OVERs have hurt my ears and was surprised that the HD-25's didn't. They have an interesting "split band" that when you pull the 2 headbands further apart, it tightens up the phones on the ear.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

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    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    I recently auditioned several sets of cans at our local Crutchfield retail store, from about $900 on down.
    did their policy change ..(from an old thread .....)

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    So, when it came time for me to buy a pair of enclosed headphones for my middle daughter to take to college a couple of weeks ago, I got interested in researching the topic a bit. Luckily for me she was happy with the first pair she tried, a $19.95 Sony set from our local Crutchfield store. They have a liberal 30-day return policy even if they don't allow any headphone auditions in the store anymore (hygiene, they say) rather than the next up Sennheisers for $49. Seeing cans priced beyond $400 got me wondering what you could get in the under-$100 range. So I hit the Internet.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  15. #15
    Senior Member grumpy's Avatar
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    Do you all prefer OPEN/CLOSED back ? AROUND the ear or OVER ear ?
    For most pure listening, OPEN
    For noise isolation (traveling/board monitoring), or not bothering others in a quiet location, or for extended bass, CLOSED

    I'm assuming that AROUND means something that keeps the pressure off the ear
    such as a surrounding ring of foam (or other means) and that OVER means that it
    sits on the ear... In that sense, definitely AROUND or at least mostly so (some nice
    phones sort of do both).

    Don't care much for in-ear solutions (buds, etc...) but haven't tried custom (audiologist mold/formed)
    fit types.

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