Fun with vintage headphones

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by k4rstar, Sep 26, 2020.

  1. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    This is the only time I got a better deal than you. I got mine for $30 back in 2014. Since then one driver has burned out.
     
  2. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I got another pair of them, along with a pair of Grado SR125s, 2 AKG K240, and AKG K280 for a total of $80, so maybe I still got a better deal
     
  3. je2a3

    je2a3 Almost "Made"

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    I can't even find a K240DF for $80.:(
     
  4. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    I will sell you mine if you want
     
  5. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Sennheiser HD540 Reference Gold (300 Ohm)

    general information

    The HD540 Reference Gold was a limited edition version of the HD540, released initially in 1985 to commemorate their 40th anniversary, but produced in much greater numbers than the now scarce HD580 Jubilee. Yes, Sennheiser was doing the 'gold' stuff 35 years before the anniversary HD800S!

    Sennheiser advertised a gold trim finish, specially matched drivers, a wooden display box and a gold plug terminated headphone cable. The HD540 Gold was manufactured for at least several years alongside the HD540 Reference as it came in both 600 ohm and 300 ohm versions.

    [​IMG]

    As far as I can tell, the original pads for the headphone were the same as the HD540 Reference, velour with a pleather contact ring. The headphones came with a user manual and numbered certificate. The serial number was also inscribed on the headband, in a classy gold font.

    One source tells me that serial numbers of ~10,000 and below are early production 600 ohm pairs, but I can't actually verify this. Regardless of serial numbers, the 300 ohm models have the impedance stamped outside the cup, just like the regular HD540 Reference.

    Due to their limited nature these sell for quite a bit more than regular HD540s, I typically see them on German eBay and eBay Kleinanzeigan for 300 to 400 euro.

    An important note about the cable: although the entry for the 2-pin Sennheiser connector appears outwardly identical to the regular HD540 Reference and other Sennheiser's of this era, it is actually shaped differently inside and will only accept the old style skinny connectors. HD580/600/650 2-pin connectors will not fit.

    subjective impressions

    My pair is a late production, 300 ohm model, with a 19xxx serial number. The original pads are still intact, and I compared these carefully to my mid-production HD540 Reference.

    [​IMG]

    I will say that the two headphones certainly share DNA but sound quite different. Although I think this is more to do with the 600 ohm versus 300 ohm driver, all of my research has led me to believe that the Gold does indeed have a slightly different sound character than the regular HD540.

    What stands out about the Golds is a subtle burnished tone and warm emphasis on midrange fundamentals that my regular HD540 Ref does not have. It's not honest but it is charming with acoustic guitar and vocals. This comes at a cost as there is a narrowband dip around 4-6kHz which steals a bit of energy and bite from electric and brass instruments.

    Initially switching to the Gold's make me excited but this politeness wears on me after just a few tracks. Switching back to the regular Reference and the sound thins out a bit, but is certainly more honest. I do wish I had an early production 600 ohm HD540 Gold to make this comparison fairer, but from the pairs I have I do prefer the HD540 Reference. Still, these are good headphones, just not worth the premium prices they command now due to rarity.
     
  6. Scubadude

    Scubadude Almost "Made"

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    Interesting observations, thanks. I've never heard the standard HD540 but I've had three pairs of HD540 Gold (last two still in the collection). I'll be taking a pair to work this week to see if I hear what you hear.

    On the pads, I also thought the "white walls" were a standard but the irregular faint blue lines made me think maybe it was a backing of sorts. Just found this pic that shows crumbling pleather ... The white backing is what remains.

    [​IMG]
     
  7. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Yesterday I received the Sennheiser HD250 II Linears.

    The previous owner never bothered to replace the earpads nor have some spare parts. There is some wear and tear on my pair. One unfortunate thing is that Sennheiser apparently no longer makes the earpads. I am sure you can get AKG foams or cut to size foam to do that.

    I bought some made in China extra thick ear pads for the HD250 II. I hope mild bass-head bliss will be my fate.
     
  8. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Sennheiser HD600 & HD650 (early production)

    general information

    Yes, I consider the HD600 and HD650 to be vintage headphones now. They are still sold, but Sennheiser does a disservice to consumers by allowing the '2019 edition' of these headphones made in Romania to be sold under the same name. They should've stuck with their typical nomenclature and called them the HD600S/HD650S, where the S stands for 'shitty'.

    These headphones don't really need introduction, but this post instead will focus on the different production variations of each, and my general thoughts on them after trying several of Sennheiser's older models.

    The HD600 was released in 1997 as a successor to the HD580. It was only ever manufactured in Ireland, unlike the HD580 which was initially made in Germany. While it would appear today that Sennheiser dropped their model subtitles such as HD580 'Precision' or HD560 'Ovation', the HD600 actually did have a subtitle at release: Avantgarde, as seen in this early review below.

    [​IMG]

    The granite countertop finish of the headphones was certainly avant garde, but I personally love it. I have noticed that the brightness and density of this finish has actually reduced on later production models, to become a bit more subdued and understated. It came in a black corrugated cardboard box with a black display box inside.

    The HD650 was released in 2003 as the new open-back flagship, although the HD600 was not discontinued, the HD650 did carry a slightly higher price tag. It came in a silver corrugated cardboard box with a silver display box inside. It also sported a new, thicker cable than the standard HD580/HD600 cable from 1993.

    Much has been written online about the history of these headphones, including debate on whether newer models sound or perform any differently than those from 1997 or 2003. Sennheiser representatives have been on record multiple times denying any performance differences. Unfortunately, they lied. It is in Sennheiser's best interest after all that consumers continue to buy new headphones and not used old stock.

    While I don't have the time, money or inclination to purchase all sorts of different pairs, take them apart, measure them, cross-reference serial numbers and packaging differences, etcetera (for example, see this excellent analysis which highlights the sonic differences between the 2009 release HD800 vs. the post-2013 HD800), I have owned over a dozen pairs over the past few years and can confirm there is indeed a difference!

    My rough timeline goes something like the below. This timeline is based on my own ownership experience and as much research I could do on the subject online. It's not exhaustive or scientific, there simply isn't the data to support such a timeline. Please leave a comment if you have corrections or further information to add.

    1997: Release of HD600. Black box with orange 'For Digital' label. Black silk acoustic screens. Lightly coloured voice coil wire. Brass ring in magnet assembly. see here for pictures

    2002-2003: HD600 changes to darker, red coloured voice coil wire. Still has the brass ring in magnet assembly.

    2003: Release of HD650. Silver box with blue 'Reference Class' label. Black silk acoustic screens. Darker, red coloured voice coil wire.

    2006-2007: Both HD600 and HD650 are updated to silver mesh acoustic screens. Brass ring disappears from HD600 magnet assembly. see here for picture

    2012-2013: Packaging is updated to new style Sennheiser boxes which are consistent across their product line. Sound may have changed from original silver mesh models.

    2016: Release of Massdrop HD6XX collaboration. Sound has definitely changed from 2006-2007 silver mesh and earlier versions, in my opinion for the worse. This is however the era of HD600/HD650 that most people today are familiar with.

    2019: Manufacturing moves from Ireland to Romania. New packaging, paint jobs, cables. Sound is irredeemable garbage.

    subjective impressions

    I have a HD600 from 2003-2006 I purchased from the original owner. I also have a HD650 from the same era. Both have the black acoustic screens and original packaging design. For comparisons sake, I used an old Cardas Cross headphone cable to evaluate each. While the HD650 cable is OK, the stock HD600 cable is quite bad and does hold the headphone back.

    [​IMG]

    Of course I love these headphones as much as the next guy, I am not sure any firm has manufactured better headphones for all-around listening to both modern and older recordings across a variety of genres. My first few pairs of these headphones were purchased in 2015, prior to the release of the HD6XX. I always thought my pairs sounded different from the HD6XX I heard, although many online claimed they should be (no, must be!) identical. The timeline provided above may go some way to explaining this difference of opinion.

    I do have a preference for the early production HD600/HD650. They seem to have a more mature and refined sound, with less narrowband coloration such as elevated presence region on the later HD600 and clouded lower mids/upper bass on both later models. They are still HD600/HD650 in DNA, and not as neutral or clean as earlier made in Germany models such as the HD540 and HD250, but certainly 'bridge the gap' a bit.

    The early production HD650 does seem ever so slightly smoother and mature (not just as a matter of frequency response) than the early production HD600, with an 'enhanced' creamy quality to the midrange. I can see how Sennheiser marketed this as an improvement back in 2003. However, I feel the post-2010 versions of these two models are so incredibly similar it becomes difficult to tell them apart or express strong preference for one over the other.

    Contrary to popular sentiment about these early production models, they are not more 'veiled' (a term so overused and misunderstood to describe these headphones) than later production models. They simply sound more grown up. Later production models may be brighter in terms of frequency response, but the earlier production models simply display better transient integrity, the ability to hear into the mix (especially in the lower mids), and lack of homogenization between recordings. With the exclusion of the 2019 revision, differences are not massive, but appreciable with a better upstream chain.

    The early production HD650 is basically perfect for listening to alternative rock, lo-fi, shoegaze and dream pop; retaining recording aesthetic without fatigue.

    The early production HD600 is pretty much as good, with a bit of extra sparkle and bite, but without the 'creamy' enhanced mids of the HD650.

    With an electric guitar solo, the HD600 will spotlight the wail and feedback, the HD650 will enhance the shredding and fundamentals. I like both equally, depending on the recording.
     
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  9. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    An addendum to the initial post on the HD250 Linear here. My pair suddenly died in the left channel when listening to music at a normal volume. Unfortunately this seems to be a common occurrence, I have seen 4 distinct anecdotes of the same thing happening to other owners including some members here.

    I hope I can fix them, but in the meantime I went ahead and bought another pair which just arrived today. I think I may have understated a little just how good these headphones are in my original post. At the time I had 10 pairs of Senns in house and the constant switching makes true assessment difficult. Now just the HD250 Linear and HD650 (black screen) remain.

    This new pair has the original earpads and inner foam, and a white/grey driver cap instead of black. It sounds slightly worse than my first pair, the early black driver sounding ever so slightly smoother, authoritative and more cohesive; but it is still probably my favorite headphone at this time. Fantastic clarity and a much more honest transient response than any of Sennheiser's later headphones. The listener can clearly make out what both hands are doing on the piano, without slurring or loss of intonation.

    I have only tried them with the stock cable so far, I imagine even higher potential with a good aftermarket cable. I highly recommend buying these if you get the opportunity to do so at a reasonable price.

    [​IMG]

    EDIT 03/28/2021: Unfortunately these did not sound as good as my original pair, which may have been something of a unicorn. They still sound good but it seems when it comes to Sennheiser all later production headphones are something like a painting that gets progressively more faded. The original is pure and complete, while subsequent revisions show greater flaws and loss of purity.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2021
  10. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    ChaCha's Foray Into Vintage (with some random thoughts)

    20210112_195200.jpg

    My interest in vintage headphones began when I learned Donald North uses vintage Beyerdynamic headphones himself. Thanks to @tommytakis, I've managed to snag a pair of vintage Beyerdynamic DT990 and also a Sennheiser HD250 Linear 600 ohm. The curiosity comes from me wanting to see if the modern stuff really is that much better and if the people who collect and listen to vintage gear are just nutcases who bask in nostalgia.

    One thing to note: I typically used the Starlett for all my vintage headphones. The reason is because the Starlett actually has a switch for IEC out, where it has 120 ohms out. A lot of vintage gear is designed to be used with higher output impedance and may not necessarily sound that great using some of the modern, ultra-low impedance modern gear. That being said, I did still enjoy the EC Ultralinear with the vintage gear, and I did play around with the IEC switch on the Starlett. None of the amps I regularly use had any issues driving these headphones.

    Beyerdynamic DT990

    As far as I can tell, this pair was made sometime in the 1990s and is the 250 ohm version. I was a little bit worried with these, as I have seen all the dreaded measurements of "Mt. Beyer" and have tried out a couple different T1 headphones, with two of them sounding like bright garbage and the other one being dang bright but okay-ish.

    Now, I'm not entirely certain how these vintage DT990 measure, but honestly, I didn't detect anything that sounds remotely like Mt. Beyer on these. In direct comparison to the old SBAF standbys of the HD600 and HD650, the DT990 sounds like a viable alternative with a different character; very lively, fast, and some extra treble sparkle, air, and extension without being offensive. The DT990 also sounds more open than the HD6x0. With the Starlett's 120 ohm output, it doesn't sound bass-light either, and in fact sounds tilted warm (I think it's similar to SR1a in tonality if you use the regular 9 ohms out, perfectly listenable and pleasing to me). Resolve might be a bit behind the later HD6x0, but very good overall and no real complaints.

    In fact, the only real complaint I have with the DT990 is the stage. I know I harp on headphone staging and repeatedly say it sucks, but the DT990 has some 2 or 3 blob stage. This is really the only aspect of this headphone I wish it did better, but I also do not feel that this trait of the DT990 is a showstopper for me, as this trait is not bad to the point of offensiveness (as it is in some really bad closed-back headphones). And it's not like the HD6x0 stuff is renowned for amazing stage.

    An area you compromise to get the more open, lively sound of the vintage DT990 versus HD6x0 is that the DT990 can't touch the HD6x0's treble smoothness and that mid-to-treble transition. The HD6x0 is king there. However, the DT990 might be a little less grain, where the Sennheisers have a bit more of the dynamic driver grain. The DT990 is also less resolving, but only by a step or two.

    In a way, the DT990 kind of reminds me of the whole Focal vs HD6x0 debate. The DT990 has faster, more defined transients and better delineation, but isn't as smooth when it comes to the mids-to-treble and treble area. However, like I said before, it is absolutely a worthy alternative to the HD6x0 if you find those headphones a bit veiled and sleepy (that being said, I'm detecting a slight amount of veil on the DT990, but it's even less of an extent than JAR HD600).

    Sennheiser HD250 Linear

    This version is the 600 ohm version. To be honest, a part of the reason why I bought it was because I liked it aesthetically. The bigger reason is that I really wanted to see how these would hold up to the more modern stuff. And honestly, it delivers big time.

    While these are closed-back, they honestly don't necessarily sound that closed. If I was forced to guess, I'd actually guess they were semi-open like the modern HD599, but they aren't. The HD250 in fact stages a lot like the HD6x0 stuff and actually sounds a little less blobby. Frankly, for such an old headphone that is closed this is amazing.

    In terms of voicing, the HD250 to me sounds like an in-between of the HD600 and HD650, but leans significantly closer to the HD600. If you think the HD600 sounds like it has too much edge and heat in the upper mids, the HD250 won't be much better in that regard and I daresay you'd have similar complaints. The HD250 also exhibits noticeably more dynamic driver grain than its more modern brethren, which kind of worsens this character. That being said, as I use a pair of JAR HD600 with some regularity and use Utopia, I don't have any problems with the HD250's voicing and in fact like it a lot. Basically, if you like the HD600 voicing this HD250 will be right up your alley.

    Transient attacks are more snappy and quick than the HD6x0, but not to the extent of the DT990. However, I'm not sure if the delineation is necessarily better; this might be due to the closed-back nature. Resolve is on the HD250 is a step behind the HD6x0, but maybe a touch better than the aforementioned DT990. At any rate though, the difference in resolve between HD6x0, HD250, and DT990 is not huge.

    Interestingly, despite the snappy transients, I didn't feel that the HD250 has the kind of dynamic impact that makes me jump if I start listening in the middle of a song, or when a new song suddenly starts. It is almost a bit ZMF Auteur-like in that I wouldn't call it unengaging, but it is somewhat more relaxed in this aspect.

    I mention this more in the impressions of HD540 Reference below, but the HD250 does have the slightest amount of metallic timbre from its aluminum driver. It's very slight in this headphone, but audible. This is neither a good or bad thing since all transducers have a sound.

    Overall, a very capable headphone that I enjoy greatly. I will be honest though; if I had to choose between this and the JAR HD600 I own, I'd choose the HD600.

    Sennheiser HD540 Reference I

    20210123_151646.jpg

    This is a 600 ohm, early production unit. My experience with the HD250 Linear made me quite curious about how they would sound as an open-back, and this I believe would be the closest thing you could get to an open HD250 Linear.

    Now, this unit's front foam was beginning to disintegrate, and in my infinite stupidity I accidentally ruined it trying to get a look at the driver. After listening without the foam and experimenting a bit, I ended up replacing the front foam with foam from my HD6XX. I chose this foam because the HD540 shared some of the same faults as the JAR HD600 if you took the front foam off, and the lighter touch of this foam seems to be adequate as a replacement, although how good it is compared to the original I do not know.

    In terms of openness, the HD540 Reference I sounds just as open as the Beyerdynamic DT990. For reference, I hear them as being just shy of the Focals in terms of openness, which is quite good indeed. The HD540 makes the HD600 and HD650 sound very much semi-open in comparison.

    The HD540 Reference I is very aptly named when talking about tonality. These have the kind of studio monitor tuning that's present in things like the SR1a. There is some heat in the upper mids, and I hear this headphone as being tuned overall slightly bright. For me, this is no issue even in newer recordings, but this tuning will certainly not agree with everyone. However, the bass is still present and impactful, and being a good dynamic driver, the notes have satisfying heft.

    Like the HD250, the HD540 is snappy and fast in the transients. I think it has an advantage in delineation over its closed-back counterpart; decays are noticeably slightly better controlled. However, where the HD540 has a definite advantage is in its dynamic impacts, where unlike the HD250, it can make me jump and startle me when I a song starts suddenly.

    The final consideration for getting this headphone would be its timbre. Probably due to the aluminum drivers, but it does have a bit of that Focal-like metallic tinge to the sound (the HD250 Linear also has this sound, but I think the tuning of that headphone hides it better). This is neither a good or bad thing, as again, every transducer material has a sound.

    I like these quite a bit to be honest and I can see myself using these a lot on account of good sonic performance, very good comfort, and light weight.

    Things I Noticed/Random Thoughts*

    The light weight of the vintage stuff lends itself to rather superb comfort. In fact, I'm astounded at just how comfortable these headphones are for long periods of time. I don't have a scale with me, but these are super lightweight. I'm frankly not quite sure why headphones that aren't ZMFs have to be so heavy (Zach gets a pass because woodworking). Like WTF everyone.

    Also, I'm not entirely sure why 600 ohm headphones seem to be non-existent nowadays. It seems like most modern headphones strive for low impedance and very high efficiency, yet amps nowadays produce more power than ever. I get modern amps tend to have ultra-low output impedances, but these 600 ohm coils seem fantastic.

    So has audio come a long, long way since then and this vintage stuff should be left in the dust**? Absolutely not! I have always said that good gear doesn't turn into shit because new gear came out. The good, vintage stuff is just that: good, vintage gear. There also exists terrible vintage gear that should be forgotten about, just like there's good headphones made now and also complete shit.

    That being said, it's hard for me to recommend people go find and buy this stuff. Not exactly what I'd call readily available and easy to find in good condition. Maybe my recommendation would be "don't chase this stuff, but if it pops up then not bad buys."

    *no real conclusion because I plan on exploring more and adding to this post as time goes on.
    **in some cases the newer stuff really stinks. Like new Beyerdynamic DT990s.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2021
  11. elsordo

    elsordo Acquaintance

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    Very interesting post! I have a soft spot for vintage stuff but wouldn't know where to begin with headphones. This is a great resource to start with, so I appreciate you doing this.
     
  12. roughroad

    roughroad formerly mephisto56

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    @ChaChaRealSmooth, thank you for your review of the HD 540. I don't get the opportunity to listen to many different HPs. In fact, I've never listened to a pair of open backs.

    However, as I get older, timbre has become more and more important to me. Also, since I got into listening to HPs only (r/t apt. living), I haven't been able to enjoy classical music with my current HP, TH-X00 EB. This is something I miss greatly.

    I have a line on a pair of early HD 540 I. They are inexpensive and have excellent reviews. Not much to lose if they are not my cup of tea.
     
  13. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    Beyer DT48S

    general information

    The Beyerdynamic DT48 (Dynamic Telephone) has as great a lineage and history as any headphone I've come across. It traces back to the first moving coil (electrodynamic) ear-mounted transducers designed for speech and communications monitoring, the Beyer 'Berlin' from 1937. The founder of BeyerDynamic, Eugen Beyer, is credited with a number of other remarkable 'firsts' in the field of sound recording and reproduction, and I encourage independent research into the history of this company, which is sadly nowhere near as relevant as they used to be.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    If we count the original 'Berlin' model - then the DT48 has been in more or less uninterrupted production from 1937! Beyer discontinued the DT48 in 2012 due to poor sales. Companies like Shure and Sony were able to provide cheaper, better marketed monitor headphones like the SRH840 and MDR7506 and the better built and sounding DT48 was neglected by Beyer and overshadowed in the prosumer marketplace.

    Given that the headphones have been made for so long, there are a million and one variations - each with a similar basic earcup, driver and headband construction, but with differences in impedance; padding; cabling and intended application.

    It is unclear from my research when the model 'DT48' first appeared (perhaps 1948?). Firstly there was the DT48A for audiometry (hearing test) applications, available from the 1950s with black earcups, and later color coded earcups (red for right, blue for left). The DT48A continued to be sold alongside the 'studio/prosumer' version of the DT48 until it was discontinued in 2012.

    Second, we have the DT48S (S for stereo) introduced in 1957 with the advent of stereo sound recording. Prior models were of course wired for mono (the same signal sent to both earcups). The DT48S was made up until the late 1960s, with a few different padding variations and many different cabling/impedance variations. The DT48S was also bundled with Nagra (Kudelski) tape recorders in the 1960s, so some seldom seen models read KUDELSKI on the earcups instead of BEYER.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Next we have the 1970s revision of the DT48, called the DT48E, although it is important to note many of these were made without the 'E' lettering on the earcup. At some point in the 80s Beyer switched their branding to their familiar beyerdynamic)))) logo and the earcups switched from printing BEYERDYNAMIC to beyerdynamic)))). The DT48E was marketed heavily to professionals in video and sound production, with new padded leatherette earpads and headband. The DT48s produced from 1970 to 1980 are the most commonly found today on second-hand markets.

    [​IMG]

    Lastly is the modern DT48E, available only in 25 ohm and 200 ohm impedances, probably officially revised sometime in the early 2000s and sold until the discontinuation of the product in 2012. These sound distinctly different and more modern than the 1970s DT48E despite appearing outwardly similar.

    [​IMG]

    Any of the aforementioned models can be found in a wide range of impedances, including: 5ohm, 8ohm, 10ohm, 25ohm, 200ohm and others. The very low impedance of the earliest DT48s would allow them to be driven from transformer coupled vacuum tube amplifiers and radio sets. I personally have collected 5 pairs of DT48. Huge thank you to @Huhnkopf and @Zampotech for their help in acquiring them.

    The driver composes of an aluminum diaphragm and copper voice coil, with a separate housing for the magnetic system of the driver. If you ever get a chance to disassemble a vintage compression driver, the similarities are there. The YouTube video below shows a teardown of the driver on an old pair.



    subjective impressions

    I put off writing about the DT48 for a long time just because there is so much to cover. I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours reading everything I could about these headphones online. Here are some choice quotes from audiophile secret societies about the sound of the illustrious DT48:

    "I really hate these. They don't measure horribly, at least with FR"

    "Pretty clean measurements though I did not like them very much either. Funny how people like to call this 'neutral'."

    "Agreed that they sound somewhat hollow and the lack of air is expected. Never liked this one."

    What gives? Well, the DT48 can be used for listening to music for enjoyment, but really only certain types of recordings. If you try to play modern (post 1960s), studio-processed recordings on them, they give you a big fat middle finger and essentially sound like a tin can with a string. There will be sibilance, weird hollowness, a sharp roll-off of bass and treble, and no headstage to speak of. This is of course why they are not popular among audiophiles, who commonly value the production of recordings over the musical content itself!

    [​IMG]

    Beyer did make attempts to make the DT48 more palatable as the years went on. Actually the latest DT48E sold in the 2000s was rather normal sounding, not much more 'enjoyable' than the aforementioned Shure or Sony monitor headphones, but at least you could play Radiohead or something on it and not want to kill yourself. Despite this, the earlier versions of this headphone seem to sound more interesting where it matters. My subjective impressions are for a 1967 pair of DT48S 25 ohm, which I acquired in essentially complete museum condition.

    What these headphones do excel at is listening to historical recordings, largely made before heavy handed studio processing became an integral (even dominant) part of the recording process. They have an exceptional mid-range clarity, liveliness and resolution when listening to shellac rips of singers and instrumentalists that allows you to hear very deep into the recording and uncover things that other headphones just completely miss. An example of such a historical recording is given below, made in Moscow in 1951 using simple monophonic equipment and a short recording path:



    In this sense they are true 'monitors', but I get a lot of enjoyment out of them as well due to my interest in historical recordings. They actually can sound acceptable for some modern recordings, but they will turn your music library into a minefield, as one song will sound fine and another will be torturously bad. More than anything they remind me of vintage compression drivers in their ability to transmit energy and nuance, quickly making everything else sound either veiled (Sennheiser) or like it's trying too hard (Focal and other modern headphones).

    One forum poster described them as 'squeezing out all of the music juice from a recording', and I would have to agree! Another forum post was found in Russian, translated and paraphrased below:

    I like these headphones very much for what they are and will be keeping a pair for life.
     
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  14. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    In my headphone collecting phase I used to have a couple of these.

    Build quality: you could probably use them for self defense and be sued for assault with a weapon

    Sound: chop off the bottom end, add resonance to accentuate everything from the mids and their relevant harmonics; if I needed to transcribe lectures or legislative/court proceedings, these would be great except for the comfort
     
  15. dematted

    dematted Friend

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    Sennheiser HD 540: One Weird Headphone.

    @ChaChaRealSmooth was kind enough to loan me their vintage senns with an option to buy. The first time I listened to HD540, I plugged it into my Pendant, qued up "You Can Call me Al", and decided it was pretty...meh. Bass sounded very light, the mid-range was there but didn't do anything special for me, and the headphone as a whole failed to make any firm impression on me. Fast-forward several days later, and I decided to try these with classical chamber music, and was pretty astounded at their abilities. Are they the most resolving, clear, or dynamic headphones? Nope (though they're not bad on any of those fronts). But my god, the timbre of violins and pianos is just something else.

    I always got the feeling that my headphones didn't quite do violin and piano timbre right, and these headphones have pretty much confirmed that impression: Borealis, Auteur, ESX900, HD650, JAR HD600, all impart a bit of a "too smooth" quality to violins, which makes them lose some of their natural texture. In fact, I think this is the first headphone that has a -satisfactory- rendering of violin and piano textures. I don't know why this is. Its timbre isn't lush, rich, wet, reverby, or "organic". But it does sound "Right". They also do this very wacky thing where there's a very defined center image but also a sense of immense air and scale. Staging has a grand, expansive, larger than life feel, and treble, though extremely present, is markedly -less- fatiguing than it is on the 6x0 series.

    I don't know quite how Sennheiser managed to achieve this sound. To be honest, there is something "Vintage" sounding about it - there's an earthiness (perhaps even a graininess) to the timbre that I really like and that its hard to put my finger on. Suffice to say this is the opposite of a "smooth" sounding headphone, but at the same time doesn't strike me as sounding artificially sharp. I kind of thought that this is what listening to Vinyl might sound like, to be honest.

    Suffice to say that I -really- like these for classical - in fact, these are the headphones I've enjoyed classical music on the most. They have a balanced tonality from the lower-mids up (I do think the bass response is really lacking, which makes them pretty unsuitable for anything that has lots of it), with microdynamics that rival the 6x0 series and a sense of separation, staging, and timbral qualities in string instruments that exceeds it. However, vocals and anything with a lot of fundamentals in the bass doesn't sound great, and as a result, I really am not a fan of these with most music that isn't acoustic or classical. As a specialist headphone that I'm going to be able to buy from Chacha for a great price though, these are great, and I'm really impressed with them.
     
  16. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Did the vintage Senns use non-neodymium magnets? I feel like not much is understood / well demonstrated about various types of magnets for use in headphones. Down the road I plan to investigate this more. Dug up some posts on Changstar about the 540 II, @stratocaster took some measurements here https://www.changstar.com/www.changstar.com/index.php/topic,1697.0.html

    for the lazy (stock):
    upload_2021-4-1_16-59-2.png
    upload_2021-4-1_17-1-17.png
    Looks like a real violin indeed with all that treble ringing! I bet (hope) it sounds better than it looks though, just poking fun.
     
    Last edited: Apr 1, 2021
  17. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    @E_Schaaf unsure about the magnet type, but the HD540 that @dematted has are not the Reference II; those are Ref I with the 600 ohm coils.

    I've read anecdotes on how the Ref I is superior to the Ref II, but not sure in what ways.
     
  18. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    from my HD540 Gold manual:
    [​IMG]

    about later Sennheisers versus earlier ones: it is like a painting that is gradually fading and being touched up. the later ones have more exaggerated flaws and lose the ability to resolve fine detail like the earliest model. at the same time, the revisions came with some tuning modifications that may be perceived as improvements on a surface level but are not worth the aforementioned drawbacks.
     
  19. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Good read.

    I gave/traded my DT48 headphones away. Fascinating pieces of technology and in the right system (preferable with a high gain setting) these headphones actually can be enjoyable.

    The earpads seal or don't seal, I gave up because it was too finicky (DT48-E 25 ohms model). Then regardless of the music (be it old Decca and DG to modern Pop, because yes even K-Pop can sound good on these) my experience was that the drivers needed a lot of power.

    A lot of modern headphones are 32, 50-ish, 60-ish or sometimes 80 ohms. The DT48-E 25 ohms might have said 25 ohms on the cup but it behaved like a 600 ohms K240 DF.

    With a bit of work the driver in the DT48, especially housing it I suspect it can be exceptional regarding sound. That "bit of work" should have been done decades ago. Beyerdynamic didn't go the lengths Pioneer went with their Monitor 10 and it is a shame. The Monitor 10 was and is a beast in sound. Just give the drivers power and the ears pleasant chambers.

    I am going to stick to building a system for the HD250 II Linears and the HD600. In the wonderful world of vintage headphones you have to focus at one point.
     
  20. Scubadude

    Scubadude Almost "Made"

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    What did you pair it with? The HD540 certainly has a lighter tonal balance than most modern headphones. In my experience they are better on thicker rather than reference-tuned amps. In my collection that would be warm and woolly valves in the form of a custom SET OTL (but not Bottlehead Mainline ... too tight and lean), PS Audio GCHA or Krell KSA-5 clone. These probably sound more "period" modern straight-and-narrow amps, and tend to flesh out the slightly thin character of the HD540. I enjoy them even on something as neutral as the Phonitor but it does require some time for the ears and brain to adjust.
     

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