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Ash View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2019 at 9:53am
For the HD250, there seem to be much less of them on the second-hand market than HD540 models and the HD250 price is generally much higher with no option of earpad replacement. Not the type of pad that I would want to refoam... I spotted a decent looking HD540II yesterday on Ebay. The headpad has some wear and not sure about the condition/type of earpad, as the photos seem to strategically conceal them and the inner material.

The earpad qualities determine how good they will sound. Look for the most reusable velour type; no pleather backing or white backing fabric underneath that. The best ones in my opinion have a slightly less internal circle diameter and are one piece black velvet stitched in the middle. Easiest type to clean, stitch and refoam and easiest to produce a thick pad depth with. Think it is the type in the like-new 540II I sold to you a few years ago miT.


Edited by Ash - 20 Nov 2019 at 10:02am
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miT View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2019 at 1:56pm
Originally posted by Suggs Suggs wrote:

Originally posted by Aussie Mick Aussie Mick wrote:

I’m using Focal Elear with my Solo ULDE and they pair wonderfully well. Super comfortable, too, to the point where I can happily do a three hour session with zero physical fatigue. Should fit your budget.
Cheers,
Mick.


I use the same combination and can agree totally with Mick...a winning pair
I have demo'd these headphones, albeit not with Graham Slee equipment and I personally found them to be the strong point of the Focal range, possibly including the Clear. They are over budget including a Solo though...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Polestar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2019 at 7:40pm
hi all
thanks very much for all your input. It's great to hear some views from people who know and care about their stuff to set against the marketing noise and sales spiel
Interesting that many of you rate less expensive and older models better than many new pricey ones
I think I really do want new though this time and then if I catch the headphone bug properly I'll look out for some of the vintage models you recommend. The Focals several of you like look lovely but over budget sadly as my £800-ish is roughly half for the amp and half for the phones
MiT asked a couple of questions:
what sound I'm after....I'd say clear, neutral, great soundstage & also to properly feel the low end when the music warrants it
open or closed....open - they're for my office/listening room with no-one to annoy with sound leakage
system..... roksan radius 7 tt / project tube box ds / cyrus pre 2 dac / cyrus x power and old kef 104/2s
location.....south Staffordshire - a few shops round about sell a wide range but don't have a lot of what I want to hear out on demo currently
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Nov 2019 at 8:00pm
There is a lot of good quality second-hand stuff around if you're in the right place at the right time. Much better value for money, especially whilst you are learning. Modern pricing is ridiculous.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Nov 2019 at 6:40am
Originally posted by Polestar Polestar wrote:

hi all
thanks very much for all your input. It's great to hear some views from people who know and care about their stuff to set against the marketing noise and sales spiel
Interesting that many of you rate less expensive and older models better than many new pricey ones
I think I really do want new though this time and then if I catch the headphone bug properly I'll look out for some of the vintage models you recommend. The Focals several of you like look lovely but over budget sadly as my £800-ish is roughly half for the amp and half for the phones
MiT asked a couple of questions:
what sound I'm after....I'd say clear, neutral, great soundstage & also to properly feel the low end when the music warrants it
open or closed....open - they're for my office/listening room with no-one to annoy with sound leakage
system..... roksan radius 7 tt / project tube box ds / cyrus pre 2 dac / cyrus x power and old kef 104/2s
location.....south Staffordshire - a few shops round about sell a wide range but don't have a lot of what I want to hear out on demo currently
It certainly says something if the majority (or should I say all?) of us seem to recommend similar models/price ranges. I know in my experience, new models just can't compete with the with musicality of discontinued models; they just sound lifeless in comparison. The marketing and technology focusses on being high-resolution, or having the best ... but they all miss the basics of being true to the music. In reality it isn't just the headphone side of the market, hence so many of us are here!

If you may catch the bug and invest more in the future, I personally would be more inclined to buy Graham's top amp now as there would be less point in upgrading that in the future as well as your headphones... Definitely demo them with the kit you are used to already though; that way you will notice the improvements easier.

As mentioned before, I have been planning another headphone demo today and will be taking my HD-540ii with me to compare. If they have the open-back headphones I want to compare against, I will recommend them for your demo list. Coupled with the Solo ULDE you should just about be on budget, but let's see what they sound like first!
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miT View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Nov 2019 at 6:50am
Originally posted by Chris Firth Chris Firth wrote:

I don't like the HD-650s or the HD-700s.
They sound shut in and lacking in high end detail.
The HD-700s are slightly better than the HD-650s, but the top end is definitely coloured and has a plasticky, synthetic edge to it.

I do like my AKG K702s, and I do like Sennheiser HD-560 Ovation IIs - they have a more neutral balance.
I've heard all 4 headphones via my Solo SRGII.

Graham loves his HD-250s.
I agree with you Chris. I took the opportunity to try the HD600 and 650 (or 660?) against my HD540ii recently and found them to be lacking. I heard a similar sound profile but they seem to have about 60% of the ability of the 540. When comparing the two directly you can really hear the difference.

When I originally listened to the HD700 vs many others, I was not impressed with anything but the fit. The HD800 and 800s are a considerable step up, but I still find them lacking against the 540. It's hard to pin it down but the overall presentation has less to like, and the painful HF of the 800 makes them unusable for anything but the perfect genre and song. For the money I had a better experience with Focal, Audeze and Hifiman, but they are over budget for this thread.

I did however want to agree that they are not as great as the hype implies...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Nov 2019 at 9:21am
The advantage of the used market is there is less money lost in buying and selling. It also lets you consider headphones that are no longer manufactured, some of which have a substantially higher performance to price ratio. Both HD540II and HD560II are two examples of excellent stepping stones to discovering what high fidelity should actually sound like. Even frequency emphasis and high tonal accuracy under £200 but you may need to DIY the earpads depending on what comes with the headphone.

Combine either model with a Graham Slee Solo or Bitzie and that's what I would term "a good start".


Edited by Ash - 21 Nov 2019 at 9:27am
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