New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Headphone Recommendations for Commuting
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Welcome to the Graham Slee Audio Products Owners Forum

 

Open to all owners plus those contemplating the purchase of a Graham Slee HiFi System Components audio product and wishing to use this forum's loaner program: join here (Rules on posting can be found here)

This website along with trade marks Graham Slee and HiFi System Components are owned by Cadman Enterprises Ltd


Headphone Recommendations for Commuting

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456
Author
Ash View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 18 Mar 2013
Location: Dorset
Status: Offline
Points: 4334
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Sep 2019 at 11:38am
Keep looking on ebay.de every so often and you might be able to get spare 540ii bits. You'll have to put £100-£200 aside for it though and offer to pay the extra postage.
Back to Top
miT View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 890
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 5:54am
Apologies for my "speedy" reply. I did not receive email notifications for this thread again.

In recent weeks I have been doing A LOT of research (including listening sessions at home, finally!) about headphone options and learned that ex AKG staff (since Samsung's takeover) have now started Austrian Audio. They are bringing out some closed headphones soon so that could be a new option to try under £300.

I am unsure what Sennheiser peddle to their "Pro" customers but Beyerdynamic seem to be one of the few mainstream manufacturers in both markets. My knowledge is far too limited to be reliable but I stumbled across a website that measures the performance of headphones and uploads the results in a graph (http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=GR_Headphones&search_target=title&search_keyword=Beyerdynamic&page=1&division=-57326&category=275&document_srl=10634 if you are interested). They appear to have stopped their work a few years ago so most models are slightly older but after reading the graphs of literally everything, the HD540 are in an extremely limited group of <10 [tested] headphones that have a outstandingly neutral response. The Beyerdynamic DT990 versions seem to be one of the few cheap options, albeit still not closed. Other notable mentions are the Beyerdynamic T1, Grado PS1000 and Sennheiser HD800 (which has been updated and re-tuned in recent time) so it seems a long demo is definitely on the cards in the not-too-distant future...

Since listening again to compare my existing headphones and QC my ears, I have rediscovered the beauty of the HD540ii. My AKG K701 need to be compared to them again (when I find them!) but this rediscovery of forgotten truths has re-educated me in what I am looking for. The differences between my DT880 and HD540ii are vast enough to highlight them clearly but without focussing too deeply on the actual SQ, the transparency of the Sennheisers is sublime. They somehow disappear from the experience which draws you into the music, but they do it in an unpretentious way (hard to explain). Yes SQ tweaks could be made but as a starting platform, they got it so right! They do not make enough fanfare to stand out to today's general market though so while still hopeful, I cannot see them being matched in the by anything less than audiophile choices costing many £1000s; the customer base who spend less won't appreciate them. This has now made my search a lot more difficult!!

As a side point, has anyone found that the Bitzie was enough to run them or would an additional amp dig out even more?
Back to Top
miT View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 890
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 7:33am
Originally posted by discrete badger discrete badger wrote:

Originally posted by miT miT wrote:


The HD540ii are definitely my favourite of all my headphones, which is why I would not want to risk damaging them. If I had a second set however... You don't happen to have any more you were unable to sell do you? Wink

Indeed - I solved this problem by playing the numbers game - although in my case, with the HD250. 

In the same way that applying sunscreen is absolutely guaranteed to presage cloudy skies, so having a backup pair - or two - is absolutely guaranteed to render the first indestructible. Which is not to say that these cans are a delicate crystal chandelier; they were designed for the rigours of studio life not for worship as a hi-fi altarpiece. Somewhat appropriate, therefore, that one of my pairs came from the liquidation sale of a recording studio (another sign of the times!) and from the case and earpad condition has clearly had quite a hard life, not that one would know from the sound. 

So, forgiving the sacrilege of actually using these revered cans; as it turns out, my "commuting" pair - which have been rained on, stuck inside backpacks and suitcases, knocked against train doors, inspected by the cat, left inside office drawers and uncountable other minor challenges that one would not dare expose to the sort (i.e. the expensive sort) of contemporary headphones which might have vaguely comparable sonics - are still absolutely fine. 

More than fine. I actually think they might sound better than when I first got my grubby paws on them. Or are my ears better? More educated, perhaps? Or have the earpads softened a bit to bring my ears into the optimum position within the cup? Who knows?! Who cares? All I know is I've been very happy with these as commuting headphones, driven by the able Voyager, for about a decade. 

Will they last another 10 years commuting? I suspect they would but have no intention of finding out.

I wish I had got myself a set of HD250 while they were still available but I have never had the need for them. Until now.

I agree that you have to use them, hence future-proofing them by having multiple sets is so vital on something I cannot readily replace. And I also agree that solid build quality used to be a basic requirement in the past; not so much now sadly. This would all be much easier if progress was an acceptable business plan!

I have zero experience with closed headphones so I am not sure how this works but do the HD250 have an expansive soundstage? I'm not sure if that is even possible from a technical viewpoint...?
Back to Top
miT View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 890
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 7:34am
Originally posted by Aussie Mick Aussie Mick wrote:

My at-home ‘phones are the Focal Elear driven by a Solo ULDE. I’m super happy with them.
Mick.
Focal weren't as popular when I did my last demo, but they have quite a few models now.. Worth a listen, thanks.
Back to Top
miT View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 890
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 7:36am
Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

Keep looking on ebay.de every so often and you might be able to get spare 540ii bits. You'll have to put £100-£200 aside for it though and offer to pay the extra postage.
I will keep an eye out, thanks Ash.
Back to Top
discrete badger View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 479
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote discrete badger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 9:16pm
With the usual caveat that everyone's ears are different.... 

I am familiar with, and dislike, the usual claustrophobic feel of closed-back headphones, so the discovery of the very-open Grado SR series was a revelation to me, although I grew to dislike the sound leakage which limited listening levels. I do not know how, but the HD250 somehow manages to avoid the closed-back boxiness without leaking very much sound at all.
Back to Top
miT View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 07 Jan 2009
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 890
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote miT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Sep 2019 at 9:38pm
Originally posted by discrete badger discrete badger wrote:

With the usual caveat that everyone's ears are different.... 

I am familiar with, and dislike, the usual claustrophobic feel of closed-back headphones, so the discovery of the very-open Grado SR series was a revelation to me, although I grew to dislike the sound leakage which limited listening levels. I do not know how, but the HD250 somehow manages to avoid the closed-back boxiness without leaking very much sound at all.
Grade SR80 were my first proper headphones, but they took uncomfortable to another level... The PS1000 (or GS?) were sublime from memory though.

This is why I cannot forgive Sennheiser for turning their backs on the achievements they made with both the 250 and the 540ii. At what point did "progress" become moving backwards??
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1 456
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.01
Copyright ©2001-2018 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.094 seconds.