Just had an amazing find in the recycling! Headphones..

[nat8808]

(Not sure where a thread goes about headphones...)

I found a pair of supposedly amazing headphones from the 80s earlier today - in the small appliance recycling bin where I live.

Some Sennheiser HD540 Gold References!

http://www.cat.pdx.edu/~bryantd/shots/misc/headfi/hd540_1.jpg

These I've found certainly aren't that bling! They have no foam it seems (although the cloth foam covering is there but dirty), they're a little dirty and feel a little greasy to the touch! Yuk! Certainly no wooden presentation case either..

Does anyone have any experience of them at all? Know where to get replacement foams etc?

[CageyH]

There is a guy called Ash on the Graham Slee forum who restores these.
He'll be able to tell you where to get all of the bits from.

[MikeMusic]

Great find !

[Tarzan]

Great find !

x2 Well done Sir! Love good news threads such as this.:)

[nat8808]

There is a guy called Ash on the Graham Slee forum who restores these.
He'll be able to tell you where to get all of the bits from.

Ah cool... I did a little research last night and looks like HD250 parts are now those which fit.

[PaulStewart]

Well done that man! Great pail of cans should be really good when restored :)

[nat8808]

:scratch:

And this weekend I found... Denon AH D5000s! In the same place.. probably the same person disposing.

Down on one channel but surely fixable. I'll take a photo of my dual find (although already taken them both appart.. as you do!)

[nat8808]

pail of cans

Collective noun I'm guessing?

[nat8808]

Hey, the Denon's do actually work, just slight dodgy soldering on the speaker!

Interesting how constructing them again from barebones whilst on your head changes the sound..

Cupping the wooden outershells on the now open backs increases treble making them sound more detailed - I guess reflecting the sound back.
Placing the foam rings back on the ear side (like diffraction rings around tweeters) increases bass depth.
Earpads make the bass sound less clear, bit diffuse..

Have seen a fair few mods for the Denon AH D5000s so might try some out.

[Mr Kipling]

Might be some Stax the next you go.

Interesting listening with open-back headphones and speakers at the same time.

[CageyH]

As they said in Monty Python's Life of Brian - "You lucky bar steward"

[nat8808]

Actually, bass is a bit too much without the pads - guess the drivers are too close to your ears.

And the wire is broken where they've tied a knot to prevent pulling on the driver, not the soldering.. comes and goes as you move the knot around. I'll shorten the wires and solder from beyond that point.

[nat8808]

It is pretty jammy.. although probably not many people would pull them out of the electronics recycling bin thing; the HD540s too grotty and one listen to the Denons with a channel down would send them straight back to the bin.

[agk]

Very nice finds you jammie bugger. It is amazing what some people will throw away.
First dibs on the golds when/if you get bored of playing with them.