My vintage headphones

[idc]

Edit - another pair bought so added to this thread.

AKG K140 600 ohm closed backed studio headphones from c1975. They work perfectly and are in very good condition.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Nice

 

[idc]

Thanks David. Have you got any old headphones gathering dust in the recesses of your store room?

 

[AlmaataKZ]

REspect!

 

[scene]

Nice cans! And I thought my Sennheiser HD520s (mk1s) c.1986 were old!

 

[simonlewis]

Nice five year old cans, what does thiry mean is that the make.

 

[jimdonnelly]

Very nice. Hope I look as good when I am thirty five

How often do they get used?

 

[Frank Harvey]

idc:Thanks David. Have you got any old headphones gathering dust in the recesses of your store room?

Naah, we're pretty quick to move stuff on now. I do have a 20+ year old Sony MDRA40 headphones I used to use with my cassette Walkman around 87/88 - still in good nick and working

 

[idc]

jimdonnelly:
Very nice. Hope I look as good when I am thirty five

How often do they get used?

All the time at the moment.

 

[vinod_david]

Old is GO(L)D !!

 

[idc]

Bought for £25, the Sony DR-4C from pre 1979. They pre-date the ipod as they needs loads of power to run them. They are supra aural, closed backed and do not leak any sound at all. The thick vinyl pads direct all of the sound straight into the ear, so sound stage is lacking. The sound is OK, a bit dull, but I will give them some more time to get used to them. They are in very good condition....

 

[Big Chris]

That bottom pic looks like a stethoscope.

 

[Andy H]

These are my Sennheiser HD560 Ovation MkII's which I bought in the early 90's

I remember I paid £125 in a sale for these and my girlfriend at the time thought I'd gone mad.

They still sound great to this day, I did replace the earpad cushions last year, good as new.

 

[idc]

My latest purchases, both came boxed and as new......

Panasonic EAH 500 (1980)

They are very comfortable with foam pads. They go a good level of bass and are easy to drive. They came in as Walkmans were becoming more common and pop, heavy metal had increased demands for bass response. Before that headphones were really the preserve of the audiophile and were tuned more towards classical and jazz. They had big open sound stages and an emphasis on the midrange. The Sony's are a classic example of that. To me they sound too light, like a brighter version of the AKG K701/2.

Sony DR5A (1974)

 

[ID.]

Nice. Keep 'em coming. After being inspired by the forum I'm starting to get a taste for head-fi, it won't replace my main setup but it has its own attractions, one of them being that it is easier to start and store a headphone collection. Interesting seeing all of the different sounds one can get for outlay equivalent to what many might spend on a change of speaker cable.

Loving the reports/insights on the different styles and attractions of the older headphones, but I could even just develop a headphone fetish from being able to check out the designs and appearance in the photos.

 

[Petherick]

Yamaha HP-2's from around the same time. Superb then, still superb now, though a little worn around the edges.

 

[idc]

Any photos Petherick? Do you have the nice box they come in?

Here are my AKG K280 Parabolics. You can see that each side has two drivers which makes for a very big, fat but clear and very stereophonic sound. I don't know the year, but they were produced in 1987 and 1995. At 75 ohms and SPL 94db/mW they are easy enough to drive. They are rapidly becoming my favorite headphones just for their sheer power. They leak loads of sound, but the family will have to get used to that.

 

[idc]

Classic 1970s Pioneer SE305 headphones. Easily available on ebay for £20ish and a great starter vintage headphone. They are built like the proverbial tank, are heavy, but with all the padding, very comfortable. Easy to drive, so do not need major amping and virtually leakless. The sound is bassy and unlike other 1970s headphones, but that makes them more to the modern taste.

 

[idc]

Virtually unused AKG K340 Electrostatic-Dynamic headphones.......

 

[idc]

The Quadraflex 40A. Made for an American chain called Pacific Stereo, I think by Pioneer......

 

[idc]

I have sorted out a display.......

 

[PJPro]

You're getting quite a collection together! Which ones do you use most?

 

[sta99y]

idc:

I have sorted out a display.......

Epicness!! i am not into headphone listening but looking at these i want to wear a pair and chill to some tunes, i have an av Yammy amp which does have a direct stereo mode with HP/LFE adjustable levels. Do you think this amp would sound ok with headphones? Maybe a silly question to some but i know nothing about headphones and HI-FI listening.

Cheers

 

[idc]

PJPro:You're getting quite a collection together! Which ones do you use most?

Any one of this lot......

...present favourites being the K340 and K280. Of the others the Pioneer SE305 sounds the best. The Pioneer SE205/305 from the 1970s come up on ebay all of the time, many still with the original box. They rarely go for over £30 and are a brilliant start for a vintage collection.

 

[idc]

sta99y:

Epicness!! i am not into headphone listening but looking at these i want to wear a pair and chill to some tunes, i have an av Yammy amp which does have a direct stereo mode with HP/LFE adjustable levels. Do you think this amp would sound ok with headphones? Maybe a silly question to some but i know nothing about headphones and HI-FI listening.

Cheers

The Yamaha has a headphone jack behind the front panel and I am sure will work fine with most headphones. I would avoid extremes such as the Sony DR-5 at only 8 ohms and the DR-4C at 10,000 ohms which some amps will struggle with. As above, the Pioneer SE are a good start as they have a more modern sound (i.e they do bass) and are easily available.