[UnsteadyKen]

Soundhaspriority said:

'd like something I can use with my
existing Sennheiser 580 and Stax phones.

Hi Bob, what is your opinion on the 580 i'm currently bidding
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=300228841281
on a pair to replace my 495's which I find unsatisfactory in the bass
region, it seems too pronounced and sometimes breaks up. The 395 is
32 ohm and the 480 are rated at 300 ohms which I'm hoping will be a
better match for the headphone outputs on my elderly amps.
--
Ken

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 22:12:24 +0100, UnsteadyKen wrote:
Soundhaspriority said:

'd like something I can use with my
existing Sennheiser 580 and Stax phones.

Hi Bob, what is your opinion on the 580 i'm currently bidding
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=300228841281
on a pair to replace my 495's which I find unsatisfactory in the bass
region, it seems too pronounced and sometimes breaks up. The 395 is
32 ohm and the 480 are rated at 300 ohms which I'm hoping will be a
better match for the headphone outputs on my elderly amps.

I wouldn't pay more than $40 for anything from sennheiser. The headphone
plugs invariable develop open connections after 6-9 months of use.

[UnsteadyKen]

AZ Nomad said:

I wouldn't pay more than $40 for anything from sennheiser. The headphone
plugs invariable develop open connections after 6-9 months of use.

I think you're being a bit harsh on them, my max bid is the
equivalent of about $66 and they will be a bargain if I get them for
that, probably get outbid in the last seconds by some lowlife toad as
usual.
Yes, the connections are a bit of a weak point but the accasional
annoyance they give are outweighed by the sound quality, comfort and
otherwise good reliability, IMO.
--
Ken

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 23:25:14 +0100, UnsteadyKen wrote:
AZ Nomad said:

I wouldn't pay more than $40 for anything from sennheiser. The headphone
plugs invariable develop open connections after 6-9 months of use.

I think you're being a bit harsh on them, my max bid is the
equivalent of about $66 and they will be a bargain if I get them for
that, probably get outbid in the last seconds by some lowlife toad as
usual.

Sure. As long as you don't mind replacing them in a few months.

[UnsteadyKen]

Soundhaspriority said:

Ken, the 580 is one of the best phones at any price.

Thats what I wanted hear Bob, more placebo please.
Don't you hate it when you rush home with the latest toy, marvel at
the sound for a while then read in some dratted mag a comment along
the lines of... "Only a total feeb would buy the Heapocrap MkII when
the Acme Gentlemans Thunderer has vastly superior midrange
definition" ...and thats it, the magic has gone, doubts set in and
forever after no matter how happy you are with the MKII there is
always a question in the back of your mind.

It is identical to the
600, which used a metal mesh on the outside shell instead of plastic, and
the 600 received audiophile acclaim.
According to posters on head-fi & headwize swopping the shells is
worthwhile. And lots of other mods to try.

Sennheiser is a remarkable company, one
of the few who service the mass market with the same attention given to
professional equipment. They do this so well and consistently that some of
their consumer offerings are, in fact, identical to professional equipment.
The 580 has a replaceable cord, part of the commitment to durability.

And a possible weak point some think, but better to be able to
replace the cords than not. And the added advantage that when you
trip over the cord as one inevitably does, all that happens is the
plugs disconnect instead of ripping the phones from your head.


The 580/600 are open back phones, which have an inherent advantage every
time I compare them to my monitoring phones, which are Sony based. You are
probably aware that speaker cabinets are stuffed or lined with a variety of
materials, one purpose of which is to prevent, as much as possible, the
re-radiation through the speaker cone of sound reflected inside the cabinet.
It isn't possible to effectively attenuate the backwave inside a headphone
shell. Hence phones that provide isolation from the environment are
inevitably inferior to the open back alternative.

I couldn't agree more, closed back phones do not seem to have the
airy light sound of opens.

The 580/600 are not sensitive enough for use with walkman-type equipment,
but they should be fine for your application.

I've been thinking of making an adaptor to run my phones from the
speaker outputs which would allow me to play with resistor values
which might improve things but i'll see how the amp output works
first.

Cheers Bob.
--
Ken

[Arny Krueger]

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message

On Sun, 1 Jun 2008 22:12:24 +0100, UnsteadyKen
wrote:
Soundhaspriority said:

'd like something I can use with my
existing Sennheiser 580 and Stax phones.

Hi Bob, what is your opinion on the 580 i'm currently
bidding
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=300228841281
on a pair to replace my 495's which I find
unsatisfactory in the bass region, it seems too
pronounced and sometimes breaks up. The 395 is 32 ohm
and the 480 are rated at 300 ohms which I'm hoping will
be a better match for the headphone outputs on my
elderly amps.

I wouldn't pay more than $40 for anything from
sennheiser. The headphone plugs invariable develop open
connections after 6-9 months of use.

On the 580 that doesn't matter too much - the headphone jack is part of a
field-replaceable cord assembly that sells for a bout $20 on the Sennheiser
site.

One of the nifty features of the 580 is that they are almost entirely
field-replacable. That said, I'm on my second cord assembly, but it lasted
many years as compared to the first, that lasted only about 2 years.

The first couple of years were rough on these 580s, as one of my
grandchildren stood on them, and I also had to replace the headband
assembly. The headband cost about twice as much as the cord, but it was
still all a snap-apart, snap-together job. I've also had to wash the cloth
earpieces several times.

The open-ear nature of the 580s is IMO their only disadvantage. I have
therefore been on a quest for closed-ear phones that sound as much like them
as possible. Also, they are a bit pricey for some who are looking for
headphones. Are the closed-ear 280s an option? IME, no.

IME, the closest alternatives to the 580/600 can be found in Audio
Technica's audiophile and studio line.

AT's ATH-A700 Closed-back headphones and the ATH-AD500 Open-air Headphones
are comfortable audiophile-style headphones, with a smooth sound reminiscent
of the 580s, but at a lower price and lacking any of the field-replicable
features.

My ATH-AD700 have been used extensively while listening for pleasure, but
have not fared well. I have had to disassemble them and fix the internal
wiring. They have broken in several places and the small pads have fallen
off. They are currently a testimonial to the effectiveness of polyurethane
glue.

My ATH-A700 have received far less use and are doing just fine. My ATH-M50
are newer and are more typical of professional-style headphones with tighter
sealing and possibly more durable construction. These are as close as I have
found to headphones that sound something like I imagine closed-back 580s
would sound.

[UnsteadyKen]

AZ Nomad said:


Sure. As long as you don't mind replacing them in a few months.

Okay doke, these look good value.
http://tiny.cc/DnGNT

--
Ken

[Arny Krueger]

"UnsteadyKen" wrote in message
m
AZ Nomad said:


Sure. As long as you don't mind replacing them in a few
months.

Okay doke, these look good value.
http://tiny.cc/DnGNT

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=081435

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:28:26 +0100, UnsteadyKen wrote:
AZ Nomad said:


Sure. As long as you don't mind replacing them in a few months.

Okay doke, these look good value.
http://tiny.cc/DnGNT

$185 for three dollars worth of wire and a dollar's worth of molded plugs?
Yeah, buy 5 of them and just replace them when they break.

[Arny Krueger]

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 00:28:26 +0100, UnsteadyKen
wrote:
AZ Nomad said:


Sure. As long as you don't mind replacing them in a
few months.

Okay doke, these look good value.
http://tiny.cc/DnGNT

$185 for three dollars worth of wire and a dollar's worth
of molded plugs? Yeah, buy 5 of them and just replace
them when they break.

When my HD580 cable broke, I bought two. I haven't needed the second one.

[UnsteadyKen]

Arny Krueger said:

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

Aw c'mon Arny some of us can't afford the really good stuff.
http://tiny.cc/z7QWI

--
Ken

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 01:49:56 +0100, UnsteadyKen wrote:
Arny Krueger said:

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

Aw c'mon Arny some of us can't afford the really good stuff.

Paying 50 times too much doesn't make a product good.

[Arny Krueger]

"UnsteadyKen" wrote in message
m
Arny Krueger said:

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

Aw c'mon Arny some of us can't afford the really good
stuff. http://tiny.cc/z7QWI

Is it really good, or just a trap for the uninformed?

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=081435

If you trust Sennheiser to get the phones right, why not trust them to get
the cable right?

[UnsteadyKen]

AZ Nomad said:

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

Aw c'mon Arny some of us can't afford the really good stuff.

Paying 50 times too much doesn't make a product good.

Yes of course, I was trying to imply that Arny was "LOL"ing because I
was gonna buy such "cheap" cable.

--
Ken

[UnsteadyKen]

Arny Krueger said:

If you trust Sennheiser to get the phones right, why not trust them to get
the cable right?

I do Arny, it was a feeble joke that fell flat on its face :-(

I've never heard any cable effects that I couldn't trace to poor
connection/termination. However I read so many reports about cable
sound by people whose opinions on other hi-fi matters I trust
greatly, that it does make one doubt. I wish the cable sound question
could be settled one way or the other.
--
Ken

[Arny Krueger]

"UnsteadyKen" wrote in message
m
Arny Krueger said:

If you trust Sennheiser to get the phones right, why not
trust them to get the cable right?

I do Arny, it was a feeble joke that fell flat on its
face :-(

I've never heard any cable effects that I couldn't trace
to poor connection/termination.

That's pretty much the whole story, provided the application of the cable
follows usual engineering practice. IOW, don't use 100 foot of 24 gauge wire
to connect up 4 ohm speakers.

However I read so many
reports about cable sound by people whose opinions on
other hi-fi matters I trust greatly, that it does make
one doubt.

Those people probably gave you good reason to doubt them.

The esoteric cable business was devised by descendents of the inestimable
P.T Barnum. Actually, this is a slam on good ole' P.T., as he always gave
good value for your entertainment nickel.

I wish the cable sound question could be
settled one way or the other.

It was, decades ago. It is just that people like Monster Cable and Cardas
continue to find a fresh supply of suckers. For many of their dealers, they
make more money on the cables than the new box that is going to be cabled
up.

The latest scam is HDMI cables. Like almost everything else digital, in fact
they either work stunningly well, or it is a badly engineered application,
and the picture and sound are obviously trashed. IOW, no picture or sound,
one that is highly intermittent, or one that has obvious problems like pops
and clicks in the sound, or streaks and breaks in the picture. People who
say that a certain HDMI cable gives darker blacks or more detail or depth
are talking out of the backs of their necks.

[AZ Nomad[_2_]]

On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 13:49:28 +0100, UnsteadyKen wrote:
AZ Nomad said:

$185 for a headphone cable?

LOL!

Aw c'mon Arny some of us can't afford the really good stuff.

Paying 50 times too much doesn't make a product good.

Yes of course, I was trying to imply that Arny was "LOL"ing because I
was gonna buy such "cheap" cable.
Yeah. You'd rather pay $185 for it.

[UnsteadyKen]

AZ Nomad said:

Yeah. You'd rather pay $185 for it.

And do without luxuries such as food for a month? OK you've talked me
into it.
Anyway I won't need too pay anything if my experience with
Sennheisers is anything to go by, I've been using Senns since 1973
and apart from the occasional easily fixed plug socket contact issue
I've never had a cable assembly fail. I've stood on the phones or had
them chewed by pets but no cable probs. IME most headphone cable
problems are caused by winding the cables up , using a "phone holder
or stand and not putting any strain on the cables is the best way.
--
Ken