Vintage Headphones

I have a set of Pioneer SE-30s that I bought new about 1970 and they still sound good to me. I'm not saying that they are the best out there, but they sound good to me. I listen to them through a MC-250 with a C-26. maybe that has something to do with it.:music:
 
I bought these Pioneers just because i liked the way they looked. They probably aren't the best but I have nothing to compare them to.:smoke:

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I have an old set of AKG K-141's that I always loved the sound of- they have the same problem so many here do- worn out pads! I'd like to find more comfortable pads for the Grado S-80s I have, also. Maybe there's a market for vintage & newer headphone pads! I used to have some Sennheiser 414's , but they are sadly gone..
 
i've always loved my koss pro4AAA's. heavy as a two a.m. drunken pickup, but they sound great.

Have to agree.... love these phones, bought them new (78'??) and have dragged them into many recording studios as well as used at home for all these years.
 
Sure wish I could get new earpads for my MDR-V6 phones. For the number of those things that they sold and the fact that the deteriorating leatherette (very sticky) problem was known early on, it seems like Sony dropped the ball on that one.

I do like the MDR-V6s and have improvised, but....

I have read that you can put some Beyerdynamic velour pads on with a little bit of doing... much nicer than stock actually.

edit: oops, beaten already...
 
i've always loved my koss pro4AAA's. heavy as a two a.m. drunken pickup, but they sound great.

Have to agree with lguise. Had a set of these for several years, loved the sound. I now have a set of Grado SR150s. Wonderfull sound, (for the money), but not the most comfortable 'phones in the world.

Lately, I have been contemplating hunting down a good set of used electrostats, Koss or Stax-----see what all of the fuss is about.:D

Dave
 
How do those pioneer phones sound dualhead and andy. Pretty decent? I see these up on ebay all the time in decent shape and for good prices.
They sound good, tone controls on the phones as well as volume let you tweak it fairly easily. They are heavy, and if the foam is too crushed they are not comfy. But in good shape they are great. Great highs and decent lows. The isolation is good as well.
 
Everyone recommends the old Koss Pro4AA's they bought in the late 70s; well, good news for those who are interested. Koss is still making them, you can get a new pair for $60-70. They don't sound as good as a pair of modern open headphones; they can get a bit nasal and shouty when pushed hard. However, they are certainly better than what you can get now for $30-40, and the price premium is worth it for the over-the-top build quality and no-questions-asked lifetime warranty. I have had mine for five years, and I love them.
 
I bought these in '94 when good headphones used to be a perfect circle, and very comfortable to wear for hours. The "S" sounds flatter and sweeter, but the "bd" is a great studio monitor 'phone. Thinking about getting the AKG 701, but i'm not sure is gonna sound so much better. :music:
 

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Are the oldschool Signet electrostat ones anygood?
I think you're talking about the TK33. They usually go for peanuts on eBay. The answer to your question is yes, but in stock form there's not a lot of bass. If that doesn't scare you off right away, drive them with some topnotch old gear (eg, a good MOSFET receiver like the Kyocera R-851 with the semiparametric tone controls) and the sound can be amazing. The driver in the TK33 is unique: it's a back-electret, just like A-T's current electret condenser microphones. Just don't expect modern electrostatic sound from them right out of the box.

It costs a little more, but it has great bass for an electrostat and a wonderfully spacious stereo spread: the Sony ECR-500 from 1976.
 
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I Love Superex!

I LOVE SUPEREX because they sound like Grado's with bass and a 3D sound stage like no others.:music:
 
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Sure wish I could get new earpads for my MDR-V6 phones. For the number of those things that they sold and the fact that the deteriorating leatherette (very sticky) problem was known early on, it seems like Sony dropped the ball on that one.

I do like the MDR-V6s and have improvised, but....
They still make the Sony MDR-V6:yes: Bought a pair around 1978 and they were later stolen:tears: Picked up another set last year and they still sound sweet:thmbsp:
 
I Too Love Superex Because They Have A 3D Sound. New Headphones do not compare to the old superex headphones.:D You need to pick up a pair and listen to Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon & you will know what I am Talking About.:music:
 

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I've been more than happy with my AKG K240 headphones! :yes: :thmbsp:

Scott
 
I owned a set of Trio (Kenwood) headphones that I bought in a BX in Japan in '73. They were incredibly comfortable and very good sounding. I can't recall the model but they had a "turtle shell" enclosure that served to enhance bass and made them look very unique. They were about $50, which was a lot considering the very low exchange price tags att. The pads and headband were covered in very soft leather and, let me tell you, those things were comfortable. I would still have them if my son's dog hadn't chewed them into about 40 pieces.

Next best set was Sennheiser 414. They had such an open and natural sound AND they were so light and comfortable that I sometimes forgot I had them on. I must have jerked them off my head 100 times but they never suffered any damage. Wish I could say the same for my dignity.

Current favs is another set of Sennheiser phones. Not as comfy as the 414 but almost. I also have a Fostex studio model that Grado must have used as their pattern as they are almost twins. They even sound remarkably like the mid-level Grados. It's a good headphone with great sound but not nearly as comfy as the Sennheisers or the big Kenwoods of old.
 
Still have the Pioneer SE-305s I bought for my first Top-40 radio job back in 1976. I like 'em...comfy, good sound. Lots of jocks preferred the Koss Pro 4s...I always thought they felt like a tightened C-clamp on my head. Guys ran them with the pot ALL the way up. Minnesotans prolly remember True Don Bleu...the engineer at KDWB kept a box of Koss drivers on his bench just to replace the ones TDB was blowing all the time....so they AREN'T quite indestructible!
 
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