Sennheiser HD-400 Found!

[saemark30]

Found a used pair of Sennheiser HD-400 from the 80's.
Nice smooth midrange, treble but not harsh or as extended as with titanium. Bass is light but natural.

How do these phones compare with the HD-414?
Should I get those also?

 

[Splatter Pak]

You can never have enough Sennheisers...:yes:

 

[cgutz]

Can't say how they compare with HD400, but the HD424's are even better than the HD414. I auditioned both in 1979 and bought the 424. Still have them, 3 new foam earpieces later.

 

[Stacker45]

Back in 1981 i got a pair of HD-400 for my 15th birthday, and i still have them today, but i did have to change the earpads a few hundred times over the years.

Aside from my Grado HP1000s, i don't get very exited about vintage headphones, or speakers for that matter, i find that they often don't age very well

I'm holding on to my 400s for sentimental reasons, because in my opinion, my little Grados SR80is sound so much better, it's not even funny.

 

[RamblinE]

I've looked into getting original HD414s (not to be confused with the Anniversary edition which share drivers with the PX100) and what kind of scared me off is that they're something like 1200ohm. I don't use a regular receiver or amp, I just have a little headphone amp as my preamp, so I don't really think I'd have an adequite anything to drive them to their full potential.

 

[Stacker45]

Wow! 1200 ohms, i didn't know it even existed, i wonder what the benefit is to have such high ohms numbers.

By the way, if i recall corectly, the HD414 where often use in the Professionnal maket.

 

[cgutz]

My original HD424 are about 2k ohms as I remember. They were designed so you could cut the plug off, and hook them directly to the 8ohm tap on a SS amp.

I've never had trouble with any headphone out on 6 or 7 different amps powering them. I tried them on a MP3 player, and there the volume was a bit lacking.

 

[saemark30]

I think the HD400 is quite high impedance.
There were some 10000000 HD414 made, I gather that can be bought less than what is being asked on popular bidding sites.
Considering the competition, such as Grado 60s and 80s and orthos like TP20 which sound even better, I'd pass on the HD414.
Does the anniversary model sound anything like the vintage ones?

 

[RamblinE]

I think the HD400 is quite high impedance.
There were some 10000000 HD414 made, I gather that can be bought less than what is being asked on popular bidding sites.
Considering the competition, such as Grado 60s and 80s and orthos like TP20 which sound even better, I'd pass on the HD414.
Does the anniversary model sound anything like the vintage ones?

No. It sounds like a PX100.

 

[typesix]

Likely a lot were bought by people with Dyna PAT-4 pre-amps, headphone output was at 600 ohms and 414s was one phone that could mate well with that pre-amp. I used to have a 414 and only real complaint is that the cushions were wider than the headphone itself and were thin where the actual transducer was, causing earache after a while.

 

[saemark30]

No. It sounds like a PX100.

I'm afraid I haven't heard the PX100. Is it good or bad?

 

[RamblinE]

It's a good portable and has plenty of nice reviews.