Thrift find: Pioneer SE-505

[SBEEZ]

Recently picked up a pair of Pioneer SE-505 stereophones at a local thrift store for two bucks in "as is" condition. No-brainer gamble there. Took 'em home, and they were really staticy when turning the knobs, and would cut out here and there. I opened them today and sprayed down the pots, and now they're sounding great.

Fantastic soundstage! Nice bass. They're absolutely huge, but that's OK. They're fairly comfortable, even though the pads probably have compressed quite a bit in their 30+ years.

 

[dobyman]

Hey SBEEZ, I just grabbed a pair of SE-505's today and I am curious how you took them apart to clean the pots? Im not seeing any easy way inside these cans.

 

[trinhsman]

11 year old thread. May be a while on an answer. We can hope though.

 

[dobyman]

Yeah just hoping.

 

[wmgwizard]

The pads come off by pulling outward at the seam near where the pad meets the "can". The edge of the baffle the driver is mounted on does not mount flush with the can, the edge of the pad slips into this space. Once the pads are removed the screws holding the baffle are accessible. Putting the pads back on is a lesson in patience and perseverance.

 

[dobyman]

Thanks wizard!! Easier than I thought actually. They are rocking as of now.

 

[Rey1]

My Grados just went south and I'm debating whether to get another set. In the interim I've been cycling through some of my older headphones that I have on hand. I just plugged in a set of SE 305s into my Little Dot MK III amp and I be damned if these don't sound pretty damn good. They seem to match up nice with tubes. I really couldn't get into them with my solid state amps. Deep base is lacking somewhat but mid base, mids and treble seem spot on.

 

[Caveman Carl]

I have a set of SE 305's in my collection but they don't work at all. They were given to me in that condition about 35 years ago and the manufacturing year is 1974... I think it's because I find them butt-ugly that I assumed they wouldn't sound all that great so I put them in a display case and never touched them since except when moving.

This thread reminded me that Pioneer had produced some really good audio gear back in its glory days when most of their wares were made in Japan by highly qualified personnel. Unfortunately nowadays Pioneer is best known as a high-end automotive audio company, which is fine, but apart from a few select Pioneer Elite AVR's it seems like they have given up on the high-quality home audio market. Now I'm gonna take those phones apart and fix what is probably a minor issue like loose soldering, disconnected wiring, shorts etc. The pads appear and feel almost mint but I wonder what a moving-coil that hasn't moved in over three decades will sound like.