[null]

i've got a pair of old hd 420s... are these good cans, or should i just toss em out?

 

[TidesCAL]

listen to them ;p

 

[ls20]

gee, i dunno, we dont have your ears do we?

 

[null]

sorry! jeez! all i wanted to know was whether someone had these headphones and could tell me if in their opinion, sound good. at least some specs (i can't find anything on the internet). however, i do believe that they definately sound better than my portapros. (even though i had to amp them and my pps are unamped.)

 

[MD1032]

You guys are being a bit too harsh and null is overreating a bit.

Can you post a pic of them? I'd love to see what they look like.

 

[Daroid]

From my collection of oics of vintage Sennheisers:
HD-420 (Originally, the pic isn't mine)

 

[MD1032]

Hey cool! Those look like they have those yellow sennheiser HD-414 pads people use to mod their Grados!

 

[null]

yep, that's them. they seem to have a very faint buzzing (?) noise when i listen to them through my dad's old denon dra-355 tuner amp. it could just be the amp or something though, b/c he's hardly ever used these cans. i wonder where i can find some specs on them...

 

[null]

actually, i just found some info on them on a german website, but i translated it using babel fish... it says:

it says they were made in 1977 i think, and it says that this model has... get this... 600 OMHS!!! wow!

also, the dude who wrote it says something about AKG with the cans, not so sure what it is...

unfortunately, i cant understand a lot of it even translated cuz babelfish sucks.

http://www.elmulab.de/wiki/Sennheiser+HD+420 is the site if anyone's interested.

also, i found a few professional recording studios use these cans, obviously there pretty good then. now, to find an good amp that'll be able to drive these things...

 

[ls20]

sorry, but your question is analogous to asking if a piece of cake you found tastes good. afterall headphones are meant for the individual's enjoyment..

 

[smeggy]

Wow, I used to love those things! I had those for years until I finally destroyed them in some hideous Frankenstein-esqe experiment.

A little muffled by todays standards if I recall correctely but hey, them thar's history

PS. I still have a set of HD-480's

 

[null]

yeah, i noticed they were pretty muffled after listening to rock. it doesnt seem as apparent with jazz and softer music. i wonder if i should remove the pads or punch a hole through the middle (pseudo Grado mod?)

 

[winnetou]

Hi null, I've just checked that German link (fortunately I understand a little bit of German). That guy stated that he resolved this muffleness he mentioned with cleaning or replacing the pad's, maybe this would work for you too?
I haven't got any experience with the HD420's, but I guess they will have a typical Senheiser signature.

 

[Zu!]

I have some old HD-424's which look similar to the HD-420's but less plastic.

EDIT: hmm the pic doesnt seem to work, try going here: http://www.borrett.wattle.id.au/inte...iser_hd424.jpg

They require a f#ckload of power, a lot more than my HD-650's.
Considering how old they are they sound pretty. In quick comparison to my 650's. They lack depth compared to the 650's, maybe they are more upfront? the bass is much more life like and 3D sounding on the 650's. On the 424's there is less bass and sounds closer to the listener. The highs on the 424's are a little harsh when when at loud volumes but not too bad imho.

I know this is a somewhat unfair comparision. Both headphones have been used with the Perreaux SHX1. Also I am a complete noob at describing how headphones sound, i barly know what most of the terminology means.

By now these 424's must have somewhere around 95867549687549765968754976594867459687596870845098 359835 x 10 ^ 99 hours break in on them

 

[null]

how do i clean pads? put em in the washing machine?