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| Sennheiser HD40 from Hifi Engine |
Back in the 80s, I used a Sennheiser HD40 to monitor my rehearsals recorded on a cassette deck and as a courtesy to my roommates and neighbors during late night listening. I preferred the sound of the open-backed HD40 over the heavy, closed cups of the Koss Pro 4AAs at the listening library at school.
After I left the conservatory and entered the world of classical music performance, I also did a fair bit of recording gigs. This exposed me to various models from AKG, Beyer-Dynamic and Sennheiser. However, I never really paid attention to the subtle differences in headphones. I viewed them mainly as a temporary monitor, not as an alternative form of enjoying recorded music.
When my HD40 died in the early 90s, I acquired a Grado SR80 as a quick replacement, since I was already a dedicated user of the GTE+1 and Signature 8 phono cartridges.
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| Koss Porta Pro, Grado SR80 and AKG K72 |
A few years ago, I bought the closed back AKG K72 for my iPad so I wouldn't be bothering Tish when I got engrossed watching a movie or listening to music until the wee hours of the morning. BIG mistake! It's a totally different animal from the K240 I had positive memories of, from studio gigs in the past. The K72 sounds harsh and compressed. It can't even properly reproduce a human speaking voice.😬
After the Darling Amp, JE Labs style was uploaded, I got a steady stream of PMs asking if the amp could be configured as a headphone amplifier. This sparked my curiosity about headphones. Although I wasn't totally clueless, I didn't realize the vastness of the headphone audio sub-culture until Google turned up pages upon pages of headphone forums and blogs.
Being a sucker for nostalgia, I ordered a pair of Koss Porta Pros from Amazon when I found out that they're still in production. The Porta Pros confirmed my long held suspicion that something was funky with the voicing of my SR80 headphones, which I also hear from my Grado phono cartridges.
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| The Grado SR80 has been displaced 😔 |
Using this chart, it sounds like Grado Labs tailored an upper bass boost then created a dip starting in the lower midrange all throughout the midrange, followed by an upper midrange rise for the next two and a half octaves until response drops off sharply. This curve creates an impression of tonal warmth, heightened transparency and dynamic excitement. Although it is tame enough not to be outright objectionable and quite possibly appealing to others, it is fatiguing to my ears, especially under long term listening conditions. I gave up on my pair of Altec 811 horns for similar reasons.
How could I have missed the Koss Porta Pro in the 80s? I'm so impressed with the Porta Pro that I also got the slightly cheaper KPH30i, which supposedly uses the same drivers. Granted, the warmer voicing on both models is a personal preference, both headphones still have a much flatter response than the SR80. If forced to split hairs, the KPH30i is tonally the more neutral of the siblings.
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| Koss Porta Pro and KPH30i with Yaxi Pads |
Either one can be end game to music lovers who just want to enjoy their music on a tablet, cell phone or any portable device, because they're very efficient and an easy load to drive - no need for fancy headphone amps, just plug 'n play. The Yaxi pads take comfort to another level with the additional benefit of increased definition without negating their inherent virtues.
It should be noted that the Porta Pro and KPH30i aren't for head bangers. The sound congests at louder levels, especially on complex musical passages. That's when the listener is reminded of its maximum SPL limit. I can live with that since I owned BBC LS3/5As and still use Altec 755Cs and 755As. It's a real world compromise I've learned to accept from coherent-sounding BUT small drivers that can't defy the laws of physics.
Nonetheless, for sheer musical pleasure, one can't go wrong with a pair of Porta Pros or the KPH30i. Add a pair of Yaxi Pads and the tab is still under 50 bucks, while the retro vibe is free! 😎
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| Sennheiser HD240 + AKG K240 Monitor |
Since I love traveling back in time, I hunted for an HD40 but couldn't find a survivor. So I went a model up, only to find out that the HD414 has been rediscovered by the mainstream audio press and now commands Sotheby's prices. I finally settled on an HD420. After a bit of cleaning and new foam pads, it brought me back to the early 80s - lightweight, comfortable and sounds very much like the HD40 with a bit more extension at both frequency extremes. I'm hoping my memory still serves me right. Typical of headphones of its era, this needs an amp for best performance. While enjoying the trip back to the 80s, the HD420 left me looking for a 'studio monitor' sound.
Undeterred by my AKG K72 experience, I located an older, Austrian-made, AKG K240 600 ohm monitor. My particular unit looked like a veteran of the studios. I had to get a new headband and rubber bands for it to fit properly on my head. Very inefficient, it barely croaked when plugged to my iPad. So I rigged a contraption to connect it directly to the output terminals of the Darling amp or Simple 46 amp.
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| JEL Simple 46 + Noguchi FM-6WS OPTs + headphone adapter |
This classic semi-open design delivers a neutral and transparent midrange, wide bandwidth, excellent micro-dynamics with fine resolution of detail, yet is fatigue-free. But I was left longing for warmth and air as found in great concert halls.
As Covid-19 lockdown loomed and gigs got cancelled, I needed a diversion. If cost wasn't a major factor, I would've ordered a Sennheiser HD600 from Amazon. But after reading many rave reviews of its sibling, the HD650, I opted for the [Mass]drop.com 'value for money' version, the Sennheiser HD6xx. It's more efficient than the K240/600M but it still plays its best amplified.
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| Sennheiser HD6xx from Drop |
Compared to the K240/600M, the HD6xx has better extension in the frequency extremes. I got the warmth and concert hall airiness I longed for + a more 3-D midrange. Micro and macro dynamic contrasts are vividly rendered, making the K240/600M sound comparatively less exciting. However, at higher SPLs, for example Mahler and Shostakovich orchestral climaxes, the distinction and layering of instruments sound strained and veiled. On the other hand, the K240/600M maintains its full composure and resolves these details with ease, albeit with less dynamic impact. Should I have gotten the HD600 instead?🤔
Wait, the doorbell's ringing...
USPS just delivered this.
I've fallen into a rabbit hole. 😆
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