Mod/Repair my Sennheisers, or buy new headphones?

Conan257

Conan257

Conan257

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I have a pair of Sennheiser HD590's that I bought in around 2002. They've been working great until recently, and i'm weighing up my options.

I reckon they need the foam discs replacing, as well as the headband padding. the cable is shot, but i'm thinking replacing that with a bluetooth module would be a good idea. I'm looking at around £40-£50 (possibly £30 if I get the right deals).

Or, I can put that money towards something else, and a little more. But I'm not convinced anything about £50 is going to come close to the 590's quality.

Thoughts?
 
Well.... where to begin?

Let's start with this:
Conan257 said:
<SNIP>I'm not convinced anything about £50 is going to come close to the 590's quality.</SNIP>
Click to expand...
That's probably the understatement of the century :D

The HD590s if they were still available would cost around £180 in today's market. The replacement is the HD600, which will set you back anything from £200~£250. So yeah, £50 or even £100 on alternative phones won't touch the 590's unless you set your expectations pretty low.

If you're thinking about Bluetooth but looking to spend £30~£50 on that part then my gut instinct is that you'll be disappointed in the sound quality. Bluetooth works fine when moving data files that are then unpacked at the player side. It works okay too for low-Fi analogue audio applications such as wireless subs and frequency limited wireless rear speakers. The basic cheap BT modules though don't have the processing horsepower to encode analogue audio on the fly that well. I think you'll really hear the difference via the Senns.
 
I recently had a great experience RMAing out of warranty (purchased ~2007) earphones direct with Sennheiser (I didn't even need to send in invoices) and I received brand new replacements within a week; it may be worth giving it a go.
 
Thanks for the heads-up gents...

Guess I'll be repairing them regardless. Might get them back to good condition then compare quality with the BT module I have hanging around before going down that route.
 
as long as the speakers in the ear pieces are sound it is always worth repairing with new pads etc, I did it myself with a 10 year old pair of HD600's about 2 years ago and it made them like new again and I had forgotten how comfortable they are to wear.
 
My mate just spent £50 returning his HD650's back to senn using their servicing service. They basically took his drivers out of his headphones and put them in a brand new body. New cable, ear cups, headband etc etc. Very good service.
 
I've a new cable on the way as that was the main issue (losing sound in 1 side). If it's more serious i'll send them back for a service.

New pads will be ordered at some point I reckon. Cheers!
 
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