Here's a lot of info I pulled off the internet:

 

 

With headphones now regularly tipping the scale with four-figure price tags, it’s always interesting to revisit the (then) $29.95 Sennheiser HD 414. Introduced in 1968, the HD 414 was exciting, not only for its open-air design, which was a first, but also for its bright yellow foam ear pads. Remember, this was 1968, and many audiophiles were listening to big, bulky, dark green Koss Pro4s.

 

The lighter design of the HD 414s made for more comfortable listening sessions, but with one unexpected side effect—now Mom and Dad could hear the trippy lyrics to all those Jefferson Airplane tunes you were rocking out to. The earlier versions of the HD 414s had an impedance of 2,000 ohms, and so they presented an easy load to the receivers of the day. So, to keep this exploration true to form, we begin with a vintage Marantz 2270.

 

Jimi Hendrix’s “If 6 Was 9” comes across as solid as ever, with the quiet, subtle whispering in the background. These details are often tough to hear on an average system utilizing speakers, and they remind me why so many of us turned to headphones at an early age. It was always about a more detailed and intimate performance, compared to what speakers (especially the speakers of the day) could muster.

 

The vocal purity of these phones is good but not excellent. They do have an overall smoothness, making it easy to ignore the slight veil, until you try a pair of contemporary phones. A pair of current HD 650s, equipped with an updated cable from ALO Audio, instantly brings the listener into the 21st century. The HD 650s are more resolving across the spectrum. It is worth noting that, like the new phones, the HD 414s do respond dramatically to better cable. While the $200 ALO cable doesn’t make sense for a pair of NOS phones, using the stock cable that came with the HD 650s for the HD 414s makes for a very inexpensive (i.e. free) upgrade from the 40-year-old supplied cable.

 

The overall experience with these recently purchased NOS HD 414s is excellent; they are highly listenable headphones, indeed. You can buy a pair for anywhere from about $15 per pair to $100, for a NOS pair like the ones pictured here. The replacement ear foam pads are about $12 per set, and though they are no longer made, NOS drivers are still available, commanding prices as high as $75 each.

 

The Sennheiser HD414 was a game changer in 1968. In those days hi-fi headphones were all big and bulky, closed-back designs, and the compact HD414 was the industry’s first “open aire,” on-ear (supra-aural) headphone. It looked, felt and sounded like nothing else and forecast the future direction of headphone sound.

 

The first generation white HD414s didn’t light my fire, but the black ones with brilliant canary yellow earpads were something else again. The sound and comfort more than lived up to the jazzy good looks. In 1970 I bought a pair of HD414s to replace my Pioneer closed-back phones, and moving up to Sennheiser was a revelation. A lot of people felt the same way, and Sennheiser sold more than 10,000,000 HD414s, making it the best-selling quality headphone of all time. Although it was designed as a consumer model, the HD414 was very popular with broadcast industry professionals.

 

The sound was smooth and clear, a marked contrast to my old Pioneer headphones’ canned sonic signature. The HD414 liberated the sound that was up to that point stuck inside my head. Incredibly enough, it weighed just 74 grams, one quarter the weight of most full-size 2012 headphones. Best of all, the HD414 wasn’t an über-class audiophile design, priced out of reach of the average audiophile. If I recall correctly, I paid around $30 for my HD414s.

 

The earliest models had a very high, 2,000-ohm impedance, and a few years later the impedance was reduced to 600 ohms. In 1995, the company’s 50th Anniversary Edition HD414 was a 52-ohm model, suitable for use with portable players. The company licensed Open-Aire technology to Sony for its first-generation Walkman headphones. Sennheiser ceased HD414 production years ago and no longer manufactures replacement drivers but still stocks earpads and cables.

 

 

 

 

 

From micdago — THE “GOODWILL HUNTER”

I go to the thrift stores, garage sales and church bazars so you don’t have to!

Like people who go to animal shelters to rescue pets, I go to thrift stores, estate sales, etc., and rescue household goods, clothing, sporting goods, etc., to give them new homes.

 

I endeavor to be an honest eBayer — striving for 100% positive feedback as a buyer and seller.

Items I list on eBay are coming out of a smoke-free home.

If it’s a laundered item, it was washed in an HE washer/dryer — very gentle — and lined dried (weather permitting).

PayPal payment ONLY.

Everything I list is sold "As Is" and as described.

ALL SALES FINAL. (Yeah, right!) NO returns, refunds, exchanges (and yet I have).

Once I have a bid, item is packed and readied for shipment awaiting your prompt payment.

What can I say about S/H? USPS, FedEx, UPS are making it tough on all of us - buyers and sellers -- just trying to recoup the cost as best as I can.

Best efforts to (amateur) photograph items for listings. I also photograph items being packed for shipment, for my benefit and my buyers.

Ask your questions BEFORE bidding!

CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM BEFORE POSTING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK.

 

Thank you – if you like what you see and win the bid we’ll BOTH be pleased!

 

"You might pay more than I did, 

but you'll have more than you had."

- Micdago, “The Goodwill Hunter”

 

I am currently unemployed. I always appreciate my eBay buyers, but now more than ever. Thank you and please check out all of my listings.