Pioneer SE-50 worth saving?

[bigbargain]

I'm just getting interested in getting some headphones for those times I want to listen without disturbing the rest of the family.

So I'm starting by asking what folks think about my old original headphones that I've had for 30 years. I haven't listened to them for probably 15 years and when I tried them today they sound flat. Maybe they always sounded flat and my taste has improved, or maybe they need some attention, or maybe they're junk.

Are they worth the effort? They are 2 way and have L-pads to control the treble balance, so maybe the pots just need cleaning?

Thoughts?

 

[dry joint]

Worn out old headphones tend to sound flat.

However

A quick google Pioneer SE-50 Reviews
So people are interested in them and they will have some resale value, this goes for pretty much any old headphones with an unusual design.

First try tweaking the settings. The state of the pads matters greatly with many headphones, its quite likely that the pads have lost a lot of firmness over 30 years. Some people stuff the pads with stuff to hand, takes pads from cheap 'phones, cut pads from foam ....

 

[bigbargain]

Cleaned up the pots (they have treble and volume pots on each side) and put some weather striping between the cups and pads. Big improvement. While I still think their a little flat, if I turn the treble almost all the way up they're ok. Haven't used headphones for a long time, so it was a fun night of listening. Maybe its me, but they did seem to burn in (or the CD player - I drove them right out of the player).

For now I'm happy, I want to try them with a better source, them maybe some better phones to round out my education.

Probably will be cruising the Headphones forum a bunch now...