Me too. I had one pair that I put inside  David Clarke hearing protectors, and voila - smooth sound and isolation! I also ran the cord up around the headpiece so it came donw one side rather than the Y yoke under the chin. Was a great pair!

I got the anniversay edition just a few years ago. They still sound great!
<L>
Lou Judson
Intuitive Audio
415-883-2689

> On Dec 20, 2020, at 10:03 PM, Tim Gillett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> My first decent on ear headphones back in the mid 70's were HD414's.
> The response was smooth and way better than the cheaper headphones of
> the day which  used 2" transistor radio type speakers for drivers,
> but the only way to get a reasonable seal over the ears for good bass
> response with the HD414's was to push the drivers harder against the
> ears. I feel the later Sennheiser earphones which more surrounded the
> ears, gave  a better seal and better bass response, making better use
> of the excellent drivers.
> 
> I still have one original pair of HD414's  but after 45 years the
> plastic diaphragms must have gone hard and brittle because there's now
> very little bass response even when the drivers are pressed hard
> against my ears. But for some reason I havent thrown them out!
> 
> Tim