Sennheiser · Open-back · 1973–1980s
The HD 424 is the bigger sibling of the HD 414. It's the same idea, an open headphone that sits lightly on the ear, with larger 90 mm cups and the same demanding 2,000-ohm drivers. Sennheiser made it from 1973, followed it with the HD 424 X in 1975 and still had a version in the range in the early 1980s. Like the HD 414 it was sold to plug into the hi-fi systems of its day, so you'll find versions with loudspeaker plugs, a 5-pin DIN plug or a 6.3 mm jack. Some listings call it a closed headphone, but it's open. Sennheiser still sells genuine yellow foam pads for it, which makes an old pair easy to freshen up.
Before you plug in
The foam pads will have aged, and the 2,000-ohm drivers sound weak on an ordinary headphone jack, which can make a working pair seem faulty. Plug types vary, so a pair may need an adapter.
New to used headphones? How to check a used pair covers pads, cables, channel dropouts and fakes, and impedance and your amp explains what will drive it.
Buying guide
We'd buy the $131 delivered pair from a 100% seller, whose photo shows a packet of new yellow HD 424 pads beside it, and ask whether the pads are included. There are at least 6 for sale, most asking $130–200 delivered, and the cheapest titled tested is $99 with free shipping. It's a 2,000-ohm load at 94 dB, so plan on a strong headphone amp, an OTL tube amp or, with a speaker-plug version, an integrated amp's speaker outputs, since a phone or a weak jack makes a working pair sound quiet and thin. The HD 424 X came with a speaker plug, a 5-pin DIN plug or a 6.3 mm jack, so check the plug in the photos, and expect to replace the foam, which Sennheiser still sells. The pair titled with new earpads and cables is the no-work option at $290 delivered, about 1.6 times the median.
$98.99delivered
The lowest delivered pair titled tested, at $99 with free shipping. The photo shows black covers over the cups in place of yellow foam, so ask what's under them and for a short video of both sides playing.
Vintage Sennheiser HD 424 Headphones Tested
$130.78est. delivered
At $131 delivered from a 100% seller, at the bottom of the band, and the photo shows a packet of new yellow HD 424 pads next to it. It isn't titled tested, so ask whether the pads come with it and for a video of both sides playing.
Sennheiser HD 424 headphones
$289.90est. delivered
Titled with new earpads and new cables, so it should be ready to plug into a strong headphone amp. You pay for that at $290 delivered, about $190 more than the cheapest pair titled tested.
Sennheiser HD 424 Stereo Headphones/New Earpads & Cables, EPOC
$47.69est. delivered
Titled not tested and sold as is, at $33 with 3 bids, about $48 delivered at the current bid, and it will climb. The photo shows only the HD 424 X box, so ask for photos of the headphone itself.
Sennheiser HD 424 Headphones not tested as is
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$98.99delivered
$98.99 · free shipping
Buy It Now$98.99
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled tested. Photo shows black covers over the cups.
Seller: santacruzwantznneedz
99.8% positive
Used$130.78est. delivered
$125.00 + $5.78 shipping
Buy It Now$125.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Photo shows a packet of new yellow pads. Not titled tested.
Seller: ajcajo-brixcd
100% positive
Used$289.90est. delivered
$279.95 + $9.95 shipping
Buy It Now$279.95
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Good buy
Titled with new earpads and cables. Top of the market.
Seller: hgar9507
100% positive
For parts$47.69est. delivered
$32.69 + $15.00 shipping
Auction · 3 bids · ends in 7h 3m
Project piece
Titled not tested, as is. Auction with 3 bids, and it will climb. Photo shows only the box.
Seller: alexiap9625
100% positive
Used$176.05est. delivered
$130.00 + $46.05 shipping
Buy It Now$130.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
Photo shows no pads. Not titled tested. Ships from the Netherlands.
Seller: odnd_vintage_audio
99.1% positive
Used$200.00est. delivered
$185.00 + $15.00 shipping
Buy It Now$185.00
Our take
Titled with a volume control and no earpads, so budget for pads.
Seller: aimsleepy
100% positive
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