Review : Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Page 2

Nice impressions and well laid out as well.

I just got mine in today If anyone's interested, newegg has them for $150 free shipping.
Newegg.com - SENNHEISER HD 25-1 II 3.5mm/ 6.3mm Connector Supra-aural Professional Monitoring Headphone
(am I allowed to post links?)
But they're the mk edition I think, special edition, so they come with a zip case, but they didn't come with the velour pads.
It also doesn't say made in Ireland on the top.

congrats! how do you like them out of the box?

im not gloating when i say i bought these (hd25-1 II) brand new for $99 shipped lol

but seriously, these things are probably the best buy ive had since being here at headfi. ill never sell these things, they just serve such a good purpose while maintatining such good SQ! and i use the crappy steel cable too!

How would these compare to the HD595? Which one would be better?

Great read man. This review sums up a lot of impressions and minor reviews that I have read over time just nicely.

This was the first ever Sennheiser headphone I ever got back in 1999. Really good sound and was used in the studio to monitor recordings. Lent to a friend who never returned it and disappeared. After that, I got a HD600 but still have fond memories of this HD25 as it has great isolation and very portable. I am thinking of getting another pair as an extra unit for outdoor and recording use.

This is the best review of the HD-25s on the Web. An absolute spot on appraisal of its sound from an audiophile standpoint. I just bought a pair of these and I concur with Insyte on all counts. Here's my perspective: I actually bought these as an upgrade from PX100 headphones. Now you might think that at $150 more, they better be damn better. Actually I was a little afraid, because people at Headfi can tell you how highly I think of the PX100 as the perfect traveling can. (Okay, I'm a real fussbudget, I only like the older copper-coiled version versus the current aluminum coil version!) Now, the HD-25-1 are aluminum, which had me worried as I don't like bright cans. However an immediate comparison between the PX100 and HD-25 told me the money was well spent. A fuller, richer sound that soundly trounces my beloved PX100. A case of real headphones versus the little-portable-that-could PX100. If you're wondering if there's a big improvement, the answer is a resounding yet. PX100 just get outclassed. The PX100 sound lightweight and lacking in solidity in comparison. I'm coming from a pretty good backround in Senns. I've owned the HD600, HD580 and PX100. I again agree with Insyte that while the HD-25 are great phones, they can't touch the 580 or 600 for soundstaging. The HD-25 put vocals dead center a bit high in the soundstage - a little bit of a disappointment. I'm not getting any sense of depth. I'm also finding they are a bit more clinical that the lusher HD589 and 600, but in a way some might appreciate. I actually think the 580 and 600 are more forgiving because of their extra soundstage and depth. I can hear the lack of musically between MP3 and AIFF files much easier with the HD25, if they are meant to be dead-on monitors, they certainly are that. They are more monitor than a relaxing lush presentation. But that isnt demeaning them, because I think they are an excellent can that pulls off being closed-back with aplomb. They're pretty damn nice for a SMALL closed can. They are analytic at the same as being pleasant to listening to: VERY well balanced and the bass is excellent. I found the velour pads to improve them, taking a bit of the impact off the bass, which I previously thought a little too strong. But with the velour pads on, it's perfect. All in all and excellent can and I would like to thank Insyte for his thoughtful appraisal of these cans. How should I sum this up? If you're looking for the end-all home listening can - the HD25 are not the answer. You'll get more subtlety from the bigger Senns, more refinement. But if you're looking for portable cans that will travel well and provide isolation, I think its going to be hard to beat the HD25-1.

I would like to add a caveat after spending a few days with these phones, I still think they excellent but I have some reservations from a personal standpoint. I wanted a closed headphone because the isolation would allow me to use lower listening levels which I believe is important to the longevity of your ears. While these phones are genuinely excellent sounding, I find they require a little volume to sound their best. The midrange comes out, which at lower levels sounds recessed. I understand these were meant to be used by DJs and are engineers to perform at high volume levels, that might explain why these phones sound best pumped a bit.

Okay, another follow up. I put a Senn HD600 cable on these and they brought about a 20 percent increase in midrange warmth over the stock steel cable. Not an earthshaking difference, but enough that I am now able to listen at lower level and be pretty pleased with these great cans!

Hello, I'm new to this forum. (And I'm also a serious n00b when it comes to headphone customizing) I received the Sennheisers HD25-1 II as a gift as I felt the need to hear more detail in my music. For that reason I absolutely love them but would like to customize them as to improve the bass.

What cable should I get for this and what other components should I order?

I live in the UK but am very willing to order from other countries.

How well do these sound unamped?

Just wondering has anyone compared these cans using the velours against the pleather pads? I ask this because with my dt150s, the difference is night and day.

I have those for a couple of weeks now and been using them with my rockboxed sansa fuze unamped. I'm quite new to the world of head-fi and some might think I'm spouting nonsense but here's my opinion.

25's were outright terrible at first - too much of everything. It was a pain to listen to them really. Right now they have around 40 hours on em and sound much better but I must admit my sansa doesn't drive them at all. I've plugged them into my art headamp4 and they sound really close to my hd555's aside from having more bass and less soundstage something like that. So I suggest amping those headphones and that's what I'm gonna be doing asap .

Great review.. in regards to replacing the cable.. Having a look at this website (australian importer for senn).  the stock cable ($93) is much more expensive than the HD650 cable ($27) - is this correct?.   thinking about getting the HD650 cable but will need to get a 3.5mm plug soldered on..

 

http://service.syntec.com.au/index.php?cPath=2049

Edited by sixty2strat - 6/1/10 at 12:49am