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Well, there are a few plausible theories to explain this.

1. The D-25S might have a different internal amp than the D-25. I mentioned this possibility in the review, but won't be able to confirm it until I get my hands on a D-25. Should be real soon, and I'll definitely update the review to reflect my findings.

2. The D-25S might well have a 9mW amp, with more headroom than is typical in a portable player. For those unfamiliar with 'headroom,' it's the amount of power an amplifier can provide on a short term (as opposed to continuous) basis. This is talked about quite a bit when discussing amplification for home stereos. To pick an arbitrary example, a cheap home receiver might be rated at 60 watts/channel. That same receiver might be able to provide 75 watts/channel of 'dynamic' power -- which means that brief transients or low bass notes in the music can be played correctly as long as they aren't continuous and require 75 watts or less. A high-end power amp might also be rated 60 watts/channel, but deliver 110 watts dynamically for short bursts. Therefore the power amp has more 'headroom' than the receiver.

It's possible the D-25 and D-25S are rated at 9 mW/channel, but are capable of delivering much more on a short term basis.

3. Someone with a manual may be able to confirm this theory: 9mW into what kind of load? If it's capable of delivering 9mW into 100 ohms, for example, that's far better than being able to deliver 9mW into 30 ohms. Was this mentioned in the manual?

4. The D-25S may simply have the gain set too high for its own good. As I mentioned in the review, it did peter out in the bass region before it reached full volume with the HD580s, unlike the CHA 47 or Integra 606, which were able to drive them cleanly at high volume. But, as previously mentioned, I never listen to my HD580s turned up that loud, and the headphone jack on the D-25S sounds great at normal volumes. The D-25S was able to drive all my other headphones incredibly loudly without breaking a sweat, so this makes a certain amount of sense.

Wonderful review, Russ! Now I'm increasingly interested in comparing your player to the D-EJ01 that should be here any day now. Once I have a few weeks to play around with my new CDP, you can be sure I'll contact you.

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Russ, the D-25 manual says 9 mW at 32 ohms. But again, it is possible that the two units have different specs. While it would be interesting to know for sure, without question, the D-25S has the best sounding headphone out I have heard, and I have a number of pcdps and mdps for comparison. (including the D-EJ01)

For those who may not have noticed, I've made an already-long review a few paragraphs longer with an addendum. I added it because I feel it will better illustrate just how much gain the D-25S offers, especially compared with a typical modern portable player.

I went ahead and ordered/purchased one just now from ebay, well, once i get confirmation i'll order the parts from Sony

George

An amazing review!! Probably the best I've read on this forum!

I'd hate to be the guy who puts it @ 10 by accident . . .

I have a 1996 Sony D-T405, the thing is pretty brutal when it comes to the headphone amp....

Russ,

I noticed in your pictures that your Panasonic 570 is missing that tacky '40 seconds anti-shock' logo on the bottom. Did yours come like that or were you able to remove it somehow? I've tried a couple solvents on mine but it seems to be stuck on there pretty well. Thanks,

Andrew

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I hated it too, so I rubbed it off using acetone, a rag, and lots of elbow grease. Acetone probably isn't the best choice, since it works pretty slowly; there's got to be a better solvent. Anyhow, if you try this yourself, be very careful. Clear acetone is (supposedly) dangerous to inhale (though it's the main component of nail polish remover.) I didn't use nail polish remover -- I used straight acetone.

Wet the rag in a small spot with acetone and rub the lid. It doesn't look like much is happening until you pull the rag away and examine it -- some of the paint is now on the rag, even though the lettering on the lid looks the same. Wet a small part of the rag again, and keep rubbing. This does take a long time.

I would have probably tried paint thinner first, except that I'm all out of it. Be careful working with whatever solvents you might decide to try. Work in a well-ventilated area. I also put a napkin between the lid and the base so that if any solvent dripped it wouldn't get into the cd player. The lid is aluminum, but the rest is mostly plastic. I wouldn't want to find out what acetone does to the plastic or internal components.

Couldn't a battery pack be made that would plug into the DC adapter jack? It might be a little bulky, but it would definitely be cheaper than $40 to make.

Russ:

How did the Grado SR-80s sound with the D-25S? Did you try the Grados with it at all?

I'm curious because I own a pair of Grados SR-80s.

Since the Grados are such lower impedance cans - I'm just wondering if the D-25S sounds as sweet with them as it does with Senns.

Wow... Rocking review there!!!

Hmm... Sure does look sleek, I must admit to liking simplistic looking designs, its the same size as a D777, but square, and... with LCD on board... COOL

Now... Who's got one of those top of the line Sony PCDPs from 1993... that were worth something like 500000 Japanese Yen ($500 ish)... They looked pretty awesome, and... if i remember rightly had something daft on them like Sat Nav... someone here has gotta have heard one?!?

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Honestly, I haven't listened to much other than the Sennheisers with them so far. I did plug in the Grados for a short listen just to see what it sounded like. It sounded good. It was nighttime in a quiet room, and I had the volume set on MIN -- the lowest it could be set. I guess I didn't make that clear in my review -- you get sound out of the D-25S even with the volume at the bottom setting. With efficient, low-impedance cans like the Grado SR-80, you may not have to turn the volume up at all.

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I suppose a battery pack could be made that would plug into the AC adapter jack. 6 AAA or 6 AA batteries might suffice. You wouldn't want to have the proprietary battery inserted, since it would drain the battery pack in an attempt to charge the BP-2EX. Of course, you'd probably only go to this trouble if you didn't have a BP-2EX. You'd be wasting power too, since you need to deliver 9V through the jack, and the rechargeable is only 4V. Plus, the backlit display would always be on, wasting battery power when it really isn't needed.

Finally, as you've already mentioned, it would be pretty bulky. Overall, I doubt it would work out cheaper than just buying the BP-2EX from Sony. You'd have to buy alkalines for the battery pack, or NiCad rechargeables and a charger. I'm sure you'd top $40 before too long.

A worthy experiment, though.