Sennheiser HD-25 II new, very shrill?

that's normal for the hd25, we call it sibilance, a hisssss like sound when a sssssinger ssssings like a sccnnake
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshark 

I have had my Sennheiser HD-25 II's for about 2 weeks now. I do not do any extended burn-in aside from daily listening.

 

However, as I was doing a very thorough comparison of them and my Shure 750dj's, I noticed how shrill the highs were on vocals. When a singer would pronounce certain words, like a "t" or "s" its sounds overly harsh. Like "st" is "stands," or "t" in "take." I'm not sure whether it has sounded like this from the beginning, but after noticing it a couple of days ago I can't stop noticing it.

 

Does this mean the drivers have been/were damaged? I do not recall damaging them. Do any other owners notice this shrillness on the pronunciation of those words?

the sibilance is common on a pair of hd25, some reviewers somewhat forgotten to include that in their reviews.. but i think it will decreases overtime, but not significantly. maybe the hd25 sound just not your cup of tea, thats why you prefer the 750dj      jm2c

When I heard the HD25 IIs, I certainly wouldn't consider the treble as shrill. A good amount of burn in (100 hours or so) coupled with a good source and amp should go a long way IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshark 

That's funny, because I only started to notice the sibilance after listening to them very intently with off a burned CD track and my Denon receiver. Of course, now that I've noticed it it continues to distract me whether it be from that or an iPod.

 

When I said treble, I didn't really mean the nature of the headphones, I chose them for their bass. I was just trying to describe the sibilance, but I have seen reviews claiming the Sennheiser's could be a little unnatural on the treble side, or something of that sort.
 

 

they can be more prone to sibilance then other phones i have tried

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffalowings 

they can be more prone to sibilance then other phones i have tried

 

That's true.
 

Remember to change the pads and foams(no foam, quatermod, foam in) around. Makes a huge difference in sound. The stock vinyl+foam is unlistenable for me.

Just bear in mind that HD 25-1 is built for professional use, so it's all about honesty, honesty, honesty. If there's sibilance it's probably inherent on the track.

Coming from a warm, dynamic headphone like the Shure 750 to a cold, analytical headphone like the HD-25 can be a bit of a shock, but this is how they are supposed to sound. They're esentially the Grado SR325 of closed headphones.

Honestly, I don't really notice it that much. I have them myself (though I've had mine for like 4 months now. Never burned it in though, just used it whenever I wanted to). They don't really even seem analytical to me, but then again I haven't tried many other headphones :). Only the DT770s, AD700s (for gaming), and ATH-M50s.

Another thing to note though is that I'm pretty sure I have damaged hearing. I don't think I can hear above 14kHz (haven't really tested professionally, just via my headphones + my onboard soundcard). And I have tinnitus. No room to buy at least a decent one for gaming (like $30 lol) due to running SLI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshark 


Really? I was always under the impression that the Senn's were at heart a bass colored headphone. Also they sound distinctly darker and possibly more muffled in the vocals and mid ranges than the Shure's. Perhaps you are confusing the shure's sound signature?
Also, I changed out the PU leather with the velour pads immediately after I got the headphones. Much better. (I wish they had those for my Shure's )

Hey how are your shures? Any issues yet? Ironically the issue your having with the seenheiser hd 25 1 ii is the same issue i had with the shure srh750dj.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshark 


Really? I was always under the impression that the Senn's were at heart a bass colored headphone. Also they sound distinctly darker and possibly more muffled in the vocals and mid ranges than the Shure's. Perhaps you are confusing the shure's sound signature?
Also, I changed out the PU leather with the velour pads immediately after I got the headphones. Much better. (I wish they had those for my Shure's )

Senns in general have that reputation. The Senn HD 25-1 is noteworthy for bucking that trend, among other things.

To put it plainly: The HD 25-1 is not dark or bassy. It has as much bass as there is in the recording, doesn't exaggerate it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceshark 

Sorry, a random question I would like to throw in. In the past, I have noticed that supra-aural headphones (on-ear headphones like the Sennheiser HD-25 II's) always make my ears painfully sore after an hour to an hour and a half after putting them on. I was interested in knowing whether this was normal, or just me. The velours feel somewhat more comfortable, but it doesn't prevent the eventual soreness after a while.

Normal for HD 25-1. 

A tip I read somewhere else on Head-Fi: set the cups one notch looser than you normally wear, and then clamp the 'phones on a shoebox/tissuebox/bunch of textbooks. Leave for a while (e.g. 20 mins). When you wear them, they will be more comfortable than before, and you can always tighten as necessary.

Note that this is temporary.