Sennheiser Amperiors? - Page 48

For a portable, the Amperiors are simply great. But I agree, for the price you could get better sounding circumaurals.

Just last night I fell asleep with them on, they are that comfortable to me, and can take them around everywhere.

The sound is smooth as butter, haven't found any harshness at any frequency, and the level of detail is awesome! They might not be the best sounding or natural sounding but they do have a very nice character.

Thank you all so much for your replies!
@ Devgru: It's good to hear that the HD25 will be easily driven by my iPhone 5. I was a bit worried about that.

@ Craigster75: I like the looks of the PSB very much. The M-100 seems a little bit big for me. On the other hand, it is easily foldable into a nice small package, which I like. But It's (almost) impossible to find resellers of them in my country. I prefer to listen to the headphone before buying. So I think the PSB and V-Moda are not an option for me :( .

@ MegaMushroom: I think the Amperior is indeed the better looking headphone (compared to the HD25). I also liked the sound quality VERY much while listening at the Apple Store.

@ Gavinfabl: I totally agree with you that the Amperior's are the better sounding headphone compared to the Momentum's. The 558 isn't the right headphone for me. Maybe only for home listening. I definitely need an isolating headphone. By the way: is the HD 598 the same as the 558, but only with different looks?


The Amperior costs 300 euro's in my country (382 USD), while the HD 25-1 II Basic Edition (without velours pads) costs 155 euro's (197 USD). So the difference isn't 100 USD but 185 USD. So I have to decide whether the better looks, the ?slightly? better audio quality and the iPhone controls justifies a price difference of 185 USD. 

 

Edited by lluuk - 11/17/12 at 7:29am

 

What a dilemma.

 

@Elektrospeed

The koss ksc-75 have also a "nice character". No harshness at any frequency . Nice  soundstage, and mids. And only 15$.

 

Well those are just some of the traits the Amperior has, as I've read some people feel they're harsh or strident. Not my percepction at all. 

 

Even though I wear glasses, they are super-confortable. And for extra-comfort, I just put the temples above the cushion, and they simply disappear. 

 

Really happy with this cans. Not sure if they're THAT much better than the HD 25-1 II's, but I live in Guatemala so it's not like I can audition a lot of cans, for me it's cheaper to just get the better model once and for all than going through the process of buying a cheaper one, then if I don't like it buy a more expensive one, and so on (returning is not an option for me).

 

My dilema was between the Amperiors or Beyer DT 1350. I'm glad I got the Amperiors, as from what I've read I think the Beyers would be too warm for my taste.

Edited by Elektrospeed - 11/17/12 at 9:32am

 

Amen to that.

 

Alright... I'll admit there is a limit.  While I can debate with myself the 100 dollar difference... 200 seems a bit drastic.  In the end you could probably buy the HD25s, an Amperior cable set with ipod controls, and velour ear pads and still not touch the price difference. (Cable is modular for the HD-25 I believe) At this point I'm going to say you are likely going to be satisfied with whatever you buy.   

The HD558 are using the same driver as the HD598.

 

Same drivers, but actual internal design and layout makes them sound different.  The 558 is a semi closed design I believe.  598 is full open.  Or so that piece of tape has led me to believe. 

Tried the Amperior yesterday and compared it with my HD25. I agree that the difference between the headphones are subtle. The low end of the HD25 is punchier but I like how the Amperior presents it low end. I felt it was a bit tighter and somehow deeper(?). Midrange of the Amperior is more forward and clearer. While it is still prone to sibilance in the upper midrange, it seems that it was lessened compared to the HD25. The highs is less prone to peaks felt in the HD25. I felt that the Amperior sounds really close to my HD25+PA2V2 setup. Using it was a treat. The earpads felt better and softer than the velours found in the HD25. Also I was expecting it to be heavier than my HD25, but the differences in mass was not that great. One gripe I had with it is the cable. The one without the idevice controls was too thin for me. It looks like it would not hold for a year. DIY cable terminated 3.5mm to 3.55mm solves that problem. 

Edited by xallarap - 11/19/12 at 2:41am

^ good observations - I agree with your comparison. I think the problem most people have is the large % price increase from the 25 to the Amperior. Still, I would have a hard time listening to the 25 after hearing the across the board refinement the Amperior have to offer.

 

If you felt the Amperiors sounded close to the HD25+PA2V2 set up, imagine what the PA2V2+Amperiors would sound like. They definitely improve when amped but sound good without one as well. Pairing with the Leckerton Audio UHA-6S Mkii, the SQ improved by a noticeable margin.

^The Amperior is sounds great. Its difference to the HD25 is really subtle. I feel that it is more versatile than the HD25. For me, the main selling points for an upgrade were the soundstage, better midrange, the less peaky highs, and the pads. The soundstage, while still not expansive, was considerably better than the HD25, more depth and width. Not much but noticeable. It makes the headphone more an all rounder. I think I could live with slightly less impact for those improvements. I also felt that the midrange was better although it was also a subtle improvement. It felt that it was more forward and has more noticeable details compared to the HD25. It was also less prone to sibilance. I think it was the biggest improvement for the headphone. Lastly, I had no gripes about the HD25's highs before. I felt that it had the right amount of brightness on it. However, comparing it to the Amperior, I felt that there are things that should have not been there in the highs of the HD25. Lastly, I think the pads used in the Amperior is the same material as the material used in the HD800, which I also tried at the store. It was definitely more comfortable than the pleathers and velours of the HD25. I found the velours of the HD25 itchy after five minutes of use so I use the pleathers which is just okay. Not too soft, not too stiff. With the pads of the Amperior, I had none of these gripes. It was definitely more comfortable. All in all, the Amperior retained the same fun signature of the HD25 (for me at least) while refining the uneven edges of the sound. Is it worth the $100 upgrade? Slightly yes for me. I feel that even with all the mods (cables) that I can apply to my HD25, it would still lack the refinement of the Amperior. Maybe the anodized aluminum cups really work. Plus, the Amperior is damn sexy! I thought my adidas originals HD25 was sexy. The Amperior was 10x sexier. :P It was a mistake not bringing my amp to the store. It could have been the key for me in deciding to buy the Amperior right away. I would probably buy them anyway early next year but I need to test them again. 

^ look forward to your impressions when you test them amped or buy them.

They do look great!

Sonically....to my ears....I can't recommend the Amperiors over the DT1350s and for the additional $200, certainly not over the HD-25s.  If you are looking for a reference quality set of cans the DT1350s will provide a more even signature with greater clarity, detail and musical separation.   Especially in the mids.

 

The Amperiors/HD-25s sounded one dimensional and much less immersive in comparison to the 1350s with brighter highs and a bit more in the low end.  Both the DT1350s and Amperiors will benefit from a portable amp, the 1350s a bit more as they required about 10% more volume than the Amperiors straight up out of my iP5.  Running them both through my TTJV portable setup the DT1350s were on a totally different level sonically.

 

So...If you listen to highly produced, high quality audio and are looking to hear the finest details, the 1350s are for you regardless of genre IMO.  Enter Sandman sounds off the hook on the 1350s IMO!.   If you lean exclusively more toward heavier/harder rock and enjoy a more rough, brighter sound, where details are not critical...go with the HD25s and save the $200.

 

 

Here's my full comparison: http://www.head-fi.org/t/632255/portable-iem-recommendations-thread-i-e-dont-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here-please-read-op/165#post_8863970

Edited by MT0227 - 11/19/12 at 8:27am

Thanks again to all! After reading the replies, I was convinced to get the Amperior, especially after Xallarap's observations.
I don't want to have the feeling after buying that there was a better option out there. After all, I can spent my money once, so I want to do it right.
But after MT0227's reply I'm not that sure anymore . The DT1350 was (and is still) a serious option for me. I read a lot about them. I think most reviews agreed that the Amperior is more 'fun' to listen to (plus a little punchier bass). Besides that, I read it was a bit hard to get a good seal on your ears with the DT1350.

lluuk;

 

I was in your same position until I had the chance to hear all 3 through with my portable rig.

 

The Senns cover slightly  more surface area of the ear than the Beyer's and as a result I think they seem to find a place and seal on your ears a bit more easily.  The Beyer's could take a few iterations to set up, if you will.  Fortunately, you can manipulate (bend) the headband to adjust the clamping pressure / isolation if needed.   I honestly had no major problem here as both sets of cans fell into place for me fairly easily.  The Beyer's had a bit too much clamping pressure out of the box , this took about 15min. to adjust and at this point are plug and play for me.

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Senns (Amperiors) have an additional level of termination between the cans and the 3.5mm plug to make way for a volume control/mic...I was not thrilled with cabling on the Senns. at all.

 

So, if you are looking for that "fun", less reference type of performance, I'm not sure what the Amperior's add in for the $200 over the HD25s.  If you are looking for reference clarity and detail, with brilliant mids the Aperiors seem to fall short of the 1350s at a higher price, IMO.  I think Senn could/should have done more than just replace plastic with colored aluminum when trying to sell an existing $150 headphone for $350...updated drivers perhaps?

 

I don't know what other gear you have, but I think the DT1350s or the HD25s would be a great option, then use the savings on a good quality  portable amp/source setup to go with your new cans.  Only your ears can tell and I highly suggest taking advantage of a liberal return policy so you can make your decision that much easier.

 

Good Lluuk!