Looking for some advice, and hello!
Aug 14, 2015 at 4:50 PM Post #16 of 36
inthere said:
The Momentum 1.0's never sounded good without an amp, and that's always killed them. With an amp they sound awesome. 

The Momentum 2.0 solves that problem and sounds great, but doesn't scale with amplification as well. 

The Urbanites sound great without amplification but not as good as the Momentum 2.0's-at least to me. Both the Momentum 2.0 and the Urbanite have a good amount of bass.

If you don't want a lot of bass, look into the Beoplay H2, very nice but a bit light on the bass. Also made for small heads. 
Click to expand...


Thanks for your input, however they're a bit out of my pricereach. I don't want to spent over 150 euro's on a headphone. The Beoplay looks slick, though!
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 4:52 PM Post #17 of 36
You might also look into the AKG K545: http://www.amazon.de/AKG-Geschlossene-Bedieneinheit-Kompatibel-Smartphones/dp/B00E89AV44/
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 6:17 PM Post #22 of 36
One more thing I should add: I listen almost exclusively to Spotify. I read that the HD25's really need flac quality to shine. And that lower quality music do the headset more harm than good. That's why I consider myself to be a casual listener aswell
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 7:39 PM Post #23 of 36
As a decade long user of the HD25 I'll say this. They would do perfectly fine with Spotify and neglibibly better with Flac.

...and so would my Audeze LCD2 for that matter. If you are listening to higher quality Spotify streams at 320kpbs you are missing very little and arguably nothing audible. I'm sure you will hear others that differ, you can look into the Sound Science section for more on this.

The main thing is that there is plenty of details in compressed audio (256-320kbps) that most cheap consumer headphones arent even reproducing to begin with. Start with the Urbanites, enjoy them and if you are curious look into a 'mid-if' set like a Fidelio X2 ,AKG KXX, or something a bit more reference like an HD650 with basic amplification and decent dac. At that point you will be hearing a major difference - above this you will be looking at diminishing returns.
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 7:47 PM Post #24 of 36
jaihel said:
One more thing I should add: I listen almost exclusively to Spotify. I read that the HD25's really need flac quality to shine. And that lower quality music do the headset more harm than good. That's why I consider myself to be a casual listener aswell
Click to expand...

 
No offence mate, but whoever told you that lower quality files than FLAC do harm to headphones was selling you a big fat one. And I can also attest that the HD25 most certainly does not need lossless to shine.
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 7:51 PM Post #25 of 36
..oh and if you want to read how the HD25 stack up to a much higher end phone check out my LCD2 review in my sig.

They still hold up.
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 9:31 PM Post #26 of 36
Thanks for the responses, nice to hear they would still be useable with listening to 'just' Spotify.

Would it be fair to say that the HD25 is better musically and the Urbanite better in terms of design?

If so, that would mean a choice between 'looks' and 'music quality'.

Hmm, really need to give both a listen..
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 9:33 PM Post #27 of 36
malfunkt said:
As a decade long user of the HD25 I'll say this. They would do perfectly fine with Spotify and neglibibly better with Flac.

...and so would my Audeze LCD2 for that matter. If you are listening to higher quality Spotify streams at 320kpbs you are missing very little and arguably nothing audible. I'm sure you will hear others that differ, you can look into the Sound Science section for more on this.

The main thing is that there is plenty of details in compressed audio (256-320kbps) that most cheap consumer headphones arent even reproducing to begin with. Start with the Urbanites, enjoy them and if you are curious look into a 'mid-if' set like a Fidelio X2 ,AKG KXX, or something a bit more reference like an HD650 with basic amplification and decent dac. At that point you will be hearing a major difference - above this you will be looking at diminishing returns.
Click to expand...


Are you saying you're advicing the Urbanites?

Sorry for double posting, but it's quite a hassle on my phone.
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 10:11 PM Post #28 of 36
Your post has good timing. I'm out and about and happen to be listening to a set of Urbanite on-ears at the very moment at a store right now. I'm actually quite surprised, I thought they would have more accented bass. But they are actually quite balanced though with rolled off treble. Very comfortable.

They don't have the sparkle as my Amperior but somehow a bit more spacious. The pads are very similar to the Amperior. These are very good.

I would say these are every bit as good as the hd25 and perhaps even better. They are smoother in presentation and do lack a bit of high end detail. Which could be an issue, but the rest of the spectrum is excellent.

Perfect for relaxing or strolling about.
 
Aug 15, 2015 at 1:56 AM Post #29 of 36
Urbanites absolutely kill the HD-25 connected to a phone, connect the two directly without an amp, the HD-25 just doesn't have the volume, I've compared it many times with friends and they've dumped the HD-25's afterwards. 
 
Amping them both certainly closes the gap, but the HD-25 sounds dated and the HD-25 comes close, but still not quite there.
 
Remember they're all made by Sennheiser and the Momentum 2.0 and Urbanites are the latest designs.
 
Aug 15, 2015 at 6:27 AM Post #30 of 36
inthere said:
  Urbanites absolutely kill the HD-25 connected to a phone, connect the two directly without an amp, the HD-25 just doesn't have the volume, I've compared it many times with friends and they've dumped the HD-25's afterwards. 
 
Amping them both certainly closes the gap, but the HD-25 sounds dated and the HD-25 comes close, but still not quite there.
 
Remember they're all made by Sennheiser and the Momentum 2.0 and Urbanites are the latest designs.
Click to expand...

 
How exactly can a headphone sound dated? Surely for something to be described as being dated, it has to be subject to fashion - I wasn't aware there were fashions in sonic presentation. Latest doesn't always mean greatest: I tried Senn's new HD8 DJ and HD6 Mix and neither were as good as the HD-25 IMO - the former was too bass-heavy and the latter too lean-sounding.
 
Have you tried the HD-25 Aluminium? I'll agree that none of the HD-25 range is optimal straight out of a smartphone (hardly surprising), but I haven't found an on-ear portable I prefer yet. The DT1350 came close, but the pads are a bit small - hard to get a good seal. Maybe I'll give the Urbanites a go as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top