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500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2001
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First of all this is not a real review. This is rather an impression from a long audition I did in a store today that I thought may be helpful. I did not have an intension of buying any of the phones mentioned below. I've owned one of them and sold it later not because I didn't like it, but because my phones collection was growing a bit too big and I needed the cash for amps and cables upgrade.
Here is the story.
Several days ago, passing a musician store nearby, I noticed that they had a good collection of closed studio phones. In fact I bought my DT 250-80 from them (now sold). I decided to return today and do some comparison between some of the most popular closed "studio" phones here. So, I packed my new Sony D-EJ725 portable and a few well recorded CDs that I know well and went to the store.
(For the swedish folks the store is called Estard at Sšdermalm, Stockholm)
I assume all phones were well broken-in since they are on a stand with a music constantly played through them.
I did about an hour long audition of the phones without an amp, straight from the headphone output of the CDP with the following phones:
Sony MDR7506
Beyerdynamic DT250-80
Sennheiser HD25
They also had the AKG K240M and 240 DF but these could not be driven by the portable, so I left them alone.
CONSTRUCTION
I'm not gonna spend long time here assuming that most of you are more or less familiar with the tree phones.
7506 are, as we all know the same thing as V6 i.e. very well build, circumaural for most people. They fold, but unlike the other two the cord isn't replacable (the only weak point in their construction IMO).
DT250 are also well built and sturdy. They have a detachable coiled cord but don't fold. Circumaural as well. ore comfy than 7506 due to their soft velour pads, which by the way can be mounted on the V6/7506
HD25 are the smallest of the tree. Strictly supraaural cans. To me at least they feel plasticky compared to the other two. The comfort naturally is not as good as with circumaurals, but I didn't feel any discomfort for the duration of the test.
SENSITIVITY
This was one area that surprised me. I mean, everyone is talking how easily driven V6/7506s are. In fact they produced least volume out of the 5 mW amp of the 725, very closely followed by DT250 with HD25 being much easier to drive. In fact HD 25 was the only phone on test that produced painfully loud sound at maximum volume. This was indeed surprising since I remember auditioning the HD25SP and they're not nearly as loud as these.
That said all theree could be adequately powered even by the 5 MW Sony. At volume settings of 23-26 out of 30, the there was enough loudness, at least for me.
SOUND
As I said before, I tried the phones only out of the headjack of my CDP. I it sounds warm and somewhat bassier than older Sonys and I assume Panasonics.
7506
I guess, I'm not the one to describe these cans. There are plenty of V6 owners here and the good qualities of these phones are well known. The first thing that struck me was the deep bass they produced (well documented), Even out of the portable these had a very extended bass response. One of the CDs I brought was the new David Byrne album "Look Into The Eyeball" The opening track has some very low bass hits. With the Sonys on my head was really shaking. The midrange was reasonably smooth, and with good presence. I didn't notice any uneven response there. Both male and female vocals sounded convincing at least. The treble was the most pronounced of the three cans I tested. Even with the D-EJ725 whic is somewhat rolled off on top, the 7506 sounded crisp. I can't say how would they sound with a bright source, but I can only assume that the treble can get a bit hard at times.
DT250-80
I had these for about a month before I sold them, so they re the only phones that I can say I know more or less well. Their bass isn't that deep as 7506s, but to me it is more musical. Low notes have a better resolution. They won't rumble as 7506 but the listener will always know what exactly is going on down there. Neighter of the two is boomy at all. There is a good ballance between low and midbass. IMO 7506 will do better in the bass with beat type of music (dance, trance ambient) whether DT 250 will be better suited for music with complex melodic basslines. Up the spectrum, the DT250 produced arguably the best midrange, not only among these three but IMO in any closed phone I've ever heard. I said this before and I will say it again, their midrange is absolutely fantastic, liquid dynamic and articulate even from a portable source. Vocals are so natural and lifelike. Guitars and percussions have an exact timing. Soundstaging and imaging are also very good for a closed phones. This is a trademark of Beyer closed cans. The treble is a bit rolled-off. Combined with the already warm sounding D-EJ725 I had, the sound ended up on the dull side. This however is more source dependant. I remember with my Sharp MDP (much brighter than the Sony) they sounded graet, smooth but never harsh. However, if you're a Sony CDP user and plan to use these without an amp, beware, there may be a bit to much treble loss.
HD25
I’ve auditioned these several times before mainly against the cheaper HD25SP and was generally pleased with their sound. This changed somewhat today. Compared to the above two, the Senns sounded plain boomy. I know I may get cursed for saying that, but in a direct A/B comparison with both 7506 and DT250, Sennheiser HD25 had a very pronounced midbass peak. Even with bass light music, such as Tori Amos it was pretty obvious that the bass is artificially enhanced. It felt like someone was switching some bass booster somewhere. The rest of the sound was OK. Good midrange, comparible to 7506 but not as good as DT250 and pretty balanced treble. These are still good closed cans. they may appeal to people that like more bass, but for all the flat sound freaks these are not.
CONCLUSIONS
If I had to pick one phone out of the 3 today with the source I had, i would have been the 7506, simply because it could compensate better for the colorations of my CDP. With more neutral source I guess DT250 is a better bet. Sorry for Sennheiser, but their HD25 is not worth the price IMO. They sell here for 220 USD and the Beyers go for less than 130 (with Sonys for 150). Even in Germany HD25 still sells for far more than DT250 and they're not better made, have less comfort and most importantly sound worse.
Thanx for reading this long post
Here is the story.
Several days ago, passing a musician store nearby, I noticed that they had a good collection of closed studio phones. In fact I bought my DT 250-80 from them (now sold). I decided to return today and do some comparison between some of the most popular closed "studio" phones here. So, I packed my new Sony D-EJ725 portable and a few well recorded CDs that I know well and went to the store.
(For the swedish folks the store is called Estard at Sšdermalm, Stockholm)
I assume all phones were well broken-in since they are on a stand with a music constantly played through them.
I did about an hour long audition of the phones without an amp, straight from the headphone output of the CDP with the following phones:
Sony MDR7506
Beyerdynamic DT250-80
Sennheiser HD25
They also had the AKG K240M and 240 DF but these could not be driven by the portable, so I left them alone.
CONSTRUCTION
I'm not gonna spend long time here assuming that most of you are more or less familiar with the tree phones.
7506 are, as we all know the same thing as V6 i.e. very well build, circumaural for most people. They fold, but unlike the other two the cord isn't replacable (the only weak point in their construction IMO).
DT250 are also well built and sturdy. They have a detachable coiled cord but don't fold. Circumaural as well. ore comfy than 7506 due to their soft velour pads, which by the way can be mounted on the V6/7506
HD25 are the smallest of the tree. Strictly supraaural cans. To me at least they feel plasticky compared to the other two. The comfort naturally is not as good as with circumaurals, but I didn't feel any discomfort for the duration of the test.
SENSITIVITY
This was one area that surprised me. I mean, everyone is talking how easily driven V6/7506s are. In fact they produced least volume out of the 5 mW amp of the 725, very closely followed by DT250 with HD25 being much easier to drive. In fact HD 25 was the only phone on test that produced painfully loud sound at maximum volume. This was indeed surprising since I remember auditioning the HD25SP and they're not nearly as loud as these.
That said all theree could be adequately powered even by the 5 MW Sony. At volume settings of 23-26 out of 30, the there was enough loudness, at least for me.
SOUND
As I said before, I tried the phones only out of the headjack of my CDP. I it sounds warm and somewhat bassier than older Sonys and I assume Panasonics.
7506
I guess, I'm not the one to describe these cans. There are plenty of V6 owners here and the good qualities of these phones are well known. The first thing that struck me was the deep bass they produced (well documented), Even out of the portable these had a very extended bass response. One of the CDs I brought was the new David Byrne album "Look Into The Eyeball" The opening track has some very low bass hits. With the Sonys on my head was really shaking. The midrange was reasonably smooth, and with good presence. I didn't notice any uneven response there. Both male and female vocals sounded convincing at least. The treble was the most pronounced of the three cans I tested. Even with the D-EJ725 whic is somewhat rolled off on top, the 7506 sounded crisp. I can't say how would they sound with a bright source, but I can only assume that the treble can get a bit hard at times.
DT250-80
I had these for about a month before I sold them, so they re the only phones that I can say I know more or less well. Their bass isn't that deep as 7506s, but to me it is more musical. Low notes have a better resolution. They won't rumble as 7506 but the listener will always know what exactly is going on down there. Neighter of the two is boomy at all. There is a good ballance between low and midbass. IMO 7506 will do better in the bass with beat type of music (dance, trance ambient) whether DT 250 will be better suited for music with complex melodic basslines. Up the spectrum, the DT250 produced arguably the best midrange, not only among these three but IMO in any closed phone I've ever heard. I said this before and I will say it again, their midrange is absolutely fantastic, liquid dynamic and articulate even from a portable source. Vocals are so natural and lifelike. Guitars and percussions have an exact timing. Soundstaging and imaging are also very good for a closed phones. This is a trademark of Beyer closed cans. The treble is a bit rolled-off. Combined with the already warm sounding D-EJ725 I had, the sound ended up on the dull side. This however is more source dependant. I remember with my Sharp MDP (much brighter than the Sony) they sounded graet, smooth but never harsh. However, if you're a Sony CDP user and plan to use these without an amp, beware, there may be a bit to much treble loss.
HD25
I’ve auditioned these several times before mainly against the cheaper HD25SP and was generally pleased with their sound. This changed somewhat today. Compared to the above two, the Senns sounded plain boomy. I know I may get cursed for saying that, but in a direct A/B comparison with both 7506 and DT250, Sennheiser HD25 had a very pronounced midbass peak. Even with bass light music, such as Tori Amos it was pretty obvious that the bass is artificially enhanced. It felt like someone was switching some bass booster somewhere. The rest of the sound was OK. Good midrange, comparible to 7506 but not as good as DT250 and pretty balanced treble. These are still good closed cans. they may appeal to people that like more bass, but for all the flat sound freaks these are not.
CONCLUSIONS
If I had to pick one phone out of the 3 today with the source I had, i would have been the 7506, simply because it could compensate better for the colorations of my CDP. With more neutral source I guess DT250 is a better bet. Sorry for Sennheiser, but their HD25 is not worth the price IMO. They sell here for 220 USD and the Beyers go for less than 130 (with Sonys for 150). Even in Germany HD25 still sells for far more than DT250 and they're not better made, have less comfort and most importantly sound worse.
Thanx for reading this long post
