Sennheiser Adidas HD 25-1 II Orginals Headphones (Black/Blue)

I always though there is no way I would spend more than $50 on a pair of headphones. 
 
I owned various cheaper headphones, lately a TDK over the hear that cost just under $40 at JB-HIFI Australia.
 
When selecting that TDK, I tested all the headphones available for Demo at the store, with price ranging from $10 to $400 (Dr Beat...). And that $40 TDK actually sounded pretty good and made an excellent value for money.
 
Unfortunately, after less than 6 month of use, the cable at the jack end started to show its guts and finally cut itself off. JB-HIFI replaced it no questions asked. So I taped that cable end to make sure it would last longer... not much longer before it happened again, not to the cut step though, so it is still usable.
 
I saw someone with one of these Sennheiser HD-25, older model. He told me he had it for over 10 years now. It didn't look very clean and the cushions looked totally worn off. 
 
Checking online, Dick Smith Electronics had the Adidas model HD-25 ii for just under $200! I did not hesitate and ordered it right away.
 
What a surprise to see all the goodies in that box. A full set of white cushions to replace the blue ones when they need it. Very nice. The first thing I checked was the cable near the jack plug. It did seem very strong, so did the overall product. When holding it, one can feel it is great material use for its manufacturing.
 
At that price, I thought I better use it very well and I spent a bit of time "burning it", up to 100 hours after reading several forums on how to start with expensive headphones.
 
Now it is almost 18 months I have it and wear it non stop, inside and outside. It took some rain a few times. It still looks as brand new!
 
The blue cable is absolutely perfect with no sign of folding damages anywhere!
 
The only critics I would give is that sometimes, at random, one of my cup loses the sound. I have to touch/push the cable connecting it at the top to have it back. I took it off, cleaned it, but this keeps happening. It is not a big deal as once back, it stays. I am not sure why this happens. Luckily I only paid $200 for it. I would not pay more though.
 
Seeing this headphone priced $400 at Amazon is way too much for my wallet. But if money is not an issue, when compared to the other hedphones in the big league (I have tested Bang & Olufsen in Sydney, priced in the same range, I have tested Dr Beat and other like Audio Technica), I can definitely say this is a great headphone. It would make a perfect gift.
 
I hope this can help someone.

This is my review of the Sennheiser HD25-1 II Adidas Original headphone.
 
First of all, if I have to give a reward to the best looking headphone, I would grant the HD25-1 II Adidas Originals the award. They just look absolutely fantastic with the blue and black color combination!
 
Aside from the great looks, these are great sounding headphones for modern style of music where vocals are not the focus. With a good emphasis in the treble and bass region, these sounded really well with electronic music, hip-hop, rap, and even metal or hard rock. However, as I have mentioned in the video, these headphones are not so great for classical or soft pop due to their nature of being a closed back headphone with the speakers so close to the ears. What this results in is a very small soundstage, and decent instrument separation. Furthermore, strings instruments in general just does not sound very good on this headphone; there's something in the mid-range just took a lot away from classical music.
 
However, this headphone is famous in the DJ community for a reason, and it is the energetic sound signature, and in combination with the sound isolation that makes this headphone one of the best in the business; if not the best.
 
This is a definite recommended headphone for those looking for a very energetic and fun sound signature. 
And if you don't dig the color scheme, Sennheiser will let you own one of these headphones for $100 less. Great deal 
 
For a more detailed review, please see my video review located here:

If you want to relax with Jazz music, go find something like the HD650s and give it 5 stars as you found a true Hifi gear.
This pair HD25s were not born to do some stuff like that imo.

Sound quality:
I  can't understand all the fuss about these headphones. These are not "high fidelity", and are a bit frustrating when you are used to better full size  headphone (or even IEM). I  found  them a bit muffled.

1. Bass: The bass thump/impact is here , but lacks variation, it sounds like a single note. In comparison my cheaper but discontinued senn IE7  offers much richer bass.
2. Mids: The vocals are where the hd25 II 1 shine best , I guess because they are quite forward. But still, I  found some weirdness in the mids, they lack cohesion with the remaining frequency range (even if you try to eq) ; perhaps the mids are slower ?  .
3. Treble: I don't know what to say about the treble, decent, but not  pleasant.
4. Soundstage: sounds coming , from little tiny cups, there's no miracle.  It's abysmal. I believe there's a problem of internal damping, that the new expensive amperior  partially fix.
5. Remarks: I  noticed the hd25 II 1  sound  a bit better with velour pad but you loose in isolation. Since for me the main value for this headphone is isolation, I  keep the pleather pads. Also the hd25 II 1 sound less muffled at high  volume levels, but I  like to keep the volume to a level I  find relaxing.

Design:
They look cheap, and a blue cable and blue pleather does little to save their look.The velour pads are white, but why ? (let's cry)

Built Quality:
They are supposed to be very solid, time would tell.The headband foam padding doesn't seem to be well glued. The little provided bags, offers almost no protection, except from dust.

Comfort:
 NOPE. These are not a torture device, but  not the kind of headphone you can forget.  I  was also disappointed, when I  realized  they were too small to put around the neck while moving.

Isolation: Yeah, but an iem would provide a better isolation. The only pretext to use the hd25 II 1, is that you don't like to have iem stuck in your ears.

Conclusion & Value:
The only reason to get these headphone, is that you want  good isolation without having anything stuck on you ears. Otherwise my senn IE7 offers better portability, isolation, AND SOUND QUALITY (and their built quality is great too). At home I have a noisy portable air conditionner, the only pretext for me to use the hd25 II 1 .  These headphone have  convinced me , that "on ear" dj headphones, are not for me.

I have had these for a month now and i do feel these deserve a review
 
 
 
Build Quality/Design
To me i find these look beautiful. The durability is equally as great. All parts are replaceable if need be. When i first picked them up though i was thinking to myself (did i really pay $200 for these things?). They may look cheap but when you apply force you realize they are really well built. One thing i noticed was that they are made in ireland. Quite a nice touch when most things are made in china. The blue color is striking and i have had comments by people who thought they looked cool.
 
 
Comfort/Portability
These are quite uncomfortable unfortunately. If i were to make any complaint it's comfort. But after a month they have become easier on my ears. I put then on a large box to stretch them. These are very portable. They are easy to drive and are easy to store around your neck. The cord isn't to long so you don't have excess.
 
 
Sound Quality/Overall Value
Here is where these shine. When i first put these on i knew i had found my under $200 can of choice. The sound was impressive. Good bass response which goes quite deep and is very fast, Slightly laid back mids with boasted highs. The bass is good for any genre requiring bass. These do remarkably well with metal music in fact their my go to metal can. Electronic is also great as is rock. These aren't very good for classical though. The highs are very good. Allowing the headphones to shine. And they are recessed right where most guitar harshness appears allowing for an easier listening experience. Although They are revealing so if a recording is harsh you will hear it.
 
I recommend these if you listen to rock, metal, electronic, pop, or any speedy/aggressive genre.
 
Competition
I own the m50s and the srh840s and have owned the srh750dj. The srh840 is the most dynamic, the m50s is the most versatile, and the the sennheiser hd 25 1 ii is the most fun. I recommend this whole heartedly.

Thank you Jude for your review , as soon as I watched your comparison between the Sennheiser Adidas HD 25 and Beyerdynamic 1350, I decided to get them both. and really they complement each other.
what are you doing wasting time reading the review,go run, now, and get it.

PROS: This is an amazing headphone with a clear sonority.
CONS: It's a little bit uncomfortable for a long usage.
Personal Resume
High: Very good
Medium: Very good
Low: Very good
 
I do recommend if you are looking for a headphone on ear headphone.
You will pay a little more for the Addidas Style, but this is awesome.

I bought the Sennheiser HD 25-1 (adidas) after my ATH-M50 had a loose connection and i had to return them.

Though I loved the M50's, they made me realize that a headphone is not all about sound quality.
Their isolation just didn't do it for me, and the pleather pads got my ears sweaty all the time.

The HD 25-1 finally does everything I need it to do.
The isolation is top notch, and the velour pads are more comfy then pleather while not getting sweaty.

Sound:
The sound quality of the HD 25-1 II was horrible out of the box, but they got better after a few minutes.
I didnt notice much of a burn-in process after that, and was quite disappointed with their sound, cause the only thing they did better then the M50 were drums and bass, while lacking a lot in highs, detail and especially soundstage and imaging.

After two weeks of frequent use and over-night burn-in (~200 h) they suddenly made a BIG leap in sound quality and especially detail and extension.
Compared to the M50 they sound more refined and detailed while also revealing a lot of bad recordings/ sources. the impact on drums and bass is just heavenly, like the overall bass response.

The only thing they lack compared to the m50 is imaging(not existant) and soundstage.
But since I use them as portable headphones mainly, that doesn't bug me at all.

Conclusion:
the hd 25-1 is a really decent hp and definitely one of the best portable headphones.
I especially love the user customizable style, cause i don't have to worry what might happen if my warranty were to run out.

If you find the pads to be uncomfortable, wash them in warm water. It makes them smoother and allows a better fit and comfort for the head.

EDIT: I bought the ADIDAS originals from razordogdeals.com, he gave me a 50$ discount, just shoot him an e-mail. Customer service was top notch, fast, friendly and competent.

I've purchased these yesterday and they are amazing!
This is my best purchase ever on headphones!
Great built quality, sound with some really good bass and they're quiet comfortable. 
The only cons i have on these headphones is that they get quiet warm after a while and there isn't a hard case to transport them.