Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Professional Headphone

Seriously, these things are built to last. When the apocalypse occurs in 2012, this Sennheiser would be left intact (maybe the wires would get destroyed). And for future generations of the human race (or whoever takes over the earth), they would be a relic of the old world.

I own two pairs, one for work and one for portable use, I treat the portable headphone with utmost care, like a baby, while the one for work gets tossed around and daily abuse, and yet both look the same. On a note of the clamping force, the frame needs to burn in, so that the force loosens and optimum comfort is achieved.

Sound. How does it sound? It's a bit colored, I think. Definitely not neutral, but I've gotten over the "neutral stage" where I cared about neutral headphones, I just want to enjoy my music with clarity. The bass mids and highs are fairly even in terms of balance, but not perfectly balanced. What's very noticeable is that it has punchy bass like a Grado, not deep rumbling bass. And absolutely no soundstage, which creates intimacy, or in my case, that in-your-face-sound that you get from Grado. I use these for speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, traditional metal, etc. Metal that's fast and guitar driven. They're like a closed back Grado, but not as bright.

I got it for free from work, as this is what they use for their stuff such as recording, calibration, etc. They previously used V6's, 440's and T50RP's, but they settled for the HD 25-1 II. There is a huge increase in price to the consumer, but I'd imagine when a company purchase these, the difference is not all that great. They are the basic edition, but I wish I owned a pair of the Adidas versions.

The HD 25 series has been around for 15 years and this has been my 2nd purchase of the famed dual-band headphone.
 

 
Value: 10 years ago, if you are purchasing a $200 headphone it would've sounded absurd. Thanks to Beats by Dre, $200 headphones are now a steal. For $200, you get 2 pairs of ear pads (1) velour and (1) synthetic, also you get a nylon carrying bag, and of course the star of the show, the HD 25-1 II.
 
Audio Quality: HD25s are a favorite among DJs and broadcasters, although it is primarily designed for studio use, I rarely see this headphone used for mixing and remastering. The most common headphone, I see in studios are the ATH-M50 and SRH-840s.
 
Bass: It is there, present and just about right for a variety of tracks such as rock, hiphop, jazz, RnB, acoustic. But, if you are a basshead, this might not be for you. Bass is not deep as the ATH-M50s and the pacing is not as fast. This headphone will suffer from house music and dubstep. 
 
Mids: Now this is HD25s cream, the mids are very revealing, it is an ENG headphone after all, it will be unforgiving on bad recorded tracks as you will hear all the pops on the vocals. This is great if you like absolute precision when mixing. And, those who love vocals will definitely enjoy this.
 
Highs: Average, rolled-off in some tunes, very common in studio headphones. Purposely done, not to fatigue your ears for long listening session.
 
Design and Comfort: HD25s are a ruggedly designed headphones, they are used almost everywhere by professionals. It is a favorite among DJs because of its isolation. This headphone can cancel out 20db of noise, better than those noise-cancelling headphones with batteries. Standing right into a noisy washing machine, I can't hear a thing with only 60% volume from an iPod, that's amazing. With isolation, you lose comfort. But in my case, I find this headphone very comfortable, the padding are well-balanced to distribute the clamping force of the band.
 

 
If you have a small ear, then it be uncomfortable. For medium and large ears, they'll be comfy since they will sit just on the inner side of the ear. Build quality is very good, plastics are tough, but not as polished as say Audio-Technicas. The plastics on the HD-25s are unpolished and raw. But, since I own this for 10 years, they are very reliable.
 
Split band will secure the headphone better, although, I'm not a fan of it. I use them as a single band. Also, there are a lot of aftermarket parts for this headphone, no worrying in breaking them. Replaceable ear cups, headband, cables with different flavors, ear pads and more.

 
Overall: The past 10 years, nothing has changed. But, this little headphone will continue to wow new enthusiasts and it will continue on production forever. If there is something to improve, it is to polish the plastic make it look more presentable and classy. Overall, it is still a highly recommended headphone, and it is my favorite DJ headphone for the clubs and commute.
 
 
 
 

The above says it all, as well as numerous other reviews. I luv these supra aural cans,...and I'll keep them till I either go deaf or die!

I love these headphones. I just recently got these headphones for Christmas and they are AMAZING. In the past few years I have created a huge love for music and found this site when looking for some really good quality headphones. I love the sound quality of vinyl music and these headphones are great because they work with my record player which uses a 6.3mm headphone input. Hands down the sound quality of these headphones are the best. They don't have too much bass and have a nice clear precise sound. My only complaint is that at first the headphones are really tight. I am an average weight 21 year old girl and even I thought these headphones were tight at first. I do have to mention that I do have a huge scar on my head because I had brain surgery when I was 16, but even considering that I thought they were tight fitting. Despite the tight fitting design, you can't beat the quality of these headphones. Buy these if you want a truly good sound quality from your headphones.

The HD25s are a legend, really, so I'll just say I love the sound. They push all my aural buttons, with a fast, agressive sound (not quite Grado-like as some would say), punchy bass and great detail. I feel these things just "throw" the music at you, making you listen. Don't know how some people could call them boring, really. They have a solid bass, a dip in the midrange which gives them a certain natural feeling, free of colorations, and somewhat sharp treble. Nothing is overdone, nothing is missing. Soundstage and neutrality might be questionable to some, the design certainly is, but these cans are something you really have to try, especially for rock, metal or rap.

 
 
 

No introduction is needed for this pair. The "rumours" about the sound quality are true. Some people disagree that they are good for music production, but I am not using them for this reason, so I cannot comment on that. When I am listening to music I prefer it to come to my ears as the musicians and sound engineers intended to, and I think that these headphones are doing it to a great extent.
 
Some people also find them to be uncomfortable. Well, they are not as comfortable as HD 598 for example, but this is to be expected from a closed-back pair. I would not expect more comfort than what they give. I'd describe my head as medium size, so people with large heads may find them a bit more uncomfortable.
 
Overall, very, very highly recommended!