Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Professional Headphone

I really like Sennheiser HD25, the sound is very detailed and balanced. I love the sound isolation which is I think the best from within all other closed headphones. They are very light and small which is great. The design would be superb if the cups could rotate 90 degrees but they cannot. I especially like that every single part is replaceable which I think is the reason why so many people buy these. 
You dont want to spend too much and be forced to throw them away or pay for expensive repair after couple of years. 
 
I would wear them in public but I dont like that the headband is sticking a bit outside from the cups which makes them wider than they are. Small design changes would bring these headphones back to the #1 position. 
 
So many times these headphones simply crush anything else around them in terms of sound quality. They are precise, detailed and well balanced. The bass is nice and punchy but I would prefer if it could go slightly deeper. But dont worry its still deeper than most of the headphones within this price range. They are very loud which is another reason why other djs and professionals buying these. If you like them then do not hesitate as I dont think you find better on ear headphones. Yes, maybe Beyerdynamics DT1350 but for some reason I dont think they are so cool than these are. 
 
If the soundstage would be slightly bigger that would be fantastic as comparing to the other headphones they might sound a bit in your face. These are great for work such mixing, editing, mastering etc. Specially if you use them in noisy environment. 
 
When I search for new headphones I often use the term I look for something like HD25 but around the ear  Definitely wear them / check them in terms of the comfort before you purchase. 

Sennheiser HD 25-1 II Review


Introduction
I bought these headphones about a year ago to enjoy my music with decent isolation, comfort and sound quality on my portable rig. I was very satisfied with them, and have been up until I got my IE80's. The IE80's are simply better in terms of sound quality and portability. However, these cans are still absolutely awesome in other aspects.

Before I'm going to do away with my trustworthy HD 25-1 II's, I thought it'd be worth the effort to write a review about them. I tried to keep this review short and clear, without leaving anything out. I'd like to think I succeeded, but like always I kindly ask for your input.


Listening setup
I wrote the sound quality impressions collectively from several setups:
Galaxy Note -> HD 25-1 II
Galaxy Note -> AMB Mini3 -> HD 25-1 II
Audio-GD NFB-12 -> HD 25-1 II
Audio-GD NFB-12 -> AMB Mini3 -> HD 25-1 II

If there is one thing I noticed from these comparisons, it'd be that this can is the furthest from picky; whatever you drive it from it'll be very near it's full potential. It has crazy high sensitivity as well, and I found myself listening to it one an airplane directly out of my phone or iPod with no need for extra volume.

I compared it to my IE80 primarily, but also did detailed comparisons with my HD650 and SR-202. I won't list the comparisons themselves, but rather what I found out through comparing them. If you're looking for the comparisons shoot me a PM.


Pictures




Build quality
The build quality of this can is legendary -- and rightfully so. There is simply no way you're going to break them, even if you tried. And if you're particularly vandalistic, you can still replace every single part of this headphone. They feel light in your hands, and are relatively small too. This makes them perfect for chucking them in your backpack.
These are labelled as professional DJ headphones, and are in fact used a lot by (famous) DJ's all over the world. And from a durability point of view I can definitely see why.


Cable & accessories
The cable is extremely good in terms of durability. The plug is very good in this regard as well, since it's right angled and very stiff. The included screw-on 6.3mm adapter is also very nifty.
However, there are a couple things which I don't like about this cable. For instance, while the cable never ties itself in knots, it does not stay straight either. It curls up awkwardly, which is not very pretty nor practical. Secondly the plug is too well-built; it is so stiff that it has destroyed multiple jacks of mobile devices, since it put too much stress on them. Eventually I started using this can with a 3.5mm extension cord just to relieve stress from my phone's jack, but this was a far from practical solution.

I personally bought the basic version, which only came with a 6.3mm adapter, and nothing else in terms of accessories. The complete version includes a pair of velour pads and a bag as well, but I doubt these are worth the extra price.

Not really an accessory, but I should also mention the swiveling ear cup. This is a feature meant of DJ's where they can swivel back one of the ear cups to hear the music from the headphones and speakers at the same time. I personally don't think this has much added value, since tilting the headphone works just as well. It also takes a bit of effort to get the fit perfect once you're swiveling it back to its original position.


Comfort
Comfort is surprisingly good. While the clamping force is still relatively high, I can comfortable wear them for several hours. They only start getting uncomfortable after the 3 hour mark, and more quickly if it's hot. They come with a split head band, and adjustable cups. There is a relatively comfortable cushion on the head band and the pads are quite comfortable too. Make no mistake -- these are far from as comfortable as a pair of full size cans like my HD650 or SR-202, but they are definitely not bad considering they're portable cans.

One annoying thing that should be noted is that it usually takes several seconds before I've found a comfortable fit. And putting the headphones on with only one hand is difficult, especially without practice. Though that's true for most headphones.


Sound quality
Overall I find this to be the most lacking area of the HD 25-1 II. For the price I'd like the sound quality to be a bit better, although all round they are decent enough for regular use by any audiophile.

Frequency response These cans have a recessed sub-bass, probably thanks to the small driver size. They are fairly flat in the mid-bass and mids, but have a recessed upper-mids/lower-treble with a massive spike at 10kHz. Overall I would describe these headphones as having a bit loose bass with a harsh treble, but with an overall feeling of neutrality.

Bass The bass packs quite a punch in terms of volume. More so than my HD650, but less than my IE80. The bass does sound a bit loose and uncontrolled, perhaps caused by the mediocre soundstage. In my experience these are well suited for electronic music, but aren't the best for things like conveying the energy of rumbling bass guitars with heavy distortion.
They do feel fairly neutral in terms of frequency response in the bass region. And for most smooth bass guitars used in rock they perform adequately.

Mids I find the mids to be decent with male and female vocals, and in general acceptable with piano, reed instruments and horns. Not too much to say about the mids since they sound fairly normal and neutral.

Treble One of the worst factors of the HD 25-1 II. Female vocals can sound a bit harsh when high pitched, cymbals sound tinny and just weird in general, they have noticeable sibilance, and are sonically fatiguing due to their harshness. The huge 10kHz thump in the FR can probably account for all of this, and I have found that EQ'ing helps to tame this beast. It's performing sub par in this area in my experience, although I may be making it sound a lot worse than it is. It should also be noted that these do not sound bright, but rather just harsh.

Soundstage The second bad factor. The soundstage is fairly small. Instruments sound like large sound sources, and are poorly separated. In the more chaotic passages all the sound is clumped up into one big ball. There is hardly any sense of distance either.
This is probably the same for most portable cans, and perhaps I'm spoiled by comparing to my IE80 and SR-202, but I do feel that this is the can's weakest area along with the harsh treble.


Conclusion
Overall these cans are pretty neutral. They do lack in energy, soundstage and treble. For the money they are pretty decent. But I wouldn't get them just for the sound quality; I'm sure there are better alternatives at this price. The fact that it's indestructible, portable and isolating are its main selling points.
They are pretty good value, but not if you go by sound alone.

Very Grado-y sound signature, but closed. An amazing portable headphone. Very easy to "personalize" with other colored pads and also very easy to disassemble. HD650 cable fits when flipped over. Amazing phone for the price and portability.
 
Unfortunately, comfort is an issue for some (myself included). I've had to return them because they clamp my head like a vice.

I have Grado SR60, SR225i, HD650 and HD25 II's, with an iBasso headphone amplifier, fed by an ipod dock cable. I principally bought the HD25's as a monitor headphone for video use but thought I would burn them in for 100 hours and see what they do with music. The reproduction is not what one would call subtle, the extreme frequencies are pronounced and there is little impression of ambience or imaging. It is like it is trying too hard to please.  I can imagine, for that reason, it suits loud rock music, but it tramples delicate good recordings.  The cable picks up some microphony.

These headphones are clearly designed for DJs in dance clubs and I can't recommend them for general or casual use.  They get 3 stars for doing what they're designed to do well enough but could be much better.
 
They are very isolating as a result of a strong clamping force that crushes my ears to the point of pain after 10-15 minutes.
 
The sound is very forward and punchy.  Good for techno/dance but lacks refinement, subtlety and space.
 
They are overly bright and there's a treble peak that causes sibilance and is very unattractive.  Though I didn't use a high quality amp this peak seems to be recognised in frequency response charts and other reviews here that state they can be too bright.  I'm not sure if this is a deliberate decision so that DJs will tend towards making club music darker but it could well be.
 
If using an iPhone or low-power analogue out you'll need to use a treble reducer or custom EQ to even listen to these without serious fatigue and pain, though bass response without amplification is still decent.
 
Overall these have a very specific application and purpose and unless you're a DJ that needs high isolation and a "club" sound you should steer clear.

Too much bass, strident treble. I guess it could be worse. Midrange is not bad. It might sound OK straight out of my out of my cheap Android phone which lacks power and sounds kind of muddy.
 
The treble hurts me. I wouldn't keep them though, even if someone gave them to me for free. I wouldn't give them to my kids either because I don't want to destroy their high frequency hearing.
 
Really ugly too.

Sennheiser HD25-II is one of hot model in on-ear headphone. I buy it because of high rating from different users.
However, i feel very disappointed when I use it.
 
First of all, the headband structure is too tight. It makes my head painful and can't wear for more than 5 minutes, 1 song?!
 
Bass, quite strong
 
Mids - not natural
 
Highs - clear, but the highs are too aggressive. It hurts my ear when listening for long time.
 
I can't use it for more than 5 mins because of the headband pinching force. No matter how the sound is, the headphone is useless for a user if they can't use it daily.
 
Sorry about that. Sennheiser.