Revised 2011/06
These were studio monitors made between 1991-1995 and 2000-2007 (wonder if they brought them back on request). Some changes were made during production so not all pairs sound quite the same and they didn't apply HD600 levels of quality control either, which means that in some pairs the drivers might not be as closely matched as with others.
Let's being with the most surprising aspect, which is the bass. Amazing punch, depth and extension when the recording demands it, but with much less colouration and muddiness that is presented in most closed headphones. It extends a bit below 20 Hz with a good amp (some amps to roll-off earlier). It simply redefines bass extension as there are not many headphones out there that can go really low. The O2 also has good bass extension but being a fully-open electrostatic phone, the presentation is different. If you want a more punchy bass you might prefer the bass of these in some ways and but you probably want it with the texture of an O2 as well (which you obviously won't get).
On the downside, the bass can be overpowering and a little slow at times and slightly muddying up the sound (but it also depends on how the system is tuned and I think I managed to balance it out). It is great for rock pop and electronic music or any kind recording which is bass-shy (or the opposite, driven by the bass) but not ideal for smoother music.
The highs are also excellent, weighty and extended and just in the right quantity with none of the veil you might feel with the HD6xx series. If you pair them with a bright (or low-end) source they might show too much of the flaws present in some recordings (or the source itself) but with the current setup I have no complaints, they are excellent.
The midrange is ok. It is slightly on the thin side but at least free from peaks (but there is a dip somewhere, see diffuse EQ later). Being a studio monitor the focus will always be more on the analytical side than on the musical side but the whole sound will always depend on the system, not just the phones themselves and they are definitely not boring or lifeless.
I also use the original HD 250 Linear headphones (which are over 20 years old, both 300 ohm and 600 ohm variants exist) where the drivers are incapable of providing the extension of the Linear IIs so they sound brighter. The mids are slighty purer because there is less bass but overall I prefer the IIs. Other interesting relative is the HD 540 Reference II which looks remarkably similar but with an fully-open housing so people who think the HD 250 Linear II is nice but has a bit too much bass would probably find these more balanced although not as extended.
So basically what we have here is a very balanced, dynamic (energetic), analytical type of sound with good transient speed and detail and great clarity (for a dynamic phone). It is also very extended (full-range) on both ways and free from any big peaks and with a slight dip in the midrange (diffuse field EQ?) and a rather strong bass response. With this type of FR the sweet spot is lower than the average headphones, so it is great for low level listening as well.
The soundstage is also very good, especially for a closed phone and better than many mediocre semi-open phone as well. In the brochure I read that Sennheiser applied diffuse field equalization and it seems to work well here.
While it not the widest it is not cramped like most supra-aural phones and has good depth and imaging. Of course a good open headphone will always sound more natural but really you can't expect much more from a closed one.
The comfort is great. Snug (circumaural) fit with very little clamp and they are quite light for their size, they almost disappear. The pleather pads can be a little sweaty at times. The headband adjustment is easy and simple. If it is a bit loose (like on my original Linear) it is recommended to tighten up a little for the best sound. The isolation is also quite good, although it not quite as good as the HD25s but better than the Audio-Technica ESW10JPN and vastly better than the Sony CD3000 or Denon D2000.
You can certainly tell that these were made for the studio as they are very durable and rigid. I have a pair which is 20 years old and with new pads and foam it sounds just as good as new (but these are essential for the best low-end performance and to calm down the highs a bit). Despite being made from cheap materials, the construction is very sturdy. That said the voice coil (internal tiny wires between the drivers and cable connectors) can be a little vulnerable and repairing that is really hard so it's better not to drop them. The cable is easy to replace. The connector type is the same as with HD6xx series. So it is possible to experiment with various expensive aftermarket cables - if you think that these are worth spending for as opposed to a better source/amp... Putting on a HD650 cable might worth a try as well, it is very cheap but the stock cable does seem to have a sound signature suited to the phones so some people claim it is best to leave it as it is.
Movies or gaming? They handle them very well because of the soundstage and bass extension (and comfort) are still very much useful here. But these don't work well with Dolby Headphone because they are already diffuse-field equalized.
All in all, I think these are great headphones (but I wouldn't go as far as all-rounders) and since I have these I have reduced my collection quite a bit.
No, these are a long way from being one of the best headphones of the world. However, if we add the tags like 'closed' and 'dynamic' or 'isolating' I would say they are certainly up there. They are simply brilliant for what they are and the fact that Sennheiser is probably not going to bring them back again and just continue with what they are doing now makes me quite sad. I think if they would improve the construction slightly (e.g. improve the drivers and protect the voice coil, aluminium housing for better resonance control, nicer-looking headband) and re-position them in the market as high-end closed, consumer headphones they would be more than competitive today.
Despite being a rather important part of the current market they don't have anything here, so I hope that will change in the future.
These were studio monitors made between 1991-1995 and 2000-2007 (wonder if they brought them back on request). Some changes were made during production so not all pairs sound quite the same and they didn't apply HD600 levels of quality control either, which means that in some pairs the drivers might not be as closely matched as with others.
Let's being with the most surprising aspect, which is the bass. Amazing punch, depth and extension when the recording demands it, but with much less colouration and muddiness that is presented in most closed headphones. It extends a bit below 20 Hz with a good amp (some amps to roll-off earlier). It simply redefines bass extension as there are not many headphones out there that can go really low. The O2 also has good bass extension but being a fully-open electrostatic phone, the presentation is different. If you want a more punchy bass you might prefer the bass of these in some ways and but you probably want it with the texture of an O2 as well (which you obviously won't get).
On the downside, the bass can be overpowering and a little slow at times and slightly muddying up the sound (but it also depends on how the system is tuned and I think I managed to balance it out). It is great for rock pop and electronic music or any kind recording which is bass-shy (or the opposite, driven by the bass) but not ideal for smoother music.
The highs are also excellent, weighty and extended and just in the right quantity with none of the veil you might feel with the HD6xx series. If you pair them with a bright (or low-end) source they might show too much of the flaws present in some recordings (or the source itself) but with the current setup I have no complaints, they are excellent.
The midrange is ok. It is slightly on the thin side but at least free from peaks (but there is a dip somewhere, see diffuse EQ later). Being a studio monitor the focus will always be more on the analytical side than on the musical side but the whole sound will always depend on the system, not just the phones themselves and they are definitely not boring or lifeless.
I also use the original HD 250 Linear headphones (which are over 20 years old, both 300 ohm and 600 ohm variants exist) where the drivers are incapable of providing the extension of the Linear IIs so they sound brighter. The mids are slighty purer because there is less bass but overall I prefer the IIs. Other interesting relative is the HD 540 Reference II which looks remarkably similar but with an fully-open housing so people who think the HD 250 Linear II is nice but has a bit too much bass would probably find these more balanced although not as extended.
So basically what we have here is a very balanced, dynamic (energetic), analytical type of sound with good transient speed and detail and great clarity (for a dynamic phone). It is also very extended (full-range) on both ways and free from any big peaks and with a slight dip in the midrange (diffuse field EQ?) and a rather strong bass response. With this type of FR the sweet spot is lower than the average headphones, so it is great for low level listening as well.
The soundstage is also very good, especially for a closed phone and better than many mediocre semi-open phone as well. In the brochure I read that Sennheiser applied diffuse field equalization and it seems to work well here.
While it not the widest it is not cramped like most supra-aural phones and has good depth and imaging. Of course a good open headphone will always sound more natural but really you can't expect much more from a closed one.
The comfort is great. Snug (circumaural) fit with very little clamp and they are quite light for their size, they almost disappear. The pleather pads can be a little sweaty at times. The headband adjustment is easy and simple. If it is a bit loose (like on my original Linear) it is recommended to tighten up a little for the best sound. The isolation is also quite good, although it not quite as good as the HD25s but better than the Audio-Technica ESW10JPN and vastly better than the Sony CD3000 or Denon D2000.
You can certainly tell that these were made for the studio as they are very durable and rigid. I have a pair which is 20 years old and with new pads and foam it sounds just as good as new (but these are essential for the best low-end performance and to calm down the highs a bit). Despite being made from cheap materials, the construction is very sturdy. That said the voice coil (internal tiny wires between the drivers and cable connectors) can be a little vulnerable and repairing that is really hard so it's better not to drop them. The cable is easy to replace. The connector type is the same as with HD6xx series. So it is possible to experiment with various expensive aftermarket cables - if you think that these are worth spending for as opposed to a better source/amp... Putting on a HD650 cable might worth a try as well, it is very cheap but the stock cable does seem to have a sound signature suited to the phones so some people claim it is best to leave it as it is.
Movies or gaming? They handle them very well because of the soundstage and bass extension (and comfort) are still very much useful here. But these don't work well with Dolby Headphone because they are already diffuse-field equalized.
All in all, I think these are great headphones (but I wouldn't go as far as all-rounders) and since I have these I have reduced my collection quite a bit.
No, these are a long way from being one of the best headphones of the world. However, if we add the tags like 'closed' and 'dynamic' or 'isolating' I would say they are certainly up there. They are simply brilliant for what they are and the fact that Sennheiser is probably not going to bring them back again and just continue with what they are doing now makes me quite sad. I think if they would improve the construction slightly (e.g. improve the drivers and protect the voice coil, aluminium housing for better resonance control, nicer-looking headband) and re-position them in the market as high-end closed, consumer headphones they would be more than competitive today.
Despite being a rather important part of the current market they don't have anything here, so I hope that will change in the future.
Anyone knows where I can get a replacement band that would fit these headphones?
I like them a lot want to continue using them
I checked http://headphonespares.sennheiser.co.uk/dj-headphones/hd-250-linear-ii but they don't bands.