[Music fan 8888]

Hi everyone, I have heard good reviews for these cans and I was wondering if they can be used as portables? Are they lightweight and easy to carry around? And what is the sound quality like? I need some to replace my sennheiser hd25-1 ii

 

[Music fan 8888]

Also if anyone has the beyerdynamic dt1350 how do these compare?

 

[nikp]

The M50 is much more bassier than the DT1350. Sound quality wise, the DT1350 is more reference sounding, more detailed, cleaner, more balanced and has more resolution. For portability, I find the M50 a lot more bulky than the HD25/DT1350. 
 
What do you think of the HD25? What does it lack?

 

[Music fan 8888]

Thanks, I find the sennheisers too bassy, uncomfortable and lack in detail. I find my ears hurting every time I wear them that I resort to grados on the the go but they leak sound so badly! The beyerdyanmic do sound perfect for me though....

 

[Jeremypsp]

You should go for the M50LEs instead. I couldn't stand the M50s at all, too much treble and bass. But that's just me of course... The M50LEs are a little more neutral. 

 

[Music fan 8888]

ok thanks will check them out.  Im looking for anything cheaper than those beyers since they are well out of my price range!

 

[Jeremypsp]

Quote:

ok thanks will check them out.  Im looking for anything cheaper than those beyers since they are well out of my price range!

The M50LEs are a tad less bassier than the normal ones. 

 

[Eric23]

I own both, the hd25-1 II and the m50. I also own the Shure 750DJ, which falls roughly within the same price range as the m50. Overall you can't really go wrong with either of these 3 headphones soundwise. They're all pretty versatile.
 
I know the m50 is quite popular here, but in my humble opinion, I would say the 750DJ has the best sound quality among these 3 headsets. At least they do to my ears.
 
I listen to all 3 extensively and I often switch around to do some a/b testing between the same songs.
 
the HD25 has the fastest pace and attack of the three. It's the most aggressive overall. However, it's also the most fatiguing and has the smallest sound stage. Everything about the HD25's sound signature is very in-your-face. Bass is very tight and punchy. Everything sounds a bit cramped for certain songs though. It works great for rock, rap and hip hop. Anything that's fast and aggressive. But I find it's not as fitting for anything with a slightly slower pace. Overall though, it's still a great headphone and it's still the best "on ear" headphone I've ever heard, but I can't listen to them for too long cause the cramped, aggressive sound tires me out. I haven't tried out the m80 nor the dt1350 yet, but I will very soon.
 
The m50's are nice as well, but it's an over the ear, full sized headphone. So not sure if you would consider it very portable. I persnally do go out wearing full sized cans sometimes. So it's fine for me. Overall I enjoy the m50's sound and I find it's a great bargain for under $150. But I find it's sound not very balanced. The bass on these cans are pretty strong and "boomy". It's not a very controlled bass and I find it sometimes bleeds a bit into the other ranges as a result. But it's still very acceptable. The treble to my ears seem to have a slight bump as well. As a result you tend to hear a lot of details with the m50. Where I have an issue with the sound though is the midrange. In my opinion they're a tad recessed. Coupled with the boomy bass and slight bump in treble, the slightly recessed mids are sometimes overwhelmed. Overall this slight V shape sound makes these cans more analytical to my ears. I often find myself analyzing and listening for little details instead of really enjoying the music. It's still a great headphone, but it just really depends on what type of sound you want. I also find the m50 the best looking headphone of the 3.
 
For me, the Shure 750DJ's are the best sounding out of the 3. Don't let the graphs fool you about thinking they're bass monsters because they're not. They definately have bass, infact all 3 of these cans have quite a bit of bass. But the bass on the 750DJ's is very tight and well-controlled. It never overwhelms the other frequencies and instead it does a great job of anchoring the music. The mids on these cans are excellent. It's richer and not as recessed as the mids on the m50. Overall I find these headphones blend all the different ranges the most seamlessly and they sound the most natural. The pace of these headphones are also just right to my ears as well. They can really slam when they have to for rock and rap cause they do have the strong tight bass. But since their pace isn't as fast as the hd25 and they have better mids than the m50, they can handle slower music like jazz and and soft rock very well. When using the 750dj's I find myself more immersed and actually feeling the music instead of analyzing it. It's sound also isn't very fatiguing for me. And I find these the best all-rounders among the 3 and it also has the most refined sound to my ears as none of the frequencies seem to overwhelm eachother and instead they blend in very well. Like the m50, these 750DJs are also Over the ear cans as well so that's a consideration for you too if you want them to be portable. And the headband tends to stick out a bit more at the corners when you wear them. But they do overall sound the best for me among these 3. One thing to remember is to match the volume when testing these out vs the other two. Because the other two headphones run a bit louder at the same volume level. So you'll have to bring up the volume a "bit" when a/b'ing these ones.
 
These are just my own opinion and I won't be surprised if others have totally different perspectives. But I hope this helps u out a bit. Good luck with the decision! 

 

[Music fan 8888]

Quote:

I own both, the hd25-1 II and the m50. I also own the Shure 750DJ, which falls roughly within the same price range as the m50. Overall you can't really go wrong with either of these 3 headphones soundwise. They're all pretty versatile.
 
I know the m50 is quite popular here, but in my humble opinion, I would say the 750DJ has the best sound quality among these 3 headsets. At least they do to my ears.
 
I listen to all 3 extensively and I often switch around to do some a/b testing between the same songs.
 
the HD25 has the fastest pace and attack of the three. It's the most aggressive overall. However, it's also the most fatiguing and has the smallest sound stage. Everything about the HD25's sound signature is very in-your-face. Bass is very tight and punchy. Everything sounds a bit cramped for certain songs though. It works great for rock, rap and hip hop. Anything that's fast and aggressive. But I find it's not as fitting for anything with a slightly slower pace. Overall though, it's still a great headphone and it's still the best "on ear" headphone I've ever heard, but I can't listen to them for too long cause the cramped, aggressive sound tires me out. I haven't tried out the m80 nor the dt1350 yet, but I will very soon.
 
The m50's are nice as well, but it's an over the ear, full sized headphone. So not sure if you would consider it very portable. I persnally do go out wearing full sized cans sometimes. So it's fine for me. Overall I enjoy the m50's sound and I find it's a great bargain for under $150. But I find it's sound not very balanced. The bass on these cans are pretty strong and "boomy". It's not a very controlled bass and I find it sometimes bleeds a bit into the other ranges as a result. But it's still very acceptable. The treble to my ears seem to have a slight bump as well. As a result you tend to hear a lot of details with the m50. Where I have an issue with the sound though is the midrange. In my opinion they're a tad recessed. Coupled with the boomy bass and slight bump in treble, the slightly recessed mids are sometimes overwhelmed. Overall this slight V shape sound makes these cans more analytical to my ears. I often find myself analyzing and listening for little details instead of really enjoying the music. It's still a great headphone, but it just really depends on what type of sound you want. I also find the m50 the best looking headphone of the 3.
 
For me, the Shure 750DJ's are the best sounding out of the 3. Don't let the graphs fool you about thinking they're bass monsters because they're not. They definately have bass, infact all 3 of these cans have quite a bit of bass. But the bass on the 750DJ's is very tight and well-controlled. It never overwhelms the other frequencies and instead it does a great job of anchoring the music. The mids on these cans are excellent. It's richer and not as recessed as the mids on the m50. Overall I find these headphones blend all the different ranges the most seamlessly and they sound the most natural. The pace of these headphones are also just right to my ears as well. They can really slam when they have to for rock and rap cause they do have the strong tight bass. But since their pace isn't as fast as the hd25 and they have better mids than the m50, they can handle slower music like jazz and and soft rock very well. When using the 750dj's I find myself more immersed and actually feeling the music instead of analyzing it. It's sound also isn't very fatiguing for me. And I find these the best all-rounders among the 3 and it also has the most refined sound to my ears as none of the frequencies seem to overwhelm eachother and instead they blend in very well. Like the m50, these 750DJs are also Over the ear cans as well so that's a consideration for you too if you want them to be portable. And the headband tends to stick out a bit more at the corners when you wear them. But they do overall sound the best for me among these 3. One thing to remember is to match the volume when testing these out vs the other two. Because the other two headphones run a bit louder at the same volume level. So you'll have to bring up the volume a "bit" when a/b'ing these ones.
 
These are just my own opinion and I won't be surprised if others have totally different perspectives. But I hope this helps u out a bit. Good luck with the decision! 

wow thankyou for such a detailed review!  The shure's definatley sound very good, and is the type of sound I'm looking for - I looked online after reading this and they look big and heavy.  How is the comfort and fit?  how do you find the soundstage?  And are they detailed headphones like the grados or others u tried?
 
Thanks!

 

[Eric23]

Hi. No problem. Glad I can help. Do remember that these are just my own personal opinions. The 750dj and the m50 weighs about the same and are about the same size as they're both full sized headphones. If anything, the m50 might even be a "bit" heavier because of the type of plastic it uses. Contrary to what the pics look like, the 750dj's are made from plastic as well and it's a lighter, maybe even flimsier plastic compared with the m50 and hd25. When holding all 3, it feels like the plastic used for the m50 and hd25 are of higher quality. both of these headphones feels like they're constructed very well. The 750dj just feels like it's a tad flimsier in both construction and material. However, I have never had any build issues with the 750dj or with any of the other 2 headphones. I do take good care of my gear though. So overall if you take good care of your stuff it should be fine.
 
I can't really comment on durability because all my headphones are still working just fine. The 750dj though comes with more accessories than the m50. 750dj's have an extra pair of ear pads and it's cable is detachable, which is something I like since if the cable ever breaks all you have to do is replace it instead of buying a new pair of cans. The cable on the m50 is attached to it. 
 
As for fit and comfort. The m50's are the most comfortable out of the 3. The hd25 is light and fits well, but it clamps pretty hard, which is a good and bad thing. It's clamping force might irritate a bit with extended use, but it also isolates outside noise very well as a result. The 750dj ear cups are round, which makes them an odd fit for an over the ear phone. Because of this, parts of the ear cup will actually be "on" your ear instead of over the whole thing. I don't find this uncomfortable at all and it still stays on my head fine; just it won't fit quite as snug as the other two. The m50's ear cup is oval so it completely goes over the ear, which makes them more comfortable and gives them a more steady fit and as a result of it being completely over the ear it isolates outside noise a bit better than the 750dj. 
 
I've only demo'd a couple of grado's before for 15 minutes so I don't think I'm qualified to compare the grado's to these headphones. However, the 750dj's have good detail. The m50 on the other hand when first listening, you might feel like it's extremely detailed because of it's bass and treble boost. Coupled with it's recessed mids, you often notice more details in the treble for certain tracks. But a large part of this is due to the recessed mids, which takes you out of the music. The 750dj's on the other hand, once you match the volume, has just as much detail as the m50 if not more because of it's better mids. The sound of the 750dj's are more musical and it's a more immersive experience compared to the m50. The hd25's are "loud and clear" as I think that was the intention when they designed it since it's used for a lot of interviews and broadcasts, but I think perhaps it's drivers aren't as resolving as the other two headphones with their newer drivers. But after 25 odd years for the hd25 to still be one of the top "on ear" cans is a testament in itself.
 
Both the 750dj and m50 has a bigger soundstage than the hd25 to my ears, but this isn't saying much since the hd25 doesn't have much soundstage to begin with. haha.
 
So overall i'd say 750dj's sound the best hands down for me. They have a tighter bass, better mids and are overall more musical and immersive than the m50. And it's sound is less fatiguing and has a bigger sound stage than the hd25. I personally don't even have a problems with part of it's cup being on my ears instead of over it. My only complaint is how the corners of the headband kind of sticks out when you wear them. This makes it look like you've got some antenna's on your head. But if you don't mind that, they definately sound great. 
 
The m50's on the other hand, with their boomy bass and recessed mids can be an issue for certain songs. For example when listening to certain Hendrix live tracks like say Little Wing live at Royal Albert Hall, Noel Redding's bass often overtakes Jimi's voice and guitars a bit. Or on certain Beatles tracks like "Something"; a track that already has recessed mids, Paul's bass would overtake George's singing even more. But on the 750dj's they sound much more balanced.
 
The HD25's since they are smaller 'on ear' cans are better for portability. the 750dj and m50's are both about the same size since they're both full sized cans.
 
The m50's i'd say are the most comfortable in terms of it's fit. And compared to the 750dj's, the m50 fits a bit better, which might be a consideration if you want to walk around while wearing them. But I've walked around with the 750dj's on my head just fine too.
 
I guess it just depends whether you want sound vs fit/comfort vs size/portability.
 
Good luck with the choice man. Interested to see what you choose and how you like them. 
 
Cheers!
 
 

 

[Daffiestlime]

You could stretch the headband of the Sennheisers by putting them over a computer monitor or something, would make them easier on your ears.
 
The M50's are WAY to big to be worn around in public, at all. They are foldable though.
 
I currently have the Turbine Pro Golds, and find them a bit bassy. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Sennheiser 25-1 II's myself, how do you guys like them? I Mostly listen to Rap, some Dubstep/Hardstyle, some Rock and a lot of Reggae.

 

[Eric23]

@ Daffiestlime: the hd25's are nice, portable headphones. They're the best "on ear" headphones I have listened to, but I haven't tried the vmoda m80 nor the dt1350 yet, but I will very soon. HD25's sound sig is very aggressive, fast and in your face. Lots of attack. All the frequency ranges are pushed up to the forefront and none of the ranges drowns out the other. Bass has attack and is tight. But it doesn't overwhelm anything else. The problem i have with the sound is there's almost no soundstage and everything is sometimes too in your face. With no soundstage.. everything sounds a bit too cramped together and I sometimes find it hard to focus on the music. The sound's slightly fatiguing. The pace might also be a tad fast for slower tracks though. But it works quite well for all the genres you listed. I use it quite often for rap and hard rock. But once I get into reggae I start prefering something with better soundstage and with slightly less attack or a tad slower pace. But this is just my opinion. HD25's a really nice headphone for "on ears". You might also want to check out the Phiaton MS400. It's another "on ear" headphone that I like quite a bit. It's a very different sound signature, more mellow, warm, and mid-focussed. But the hd25's work quite well for your genres though.  =D
 
Both the m50 and 750DJ's are full sized cans. So theyre not quite as portable as the hd25, but it's still possible. I've walked around wearing all 3 before. But then I'm sound first and looks second. Ofcourse it's also easier to keep the hd25 on your head while walking. But the sound coming out from a full sized can like the 750DJ is much more preferable to my ears. And ofcourse ultimately I'd prefer full sized, open backs, but that's just for home. haha And yup, both the m50 and 750dj's are foldable so that helps with the portability department.

 

[Music fan 8888]

Quote:

Hi. No problem. Glad I can help. Do remember that these are just my own personal opinions. The 750dj and the m50 weighs about the same and are about the same size as they're both full sized headphones. If anything, the m50 might even be a "bit" heavier because of the type of plastic it uses. Contrary to what the pics look like, the 750dj's are made from plastic as well and it's a lighter, maybe even flimsier plastic compared with the m50 and hd25. When holding all 3, it feels like the plastic used for the m50 and hd25 are of higher quality. both of these headphones feels like they're constructed very well. The 750dj just feels like it's a tad flimsier in both construction and material. However, I have never had any build issues with the 750dj or with any of the other 2 headphones. I do take good care of my gear though. So overall if you take good care of your stuff it should be fine.
 
I can't really comment on durability because all my headphones are still working just fine. The 750dj though comes with more accessories than the m50. 750dj's have an extra pair of ear pads and it's cable is detachable, which is something I like since if the cable ever breaks all you have to do is replace it instead of buying a new pair of cans. The cable on the m50 is attached to it. 
 
As for fit and comfort. The m50's are the most comfortable out of the 3. The hd25 is light and fits well, but it clamps pretty hard, which is a good and bad thing. It's clamping force might irritate a bit with extended use, but it also isolates outside noise very well as a result. The 750dj ear cups are round, which makes them an odd fit for an over the ear phone. Because of this, parts of the ear cup will actually be "on" your ear instead of over the whole thing. I don't find this uncomfortable at all and it still stays on my head fine; just it won't fit quite as snug as the other two. The m50's ear cup is oval so it completely goes over the ear, which makes them more comfortable and gives them a more steady fit and as a result of it being completely over the ear it isolates outside noise a bit better than the 750dj. 
 
I've only demo'd a couple of grado's before for 15 minutes so I don't think I'm qualified to compare the grado's to these headphones. However, the 750dj's have good detail. The m50 on the other hand when first listening, you might feel like it's extremely detailed because of it's bass and treble boost. Coupled with it's recessed mids, you often notice more details in the treble for certain tracks. But a large part of this is due to the recessed mids, which takes you out of the music. The 750dj's on the other hand, once you match the volume, has just as much detail as the m50 if not more because of it's better mids. The sound of the 750dj's are more musical and it's a more immersive experience compared to the m50. The hd25's are "loud and clear" as I think that was the intention when they designed it since it's used for a lot of interviews and broadcasts, but I think perhaps it's drivers aren't as resolving as the other two headphones with their newer drivers. But after 25 odd years for the hd25 to still be one of the top "on ear" cans is a testament in itself.
 
Both the 750dj and m50 has a bigger soundstage than the hd25 to my ears, but this isn't saying much since the hd25 doesn't have much soundstage to begin with. haha.
 
So overall i'd say 750dj's sound the best hands down for me. They have a tighter bass, better mids and are overall more musical and immersive than the m50. And it's sound is less fatiguing and has a bigger sound stage than the hd25. I personally don't even have a problems with part of it's cup being on my ears instead of over it. My only complaint is how the corners of the headband kind of sticks out when you wear them. This makes it look like you've got some antenna's on your head. But if you don't mind that, they definately sound great. 
 
The m50's on the other hand, with their boomy bass and recessed mids can be an issue for certain songs. For example when listening to certain Hendrix live tracks like say Little Wing live at Royal Albert Hall, Noel Redding's bass often overtakes Jimi's voice and guitars a bit. Or on certain Beatles tracks like "Something"; a track that already has recessed mids, Paul's bass would overtake George's singing even more. But on the 750dj's they sound much more balanced.
 
The HD25's since they are smaller 'on ear' cans are better for portability. the 750dj and m50's are both about the same size since they're both full sized cans.
 
The m50's i'd say are the most comfortable in terms of it's fit. And compared to the 750dj's, the m50 fits a bit better, which might be a consideration if you want to walk around while wearing them. But I've walked around with the 750dj's on my head just fine too.
 
I guess it just depends whether you want sound vs fit/comfort vs size/portability.
 
Good luck with the choice man. Interested to see what you choose and how you like them. 
 
Cheers!
 
 

thanks a lot for your comparisons there, it looks like the 750dj and m50 both sound like very good headphones compared to the Sennheisers HD25.  I find music with the sennhesiers sounds so boxed in with virtually no soundstage and a boomy bass which takes away details in the music.  I have also looked online and found the beyerdynamic dt100, do you know if these are good too?
 
Thanks!

 

[Eric23]

Hi Music Fan, No problem.
 
Hmm.. I wouldn't say the m50's sound better than the hd25's. Imo, they on about the same level, but they just sound completely different from eachother. Both headphones have their own pro's and con's when it comes to sound. The m50's are less fatiguing and has better sound stage than the hd25's. And the m50's are a bit more of a reference, neutral sound. However, the hd25's have a more fun sound signature with attack. HD25's mids are also less recessed than the m50's, which make them a bit more musical than the m50's. Also the hd25's bass is tighter and punchier than the m50's. M50's bass although not super bloated, is more on the boomy and less controlled side, which is sometimes an issue for me when matched with it's recessed mids. HD25's bass is much more controlled although punchy. So yeah.. both i find have their good points and bad.
 
Whereas this is where the 750DJ's come in. It's sound is almost like the best of both of them. It's got the fun attack of the HD25's, but with better sound stage so everything is less cramped so you can hear all the details better. It's also got a much more tighter, well-controlled bass than the m50's and it has much better mids than the m50's. Although it has attack and energy, it's less fatiguing than the hd25's to listen to cause it's not as cramped or as in your face. The bass for the 750dj's is a bit similar to the hd25's in that they're both tight and punchy and controlled. But because the 750dj's have better sound stage and things are less cramped, the bass never gets in the way of the mids or highs from my experience so it works very well. Whereas the hd25's cramped sound makes it hard to pick out the details sometimes. The details are all there for the hd25's, but they're just all clumped together. haha. So sound wise in my humble opinion, the 750dj's are better than both of the other headphones. I'd put the other two on par with eachother, but just with different signatures.
 
But as I mentioned, the hd25's though were made to be portable, so it's better for walking around with. The m50's and 750dj's are full sized cans so they're not quite as portable as the hd25's. But it's still very feasible to walk around with them; I do all the time. haha. m50's fit on the head better than the 750dj's. But both are possible to walk around with on your head, just they're bigger. haha.
 
I've never tried the beyer dt100 before so can't really say for those. From what you mentioned though, it sounds like you should give the dt1350, v-moda m80 and the Phiaton MS400 a try. All three of these are smaller, "on ears" like the hd25's. The Phiaton MS400 I've heard before and they're pretty nice. Warm, lush mids. A very different signature from the hd25's. The MS400 imo doesn't have a reference audiophile type sound, but a more mainstream sound that makes them pretty musical and pleasant. I haven't tried the vmoda m80 nor the dt1350 yet. But just heard some pretty good things about both of them. The dt1350's though I find are too expensive for on-ears for me. I'm guessing both might have better sound stage than the hd25. I'll be testing out the M80 next week. Hoping it's good. =D

 

[Pianist]

If you don't mind IEMs, a Hifiman RE0, Ultimate Ears 600 or Phonak Audeo PFE will easily outperform HD25, M50 or SRH750 DJ in sound quality IMO. I like DT1350, but again, I would take UE600 or PFE over them for sound quality. DT1350 has its strengths like clarity and detail, but I found it lacking soundstage, the low end was too weak for me and the treble sounded a bit thin and metallic. I think a PFE can offer everything a DT1350 can and more for a much lower price and UE600 has a warmer and fuller sound than DT1350 with a more natural tonality overall.