HD 25-SP II - crazy difference with burn in

[Covenant]

Okay, while i've always been a believer of burn in of headphones, i've always considered the differences fairly subtle.

Not so with the 25-SP. Out of the box they were boomy, bass was exaggerated and clouded up the midrange, treble was recessed, and while the bass slam gave them an enjoyable factor, any vocal tracks would end up sounding like i had cotton wool stuffed into my ears.

I've been listening to them while they burn in, and during the course of a 1hr train trip home I can literally hear them change on me. Its been about 10hrs worth of use now and the bass has come under control, and is now in proportion to the rest of the spectrum. Mids and highs remain slightly recessed, but are increasing in clarity in increments.

I'd now put them in the same league as my PMX200's, but while the PMX have the edge on clarity and seperation, the HD 25-SP have the edge in heft, weight and impact. My PMX is also very thoroughly broken in, I expect the HD-25 to further improve with time.

I've never noticed a pair of headphones change so much so quickly with use. I keep reading about how the 25-SP is supposed to be an inferior version of the HD 25-I, but on a quick comparison of two un-burned-in pairs in the store I could detect no immediate difference, which now makes me wonder how much the 25-I improves with burn in as well.

 

[majkel]

The HD25-1's sound better than the HD600 IMHO, and pair greatly with the E10. I guess you were on the budget choosing the SP version.

 

[Oya?]

The untidy (I felt it a bit overpowering, having just come from Alessies) bass you've described was also present on my HD25-1s when I first plugged them in. They went away after a short listening session, maybe between a half hour to an hour. I assumed it was just me getting used to them.

 

[latershow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif I keep reading about how the 25-SP is supposed to be an inferior version of the HD 25-I, but on a quick comparison of two un-burned-in pairs in the store I could detect no immediate difference, which now makes me wonder how much the 25-I improves with burn in as well.

Really, no difference? I sold my SP's after a couple of months as I never really liked their dark muddy sound. After I sold them, I listened to a HD-25 and within 15 mins I could tell they were a huge step up from the 25sp's. The SP's sounded dark and unrefined compared to the clarity and detail I was hearing from the HD25.