willyvlyminck
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2012
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They are classics, just as the HD600-650 and the IE80, not easy for Sennheiser to beat themselves
hd25-1 impressions thread
- Thread starter Graz
- Start date
Koolpep
Headphoneus Supremus
Indeed.
Want to repeat the story of my HD25-1, I bought it cheap in this state from a headphone abusing DJ, as you can see they were literally falling apart:
Since everything is modular, I cleaned it, got new pads and headband padding, and a new Oyaide cable...
with a friendly DT770 Pro LE
Here with original cable and Amperior pads.
with an Amperior
And they are good for another 10 years.
and still sound as good as they used to. This is real before and after, I kid you not Cheers,
K
Wow 27 years old... I won't say they are the best sounding cans but Ive heard legends about their tuff ness. I just got a LG v10 today, an I have a nice dainty pair of Modded Allessandro MS1is that sound REALLY good with the phone... but I still I think I want something... tougher to lug around with me <.< just to give me some peace of mind... an I really need a new Gym Headphone!
But gent's after like 2 years of all Wood modded cans, these will be my first stock Plastics
[till I buy a new cable for them MUHAHAHAHA xD]
I'm actually going to make an attempt at reLaunching my Blog with These Headphones, might make a new blog all together. Just to keep my crazy modded collection an my tried an tru stock collection seperate equals
point is though, back when I owned my first headphone an started here, back in like 2012. I heard these while in possesion of my sony XB 700, an I still remember how they sounded! What's cool to [an I'm still not sure if I'ma use my iPod or my phone [Phones got a bangin EQ with the Onkyo HF Player app (no adds either <3)] either way I'm excited to hear these again soon
But gent's after like 2 years of all Wood modded cans, these will be my first stock Plastics
[till I buy a new cable for them MUHAHAHAHA xD] I'm actually going to make an attempt at reLaunching my Blog with These Headphones, might make a new blog all together. Just to keep my crazy modded collection an my tried an tru stock collection seperate equals
point is though, back when I owned my first headphone an started here, back in like 2012. I heard these while in possesion of my sony XB 700, an I still remember how they sounded! What's cool to [an I'm still not sure if I'ma use my iPod or my phone [Phones got a bangin EQ with the Onkyo HF Player app (no adds either <3)] either way I'm excited to hear these again soon
moriez
Headphoneus Supremus
If I could only own one headphone I've already decided to happily go for the HD25. Portability and sounding good (enough) directly from something like a Sansa Clip+ is the decisive factor. Winner!
Came across this beauty over at Custom Cans. Nice job!
Came across this beauty over at Custom Cans. Nice job!
ButtUglyJeff
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Posts
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^^^ I always like the artwork at Custom Cans. If my HD25s ever die, I think I might get a fancy pair from him. The problem is my HD25s will most likely never quit....lol
maaaaaan these sound brutal with some eq
also... ny one else hear a nasty peak around 8.4k hrz
also... ny one else hear a nasty peak around 8.4k hrz
The peaks mine had went away with the Akasa Paxmate Plus foam I stuck in the cups to imitate Amperior.
Mine had peaks around 7kHz and 10kHz.
There are a few complaints throughout the thread of people not liking the lower treble or mid treble peak.
Mine had peaks around 7kHz and 10kHz.
There are a few complaints throughout the thread of people not liking the lower treble or mid treble peak.
myemaildw
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2014
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thats exactly what i thought when i heard them, but decided to ignore it cause of nice reviews haha. if you dont like peaks you should not buy amperiors for its 'crisper sound'
yasminsdad
New Head-Fier
HD25 2s vs Aluminiums + Yaxi type B pads
Durability and value for money:
Have had a pair of HD25 2s for over three years, daily listening, work, gym, all good, just now replaced cable, most durable phones ever.
Insane price for aluminiums:
Just bought a pair of HD25 Aluminiums as Thomann and wood brass currently have them for around £123 inc delivery if you are in the UK. Jason from custom cans says they are being discontinued so get them whilst you can, at this price the deal is a no brainer, even for current HD25 2 owners. You get angled cable, real leather pads with thicker memory (tempur like) foam both for the ears and head and a decent case both of which quality upgrades would probably cost you at least £50 on their own (the pads are £35 and the case, if available would likely be around £15 to £20)
Effectively you are paying £68 for a pair of (much improved, better sounding) HD25s, or if you already own a pair of HD25s, headband, cable and two drivers which are worth £185 in spares, not that when you hear them you will save them for that.
Bass and comfort improvement:
Jason from custom cans says his uber damping and mass loading kit (which I have but yet to fit) apparently improves the bass response inducing only a slight dip at at one point in the curve, well, I can't imagine what extra improvement that would bring to the aluminiums but in one of his youtube videos he equates the (then) new aluminiums very closely to his original HD25s with the damping/mass upgrade, all I can say, is if it makes the HD25s sound like this then that's amazing. There can always be slight differences between batches of the same electrical product over the years as suppliers can change, sometimes materials or manufacturing processes change slightly, also it is theoretically possible drivers on old headphones can degrade slightly over time (especially if used in challenging environments) but again I would of thought only very slightly. Seeing as my original HD25s appear to have no damage and have new cables with good connections (adjust the connector springs in the driver with a pin, keep contacts clean) I can only conclude that the (significant) sound improvement was due to the aluminiums' metal driver enclosure construction and the memory foam leather pads.
If damping kit turns plastic 25s into the aluminium sound then go for it:
If you love your 25s but want a little more then if Jason's uber damping kit, which costs less than £10 quid makes them sound like the aluminium's as he says it does I say get it without hesitation as the aluminium's sound much better than the plastic originals. Can't wait to fit the uber kit to the aluminium's , I can't almost imagine any more punch and warmth in the bass without colouring the sound too much but am willing to give it a go.
Yaxi type B's:
I should point out at this time that I am using the excellent yaxi type B pads on the aluminiums again from custom cans which are supremely comfortable and offer a very slight increase in bass response over the already upgraded aluminium memory foam leather pads. The type B's look quite a bit thicker, by around 50% (at least) than the aluminium's and double the original 25's pleatherette and velour pads, they are also quite a bit larger in diameter so sit more over your ears and squish to form a better isolating and (most) comfortable fit moulding partially into your ear shape, the extent of which will depend on the clamping force of your headband (my old 25s' has lost a lot of it's tension over the years) The type Bs only increase the bass warmth, attack and amplitude by a very small amount compared to the aluminium's smaller memory pads, after all they are made from almost identical materials whilst noting that the smaller memory pads already offer a noticeable improvement over the old leatherette or velours. So, yaxi type Bs for £30 or Senn aluminium pads £24 up to you, both a real improvement in comfort and sound. It should be noted Custom Cans only have the black and red ones in stock, which I don't like the look of but then I couldn't wait to order a pair of all black ones direct from Japan, although they do stand out.
Sound improvement:
I am a massive skeptic and critic, I studied metallurgy and materials engineering for four years so I know how much voodoo BS is out there in audiophile land but in the case of the aluminiums and the yaxi type B pads pretty much all the claims made are true. I would even say most reviews I have read have actually underestimated the sound improvement from the plastic HD25s to the aluminiums, for my ears it's not a slight improvement in bass but a considerable boost in amplitude of low/mid bass, better definition (attack) and slight extension of the mid bass (extends higher into the frequency range) and a slight opening of the sound stage in the (I guess) high mids which I think people call 'presence'. Seeing as the drivers are the same and the enclose is the same the only difference can be attributable to the improved memory foam ear pads and the stiffer ear cup (basically an enclosure in speaker terms) material. Whatever it is the just sound, very similar, but noticeably better whilst still being fairly neutral.
The yaxi type Bs aren't a big step up from the smaller foam pads in terms of bass (although a bigger step up from the thinner pleatherette and velours) but surprisingly enough I had to agree that the soundstage in the mids and upper mids seemed to be improved, maybe this was due to the larger effective free space volume from the driver to my eardrum or the effective volume of the whole enclosure. Who knows, both are worth upgrades and much more comfortable for my ears with better isolation, they appear to be made very well, time will tell how long they last but their quality inspires confidence.
Conclusion:
Although the HD25s and aluminiums sound very similar, basically they are identical engineering wise apart from metal ear cups and memory foam ear pads, the aluminiums improve the tightness and amplitude of the bass whilst remaining relatively flat and uncoloured, mids are improved too with slightly greater presence and a slightly more open sound stage. I have AB'd these with my plastic HD25s and whilst the improvement in the LF range is noticeable straight away and the mids with intensive AB testing any difference in the HF range is very hard to tell. It may be that the HF range is a little harsher, maybe simply because as the drivers appear to be working more efficiently there is more air being moved around, whatever the case the difference is tiny. There does appear to be an overall increase in volume across the entire range, the aluminiums are noticeably louder. I haven't touched on form, yes they feel better and the hinges and cups look more expensive, if thats important to you, but basically they are just a slightly, if significantly, improved version of the plastic HD25 2s both in sound and comfort.
Can things get better?
I am skeptical, but eager to find out. Seeing as the aluminiums already improve bass response in both amplitude, depth and attack (more oomph, more punch and extends higher in a non muddy, clean way) with the Yaxi type Bs taking this very slightly further I am not sure if the Custom Cans upgrade will improve things further or even just be too much. I am hoping not. I am hoping that the damping will still have an effect as aluminium still vibrates and that even the mass loading will have some small effect as whilst aluminium is stiffer than plastic it still flexes.
I might even try a copper cable, even though there is no scientific reason why that should make any difference (after four years studying metallurgy including 6 months in the plating lab of an International Research Institute flame away) just because the resistance of the steel cable is 7% of the static driver impedance within the 10% window and the copper cable is effectively zero, this should not make any discernible difference unless the steel cable was 30 metres long. Whilst I know that the impedance of a silver cable, copper cable and silver coated copper cable are all effectively zero and that apart from correct termination, twisting to avoid crosstalk and correct sheathing there is absolutely no electromechanical, physical scientific difference in them with regard to moving a few electrons I am however open to the (scientifically unlikely) idea there just MAY be a difference between steel and copper, as steel is only around 15 to 20% as conductive as copper. Being scientifically minded I would kind of be a hypocrite if I didn't evaluate things myself. I am really hoping one of the Custom Cans' uber cables does the trick, I shall report back positive, negative or neutral. I am looking forward to being proved wrong.
Durability and value for money:
Have had a pair of HD25 2s for over three years, daily listening, work, gym, all good, just now replaced cable, most durable phones ever.
Insane price for aluminiums:
Just bought a pair of HD25 Aluminiums as Thomann and wood brass currently have them for around £123 inc delivery if you are in the UK. Jason from custom cans says they are being discontinued so get them whilst you can, at this price the deal is a no brainer, even for current HD25 2 owners. You get angled cable, real leather pads with thicker memory (tempur like) foam both for the ears and head and a decent case both of which quality upgrades would probably cost you at least £50 on their own (the pads are £35 and the case, if available would likely be around £15 to £20)
Effectively you are paying £68 for a pair of (much improved, better sounding) HD25s, or if you already own a pair of HD25s, headband, cable and two drivers which are worth £185 in spares, not that when you hear them you will save them for that.
Bass and comfort improvement:
Jason from custom cans says his uber damping and mass loading kit (which I have but yet to fit) apparently improves the bass response inducing only a slight dip at at one point in the curve, well, I can't imagine what extra improvement that would bring to the aluminiums but in one of his youtube videos he equates the (then) new aluminiums very closely to his original HD25s with the damping/mass upgrade, all I can say, is if it makes the HD25s sound like this then that's amazing. There can always be slight differences between batches of the same electrical product over the years as suppliers can change, sometimes materials or manufacturing processes change slightly, also it is theoretically possible drivers on old headphones can degrade slightly over time (especially if used in challenging environments) but again I would of thought only very slightly. Seeing as my original HD25s appear to have no damage and have new cables with good connections (adjust the connector springs in the driver with a pin, keep contacts clean) I can only conclude that the (significant) sound improvement was due to the aluminiums' metal driver enclosure construction and the memory foam leather pads.
If damping kit turns plastic 25s into the aluminium sound then go for it:
If you love your 25s but want a little more then if Jason's uber damping kit, which costs less than £10 quid makes them sound like the aluminium's as he says it does I say get it without hesitation as the aluminium's sound much better than the plastic originals. Can't wait to fit the uber kit to the aluminium's , I can't almost imagine any more punch and warmth in the bass without colouring the sound too much but am willing to give it a go.
Yaxi type B's:
I should point out at this time that I am using the excellent yaxi type B pads on the aluminiums again from custom cans which are supremely comfortable and offer a very slight increase in bass response over the already upgraded aluminium memory foam leather pads. The type B's look quite a bit thicker, by around 50% (at least) than the aluminium's and double the original 25's pleatherette and velour pads, they are also quite a bit larger in diameter so sit more over your ears and squish to form a better isolating and (most) comfortable fit moulding partially into your ear shape, the extent of which will depend on the clamping force of your headband (my old 25s' has lost a lot of it's tension over the years) The type Bs only increase the bass warmth, attack and amplitude by a very small amount compared to the aluminium's smaller memory pads, after all they are made from almost identical materials whilst noting that the smaller memory pads already offer a noticeable improvement over the old leatherette or velours. So, yaxi type Bs for £30 or Senn aluminium pads £24 up to you, both a real improvement in comfort and sound. It should be noted Custom Cans only have the black and red ones in stock, which I don't like the look of but then I couldn't wait to order a pair of all black ones direct from Japan, although they do stand out.
Sound improvement:
I am a massive skeptic and critic, I studied metallurgy and materials engineering for four years so I know how much voodoo BS is out there in audiophile land but in the case of the aluminiums and the yaxi type B pads pretty much all the claims made are true. I would even say most reviews I have read have actually underestimated the sound improvement from the plastic HD25s to the aluminiums, for my ears it's not a slight improvement in bass but a considerable boost in amplitude of low/mid bass, better definition (attack) and slight extension of the mid bass (extends higher into the frequency range) and a slight opening of the sound stage in the (I guess) high mids which I think people call 'presence'. Seeing as the drivers are the same and the enclose is the same the only difference can be attributable to the improved memory foam ear pads and the stiffer ear cup (basically an enclosure in speaker terms) material. Whatever it is the just sound, very similar, but noticeably better whilst still being fairly neutral.
The yaxi type Bs aren't a big step up from the smaller foam pads in terms of bass (although a bigger step up from the thinner pleatherette and velours) but surprisingly enough I had to agree that the soundstage in the mids and upper mids seemed to be improved, maybe this was due to the larger effective free space volume from the driver to my eardrum or the effective volume of the whole enclosure. Who knows, both are worth upgrades and much more comfortable for my ears with better isolation, they appear to be made very well, time will tell how long they last but their quality inspires confidence.
Conclusion:
Although the HD25s and aluminiums sound very similar, basically they are identical engineering wise apart from metal ear cups and memory foam ear pads, the aluminiums improve the tightness and amplitude of the bass whilst remaining relatively flat and uncoloured, mids are improved too with slightly greater presence and a slightly more open sound stage. I have AB'd these with my plastic HD25s and whilst the improvement in the LF range is noticeable straight away and the mids with intensive AB testing any difference in the HF range is very hard to tell. It may be that the HF range is a little harsher, maybe simply because as the drivers appear to be working more efficiently there is more air being moved around, whatever the case the difference is tiny. There does appear to be an overall increase in volume across the entire range, the aluminiums are noticeably louder. I haven't touched on form, yes they feel better and the hinges and cups look more expensive, if thats important to you, but basically they are just a slightly, if significantly, improved version of the plastic HD25 2s both in sound and comfort.
Can things get better?
I am skeptical, but eager to find out. Seeing as the aluminiums already improve bass response in both amplitude, depth and attack (more oomph, more punch and extends higher in a non muddy, clean way) with the Yaxi type Bs taking this very slightly further I am not sure if the Custom Cans upgrade will improve things further or even just be too much. I am hoping not. I am hoping that the damping will still have an effect as aluminium still vibrates and that even the mass loading will have some small effect as whilst aluminium is stiffer than plastic it still flexes.
I might even try a copper cable, even though there is no scientific reason why that should make any difference (after four years studying metallurgy including 6 months in the plating lab of an International Research Institute flame away) just because the resistance of the steel cable is 7% of the static driver impedance within the 10% window and the copper cable is effectively zero, this should not make any discernible difference unless the steel cable was 30 metres long. Whilst I know that the impedance of a silver cable, copper cable and silver coated copper cable are all effectively zero and that apart from correct termination, twisting to avoid crosstalk and correct sheathing there is absolutely no electromechanical, physical scientific difference in them with regard to moving a few electrons I am however open to the (scientifically unlikely) idea there just MAY be a difference between steel and copper, as steel is only around 15 to 20% as conductive as copper. Being scientifically minded I would kind of be a hypocrite if I didn't evaluate things myself. I am really hoping one of the Custom Cans' uber cables does the trick, I shall report back positive, negative or neutral. I am looking forward to being proved wrong.
jfunk
Member of the Trade: customcans UK
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2009
- Posts
- 189
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- 99
I totally agree - I was super sceptical and am fully aware of the placebo effect that a nice looking cable can have but we did a few blind tests with the steel cable, copper and SPC and there did seem to be a discernible difference going from steel to copper - it may have been the 4ohm less resistance made them slightly easier to drive. There was not really any noticeable difference between a decent copper cable and the SPC but we went with that as it clipped into the groove in the headband nicely.
If you fancy a bit of an experiment we can lend you a cable if you promise to send it back when you are done
yasminsdad
New Head-Fier
I totally agree - I was super sceptical and am fully aware of the placebo effect that a nice looking cable can have but we did a few blind tests with the steel cable, copper and SPC and there did seem to be a discernible difference going from steel to copper - it may have been the 4ohm less resistance made them slightly easier to drive. There was not really any noticeable difference between a decent copper cable and the SPC but we went with that as it clipped into the groove in the headband nicely.
If you fancy a bit of an experiment we can lend you a cable if you promise to send it back when you are done
Jason that is very kind of you but won't be necessary.
If I can prize my aluminiums off for long enough I shall send them to you for paint and damping kit, as I said, I think I will take the chance on the cable as although I know enough to know there is likely to be little or no difference between appropriately thick copper or silver conductors of this length I don't know enough to tell if there would be a difference between copper and steel.
The relative Fe - Cu difference is several orders of magnitude greater than that of (cheap) Cu - Ag, the risk reward ratio is heavily biased towards reward! 7% is less than 10% but ideally I think you would want cables to be less than 5% of driver impedance and I don't know how the driven impedance varies with amplitude/frequency the HD25 steel cable upgrade could possibly provide the most significant improvement of any cable swap due to the large resistance difference.
I find the aluminiums provide a considerable (clean) push in the bass/mid bass along with the type Bs, which really are excellent by the way, I cannot really imagine the further SQ and amplitude increase from copper cable and damping kit but am very interested to find out.
Whilst you are here can I pick your brain quickly? portable headphone DACs, I thought a lot of that was just subjective mumbo jumbo but ABing the HDs and aluminiums at high volume on both the mac pro workstation and iPod nano 7th gen I noticed there is a massive difference not just in overall volume but of the amplitude of the LF at high volumes. The bass on the iPod is miles lower and this changes the sound, a lot. I am presuming there may possibly be algorithms on the nano that automatically dynamically reduce the larger amplitude LF signals at higher volumes to save power as to drive the larger amplitude movements of the diaphragm at lower frequencies, where it has more effective inertia, takes more energy than smaller amplitude high frequency movements. I am now thinking if a portable DAC can make my nano sound like my mac pro workstation (2010) that would be great, I am happy with the workstation sound and doubt that could be improved, but I am prepared to be open minded!
jfunk
Member of the Trade: customcans UK
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2009
- Posts
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I am not really an expert on portable DACs having never tried one but we have a few desktop DACs and headphone amps we use in the office for testing and there is definitely differences in the sound. Some sound brighter and more detailed some have a warmer sound - to serve different peoples tastes.
It may be that just a cheap portable headphone amp might sort you out - if you are into DIY there are some super cheap CMOY kits that will drive the HD25s nicely. I'm sure someone else will be able to chime in with a bit more experience of portable DACs though.
If you do fancy trying something on your desktop on the cheap side... I picked up one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YJ-XMOS-U8-PCM5102-TDA1308-USB-DAC-XMOS-U8-sound-board-/161645189119?hash=item25a2cdd7ff:g:cCoAAOSwNSxVDNxq
and made my own case for it - It sounds amazeballz for the money.
It has been a long time since I had a Mac and I know they do build things well but it may be worth trying to listen to a silent track - if you can hear faint hisses and squeaks through the headphones then you know the inboard soundcard is picking up interference from HDDs and other electronics in the computer and you should get better results with something external as well as the external one having a more advanced DAC and amp in. I know on the dell workstations we use, the internal sound cards pick up all kinds of things and sound terrible
It may be that just a cheap portable headphone amp might sort you out - if you are into DIY there are some super cheap CMOY kits that will drive the HD25s nicely. I'm sure someone else will be able to chime in with a bit more experience of portable DACs though.
If you do fancy trying something on your desktop on the cheap side... I picked up one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YJ-XMOS-U8-PCM5102-TDA1308-USB-DAC-XMOS-U8-sound-board-/161645189119?hash=item25a2cdd7ff:g:cCoAAOSwNSxVDNxq
and made my own case for it - It sounds amazeballz for the money.
It has been a long time since I had a Mac and I know they do build things well but it may be worth trying to listen to a silent track - if you can hear faint hisses and squeaks through the headphones then you know the inboard soundcard is picking up interference from HDDs and other electronics in the computer and you should get better results with something external as well as the external one having a more advanced DAC and amp in. I know on the dell workstations we use, the internal sound cards pick up all kinds of things and sound terrible
yasminsdad
New Head-Fier
I am not really an expert on portable DACs having never tried one but we have a few desktop DACs and headphone amps we use in the office for testing and there is definitely differences in the sound. Some sound brighter and more detailed some have a warmer sound - to serve different peoples tastes.
It may be that just a cheap portable headphone amp might sort you out - if you are into DIY there are some super cheap CMOY kits that will drive the HD25s nicely. I'm sure someone else will be able to chime in with a bit more experience of portable DACs though.
If you do fancy trying something on your desktop on the cheap side... I picked up one of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YJ-XMOS-U8-PCM5102-TDA1308-USB-DAC-XMOS-U8-sound-board-/161645189119?hash=item25a2cdd7ff:g:cCoAAOSwNSxVDNxq
and made my own case for it - It sounds amazeballz for the money.
It has been a long time since I had a Mac and I know they do build things well but it may be worth trying to listen to a silent track - if you can hear faint hisses and squeaks through the headphones then you know the inboard soundcard is picking up interference from HDDs and other electronics in the computer and you should get better results with something external as well as the external one having a more advanced DAC and amp in. I know on the dell workstations we use, the internal sound cards pick up all kinds of things and sound terrible
Thanks for that, unfortunately I'm not that proficient in the requisite skills to make a box like that but certainly believe they could make a difference, even as you say moving the conversion process further away from the high speed spinny magnet things etc can only help. Interesting to note there are rumours that apple are considering fitting the next mac pro with a lightning port headphone out, along with their MFi authorisation for lightning port headphones of which there are a few. I suppose it's only a matter of time before the humble headphone jack is consigned to the technological dustbin as a mass means to connect headphones, in an iPod or mobile phone the jack is probably the oldest technology by several decades. Thing is, where will headphone makers put the DAC?
And, btw, if anyone scientific or otherwise finds it hard to picture the effect of interference (inductance) between two conductors and the magnetic field created by a moving current then I can tell you, it is actually a thing.
At the research institute we had a metal plating reflowing rig which basically comprised of cucumber sized cables, several tens of thousands of volts of step up transformer and a large Frankenstein style knife switch (really) At the top of a guillotine a large current was passed through the thin plated sample at the same time as it was released, the current had to be powerful enough to completely melt the plated surface (white hot) in a fraction of a second before it reached the quench bath below where it would 'freeze' perfectly shiny.
I am not entirely sure of the actual amount of power going through the rig, albeit for a fraction of a second but it was reasonably major. So major in fact that the induced magnetic field between the two conductors (the wires were a couple of inches thick in diameter from the transformer) forced the two wires to violently smack against each other. They moved several inches and they must of weighed several kilos each. Don't ask me why they weren't fixed down, maybe they tried that and they broke the fixings. I wan't entirely sure that white hot molten metal, ridiculous amounts of electrons, water and a Frankenstein switch were entirely safe and after the snick-bzzzz-(bang-clatter)-pffft-shhhh was finished I was always slightly surprised to still be alive. Mind you, 25 years ago health and safety was a slightly simpler concept.
yasminsdad
New Head-Fier
Just fitted the damping kit (inc the slightly scary part) to my old plastic HD25s and put the aluminium memory foam pads on them and ABd them with the stock aluminiums with yaxi type B memory foam pads.
The old plastic 25s sound very similar now to the aluminiums, it's so hard to tell, even ABing with phrases on a loop (I have NO idea how people compare before and after sounds without ABing a control...) I would say the damping kit adds a little more in the lower bass although the sound is still very natural and flat everywhere else, seeing as the aluminiums sound so great then this really is a great upgrade IMO. Both types of the memory pads make a small difference to the bass too.
I think the damped cans sounded a little less harsh in the HF range, I don't have a third pair of stock HD25s to compare so it may be subjective, perhaps this is what others describe as being more open, with slightly cleaner highs you can hear more of whats there. The damping does help, makes you wonder why mainstream manufacturers don't try this.
The old plastic 25s sound very similar now to the aluminiums, it's so hard to tell, even ABing with phrases on a loop (I have NO idea how people compare before and after sounds without ABing a control...) I would say the damping kit adds a little more in the lower bass although the sound is still very natural and flat everywhere else, seeing as the aluminiums sound so great then this really is a great upgrade IMO. Both types of the memory pads make a small difference to the bass too.
I think the damped cans sounded a little less harsh in the HF range, I don't have a third pair of stock HD25s to compare so it may be subjective, perhaps this is what others describe as being more open, with slightly cleaner highs you can hear more of whats there. The damping does help, makes you wonder why mainstream manufacturers don't try this.
It is done in some headphones and not in others.
I'm getting the same results with my own HD25 and Akasa Paxmate Plus foam + Dynamat Xtreme. Mostly flat response throughout the midrange and treble, no more 7k/10kHz peaks, cleaner sound, overall a bit more revealing. I'm still using the regular pleather pads, I haven't gotten around to trying the aluminium pads.
I'm getting the same results with my own HD25 and Akasa Paxmate Plus foam + Dynamat Xtreme. Mostly flat response throughout the midrange and treble, no more 7k/10kHz peaks, cleaner sound, overall a bit more revealing. I'm still using the regular pleather pads, I haven't gotten around to trying the aluminium pads.
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