[barton_stacey]

If this should be in the cables forum, please forgive me! There are so many threads around on this or similar topics that this seemed to be the most obvious place.

Bought my HD-25-1 II yesterday and have been testing them out or giving them a gentle burn-in with pink noise over the last 24 hours. Definitely a step up from my ES7s, which I've only owned for a few months. Gave up on them because of the lack of isolation, but feel the Senns are superior in every aspect so far.

Found an old pair of Senn HD480-II lying around and realised that the cable would work with the 25s, so gave them a go. Absolutely opened up the soundstage and gave the sound more warmth and bass. Someone said somewhere that the stock steel cable sounds like the sound struggles to get through compared to a copper cable, which made me laugh at the time. Now I completely understand what they mean.

As a believer in burn-in, I am not going to make a final judgement on the sound yet as I feel the bass has some way to go before getting the impact I would hope for, but I am very impressed with these, even more so with the change in cable.

So I was wondering, given that what I assume to be a fairly basic cable from the HD480 can improve / change the sound noticeably in my ears, is it worth paying that bit more for something from headphile? If so, do I go for silver or copper? I like my bass and my vocals, listen to practically every genre of modern music and run from an ipod classic > ALO Cryo-LOD > RSA Hornet-M.

Head-fi is killing me and my bank balance!!!!!!!!

 

[shellylh]

For me, the HD 25-1s block out a lot more noise than my Ultrasone HFI-780s do. It is probably because I have a small head and the Ultrasone HFI-780s don't clamp as much as the HD 25-1s. It could also be that the Ultrasone earpads are rather new and stiff (maybe they will conform to my head better and block out noise as they are used more).

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict /img/forum/go_quote.gif My Ultrasone HFI-780 block sound just as well as my previous HD25-1 did. The isolation is impressive with both.

 

[MoNelly]

Do the HD-25-1s offer dramatically better SQ than 280 Pros? The Pros were my first "serious" headphones, but as I get deeper into this hobby and listen to more cans I find myself outgrowing their sound (or maybe I can't help but compare them to my recently acquired AKG K701s--an unfair comparison to say the least).

Anyway, there are times when I need a good closed can (try as I might, I can't get comfortable with IEMs). So how much better are these than the 280 Pros? Is new cabling a must? How about an amp?

 

[Caution]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoNelly /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do the HD-25-1s offer dramatically better SQ than 280 Pros? The Pros were my first "serious" headphones, but as I get deeper into this hobby and listen to more cans I find myself outgrowing their sound (or maybe I can't help but compare them to my recently acquired AKG K701s--an unfair comparison to say the least). Anyway, there are times when I need a good closed can (try as I might, I can't get comfortable with IEMs). So how much better are these than the 280 Pros? Is new cabling a must? How about an amp?

I was at a HI-Fi store the other day and auditioned some 280 pros amongst other headphones, I had my HD-25's with me, I don't know if the headphones were broken or anything but I thought the mid range of the 280s were super grainy and sounded quite terrible in comparison to the other phones on display. the HD-25's are a lot better imo. but I could be wrong because my audition with the 280s wasn't long because of how bad they sounded :x.

New cabling and amping is not a must imo. There was a thread a week or two ago about the results of amping HD-25's. You might want to look for it.

 

[Milk and Coffee]

NO, you arent wrong.
The HD25-I is quite a few steps above from the 280s.
IMO recabling and an amp isnt a MUST... at least buying an amp primary to use with the HD25 is rubbish. If you already own one, just try it. With my iPod classic there was virtually NO improvement. Also recabling (I tried with the HD25-13 copper-cables) did nothing... but better try it for yourself

 

[ericlin0122]

this headphone saved my life, the noise isolation and the sound are amazing.
I used to study at library, and sometimes it's very loud, I can't concentrate at all. Few months ago, I got this headphone, whenever people are too loud, I just put on this headphone and it works ! I can totally focus on whatever I am doing.
Also the sound quality is very good, I tried couple headphones and decided to pick this one.
1. good bass
2. small size compare to other stereo headphone
3. noise isolation

 

[Kurashima]

I just got mine in today. It always takes a few weeks, if not months, to really come to terms with how you like a headphone, but here are some quick initial impressions (all with original pleather pads):

1) Sound quality: It's really quite good. I now really won't feel I'm missing anything when listening to music away from home. They're more forward than the HD580s for sure. You can really feel the excitement where a song is supposed to feel exciting (am I right in saying that's dynamics?) Anyway, for me, that's a sign of a higher-end phone.

They also have HUGE amounts of bass. I didn't expect nearly this much. It's not really tight bass, but you can really feel it. I think it almost kind of overpowers the mids a bit, though that may change with burn in, I don't know. I've heard that the bass is reduced with the velour pads that also came with it, though. It's quite nice with bassy songs, and doesn't really overpower that much, it's just that I'm used to less bassy phones (HD580 most definitely has less). It's seems like there's a lot more of the really low-end bass than on most other phones I've heard.

Anyway, I really like how these things sound. Excellent detail, though being closed helps it with that, big bass (almost a bit too big, but that's more about preference / getting accustomed to it), and vibrant highs. I've never really heard / been bothered by sibilance, so I can't comment on that.

2) Isolation: These isolate a nice amount. I went for a walk with them on outside today. With music playing, you can't really hear passing cars unless it's a really quiet section (and then you only barely do, and it doesn't cut into the music at all). I can hear each footstep I take, but after a bit you get used to it and don't pay it any attention. There was some heavy wind at times, and it didn't cause any extra noice against the cups (no swooshing sound like you can sometime hear), though it made its presence felt more so than anything else (including passing cars, though it really was heavy wind). I asked my brother if any sound was leaking while listening loudly, and in a quiet room from pretty close, he said he could only hear anything if he strained to, so it doesn't seem to leak music, making it good for library use.

3) Comfort: I was almost a bit scared of this, hearing some people's opinions on comfort. I myself wear glasses, and putting them on for the first time, it feels totally comfortable. You can start feeling the clamp after having them there for half an hour or more, though you can sometimes just slightly adjust the cup and it goes away for a bit. I can see how you wouldn't want to wear this for hours on end as it keeps building up. I listened for maybe two hours straight, including my walk, and it was nice taking them off, though it was only a mild discomfort. Overall, you probably won't forget you're wearing the headphones, but they're not torture devices like I've heard someone say. I think the comfort is alright given the isolation it gives.

They're fairly light, and the headbands are nice and soft (and the pressure's spread out if you stretch apart the two headbands). For me, the first few months I had the HD580, I couldn't wear them for too long because of pressure on the top of my head from the headband. Definitely not the case here. I keep them stretched apart maybe an inch or so, but you can do it farther and it sticks to your head like glue. However, you can't really put them around your neck then.

4) Misc: The cord is relatively short. It's perfect for reaching into your pocket to your mp3 player, and nice for me to reach from my computer chair to my EMU 0404 USB at home by the computer almost two feet away. However, I can see how it may be too short depending on what you want out of it. The cord is on the right side, which is strange, but I really like it this way. I haven't tried using my HD580 cable yet, and won't for a while. It has a funny little adapter for the 1/4 inch plug, where instead of clicking on, it screws on, which will probably contribute to the headphone's ruggedness. It's pretty easily driven by portable players. In Foobar, I have to gain music down about twice as much as I do with my 580s. The, uhh, height adjustment thing isn't the firmest thing in the world. It doesn't take too much to extend the cups down another click (it happened once or twice accidently while I was adjusting the cup itself on my head). The swivel thing can be useful if you're a DJ I guess, but I don't really have any need for it.

Alright, that's all I can think of. Anyway, pretty satisfied with them so far, I'll see if burn-in changes much and if I'm still happy with the sound in the future (hint: I probably will be). I'll also have to give those comfy-pads a try.

 

[dreamwhisper]

just got mine a week ago
yup, these fons are the real deal

 

[RedLeader]

I've bought and sold them and had 3 different versions of HD25. Honestly, they're a great deal any way you slice it.

 

[outbreak123]

I love HD25-1, they're so energic w/ rock music and pretty much portable too. Isolation is great, and doesn't look bad at all. One of the best 180$ i ever spent esp for main portable cans.

 

[el_matt0]

yea lol i hate to sound like such an hd-25 fanboy as well, but ive tried a good number of cans and these things TOTALLY rock - not even jstu for a portable can to be honest, theyre pretty good sounding in general - period.

 

[outbreak123]

Yes! definately the best 180$ i've ever spend! What i love about em the most is that they are really good even from not so good source! and doesn't really need an amp!

Viva HD25-1 lol

 

[el_matt0]

yea i agree. generally im pretty picky about that kinda thing too - ive tried and HATED a lot of IEMS and such directly driven from an ipod (my primary portable source, not the greatest for SQ i know, but i like the "ease" factor). however the HD25 sound pretty darn good directly from the headphone out. i know others have backed up this statement also - definitely a nice perk to not "NEED" to carry around a portable amp

 

[Chingyul]

So who has the best price on the HD-25-1 II?
Might try to get a pair shipped to my friend in the states before he come back from school for the summer.

 

[el_matt0]

try ebay? i got a pair for 160 NIB