I have taken the plunge (after a couple weeks of pondering different potential cans and getting lots of great input on head-fi.org).
Yesterday, I listened to a well-burned set of HD25-1s at the store—and was amazed. As the cliché goes, I could hear things that I had never heard before (e.g., Chet Baker clearing his throat). I was sold (i.e., I need no better than the HD25-1s); I purchased them later that day.
Pre-burn: I thought the HD25-1s sounded quite good, perhaps with some muddling (e.g., bass at times, horns at times). I was happy (i.e.,
).
Post one-day burn: The HD25-1s are sounding better, with much less muddling. Thus, I decided to compare them to my previous headphones, the Bose CQ2s. (Pardon the blasphemy of this comparison, but those are my only previous over- or on-ear phones.)
I compared the headphones (unamped) with the following mix of songs: Chet Baker (Stella by Starlight at lossless), Miles Davis (Move at 192K), Uncle Tupelo (Moonshiner at 192K), Jimmy Hendrix (All along the Watchtower at 320K), Marvin Gaye (Sexual Healing at 256K), Nathaniel Mayer (Satisfied Fool at 320K), and Massive Attack (Protection at 256K). Though I'm certainly not an audiophile, I took notes on how each headphone dealt with each song, and here’s a summary.
The HD25-1s are much, much “sweeter” (e.g., guitars on Moonshiner and entry organ on Satisfied Fool); bass is clearer, with more punch (on all songs); drum work (e.g., brushes on cymbals) is much more present; vocals are more present, closer (I thought I could reach out and touch singer on Protection); and horns are crisper and more “sensitive” (on both Stella by Starlight and Move). In contrast, the CQ2s sound muddled; bass dominated; lifeless and sterile.
Three additional comments: 1) The HD25-1s appear to be more efficient in terms of volume (or, perhaps, I felt a need to turn up the CQ2s in search of “life”); 2) the HD25-1s have much better construction and are smaller; and 3) I don’t think there’s a substantial comfort difference (and I’m still using the pleather earpads on the HD25-1s).
I look forward to listening to the HD25-1s more, especially after another 24-hour burn. I am even happier (i.e.,
).