[Origin89]

Roger that. Thanks, bro.

 

[Erling]

What portable amp would you recommend for the 25-1 II? Thinking about JDS C5, iBasso T5 (too small?) or Meier Audio Quickstep (twice the price of the other two). Any advice?

 

[CJG888]

I have found both the Blaze S-1 and iBasso P4 to work very well.

 

[Mad Max]

The Quickstep/Stepdance will totally rule.  Those other ones probably will as well.  UHA4 might be good, read up on it as well.

 

[Percival]

I use my HD25s mainly for watching TV late at night. The lightness and isolation comes in handy. With the velour pads, I find I hardly even notice I'm wearing them!
 
I have them connected via an HD600 cable (just because it's longer than the stock cable basically), but the plug is a bit loose in the left cup. I'll have to try re-jigging the springs per the helpful earlier post.
 
Narrow soundstage isn't a problem due to the fact that the signal comes via a JVC SU-DH1 surround adapter plus a Canford PC headphone amp (a few of which I have spare to sell in the classifieds soon).
 
I've also used them while commuting and appreciate the fact that they look so drab that I'm unlikely to have them stolen off my head.
 
Great 'phones.

 

[davidcotton]

I run a combo atm of Klipsch x10 and Sennheiser hd25-ii adidas for work.  I use the klipsch for when I need to wear glasses and the senns for when I don't want to keep taking things in and out of my ears.  Nice combo and works well for me. 

 

[ekko]

Got mine today! I am just blown away! They are comfy and sound great! At first i thought they would break as fu*k but I know they can last like forever...

 

[LAmitchell]

ekko! congrats on a good purchase, they will only get better and better and better from here

 

[egokun]

I got my pair today from a fellow Head-Fier.
 
From many comments online, I expected the HD25 to be a MUCH harsher can than I'm finding it to be.
 
Truth is, I'm particularly sensitive to snare drums and instruments in the same frequency range... and the HD25 are much less painful to me in that range than other headphones I've tried. Probably the less painful of all.
 
For comparison, I own the Audio Technica ATH-AD2000, the Sennheiser HD558, the AKG K518 DJ (same as K81DJ) and the Senn IE8.
 
The HD25 are definitely not in the same league as the big cans. Not only for soundstage, but for general refinement and finesse. The HD558 are a bit veiled at higher volumes, but their sound has a weight that I guess no portable can match. Same for the bass - quality of bass is totally in favor of the bigger cans.
 
But when it comes to an all-portable battle... well, this is interesting.
 
For one thing, the HD25 do not have the "reverb" effect that I'm finding in both the K518 and the IE8. As good as the soundstage is with the IE8 (amazing for an IEM), the HD25 offers much more space and separation. The K518 is a much more congested headphone, and it sounds very... nasal when I A/B it with the HD25.
 
On the other hand, the K518 has a rumble that I can't find in any other headphone I own. It's a very in-your-face sound, much mellower and less snappy than the HD25, but for some songs, I like it a bit better. The HD25 isn't shrill, but the vocals have an edge, a "grain", that robs some songs of their dreaminess. Ditto for classical music: it sound great, but the strings are very slightly grating, enough so to take away a bit of my enjoyment of Pachelbel's Canon.
 
I did get a little bit of sibilance with some Italian rock songs; nothing offensive or painful, but sibilant nonetheless. Surprisingly, I don't get sibilance from Freddie Mercury, who always sounded sibilant to me with cheap cans. Generally speaking, I'm finding the HD25 my personal best can for rock. It has impact, it has presence, but it's not as edgy as ALL my other cans are with rock. I can take it to a slightly higher volume than my other cans with rock, and I experience no harshness.
 
I've said above that the K518 have this unequalled rumble. They have a very interesting, involving reproduction of low and mid-low frequencies. But! the HD25 have an IMPACT that the K518 lack. The HD25, like the IE8, is very much about PRAT. And the added soundstage and separation make it even more entertaining and enjoyable than my beloved IE8 for some tracks.
 
It would be easier to say that the K518 and the HD25 have a pretty different character, I guess. The HD25 is full of energy, sparkling, engaging, and accurate at the same time; it's incredible for electronic, rock, even chiptune music. The K518 is more congested, less accurate, but more rumbling in the bass, gentler in the highs; not laid back at all, very entertaining, probably better with vocals (especially female vocals) and therefore, some may find it better for pop music.
 
The HD25 is definitely more refined than the K518, but its slight graininess may be a deal breaker for some.
 
As for technical differences. The clamping force on a brand-new K518 is TREMENDOUS. It took quite some time, and pretty extensive stretching, to ease the pressure on my skull. I've finally managed to get them to a point where I can wear them for prolonged periods of time without getting a headache.
As I said, my HD25 is a used pair, so I guess the clamping force has lessened somehow. I didn't find it clamping at all when I first wore it... but now, after 1 hour or so of continuous wear, I'm finding it a bit tiring. Guess it may need some stretching as well.
 
Isolation: both are amazing. I'm using the HD25 with the velour pads. I'm inclined to say that the K518 isolates a tad bit more, but both cans offer very good attenuation of external noise. I have no way of evaluating leakage at the moment. The HD25 has some microphonics from the cable; the K518 has a thinner cable, and virtually no microphonics.
 
Finally, amping. The K518 are good out of an iPod, but they respond AMAZINGLY WELL to amping. I've used them with a Matrix M-Stage set to zero gain, and they improve A LOT. Less harsh, less congested, the K518 truly sounds like a totally different beast when amped.
I have only very briefly tried the HD25 out of the M-Stage, but I didn't find it to improve significantly (actually, I'm inclined to say it sounds a little worse!). However, it definitely benefits from a portable amp like my PA2V2, which I'm using as I type this.
Both are good straight out of an iPod; the HD25 is better in that scenario, IMO.
 
 
This comparison is only to share my impressions on headphones I personally own. The K518 are a tremendous bang for the buck, and I'm more than happy to recommend them to anyone who wants a great-sounding portable can for ~50 bucks/Euros. I think that the K518 is more of a jack-of-all-trades than the HD25, especially for vocals-heavy music.
 
As for HD25 vs IE8: both are superb. Now that I can listen to the HD25, the IE8 sound shriller and more congested... but they're still the best IEM I've heard (in the past I've tried Shure E3, Shure E4 and Westone UM2). Never had so much fun out of a headphone, and for some genres they are still more enjoyable than the HD25. But I can't deny that the HD25 are more refined. Maybe a little less bass presence and weight, but a much more balanced sound.
 
 
Hope my opinions are useful!

 

[xallarap]

Quote:

I got my pair today from a fellow Head-Fier.
 
From many comments online, I expected the HD25 to be a MUCH harsher can than I'm finding it to be.
 
Truth is, I'm particularly sensitive to snare drums and instruments in the same frequency range... and the HD25 are much less painful to me in that range than other headphones I've tried. Probably the less painful of all.
 
For comparison, I own the Audio Technica ATH-AD2000, the Sennheiser HD558, the AKG K518 DJ (same as K81DJ) and the Senn IE8.
 
The HD25 are definitely not in the same league as the big cans. Not only for soundstage, but for general refinement and finesse. The HD558 are a bit veiled at higher volumes, but their sound has a weight that I guess no portable can match. Same for the bass - quality of bass is totally in favor of the bigger cans.
 
But when it comes to an all-portable battle... well, this is interesting.
 
For one thing, the HD25 do not have the "reverb" effect that I'm finding in both the K518 and the IE8. As good as the soundstage is with the IE8 (amazing for an IEM), the HD25 offers much more space and separation. The K518 is a much more congested headphone, and it sounds very... nasal when I A/B it with the HD25.
 
On the other hand, the K518 has a rumble that I can't find in any other headphone I own. It's a very in-your-face sound, much mellower and less snappy than the HD25, but for some songs, I like it a bit better. The HD25 isn't shrill, but the vocals have an edge, a "grain", that robs some songs of their dreaminess. Ditto for classical music: it sound great, but the strings are very slightly grating, enough so to take away a bit of my enjoyment of Pachelbel's Canon.
 
I did get a little bit of sibilance with some Italian rock songs; nothing offensive or painful, but sibilant nonetheless. Surprisingly, I don't get sibilance from Freddie Mercury, who always sounded sibilant to me with cheap cans. Generally speaking, I'm finding the HD25 my personal best can for rock. It has impact, it has presence, but it's not as edgy as ALL my other cans are with rock. I can take it to a slightly higher volume than my other cans with rock, and I experience no harshness.
 
I've said above that the K518 have this unequalled rumble. They have a very interesting, involving reproduction of low and mid-low frequencies. But! the HD25 have an IMPACT that the K518 lack. The HD25, like the IE8, is very much about PRAT. And the added soundstage and separation make it even more entertaining and enjoyable than my beloved IE8 for some tracks.
 
It would be easier to say that the K518 and the HD25 have a pretty different character, I guess. The HD25 is full of energy, sparkling, engaging, and accurate at the same time; it's incredible for electronic, rock, even chiptune music. The K518 is more congested, less accurate, but more rumbling in the bass, gentler in the highs; not laid back at all, very entertaining, probably better with vocals (especially female vocals) and therefore, some may find it better for pop music.
 
The HD25 is definitely more refined than the K518, but its slight graininess may be a deal breaker for some.
 
As for technical differences. The clamping force on a brand-new K518 is TREMENDOUS. It took quite some time, and pretty extensive stretching, to ease the pressure on my skull. I've finally managed to get them to a point where I can wear them for prolonged periods of time without getting a headache.
As I said, my HD25 is a used pair, so I guess the clamping force has lessened somehow. I didn't find it clamping at all when I first wore it... but now, after 1 hour or so of continuous wear, I'm finding it a bit tiring. Guess it may need some stretching as well.
 
Isolation: both are amazing. I'm using the HD25 with the velour pads. I'm inclined to say that the K518 isolates a tad bit more, but both cans offer very good attenuation of external noise. I have no way of evaluating leakage at the moment. The HD25 has some microphonics from the cable; the K518 has a thinner cable, and virtually no microphonics.
 
Finally, amping. The K518 are good out of an iPod, but they respond AMAZINGLY WELL to amping. I've used them with a Matrix M-Stage set to zero gain, and they improve A LOT. Less harsh, less congested, the K518 truly sounds like a totally different beast when amped.
I have only very briefly tried the HD25 out of the M-Stage, but I didn't find it to improve significantly (actually, I'm inclined to say it sounds a little worse!). However, it definitely benefits from a portable amp like my PA2V2, which I'm using as I type this.
Both are good straight out of an iPod; the HD25 is better in that scenario, IMO.
 
 
This comparison is only to share my impressions on headphones I personally own. The K518 are a tremendous bang for the buck, and I'm more than happy to recommend them to anyone who wants a great-sounding portable can for ~50 bucks/Euros. I think that the K518 is more of a jack-of-all-trades than the HD25, especially for vocals-heavy music.
 
As for HD25 vs IE8: both are superb. Now that I can listen to the HD25, the IE8 sound shriller and more congested... but they're still the best IEM I've heard (in the past I've tried Shure E3, Shure E4 and Westone UM2). Never had so much fun out of a headphone, and for some genres they are still more enjoyable than the HD25. But I can't deny that the HD25 are more refined. Maybe a little less bass presence and weight, but a much more balanced sound.
 
 
Hope my opinions are useful!

Excellent impressions sir! HD25's impact is excellent! Pairs up really well with rock songs with its speed. It may lack rumble but it is there when needed. 

 

[wired00]

Yeah they're a great pair of headphones. I mainly listen to music while working, I have a couple other "better" sounding pairs of headphones but often come back to the hd25's because they just keep going, their confortable and i love the isolation of sound. I've owned mine for years and they are still going strong (only replaced the pads with the blue "adidas" style covers because i don't like the velour covers)

 

[xallarap]

Has anyone tried the Just Audio uHa-120 with the HD25? Thanks!

 

[Mad Max]

That should be a fine combo on the low gain setting, probably.  Output impedance is less than 1ohm to boot.

 

[xallarap]

^ Thanks sir! Planning to get one in the future based on what I read, Hopefully, it will really pair well.
 
Also, has anyone tried this with the HD25?

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

^ Thanks sir! Planning to get one in the future based on what I read, Hopefully, it will really pair well.
 
Also, has anyone tried this with the HD25?

 
Looks like a typical DIY cable using navships SPC.  It will probably be durable, heck that wire will likely outlast the Neutrik plug, LOL!