[ReaperZ]

Hi all,
 
Im looking to upgrade my Sennheiser HD555's for the purpose of daily use to and from work, i travel by train so thought i would switch to some closed cans with good sound isolation, and a few people i have talked to (who are DJ's however) have raved about these headphones.
 
Now im a bass lover, my main style of music i listen to is Drum n Bass and other electronic music, 90% of my music would be electronic and i find the HD555's produce quite good bass however i would like a bit more, and im afraid that downsizing in driver size from the HD555's to the HD-25-II's wont net me as deep or punchy bass.
 
The other option is HD650 which i 'imagine' is a heavily upgraded version of the 555's, however as they sound better id be more inclined to push them harder, and thus annoy more people on the train, which is what im trying to avoid!
 
My main sound source is my HTC One, with audio ranging from 128kbit streaming to FLAC audio files locally on the phones storage.
 
Also ive been reading about people switching the cable on the HD-25-1 II to the 650 cable and that it offers better midrange and bass responce, which is something i would definitely look into.
 
How do people find these headphones in terms of bass output? Will i be disappointed with the soundstage compared to the 555's ?
 
What other headphones could i look at in the similar price ranges with good bass responce ? im after quality.
 
Alternatively i could look at a FiiO portable amp, but i think upgrading the headphones will give me more what im looking for.
 
Thanks in advance
 
ReaperZ

 

[Pianist]

I recommend giving JVC FXT90 a try if you don't mind IEMs. They sound better than HD25 overall with more resolution, more powerful, deeper bass, more refined highs and a better soundstage as well. Plus, they will isolate at least as well as HD25. In fact, I think FXT90 sounds better than HD555 overall too, while HD25 surely does not. You really get much more bang for your back with IEMs than small, on-ear headphones IMO.

 

[ReaperZ]

Thanks for the reply!
 
The JVC FXT90's arent available in my country (New Zealand) and to be honest i really do prefer to not go with IEMs .. my reasoning is simply that i do not like the idea of having something 'shoved' into my ear.
 
I'd rather buy headphones i am able to demo locally .. i dont mind importing them from overseas to save me money ( as i was looking at do with the hd-1-ii's )
 
Perhaps i should be looking at closed, over-ear designs? rather than an on-ear solution.

 

[ReaperZ]

perhaps the SHURE SRH940 ? Although there seems to be a lot of mixed reviews around bass, or lack thereof

 

[GaryPham]

I don't have the exact 2 headphones that you're referring to, but I do own a pair of Amperiors and use to own a pair of HD558s.  You really have to try out the HD25 II's or Amperiors to really get a good feel, as their sound signature is quite different than the HD555/558's.  The bass will be punchier on the HD25's, in that the decay will be much less and have a much faster feel.  Soundstage is almost nonexistant compared that of open headphones.  The HD25's will make it feel like you're right up in the frontrow with the music, and will more likely be more "exciting" than the HD555's, but at the same time will also fatigue you faster.  I enjoyed both but they're quite different from each other.  If you're asking purely about bass response, then the HD25's will have good bass response, but keep in mind that it will be quite a different sound signature.

 

[Cellarbrother]

I find the HD 25's offer a sound stage that isn't all that big, for electronic based music it doesn't really matter all that much about how big your sound stage is. It's doesn't take away from the music as much as it would in rock or classical music.  I produce electronic music in my home studio and the HD 25's are fine more than enough to check my mix. I actually think that HD 25's make electronic music sound much better as compared to other headphones. The highs are quite crisp and clear, they are not too bright either. The bass is extremely punchy, I don't think you will be unsatisfied of the sound.
 
Overall, I think if you using these for on the go you should be fairly happy. I live in NY and I take the train every day with these phones since my gr07 broke. I don't know how they compare to the hd 555 however.  

 

[ReaperZ]

Quote:

I don't have the exact 2 headphones that you're referring to, but I do own a pair of Amperiors and use to own a pair of HD558s.  You really have to try out the HD25 II's or Amperiors to really get a good feel, as their sound signature is quite different than the HD555/558's.  The bass will be punchier on the HD25's, in that the decay will be much less and have a much faster feel.  Soundstage is almost nonexistant compared that of open headphones.  The HD25's will make it feel like you're right up in the frontrow with the music, and will more likely be more "exciting" than the HD555's, but at the same time will also fatigue you faster.  I enjoyed both but they're quite different from each other.  If you're asking purely about bass response, then the HD25's will have good bass response, but keep in mind that it will be quite a different sound signature.

 
Thanks for your response .. i saw the Amperiors on one site, they are based on the HD25's ?? are they the same , just with the volume control and mic (i dont remember if they had a mic, sorry!) .. if they are indeed the same as the HD25 in terms of driver etc, i would look to these instead as the volume control when out and about would be really useful! except its quite a premium item here .. only one shop stocks them and the price difference between the HD25 and the Amperiors is $120USD .. expensive for a volume control! so would look at importing these if it is indeed the case.
 
Can anyone answer if the Amperior is the same as HD25-1 II ?
Is it possible to just replace the HD25's cable with the one from the Amperior to obtain the volume controls?
 
 
 
Quote:

I find the HD 25's offer a sound stage that isn't all that big, for electronic based music it doesn't really matter all that much about how big your sound stage is. It's doesn't take away from the music as much as it would in rock or classical music.  I produce electronic music in my home studio and the HD 25's are fine more than enough to check my mix. I actually think that HD 25's make electronic music sound much better as compared to other headphones. The highs are quite crisp and clear, they are not too bright either. The bass is extremely punchy, I don't think you will be unsatisfied of the sound.
 
Overall, I think if you using these for on the go you should be fairly happy. I live in NY and I take the train every day with these phones since my gr07 broke. I don't know how they compare to the hd 555 however.  

Thanks for the reply!
 
I guess the proof is in the listening! I'm going to listen to a pair on saturday and will take along some of my favourite/well known to myself tracks for demoing to make sure. Ill try out a few more 'ranged' songs like some Dire Straits as well, as sometimes i do find myself listening to the odd classic .. money for nothing blows me away every time i listen to it at home on my home theatre system! It will be exciting to plug my new headphones into my yamaha dsp to see how much more they can do compared to an android phone output.
 
Thanks for the help guys i really appreciate it

 

[ReaperZ]

After a bit more research ive seen a lot of people mentioning good things about the m-80 and m-100 .. i can only assume they are talking about the v-moda crossfade m-100 (http://v-moda.com/crossfade-m-100/)
 
Also the Ultrasone Pro 900's ..
 
sadly nowhere in new zealand stocks either the m-100 or the ultrasone pro 900's so would have to import which is fine..
 
I have to say i think both of these headphones may suit me better in terms of comfort, and it sounds like they excel in bass in comparison to the HD25-1 II's
 
Should i perhaps change the title of this thread to make it more reflective of how this topic is going?
 
apologies for the lots of questions ..