Headphone Recommendation please
Jun 6, 2014 at 6:20 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8
MonkeyBrain

MonkeyBrain

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Hi all.
First post.
I've been the proud owner of Sennheiser HD-25-1 for about 10 years now. 
They're looking a bit shabby now and I've always found them really uncomfortable on my ears after about an hour. 
I love the way they sound, but it's time to replace them.
I live in a rural area of Norway, so 'try before you buy' is not really an option. 
 
I'm considering the over-ear momentums. Has anyone got any hands-on experience with both sets of cans and can make a comparison for me?
Can anyone recommend any other over-ear sets I should consider up to the $400 mark? 
 
A bit about me. 
I listen to all kinds of music, but mostly rock, punk, metal, techno, dnb, reggae, ska, folk, rap. 
I love my music, but I don't consider myself an audiophile. 
I'm not on a plane/train often, so noise cancellation is not something I'm bothered about. I like good damping and minimal leakage though. 
I do like punchy bass, but I don't like it to be over-powering (beats) to the rest of the spectrum. 
I would like an in-line mic if possible. I'm an android user. 
 
Thanks in advance for any and all responses. 
 
Jun 7, 2014 at 5:59 AM Post #2 of 8
I was in the same position as you last year - I'd owned the HD-25 for about 10 years and needed a replacement. I demoed a variety of phones including Momentums and ATH-M50s but ultimately settled on Sennheiser Amperiors and couldn't be happier. They are very similar to the HD-25 in sound signature, with the the punchy bass I was such a fan of, but slightly tighter sounding all round, with nice definition across the spectrum. I also find them a bit more comfortable than HD-25s in terms of the microfiber pads and headband (although there's just as much clamping, which some people find too much).
 
It sounds like I have very similar tastes to you in music and preferred sound signature. Personally, I find found the Momentums a bit too laid back, warm and lush in comparison to the punchier sounding Amperiors - they're good phones, no doubt, but just not quite suited to my taste. So from another long time HD-25 owner, I'd definitely recommend the Amperiors as an ideal replacement / upgrade. Sennheiser have of course discontinued the Amperior in favour of the HD-25 Aluminium and I believe the latter uses an inferior steel cable and pleather pads as opposed to microfiber. That said, I re-cabled the Amperior with an Oyaide cable anyway, so I guess the same could be done with the HD-25 Aluminium if you wanted to buy new, but there are still plenty of Amperiors to be had second-hand on here or elsewhere. 
 
Jun 7, 2014 at 4:08 PM Post #3 of 8
Thanks for the reply dude.
Are the Amperiors that much better than the HD-25s? They look so similar, I would be half tempted to spend a bit of money refurbishing my HD25s instead.
I was hoping to get something more comfortable that sits around the ear, but I love the way the HD25s sound. 
Have to find this unicorn....without breaking the bank. 
 
bigsmile_face.gif

 
Jun 7, 2014 at 4:22 PM Post #4 of 8
Oh no, definitely not much better by any means. The improvement over the HD25 is only slight - they really have a very similar sound signature, just slightly more definition + separation - but I find it's enough that I wouldn't go back to standard HD25s now.
 
Far be it from me to dissuade you from refurbing your HD25s either - that's a great thing with these headphones: they're so modular, it's easy to replace specific parts.
 
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