[macmac]

hi, ive finally decided whilst im at university and staying at 3 different addresses that big amped closed phones are a big impossiblity.

it annoys me that i cant listen to my rega jura's daily and i dont want to put down alot more money for good quality and then be unable to use it due to impracticalness. the hd600s or whatever i eventually get (plus amp) will be a nice upgrade when i can afford my own place so.......

im looking for an unamped pair of cans that will be plugged into uni computers, my laptop, ps3, my x-fi card at home, walkmanphone etc etc. i wont be using them whilst walking as well i have to drive to uni and the few minutes of walking i quite like to have quiet

its more for gaming at girlfriends or listening to music round there and listening to music at the library whilst studying.

Mostly for electronica, (aphextwin,isan,tipper,lemonjelly,wagonchrist,amon tobin,brothemstates) and rock (pixies, radiohead..........as well as some jungle/breaks/dub etc.

so im looking for lowish profile stuff but doesnt have to be iems.. thought about the hd-25iis and im tempted. but how do they compare to iems? ive heard these have made amazing leaps lately and can sound really good although obviously different.... any other small closed cans to consider?

ps: mainly all music will be 320mp3... for now...

 

[Detritusdave]

For the music you mentioned, I think HD-25's are great. I've used them for years, and always go back to them for when I'm writing music. The soundstage is not great, and there can be some sibilance, but they are very engaging headphones, if you know what I mean?

 

[BluesDaddy]

Well, I don't care for IEMs at all, but the ones I have (and cheaper Ibud type ones) are all I've had experience with. I really like the HD25-1. It's a great portable, and I really think the SQ is vastly underrated. No, it doesn't have much of a soundstage, but this is a factor of being a closed phone. It isn't much less, to my ears, than my Grado SR60s but is not nearly as good as the DT770s, which are also closed.

But the sound is quite balanced. No glaring deficiencies and I don't hear the sibilance others suggest - though I am on the down side of 50, for what it's worth. They are punchy in the bass, though not quite as "tight" or "fast" as the 770s, but not bloated. The mids are not emphasized, but they are certainly not overwhelmed by any other sounds. Balanced and neutral are the byword of these cans. BTW, back in 2004, HeadRoom absolutely loved them and stated in their online "review" they were one of the best closed cans around. Again, FWIW.

 

[macmac]

guess i really need to decide whether i should go for cheap iems for uni and hfi780s for gf/home. or just some hd25s for all. ahhh its hard.

edit:

i might just scrap buying the hd-25s then. seeing as i-headphones has the ultrasone hfi 780s £50 cheaper then the hd25s..... i might as well buy the 780s (can still fold em in my bag) and get some £40 iems for university.... seems the way to go. Id consider the seinheiser 600/650 range, but ive heard i would def need to amp those beasts and im not ready to spend even more money.... not yet.

 

[BluesDaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by macmac /img/forum/go_quote.gif guess i really need to decide whether i should go for cheap iems for uni and hfi780s for gf/home. or just some hd25s for all. ahhh its hard. edit: i might just scrap buying the hd-25s then. seeing as i-headphones has the ultrasone hfi 780s £50 cheaper then the hd25s..... i might as well buy the 780s (can still fold em in my bag) and get some £40 iems for university.... seems the way to go. Id consider the seinheiser 600/650 range, but ive heard i would def need to amp those beasts and im not ready to spend even more money.... not yet.

I don't blame you. To me, the biggest drawback with the HD25-1s is the price. I think the current MSRP on them is ridiculous and you can't find them discounted like you use to. I got mine for about 1/3 less than what I see on Zzounds these days.

 

[BluesDaddy]

Just thought I'd throw this in as to what HeadRoom had to say about the HD25-1s 4 years ago

Tight lows, good clean damped sound in bass; even mids, well present and punchy; and fairly smooth and well extended highs make the HD25 in our top three in terms of sound quality...

Since then the prevailing wisdom has been to discount their SQ. However, there is often a "follow the herd" mentality amongst folks and what is the FOM today can quickly become out of favor tomorrow - and for the same reasons.

 

[macmac]

yea but most people seem to agree they arent even in same league as 750 and hfi780s..... and the 780s are 30£ less

 

[BluesDaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by macmac /img/forum/go_quote.gif yea but most people seem to agree they arent even in same league as 750 and hfi780s..... and the 780s are 30£ less

Never got around to believing "most people", myself. Take it all with a grain of salt. The 30£, however, that is real money.

 

[macmac]

yea think i will go the hfi-780. i realise i have to take it with a pinch of salt. but it seems overwhelming in their favour. the hd-25s sound good but are more expensive and less popular....