[shinji97]

First time starting a post here. I've been reading posts and comments for months but this time I think I need some direct help from you guys.
 
I've recently purchased a HD650 and was hoping it would be an upgrade from my HD25; however, I think it didnt work out so well with the genre I listen to.
 
Currently I'm feeding the HD650 with a Nuforce IconHD, and somehow I somewhat miss the clarity, punchy and forwarded notes from the HD25. The HD650 outperforms the HD25 on some songs (mostly slow-paced ones) but the whole overall impression just isnt that satisfying, it is so much more laid back than I expected based on reviews.
 
I listen to pop (chinese, jap, korean) maybe 40~50% of the time, 10% instrumental, 10% classical and the rest are by artists like Mariah Carey, Norah Jones etc.
 
Now I'm really puzzled trying to find a upgrade that is similar to the HD25 instead of HD650. Maybe the HD25 carries a sound signature unlike the other Sennheiser headphones. Originally I thought maybe a better setup would improve the HD650, but maybe with the genre I listen to it is not worthwhile investing in better dac&amps
 
So, here I am, hoping to get some recommendations on a full-sized headphone that is similar but better than the HD25. Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
 
 
 
I will probably end up selling the HD650 but I'll give it more listening in the meantime. The HD650 came with a bit of scratches on the rectangular plates that has "HD650" printed on them... i might have a hard time making buyers believe that it is only a few weeks old...

 

[NA Blur]

The Denon AH-D2000 and AKG K550 come to mind.  They both have punchy bass for a closed full-sized headphone.  They both sound really good with just about everything I have thrown at them.

 

[shinji97]

thanks, I actually do have my eyes on the k550. But I wasnt sure if it would be much of a noticeable upgrade from the HD25, since it isnt that much more expensive 

 

[shinji97]

bump does anyone know if the k550 will be a noticeable upgrade form the HD25? 

 

[roBernd]

Quote:

bump does anyone know if the k550 will be a noticeable upgrade form the HD25? 

In my opinion and the time I spend with both, the HD 25 is the better phone (except sound-stage, obviously)
A slight upgrade might be an AKG K240s but it's more of a sidegrade IMHO, better in every way but only slightly.
The DT990pro come to my mind, as well as the Denon AH-D 2000, which are no longer in production.

 

[SashimiWu]

Quote:

In my opinion and the time I spend with both, the HD 25 is the better phone (except sound-stage, obviously)
A slight upgrade might be an AKG K240s but it's more of a sidegrade IMHO, better in every way but only slightly.
The DT990pro come to my mind, as well as the Denon AH-D 2000, which are no longer in production.

 
That's very interesting to hear since I've only seen positive reviews about the AKG's on head-fi.  Could you perhaps be more specific?  For example what did you like about the HD-25 better than the K550?  Which headphone had the better detail and instrument separation?

 

[shinji97]

thanks for the info. The DT990pro seems very nice, I'll look into it a bit more although I don't think I can find a place to demo it in Toronto =(..

 

[roBernd]

Quote:

 
That's very interesting to hear since I've only seen positive reviews about the AKG's on head-fi.  Could you perhaps be more specific?  For example what did you like about the HD-25 better than the K550?  Which headphone had the better detail and instrument separation?

let me put it this way... most people hear what they want to hear, especially if they invested some money.
 
While both phones tend to be a bit to sharp in treble and have some ringing problems, the HD 25-II suffers less than the K550 which has a bigger spike and resonances.
The K550 has a problem getting a proper seal. -> needs more pressure on the sides.
Almost no padding on the top of the K550 makes it uncomfortable after some time. (Great comfort on the pads though)
The pads on the K550 smell quite bad for the first week.
 
Due to the faster driver and the massive treble-spike and larger inner pad-diameter and size, the K550 offers better separation and treble details.

 

[SashimiWu]

Quote:

let me put it this way... most people hear what they want to hear, especially if they invested some money.
 
While both phones tend to be a bit to sharp in treble and have some ringing problems, the HD 25-II suffers less than the K550 which has a bigger spike and resonances.
The K550 has a problem getting a proper seal. -> needs more pressure on the sides.
Almost no padding on the top of the K550 makes it uncomfortable after some time. (Great comfort on the pads though)
The pads on the K550 smell quite bad for the first week.
 
Due to the faster driver and the massive treble-spike and larger inner pad-diameter and size, the K550 offers better separation and treble details.

 
That's good to know roBernd.  Thank's for the information.  It's definitely nice to hear some criticisms of the K550 since they are a top contender for an upgrade to my SRH840's.  How do you feel about the bass quality/quantity of the K550 in comparison to the HD25?

 

[roBernd]

Quote:

 
That's good to know roBernd.  Thank's for the information.  It's definitely nice to hear some criticisms of the K550 since they are a top contender for an upgrade to my SRH840's.  How do you feel about the bass quality/quantity of the K550 in comparison to the HD25?

Quality... probably the K550, but not quantity wise. I guess the HD 25 has more body and mid-bass. the 840s are way better than the K550 in my book and in my opinion the best full-size shures (yeah, better than the 940s, the 1840 might be better but I had no chance to listen to them for an extended period)