[saint.panda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silfer SP, Have you seen that thread I linked to. Really nice way to mod the HD600 cable to be onesided.

Haven't checked that, thanks for the link Silfer.

 

[Scholarlymonk]

So thanks for the info; I'm right at the cusp about to make the purchase, just a few more questions.

First, is the HD600 cable the easiest way to swap out the steel one? I've heard that the stock cable is just crap and anything is better, and I 'm looking for the simplest answer for a new cable? Where should I get the cable?

Second, what about the pads? Where can you order the velour pads?

Third, where is a good, cheapest, place to order the cans from?

-Be Good.

 

[Daroid]

In which country do you live ?

 

[saint.panda]

Getting the velour pads and HD 580 directly from Sennheiser should be the cheapest way once you found out the parts number. Just make sure that you get the HD 580 (not HD 600) cable that has a 3.5mm headphone plug.
The headphones themselves often pop up on Ebay and that's probably the cheapest way. Other than that, froogle should give the cheapest place to order a new pair from.
And I wouldn't say the steel cable is crap. The HD 25-1 demonstrates the biggest sound quality jump I've heard by swapping cables but that doesn't necessarily imply that the difference is night and day. Non-audiophile friends of mine couldn't really tell the difference without telling them which cable was supposed to be the better one. I suggest that you get the headphones first and decide on the cable later because you might feel that a further upgrade is not neccessary or maybe you won't like the HD 25-1 sound.
Nevertheless, in my honest opinion, the HD 25-1 are the best portable, closed , non-canalphone, headphone on the market unless you just can't stand the Sennheiser sound signature.

 

[Ozniot]

Jjcha, you don't need to tie down the excess on the right side. I have HD25-1 with this same cable. Just push half the excess into the empty groove on the second headband (route it back the wrong direction towards the left driver) and let the rest hang free. The hanging free portion isn't likely to snag on anything, because it's sort of protected between the two headbands. You don't even need to secure it with tape or a plastic tie. I've left mine this way for months and it hasn't fallen out once.

 

[chase]

is the hd25-1 this headphone? i have always been confused to what it is. why is it called -1?
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020080026

 

[Daroid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase is the hd25-1 this headphone? i have always been confused to what it is. why is it called -1? http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0020080026

Yes it is..... who knows about that -1 part. Much less why the 600 Ohm variant is called HD25-13. It was probably done in order to make the difference between HD25-1 and HD25SP clear, yet some dealers make a mixup of selling a HD25SP showing a picture of HD25-1.

 

[rnd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silfer SP, Have you seen that thread I linked to. Really nice way to mod the HD600 cable to be onesided.

I did and it works nicely. Thanks for the tip. The only thing that bothers me about the cable now is the length - it is really long! I may end up back to the stock cable since it's really just my portable phone. I'd like to just shorten the 580 cable though.

 

[NeilPeart]

Why not order the HD25-13 OFC cable from overseas and when it arrives modify it so it terminates to a 1/8" end and shorten it to your needs - this is what I plan to do, but I must find a reliable source for the HD25-13 cable that will ship here without gouging too much. The difference between the steel and OFC cable is more noticeable than any headphone cable swap I’ve ever heard – even with a portable source serving lossy MP3s with no amp the improvement is more than subtle. Since I also use my HD25-1 when I need isolation in the home environment, and there it is driven by the DAC1 serving lossless files, the improvement is much more evident (therefore making the upgrade cable a necessity in my opinion). I’m currently using my HD25-1 with the HD650 OFC cable, as I tried the HD600 cable, and though it fit nicely in the grooves, the plugs would not remain seated; the HD650 cable had the reverse problem: the plugs fit very snugly, but the cable itself is too thick to fit in the groove and forces my to use the headphones in a dual-sided approach. While the stock HD25-1 cable is more convenient, the sound quality upgrade of the OFC cables is just too large to ignore, and thus I live with slightly less convenience but better sound – soon I shall have both, however (for a nice fee, of course).

 

[rnd]

The only problem there is I have very limited soldering skills and I've been told soldering the factory cables can be tough to do. I guess they use cloth or threads for flexibility or something?

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilPeart Why not order the HD25-13 OFC cable from overseas and when it arrives modify it so it terminates to a 1/8" end and shorten it to your needs - this is what I plan to do, but I must find a reliable source for the HD25-13 cable that will ship here without gouging too much.

How much does it usually cost to order the cable from overseas? Another option is to buy a custom made cable from Headphile. I actually have one that I was able to pick up used and the sound is really quite amazing. Of course this is not cheap, which is why I ask how much the -13 might cost. I think you can get what is basically a BlackSilver headphone cable, 4 feet in length, for $70. You do have to use this as a dual sided cable but it already comes terminated to a Switchcraft 1/8" (unless you want a 1/4").

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilPeart I’m currently using my HD25-1 with the HD650 OFC cable, as I tried the HD600 cable, and though it fit nicely in the grooves, the plugs would not remain seated

I had the same problem with the Headphile cable and was ready to give up on it. (It actually caused me to buy the E3c at the airport because I was facing the prospect of not having headphones on a trip to New Orleans - Heaven forbid!) However, when I returned Larry (from Headphile) suggested putting a small piece of adhesive putty or Blu Tack in between the connectors and then plug it in. I've had to play around a bit with the amount of adhesive to get it to work - too much and you lose the connection, not enough and it falls out - but it definitely does work.

 

[3lusiv3]

I don't think there is any need to change the HD 25-1 cable if you're using it for portable use. The original cable is short, strong and sounds great.

If it's your main home closed headphones, then maybe the OFC cable and velour pads would help but I don't know if I'd bother.

 

[spilner]

I second that. After some 100 hours of burn-in the initial sibilance becomes barely noticeable with good sources, and with portables the problem simply ceases to exist.

Be reasonable. At least burn them in before investing in the cable.

 

[Daroid]

Yes, agreed the sibilance is totally crazy when they are new, it goes away after awhile.... but it is still SO apparent that it still has a LOT of sibilance when comparing it with the HD25-13 cable. Burn-in was no excuse to use the steel cable to me. It's a pity it isn't for sale in the US - and why is that actually ? Can't sennheiserusa.com make a special order for these 74532 cables ?

 

[erikzen]

For me, the new cable made a big diffence. I was about to give up on the HD 25 until I tried the new cable. The Headphile cable is 4' long and terminated to a 1/8" plug. It's a nice compromise between portability and sound quality, and it also makes a nice closed home can. With the new cable the total cost for the headphones was $200.

I thought the sound of the original cable sounded quite congested. The new cable clears this problem up for me.