[shnitz]

Oh, I like them.  My girlfriend loves them.  But considering that we bought the Pro 650, K240 Studio, and HD595 for $100 each, K518 for $40, D310 for $30, and K450 for $70, we are both unwilling to pay the asking price for them.  Until they go down to a more reasonable price, she'll be happy with the D310 for that market (ultra-portable circumaural).

 

[guyblack]

I guess it all comes down to if your wear your headphones for style or for sound quality bass etc....
I read this thread to see if these cans are worth getting... Keeping in mind I dont mint taking the subway with my 770's or M50's on I dont care how unstylish my cans are... esp after I saw some girl on the train rocking 770's (which was very sexy) I figure style is knowing what good products are.  I would have to pas on this one and stick with my other cans or the ES7 which have tons of bass for me and sound great with mild amplification.  In this price range why not maybe a DT-250 or Ultrasone HFI-780 ??

 

[JJBug]

I went from being ready to order these from Apple Canada to not wanting them after reading all the posts. How do these compare to the S4? Better / worse? Similar?

 

[spardavr4]

I actually just got these for Christmas, and while they are a little on the heavy side for bass, I still love the sound these things put out. The bass is also becoming a little more refined as the drivers burn in. Every hour I can hear the sound getting better. The case they come with is awesome also.
 
These are the most comfortable headphones I have ever had. They also cover my entire ear which is great since I need some ear muffs =)

 

[AndrewNL]

Hi Roker
 
It is a bit OT but I was thinking about the Klipsch, but also the Senn HD25-1-ii and I saw that you are using the Senn HD25-1-ii with your iPhone 4. Are you using them unamped? What is your music bit rate? (I have 192 - 320 kbps on my iphone). Do you find them comfortable to walk around / travel with or do you mainly use them sat at a desk at work?
 
The issues of portability and drivability are, I guess, what concern me at the moment. And unfortunately I can't find a store near me to try these out.
 
Cheers in advance for the help!
 
Andrew
Quote:

I'm at the SoHo store as I type this.

Here's my impression of the cans:

Very very comfortable. It's like putting on a nice pillow over your ears. They're pretty stylish too. I'm not sure if the girls will throw their panties at you but they look good.

Now for the bad part:

Bloated bass. I made sure the eq was turned off and all I heard was bass. In those songs that I noted earlier, the one defining sound you're going to hear is bass and lots of it. The problem is that it's overpowering. Forget about listening to rock. Pink Floyd, Black Keys, and Nirvana sounded like crap.

The rap and electronic songs faired better but even then I like to hear the other sounds that come into play as well.

I'm sorry fellas. I really wanted to give them a chance. For the time being I can't say they come close to the hd25 in terms of sound quality. It has it beat in comfort and looks but overall sound goes to the hd25. Even if I don't compare the two, this sound isn't for me and I'd definitely expect more from a 150 dollar headphone. That's about 20-50 cheaper than the hd25s and esw9s (well if you get a deal on those). The savings are not worth it, IMO.

 

[roker]

Quote:

Hi Roker
 
It is a bit OT but I was thinking about the Klipsch, but also the Senn HD25-1-ii and I saw that you are using the Senn HD25-1-ii with your iPhone 4. Are you using them unamped? What is your music bit rate? (I have 192 - 320 kbps on my iphone). Do you find them comfortable to walk around / travel with or do you mainly use them sat at a desk at work?
 
The issues of portability and drivability are, I guess, what concern me at the moment. And unfortunately I can't find a store near me to try these out.
 
Cheers in advance for the help!

 
here's what I officially think of the HD25-1 II:
 
Pros:
 
-It sounds fantastic.  One of THE most important traits in my opinion.  Now they don't sound as good as full size headphones, but definitely better than IEMs I've heard in the past.  Good tight bass (clear, not bloated) and awesome mids and highs.  A pretty well balanced heapdhone that caters to most genres.  I especially like it for hip-hop but it sounds great with my rock and r&b songs as well.  
 
For most modern songs my iPhone 4 drives it well.  I tried to amp it but it doesn't really change the sound.  The thing is, for older songs or songs recorded in poor quality, I feel like I need more volume.  I'm sure a nice portable amp would help me get more decibals out of it, but for the most part they are at a reasonable volume.  My music for the most part is 320 but I do have some tracks that are at V(0) (between 200 and 230).  
 
-Solid construction.  The thing is built like a tank.  I can drop it, throw it around, shove it into my bag and not have to worry if they'll break or crack.  This is also very important for person like me who uses them on my commute.  Also, it's super easy to take off one earpiece and make it stick to your head to talk to someone.  No reason to take them off completely.
 
-Sound isolation.  Is this really a portable headphone?  I mean seriously.  They block sound better than any headphone I've owned in the past and for that matter better than any IEM I've ever owned (to be fair I've never had a pair of customs or good IEMs that were super snug.)  Another important feature for a man who has to commute on the noisy subways of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
 
Cons:
 
-Cable issues.  It's too long and looks awkward walking down the street with it in my pocket.  I've circumvented this by stuffing the cable into my pocket, but it's still annoying nonetheless.  Also, it's a bit thicker than what I'm used to for a portable headphone and the L-plug is big and beefy.  I wish I could get a thinner plug or at least replace the L-plug with a straight plug.  It's a drawback, but the pros really outweigh this, even if it kills the portability factor a bit.
 
-It'd be nice to have iPhone controls.  I like being able to have my iPhone in my pocket and changing the song and/or lowering the volume.  I wish Sennheiser would get with the program and start making all of their headphones (and their IEMs) more iPhone friendly.
 
-Looks.  This is subjective.  I like them, but I get some weird looks every now and then.  They don't look as flashy as some of these headphones the kids wear on the train these days (Retro Panasonics, Beats, Wesc, etc.) but maybe they's why they're so nice, they have a very minimalistic style to it.  To tell you the truth, I prefer the classy look of the B&W P5s or the ESW9a and even the the Klipsch One over the look of the HD25s, but I'm not wearing my headphones to look good, I'm wearing them for sound and isolation.

 

[AndrewNL]

Thanks a lot Roker - that really helps in the decision making! Appreciate the time you put into the post.

Andrew
 

 

[trikker]

Howdy folks. I'm new here and found this thread  and I thought I'd share my experience. After comparing this with other highly rated headphones at a local headphonebar on several listening sessions thankfully, IMHO, this is the winner and loving it more and more each day. However that was just at the beginning. I had the Klipsch Image One for 2 months and it sounded way better now. Initially the bass was overbearing for my taste on some tracks(not all)(eq off) but now it sounds full, punchy, and not bloated. Even the mids and highs are now well refined and balanced. Perhaps the burn in period did some good as many suggested I do to better evaluate its full potential...boy I'm sooo very glad I did. I listen mostly to a variety of music on my iphone 4 during commute.
 
Very comfy to wear even with my glasses. My ears are small so it covers everything(good earmuff). Feels durable and stylish. It lowers the ambient noise to a degree but not entirely. The remote mic with music functions complements my phone very well which is good as I can make the phone hidden for security reasons yet enables me to easily answer calls and change volumes at a pinch. Overall, this is one of the best headphones I have tried and will remain so for a long time.    

 

[bandara]

i just got my pair of image one,and was a bit dissapointed at first but hmmm..they sound okay now! listend to White widow by big bud and now listening to Guajira Bonita (Peru) by Julian Avalos..and sound as pretty ..i like these!

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

 
Yeah, you should probably come tell us how these $150 MSRP headphones don't compare against your $300 MSRP hd25-1 ii's or your $370 MSRP ATH-ESW9's, because that sounds like a fair comparison.  The Klipsch definitely have shortcomings, but you're being unreasonable. 
 
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/DJ-headphones-HD%2025-1-high-attenuation-of-ambient-noise_502188
http://gizmodo.com/305218/audio-technicas-ath+esw9-cans-give-you-wood
 
In other news, Tiger Woods' mansion is nicer than my place, and a Porsche is a better car than a Kia.  Shocking, I know, try not to have a heart attack everyone.

um.  Ok.  How about this?  My ATH-M50 absolutely slaughters the Image One and they sell for a lot less.  So now we are comparing a Civic to a Lexus and the Civic wins hands down in every possible category except for looks and only because that is subjective.  I much prefer the look of the M50. 

 

[nyberroithur]

Quote:

Howdy folks. I'm new here and found this thread  and I thought I'd share my experience. After comparing this with other highly rated headphones at a local headphonebar on several listening sessions thankfully, IMHO, this is the winner and loving it more and more each day. However that was just at the beginning. I had the Klipsch Image One for 2 months and it sounded way better now. Initially the bass was overbearing for my taste on some tracks(not all)(eq off) but now it sounds full, punchy, and not bloated. Even the mids and highs are now well refined and balanced. Perhaps the burn in period did some good as many suggested I do to better evaluate its full potential...boy I'm sooo very glad I did. I listen mostly to a variety of music on my iphone 4 during commute.
 
Very comfy to wear even with my glasses. My ears are small so it covers everything(good earmuff). Feels durable and stylish. It lowers the ambient noise to a degree but not entirely. The remote mic with music functions complements my phone very well which is good as I can make the phone hidden for security reasons yet enables me to easily answer calls and change volumes at a pinch. Overall, this is one of the best headphones I have tried and will remain so for a long time.    

My exact same experience! They do need burn in time as there is a lot of booming bass for first couple of hours. 
I'm sometimes tired of IEM's and need to hear surrounding noises (such as train station or airport announcements, very useful

 )
IMHO they are a better compromise compared with open headphones that don't filter any noise at all.
I find that the Klipsch image One entirely fullfil this mission: nice laid back sound with good SQ, I can control iPhone and also still hear announcements.
 
Ok, I can't compare with other headphones with similar features and same price range...

 

[bandara]

same thing with me 19 hours later it has become better and not too over basy..its become much much tighter! pretty darn cool

 

[shnitz]

Quote:

um.  Ok.  How about this?  My ATH-M50 absolutely slaughters the Image One and they sell for a lot less.  So now we are comparing a Civic to a Lexus and the Civic wins hands down in every possible category except for looks and only because that is subjective.  I much prefer the look of the M50. 

Great, you're now comparing a full-size studio headphone to a barely-circumaural travel phone.  It's like comparing my $1,200 desktop to a $2,400 ultra-portable laptop and exclaiming how much better the desktop runs Adobe CS4.  The M50 cost more than the Klipsch if you are buying both locally.  Plus, I'm sorry but you look like a doofus walking around with M50's in public (to class, on the bus, down the street, on the subway, etc.) If you want a relatively unbiased review, read what I reviewed here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/531863/portable-headphone-shootout-akg-k518le-denon-ah-d310-and-ah-d510-jbl-430-klipsch-image-one
 
The Denon are larger, don't feel like they're as solid, and definitely don't look as good, but they sound better and are still portable.  However, Klipsch did what they could with the constraints they had: closed and very small cups.

 

[roker]

Gave it another shot on Sunday.
 
I'm sure being in the store as long as it's been, it's had more than enough time to burn in.
 
It's still muddy and bassy.
 
Ok, no more posts in this thread (unless they're addressed to me specifically.)
 
enjoy fellas.

 

[trikker]

Cool. A friend dj of mine love it already after burning it in overnight. I ask him to give it a try and said this is way better than his $300 headphone he's using.