[iceblink]

I've had the adidas edition of the HD25 II's for about three years and the cord is starting to go. I love them to death, however replacing the blue cord will cost around $90 from senn. My gf works at best buy and I noticed they have a decent selection online and we have around $100 in credit in addition to the employee discount. I am looking for the next step up from the HD25 II's and am really not sure what to get. I live in Chicago and take my headphones with me everywhere and am frequently on the bus/train and I liked the amount of isolation the HD25's had. I also primarily listen to metal (Animals as Leaders, Gojira, Intronaut, Mastodon, etc). Any suggestions?

 

[SteveHiFi]

If you can stomach a black cable on the Adidas headphones these are a bit cheaper (spare part code 523874).
 
Regarding upgrades, are you wanting to stick with on-ears such as the Adidases (Adidi?) or go full size? Also what bitrate is your music? Metal with low bitrates and a basic player with high-end headphones may not lead to an improvement. You'll get a more accurate picture of the rest of your equipment's limitations. The HD25 is still a current and popular headphone, if you don't want to keep them you can sell them and put the money towards any upgrade.
 

 

[moriez]

I second getting the black cable as replacement. Another headphone obviously very close to the HD-25 is the Amperior. A clear step up to my ears. Just tighter, like a facelift but with desirable results. Try and audition it.

 

[iceblink]

Typically 320 through an iphone 5 or macbook. I'm not opposed to keeping them with a different cord, however I thought I might be able to get something even nicer. I'm not picky as far as size, I like on and over ear.

 

[SteveHiFi]

As suggested, you might give the Amperior a try. Or perhaps go in-ear? 320 bitrates are not likely to cause any quality problems, just the content. Some Metallica is really hard for me to listen to for instance, the kick drum on 'Cyanide' makes me want to take the real stuff

 

[iceblink]

Lol I hear you there, I can't stand metallica either. I'm more so into recent stuff that's more jazz and progressive rock inspired. Yeah I had looked into amperiors as well as the new aluminum edition but figured for 350 I might be able to find something in the 400 range that would be better given the best buy discount and credit I wouldn't actually pay a lot out of pocket.

 

[SteveHiFi]

I've had a look at what they have - try the PSB M4U1 for £299, there's also the M4U2 with noise cancelling at £399, you may benefit from the NC if on buses and trains a lot.
 
I've tried the M4U2 (with NC off) and they're amazing. try them if you get the chance.