[Firestarter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graz Lots of folks have been in exactly your position (including myself) looking for sealed, well-isolating, portable cans that sound good & have a fairly low geek factor when walking around town. The choices are fairly limited in this regard actually. I've tried most of what's out there, and if I had it to do all over again I'd drop the bucks for the hd25-1 again in a heartbeat. I've yet to hear anything that beats them given the criteria. IMHO, it's either the hd25-1 or go with some IEM's. Peace, Graz

I've been looking for these kind of headphones for a long time and this seems to be the consensus of Head-Fi (take that, puny wallet!). Did those 25-1's have a stock cable? 25-1 owners report a huge improvement with OFC cables

 

[MikoLayer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graz Well, I went out shopping tonight and listened to some akg 26. Here are some quick impressions... - The headband adjustment is a little strange, but once you understand how it works it's no big deal. - They're small...much smaller than they look in the photos. - They isolate well. - They have seriously kickin' bass...you won't be missing your beloved 280's too much in this department. - The highs sound rolled off quite a bit to me. Some EQ would probably help this, but it is a deficiency in my mind. - Again, for the price I think there may not be a better sealed/closed, portable headphone. In the "under $50 category", these may be about as good as it gets right now. - Clamping force is a little high, but overall pretty comfy for a supra-aural. - They seem fairly durable. I also brought hd25-1 with me for comparison. These pretty much kicked butt on the 26's in the sound quality department with a much more balanced sound (but at approx. $200 retail, they better!). The hd25 are overall somewhat larger, non-foldable, and not quite as comfy. The hd25's clamping force is higher and they do get a bit uncomfortable after about an hour or so. Lots of folks have been in exactly your position (including myself) looking for sealed, well-isolating, portable cans that sound good & have a fairly low geek factor when walking around town. The choices are fairly limited in this regard actually. I've tried most of what's out there, and if I had it to do all over again I'd drop the bucks for the hd25-1 again in a heartbeat. I've yet to hear anything that beats them given the criteria. IMHO, it's either the hd25-1 or go with some IEM's. Peace, Graz

Two questions...
1) how do IEMs compare to HD25-1 or 26P SQ wise? I am particularly interested in E4C and super.fi 5 pro.
2) do HD25-1 or 26P isolate well enough, say for an airplane ride?

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikoLayer Two questions... 1) how do IEMs compare to HD25-1 or 26P SQ wise? I am particularly interested in E4C and super.fi 5 pro. 2) do HD25-1 or 26P isolate well enough, say for an airplane ride?

If you intend to use the headphones on a plane, IEM's are always preferable -> smaller and lighter, and you can rest your head with them on (less so with the Superfi's)

I prefer full sized headphones overall, they have better soundstaging (less in your head), more impact, more completeness in the frequency range.

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestarter I've been looking for these kind of headphones for a long time and this seems to be the consensus of Head-Fi (take that, puny wallet!). Did those 25-1's have a stock cable? 25-1 owners report a huge improvement with OFC cables

Absolutely improve a lot with better cable. But any OFC cable with senn plugs (that fit) will do. (i.e you don't need an expensive aftermarket cable)

When I was was listening to my speakers last night that are very grado sounding,(They remind me a lot of the SR-60s. Very forward higher mids.) I found a new appreciation for my HD25-1s. Even compared to my MS-1s they are silkier sounding, less scratchy sound. Also less detailed in some bits but overall comparable in soundquality. Because they do some things much better.

To the OP,
You have the SR60s so know what they sound like. I'm going from memory of the Sr60 sound and the sound of my MS-1s to try to explain what the HD25-1s sound like.
They have the same sort of forward sound but a lot more neutral. The forwardness in the SR60s is a bit much, the HD25s do it just right. The bass is also better because it's less boomy but present and goes deeper.
I'd say they are a more neutral closed grado that sound a bit less grainy/scratchy.

Maybe you should consider spending a bit more to get what you need instead of experimenting with cheaper models and losing money along the way...

 

[apotek]

any ideas about v6???its preaty cheap and I seen many headfiers recomending it...I don't mind going for senn hd-25 but this is going to be used outside..like when I travel,or go to park,stuff like that..it doesn't have to be portable but has to be transportable...I mean I really don't wanna go to 200 dollars range...I would try to stay under 100..plus I have my ety's for that...its just that I don't like using Plugs all the time,and of course the soundstage...

so any coments about v6 for my needs????

 

[Firestarter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apotek any ideas about v6???its preaty cheap and I seen many headfiers recomending it...I don't mind going for senn hd-25 but this is going to be used outside..like when I travel,or go to park,stuff like that..it doesn't have to be portable but has to be transportable...I mean I really don't wanna go to 200 dollars range...I would try to stay under 100..plus I have my ety's for that...its just that I don't like using Plugs all the time,and of course the soundstage... so any coments about v6 for my needs????

well i can't comment on the V6's except that you'll probably like the HD 25-1's better. if the price-tag scares you, it's a good idea to try and buy them second hand. i've seen them change hands on ebay for 80-100 USD.

 

[apotek]

are you talking about the hd-25 sp or the hd-25??there is a quite diffirence..but I am not sure which one?

 

[Firestarter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apotek are you talking about the hd-25 sp or the hd-25??there is a quite diffirence..but I am not sure which one?

there are 3 version of the 25's

HD 25-1: the ones you want and the ones we're talking about
HD 25-13: 600ohm studio version
HD 25-SP: cheap version you don't want

 

[Graz]

HD25-1 is the way to go out of the three HD25 flavors. The SP's are not in the same league (not even close).

BTW, apotek...I have to confess to being somewhat confused by you at this point. If the V6's are looking like a possible logical choice, then why not just stick with the 280's? After all, the thread title was "Please help me find a portable hd-280pro"...the mdr-v6 aren't that much more portable really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestarter I've been looking for these kind of headphones for a long time and this seems to be the consensus of Head-Fi (take that, puny wallet!). Did those 25-1's have a stock cable? 25-1 owners report a huge improvement with OFC cables

The hd25-1's I'm using have been modified to use a stock hd650 cable like this:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=110867

Peace,

Graz

 

[apotek]

well I don't know if you ever tried hd-280pro's but they are huge in size..I don't wanna walk around with that on my head.thats why I am looking for portable...and to tell the truth i never seen a person on the street with those cans..but i have seen alot with v6's and hd-25's..its not of a big deal walking around with those...I hope this will clear your confusion...

on the other hand the hd-25 that you are talking about..the one that you recomend..where can i find them??i've seen the hd-25 sp and hd-25 on headroom..I haven't seen the hd25i yet..how much would that cost me with cable upgrade...and would it be easy to drive straight from a hd player..or any portable player???i can spend the money if it is worth it..

thank you very much all of you trying to help me....

 

[Lisa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apotek on the other hand the hd-25 that you are talking about..the one that you recomend..where can i find them??i've seen the hd-25 sp and hd-25 on headroom..I haven't seen the hd25i yet..how much would that cost me with cable upgrade...and would it be easy to drive straight from a hd player..or any portable player???i can spend the money if it is worth it.. thank you very much all of you trying to help me....

It's HD25-1, not 25i. The HD25-1 is often called the HD25. At headroom it's 199$. If you can find them somewhere cheaper or better yet get them used that would save you a lot of money.

They are very easy to drive from a portable and don't need an amp to sound good. You can always try them with the standard cable and if you like them enough keep it at that. You can upgrade later to a HD580 cable. There are some pretty nice mods floating around to make the cable one sided even. Just do a search for HD25 ofc cable in the headphones forum.

Oh and saint.panda has made a VERY NICE review of a lot of closed headphones. Do a search for that. It has even got pictures to show how big every phone looks on a head.

 

[apotek]

thanks for bunch to all of you.....

i think i will go for HD25-1...and we'll see..