Sennheiser Amperior, HD 25, or Beyerdynamic DT 1350?
Jun 12, 2015 at 1:20 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

heeydude123

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be using these on commutes, libraries, stuff like that) while still retaining good sound quality and the capability to monitor for recording, so I guess I'd prefer a more neutral sound.
 
this will be my first purchase of good quality headphones. a while back, though, my friend lent me her ATH-M50. I really liked the sound. my only complaint is I found the bass a little overwhelming and they're too big to wear on the street.
 
so I've narrowed down my choices to the headphones mentioned in the title. I've been looking at the reviews for these for quite a while, and I know that the best way to know which one I really want is to audition them, but that's a problem because it's hard to find these models available for testing here in the Philippines. that's why I thought maybe you guys could help me. I was leaning towards the DT1350, but I've read a lot of complaints about comfort and that long hair, which I have, might get snagged in the headband. 
 
if it's any help, some of my favorite artists include:
 
Radiohead
Miles Davis
My Bloody Valentine
Marvin Gaye
R.E.M.
David Bowie
The Replacements
Big Star
John Coltrane
The Strokes
Elliott Smith
Pixies
The Cure
 
if you want to suggest headphones other than the ones I listed, my budget is around $300. thanks in advance!
 
Jun 13, 2015 at 7:55 AM Post #2 of 8
I haven't heard the DT1350, but have owned both the Senns you're talking about and I would personally go for the HD-25 1 II or HD-25 Aluminium over the Amperior - not least because the latter is discontinued and you'd have to pick one up used, unless any stores still have old stock. I also feel the Amp has a slightly brasher, less refined sound than the HD-25 Alu, lacking the definition of the latter, which also has a smoother treble. On the other hand, one thing the Amperior has going for it is a lower impedance rating, which makes it easier to drive out of a mobile device. I really don't think it makes much of a difference if you're using a decent DAP as your source, but a friend of mine found he couldn't drive my HD-25s to sufficient volume out of his smart phone whereas the Amperior posed no such problem, so he opted for that at the time.
 
If you're interested in a headphone for monitoring purposes as well, I'd say the HD-25 is on the neutral side compared with a lot of other headphones in the same class, but it's not entirely neutral: it has a boosted bass response (although not as much as the M50X you mention). Personally, I find that makes it a fun listen and a versatile can, working well for most contemporary genres like rock and electronic, but there might be more neutral on-ears out there - quite possibly the DT1350.
 
Jun 13, 2015 at 9:19 AM Post #3 of 8
thanks for your insight! someone also commented in the other thread that I started (I mistakenly opened a thread in the portable headphones section before this one) that they owned all three, and that they preferred the amperiors and the HD25s over the DT1350.
 
I also read Tyll Hertsens' review on inner fidelity and it said that the Amperiors and the Aluminums are essentially the same. but if the Aluminums gives a smoother sound unlike the ATH-M50s which I found too lively at times (not that that's bad, but I wish there was a better sense of space or flow in the sound), then I'm all for it! hopefully other people can also chime in :) I realize that asking for on-ear headphones with good soundstage is a pipe dream, though, so that's that.
 
the person on the other thread also said that I might want to check out the Thinksound On1, and I've read many reviews about it. it seems to be more what I'm looking for. again, I can't test them out so I'm hoping someone can share their experience with them.
 
random question: how much do amps affect sound? I know that it depends on the headphones, but I want to know how much of a difference they make when using the ones I mentioned. I'm also concerned about portability and if it's not too uncomfortable to walk around with my phone and a portable amp in my pocket.
 
Jun 13, 2015 at 9:31 AM Post #4 of 8
I have the DT1350 and blue Amperiors.
I let others use the Sennheisers at work, no one is allowed to touch the Beyers.
 
I still haven't heard a better on ear portable, and was disappointed with the Amperior,
the bass is overblown and sounds very dark and rolled off. I prefer a flat sound.
 
Jun 13, 2015 at 9:55 AM Post #6 of 8
@heeydude123 No problem, always happy to share my experiences with headphones I've owned. I'd be really interested in hearing the DT1350 - hope to find somewhere local with it on demo! I also read what Innerfidelity had to say with regards to the HD-25 Alu being essentially the same as the Amperior, but it sounds different enough to me that I would like to see some evidence that it uses the same driver and construction and I haven't been able to find that anywhere.
 
As for amps, you'll no doubt find plenty of people on here waxing lyrical about headphone + amp synergies and how each combination affects the sound of a particular hp; I'm more about practicality. High impedance headphones are going to require more voltage swing to get to a decent listening level so will require a good amp, but I don't think any of the headphones we're talking about here would necessarily need it. Certainly not the Amperiors - some might argue that the HD-25s would benefit from a small portable amp if used with a potentially weak source such as a smart phone, and I'd probably go along with that.
 
@KT66 I wouldn't call the Amperiors very dark, but agree that the bass response is a tad boomy, especially compared with the HD-25 Alu.
 
Jun 13, 2015 at 12:29 PM Post #7 of 8
do you find them comfortable enough to wear for a few hours? I wear glasses and some people say that glasses make wearing the DT1350 uncomfortable. 


That's really going to depend on the person (what they judge as uncomfortable), individual head shape/size, and the type of glasses (do the arms go straight out or curve behind the ears?). I wear glasses, and I don't notice problems with wearing headphones with my glasses the way others report, and it wasn't a problem with the DT1350s for me. You'll just have to try them to find out for sure.
 
Jun 14, 2015 at 1:49 AM Post #8 of 8
again that's going to be difficult but I'm going around the city today to check some shops. none of them carry beyerdynamics but for some reason, they don't list some of the brands that they carry on their websites. I've also found a place to try the HD25s.
 
I've also been considering going on a different direction. I might be able to save enough money by next month to buy a ~$300 headphone for home use and a ~$100 IEM for portable use. I've been looking at the Fidelio X2 (it seems that from the reviews I'd prefer the HD600s more, but I don't want to spend another $100 on amps and such) and the Hifiman RE-400.
 
what do you think?
 
edit: I've read that the RE-400 suffers from poor build quality and most lasted only 3 months until either the cables gave out or the sound cut out from the earphone. does anybody know anything that compete in its price range?
 

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