[Windsor]

Quote:

I finally got a chance to get to the Apple Store and demo the Amperiors and I was not impressed.  As a long time HD 25-1 II owner, I thought perhaps the lower impedance of the Amperior would offer ampless the sound of the HD 25-1 II with an amp, which I believe is Sennheiser's intention, thus the name:  Amp-erior.  This was not the case however and the Amperior to my ears displays the same muddiness that the HD 25-1 II suffers without an amp.  That's not to say that the Amperior sounds bad, but I believe one's money is better spent buying the HD 25-1 II and an amp. Along with the much cheaper price for the headphones, the higher impedance of the HD 25-1 II means that they will see more power from the additional voltage offered by an amp than the Amperior would.  For those interested in the quality of the sound, I believe the HD 25-1 II with an amp will always better the Amperior, aluminum capsules and smooth velour pads notwithstanding.  YMMV.

 
About a year ago when I was in an Apple store, I had my HD 25-1 with me, and just out of curiosity I thought I'd try the HD 25-II that was on display in the Apple store. To my surprise the HD 25-II sounded muddy and boomy next my well-used HD 25-1 which sounded much clearer and refined (both were fitted with pleather pads and stock cables), so my guess is that brand new HD 25-II's - though they sound good straight out of the box - require some burn-in to sound at their best. 
 
I won't comment on amping, and FYI: I used the above headphones straight out of my iPhone. 

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

 
About a year ago when I was in an Apple store, I had my HD 25-1 with me, and just out of curiosity I thought I'd try the HD 25-II that was on display in the Apple store. To my surprise the HD 25-II sounded muddy and boomy next my well-used HD 25-1 which sounded much clearer and refined (both were fitted with pleather pads and stock cables), so my guess is that brand new HD 25-II's - though they sound good straight out of the box - require some burn-in to sound at their best. 

 
The HD 25-1 and HD 25-1 II are identical headphones - so I guess you are correct about the burn-in.
 
The only difference between the Mk.I and Mk.II was the cable and packaging - the Mk.II cable was 0.3m longer for the -1 version and also came with a screw-on ¼" adaptor, rather than a push-on one.

 

[Windsor]

Quote:

 
The HD 25-1 and HD 25-1 II are identical headphones - so I guess you are correct about the burn-in.
 
The only difference between the Mk.I and Mk.II was the cable and packaging - the Mk.II cable was 0.3m longer for the -1 version and also came with a screw-on ¼" adaptor, rather than a push-on one.

 
I found the sound difference really surprising, John - the well-used 25-1 and brand new 25-II almost sounded like different headphones.
 
Thanks for the info on the -1 and -II similarities - I was more than happy with my -1's push-on adapter and L-ended cable. The HD-25 is such an excellent headphone. 

 

[John Willett]

Quote:

 
Thanks for the info on the -1 and -II similarities - I was more than happy with my -1's push-on adapter and L-ended cable. The HD-25 is such an excellent headphone. 

 
The Mk.II version of the -1 also has a rt.angled connector - just that it's slightly longer and has a screw-on adaptor.
 
The Mk.II versions are:-
HD 25-1 II  -  70Ω - 1.5m steel cable with rt.angled connector and screw-on ¼" adaptor
HD 25 II  -  70Ω - 2m steel cable with straight connector and screw-on ¼" adaptor
HD 25-C II  -  70Ω - 3m coiled copper cable with straight connector and screw-on ¼" adaptor
HD 25-13 II  -  600Ω - 3m steel cable with straight ¼" connector

 

[Windsor]

I just created a video review of the Sennheiser Amperior. Here it is:
 

 

 

[Sennheiser]

Looks like you had fun at the beach. Thanks for the video review, Windsor! 

 

[anexanhume]

Just picked up a blue pair (only pair of either color) from my local apple store. Initial impressions are that I love the look of them (my wife thinks they're ugly

). After 15 minutes of listening, I find them to be very comfortable with no pressure points. My head is rather large, as I wear a 7 1/2 hat size.
 
Driving them directly from an iPhone 4S which obviously isn't a problem with the low impedance.
 
Initial sound impression is very good, but we'll see how much they change as they burn-in. The thing that jumps out at me is how textured the percussion sounds. I don't have enough experience to qualify the balance or quality of the highs mids or lows (my only other pair of headphones has been the Audio Technica ATH-A700's) but I'm very pleased so far.
 

 

[jabz]

Hi I'm tossing up whether to get the Amperior or the Parrot Zik,  both are similar pricing here, i.e. very expensive.  And both have ability to work with Phones for calls.
 
I'm no audiophile, I like nice clean treble (not screechy) and a good low punchy bass more preference on the bass.  I use a iPhone 4S and a Samsung S3.
 
I like the portability, noise cancelling ability and EQ ability of the Zik.  However if the Amperior sounds a LOT better then I'm willing to give up the NC and wireless ability for the Amperior's inline remote with Mic.
 
I don't know if these have been compared in terms of sound, since they are in different categories.
Help please, I can only afford 1 and have narrowed down to these 2 choices.
 
Driver specs I've put together..

Driver	Parrot Zik	Sennheiser Amperior
Frequency Response:	10Hz-20kHz	16 - 22KHz
Driver Type:	Diaphragm	Diaphragm
Driver Size:	40mm	36mm
Sound Pressure Level:	110 dB per volt to 1kHz	120dB per volt to 1kHz
Impedance:	32 Ohms	18 Ohms
THD:	<0.1% at 1khz, 90 dBspl	<0.3% at 1kHz, 100dB)

 

[MegaMushroom]

Quote:

I'm no audiophile, I like nice clean treble (not screechy) and a good low punchy bass more preference on the bass.  I use a iPhone 4S and a Samsung S3.
 
I like the portability, noise cancelling ability and EQ ability of the Zik.  However if the Amperior sounds a LOT better then I'm willing to give up the NC and wireless ability for the Amperior's inline remote with Mic.
 

 
I can vouch for punch bass and nice treble on these.  After many hours I think the treble has finally settled down a bit.  These things are pretty sweet now in all frequencies.  Smallish soundstage, but that is kinda expected in closed back headphones. 

 

[milkpowder]

In which case the treble on mine is still on the "screechy" side. I've just done two multi-leg long haul flights in the past week and found the Amperiors average overall for this sort of usage. It's not comfortable enough to use for more than 4 hours or so due to the clamp (I don't have a big head), and the sound signature is fatiguing. I've put that down to the upper mods which remind me of what I felt when I owned my first pair of Grado SR325is. Its not as bright, thankfully. In contrast, my fellow Bose-totting travellers had a solid 10 hour on-head period, which makes me think why audiophile companies don't make headphones which are as comfy and compact for travellers. Who listens analytically on the plane, anyway.

 

[Speakerphile]

Quote:

Hi I'm tossing up whether to get the Amperior or the Parrot Zik,  both are similar pricing here, i.e. very expensive.  And both have ability to work with Phones for calls.
 
I'm no audiophile, I like nice clean treble (not screechy) and a good low punchy bass more preference on the bass.  I use a iPhone 4S and a Samsung S3.
 
I like the portability, noise cancelling ability and EQ ability of the Zik.  However if the Amperior sounds a LOT better then I'm willing to give up the NC and wireless ability for the Amperior's inline remote with Mic.
 
I don't know if these have been compared in terms of sound, since they are in different categories.
Help please, I can only afford 1 and have narrowed down to these 2 choices.
 
Driver specs I've put together..

Driver	Parrot Zik	Sennheiser Amperior
Frequency Response:	10Hz-20kHz	16 - 22KHz
Driver Type:	Diaphragm	Diaphragm
Driver Size:	40mm	36mm
Sound Pressure Level:	110 dB per volt to 1kHz	120dB per volt to 1kHz
Impedance:	32 Ohms	18 Ohms
THD:	<0.1% at 1khz, 90 dBspl	<0.3% at 1kHz, 100dB)

 
 
Personally I would get the PSB M4U2 over the Zik.  The Zik probably has a little deeper bass than Amperior, but the Amperior has superior sound in every other way.  Think of the Zik as a great "gadget" headphone, but audio quality was clearly not of great importance and is not on par with ANY headphones in its price range.  From a portability standpoint, the Amperior is in a completely different class that both the Zik and PSB, no surprise there.  To me, The PSB and Amperior sound different, but I am not sure which one I prefer.  Both great cans, but you should probably decide based on which pair you'd prefer lugging around.  
 
BTW, yes I have listened to all three of these and had considerable time with each.
 
Rank
 
(Overall Audio)
1. PSB
2. Amperior(Really close here)
3. Zik
 
 
(Bass)
1. PSB
2. Amperior(more accurate, but not as deep as the PSB, so use your own preference here)
3. Zik
 
 
(Mids)
1. PSB
2. Amperior
3. Zik
 
 
(Treble)
1. Amperior
2. PSB
3. Zik
 
 
(Portability)
1. Amperior
2. PSB
3. Zik

 

[Craigster75]

+1 regarding the M4U2 over Zik and Amperior
 

 

[dallan]

Here at the apple store, they say these came in a week or two back, finally.  I was looking for them around two months ago and they thought i was crazy.  They sound good, i have never heard the 25s but i like the way these sound.  When the momentum comes out i will have to compare.  Sadly it is loud here and just straight out of their ipod with i am sure low bit rate.  Who knows but i was pleasantly surprised.

 

[impermanente]

Last week I went in an apple store with my Cowon D2, my Fiio E5 and my beloved Beyer DT1350s. There I found different headphones, Dr. dre and Co, but also the new sennheiser Amperior, so I immediately compared them with the DT1350...well I confirm the DT1350 as the king of the portable headphones, this little cans are just unbelievable for the amount of resolution that they can deliver, by this I mean the possibility to distinguish between different instruments and voices and the absolutely absence of muffled sound even for the most complex music. In my opinion this is a true technological achievement for such a little can, I own the Beyer T70p and although they are good in resolution, they just can't compete with the DT1350s. The same comparison with the D7000 is again in favour of the little ones, simply unbelievable!
With the sennheiser there is no comparison here, to my ears the Amperior are still piercing my eardrum they are still sloppy on the massive amount of bass they deliver, just like the HD25. Female voices are sibilant like hell and overall they still sound quite muffled with complex acoustic music. I am not saying they are bad headphones, they are vastly better than the ridiculous Dr dre, but I can't hear any high-end coming from this cans, I have to totally disagree with Tyll, I thought me and him had similar frequency response according to his reviews and my listening, so I don't know how can be possible that that piercing sound from the Amperiors doesn't annoy Tyll just like it does for me. Also I consider the resolution of the amperior just like an average not expensive headphone.
 
P.S. also regarding the DT1350 I still cannot find an headphone that has such a tight, deep, punchy and definite bass (once positioned properly obviously), the bass of the DT1350it is simply superb...but soon I'll get some Audeze LC2 so I'll see if it is possible to beat the DT1350!
 
P.S. II they hurt like hell!!!

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Wow I know everyone's hearing is different I have not yet heard the Amperior but got to listen to HD-25-ii's last week and feel that they are not that harsh or sloppy on bass as you say.  The dt1350's are good but I can recognize they are artificial in the mids which may on the surface make them sound edgier and lively in comparison.  Then again based on what I've heard the dt1350's sound can vary wildly from pair to pair.