[robm321]

Thanks! Much easier to read

 
I think we are mostly in agreement, overall. Possibly preferences can account for the difference. Also, I've read about the DT1350s sounding different from earlier releases to current ones. Not sure if that's true or not but just raising it as a possibility.
 
I agree that bass extension goes to the 1350 which I like. I feel the Amperior has more texture in the bass, but they both do bass really well. I tend to prefer the more neutral 1350 bass to the exaggerated Amperiors.
 
As to your question about the 1350s highs, they are not lacking or dark. I can't stand the dark sound, so I have to say the 1350s highs are just fine and extended but miss that sparkle. The area where I find missing information is the upper midrange and lower treble. In a vacuum, the 1350s sound great. It was only when I compared it to the Amperior that I realized there was a subdued nature which might account for the timbre difference.
 
One critical point that favors the Amperior is that they are easy to drive, so they can be amped or used straight out of the phone. While I wouldn't bother listening to the 1350s out of the phone. I really only appreciated them with when amped properly.

 

[miceblue]

I don't have long experience with the amperiors, but I tried to sweep a 20-20kHz signal through the HD-25 1 ii and I heard a very very strong peak between 7 and 8 kHz, I did the same with the DT1350s and the Audeze LCD-2 and to my ears they are fairly flat from the bottom to the top of the spectrum. This is also confirmed (to my ears obviously) when I listen to female voices, there is an horrible sibilance that I can't tolerate. I quickly auditioned the amperiors in a shop for half an hour and they had the same issue. I also compared the DT1350 and the HD-25 1 ii with my Genelec monitors, the DT1350 sounded almost the same in terms of frequency response, just a tad less high frequencies, the HD-25s definitely sounded ways brighter in comparison. Taking in account that the amperiors have the same drivers and the same cup shape I suppose they should have the same problem to my ears. Obviously this can be totally subjective (because of the ear canal resonances). What I think instead is an objective advantage of the DT1350 over the Amperior/HD-25 1 ii drivers is the amount of precise and clear sound that the DT1350s can deliver, even with orchestras the separation is great (this really amazes me), I can't say the same for the amperiors and the HD-25s. I also tested the timbre of my acoustic guitar through the DT1350, it does sound a bit closed, but definitely the timbre is there, almost like when I hear it naturally, I can say the same for violins that I know very well in "real life", but again this can be very subjective due to the ear canal/brain frequency response. However after reading many reviews and comparisons between the two types of headphones, I find my sensations well aligned to a significant amount of other people out there. I do like the punch and the timbre of the HD-25s and I reckon that they are a great achievement from Sennheiser, especially considering the fact that in a way or another they have been around now for almost two decades I think. I have to say that I also found to say the least "not serious" from Sennheiser the fact that for two times they just did cosmetic changes of the HD-25s without substantial improvement of the driver's technology and in the case of the Amperiors they basically doubled the price (this is ridiculous), I don't want even mention the Adidas version overpriced that way for some addition of ink and colour. I fear that this famous company is taking a direction that doesn't go towards sound quality improvement and research, I think we have to thank for this Dr. Dre & Co and their "sound doesn't count if my headphones are cool" market.

Well I can't make any comparisons to the DT1350, I must agree with these impressions. The Amperior is by no means a bad headphone from my experience, but far from being $350 cans in my honest opinion. The punchy bass was a bit overwhelming for my tastes, the mids' timbr seemed off to me with vocals sounding laid back and somewhat metallicy/hollow, and he highs were OMG piercing and sibilant. I can't think of a single headphone that can match the Amperior in sibilance.

Female vocals were sharp and almost unlistenable on my own portable rig (Sansa Clip Zip + FiiO E7), while the rest of the mids just...didn't sound right. Even at an Apple Store's test station, Maxwell's voice sounded so off and laid back. I say this and I'm coming from a "bass light, excessive treble" Shure SRH940; it was seriously that sibilant. :/

Should I put a price on the Amperior, I would say it would be worth $200. From my experience, the Amperior was extremely disappointing and even more so considering this product is from Sennheiser. At $350, this seems to be more of a fun urban can than an audiophile can in my honest opinion and I would almost always recommend an ATH-M50 over the Amperior for a beginner audiophile can, as the weird-sounding mids and sibilant highs were much too unbearable for me to recommend.

I apologize in advance for any typos, I'm typing this using an iTouch.

 

[Focker]

Quote:

 
 
One critical point that favors the Amperior is that they are easy to drive, so they can be amped or used straight out of the phone. While I wouldn't bother listening to the 1350s out of the phone. I really only appreciated them with when amped properly.

 
I haven't really found this to be an issue at all....the 1350s sound great from just my iPhone...they will scale up a bit with a good quality amp, but most of the time I'm just driving them from my iPhone. I'm glad the Amperiors are even easier to drive, though, cause I don't always want to have a portable amp with me when it comes to the headphones I take outside the home. 

 

[imackler]

Looking forward to the Amperiors arriving! Glad they're finally not Apple exclusive! 

 

[Duncan]

Has anyone tried the Amperior's with the HD25 velour pads? If so, do they cut down the viscious treble??
 
Thanks.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

Has anyone tried the Amperior's with the HD25 velour pads? If so, do they cut down the viscious treble??
 
Thanks.

IMO, if you really want to cut down the viscious treble, I suggest trying the UE6000.

 

[miceblue]

IMO, if you really want to cut down the viscious treble, I suggest trying the UE6000.

I whole heartily agree. I the UE6000 doesn't have as much treble extension compared to the Amperior, but it also doesn't have any treble peaks (Amperior has this nasty, in a bad way, sibilance issue for me).

If there's a local Apple Store near you, I would suggest trying it first-hand to see if you like the Amperior vs the UE6000.


Also, I didn't know the HD-25 had velour pads. The Amperior does by default.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

I whole heartily agree. I the UE6000 doesn't have as much treble extension compared to the Amperior

 
UE6000 has plenty of treble extension. But it only appears when called for, when it's on the recording. It doesn't paint treble on every recording like so many other headphones do.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Also, I didn't know the HD-25 had velour pads. The Amperior does by default.

 
Yes, the original HD25 pads are more fluffly than the ones on the Amperior (that appear more like pleather by comparison)...
 
I think I might swap them over on the weekend and see what happens...

 

[imackler]

Has anyone found a carrying case that they like for the Amperior?

 

[extrabigmehdi]

Quote:

Has anyone found a carrying case that they like for the Amperior?

It seems there are some standard case  for DJ headphones, you might get one of them:
http://www.udggear.com/shop/product.asp?pid=25

 

[clairyvic]

Is there alot of "s" sounds in the vocals due to sibilance?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Is there alot of "s" sounds in the vocals due to sibilance?

From my experienccccce yessss, there isssss a lot of sssssibilance. The sibilance really ruined the Amperior for me...I can't believe DJ's actually use such headphones (HD25) at loud volume levels. I actually feel sorry for their hearing.

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

From my experienccccce yessss, there isssss a lot of sssssibilance. The sibilance really ruined the Amperior for me...I can't believe DJ's actually use such headphones (HD25) at loud volume levels. I actually feel sorry for their hearing.

Purchase M-100 if you want the highs without the sibilance.

 

[MegaMushroom]

The sibilance is there for me, but it has mellowed out a bit since I got them.  I don't consider them any worse than my HFI-580s. Overall these have become my on the go can.