[QusayM]

Have you tried HD250 with tubes ? Well, even HD250 can sometimes be overly bright with some music.

Oh sorry, I forgot to respond to your question.

I tried the HD250 on an OTL tubes amplifier (Less accurate, warmer and more musical) and on a vintage receiver (Akai) and on a moder HPM (Topping L30ii). Yes, they tend to be brighter on the last two amplifier but more accurate with slightly more controlled bass.

Which amplifier do you use?

 

[QusayM]

Last year ZMF came up with a patented damping system (ADS) that has been in the Atrium open, Auteur classic, Caldera and now the Atrium closed. The ADS gives each of these headphones an amazing sense of a 3D soundstage, allowing the mids, highs and bass extra room to breathe. So, while the HD250 is a brighter headphone with more treble energy, I do not feel that the resolution is better on the HD250.
The mids are relaxed on the AC vs HD250, which has more upper mid energy, but again the ADS give the mids on the AC extra room in the stage so they can be focused on better by the listened if needed.
All of that being said, like the HD250, the bass of the AC is the star of the show. When I'm using the HD250 I rarely listen to midrange focused music genres. I have the K240 sextetts for mids as well as other ZMF headphones that are more mid-centric. Similarly I don't use the sextetts for bass intensive music either.

In my headphone collection I have go to headphones for specific genres:

K240 sextetts, Atrium open, Auteur for rock, metal, blues, americana
Verite open,Verite closed, K701 for extra staging
Caldera for transparency, speed and accuracy
HD250, Atrium closed for bass centric music like EDM, trance, reggae
I feel that except for the K701 and K240 sextetts, all of my other headphones do a pretty good job of being all-arounders, including the HD250 and the AC.


Don't get me wrong, the HD250 remains one of my favorite headphones ever, but its role in my collection as the Top Dog for bass, it has been replaced by the Atrium closed.

If you're inclined, I discuss the HD250 in my review of the Atrium closed.

I have just watch your review. Interesting indeed. You made my want to try those headphones. Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive and I doubt I will be able to listen to them at some point.

The thing is, it doesn't surprise me sincr the ZMF is built with modern technology.

By the way, are ZMF headphones dynamic or planar?

 

[NickT23]

Oh sorry, I forgot to respond to your question.

I tried the HD250 on an OTL tubes amplifier (Less accurate, warmer and more musical) and on a vintage receiver (Akai) and on a moder HPM (Topping L30ii). Yes, they tend to be brighter on the last two amplifier but more accurate with slightly more controlled bass.

Which amplifier do you use?

ZMF is for rich people and its dynamic. I like ZMF personally. Which OTL tube ? Were you blown away when pair HD250 with OTL ? Is your impression similar to 'MonsterZero' ?

I use THX 789 and Cayin IHA-6. Both sounds exactly the same when do true a/b test regardless of output impedance. Have not tested tubes yet.

 

[QusayM]

ZMF is for rich people and its dynamic. I like ZMF personally. Which OTL tube ? Were you blown away when pair HD250 with OTL ? Is your impression similar to 'MonsterZero' ?

I use THX 789 and Cayin IHA-6. Both sounds exactly the same when do true a/b test regardless of output impedance. Have not tested tubes yet.

How did you get the chance to listen to ZMF headphones? Do you think that they are similar to Sennheizer headphones in some ways?

Objectively speaking, to me ears, the high frequencies are a bit more contained, the law frequencies are more elevated. From the the subjective aspect, the midrange is more alive and smooth and the overall sound is more musical. I wouldn't say they sound better on OTL tubes amplifier but different and I do prefer them on OTL personally although I enjoyed listening to them on a transistors amplifier as well. Another noticeable difference is that the OTL tubes add more space to the soundstage.

What do I use? I used to have the Xudoo TA-26 and now I have a hand-made OTL tubes amplifier from
https://www.cerntube.com/ (you can see a picture of it in my first post here three pages backwards).

Wow, I have heard that the Cayin IHA-6 is a very serious amplifier!


If you have the chance, you should definitely try the HD250 on an OTL! I have got the feeling that you will like them. If you were to live nearby I would invite you to try them with my amplifier.

 

[NickT23]

How did you get the chance to listen to ZMF headphones? Do you think that they are similar to Sennheizer headphones in some ways?

Objectively speaking, to me ears, the high frequencies are a bit more contained, the law frequencies are more elevated. From the the subjective aspect, the midrange is more alive and smooth and the overall sound is more musical. I wouldn't say they sound better on OTL tubes amplifier but different and I do prefer them on OTL personally although I enjoyed listening to them on a transistors amplifier as well. Another noticeable difference is that the OTL tubes add more space to the soundstage.

What do I use? I used to have the Xudoo TA-26 and now I have a hand-made OTL tubes amplifier from
https://www.cerntube.com/ (you can see a picture of it in my first post here three pages backwards).

Wow, I have heard that the Cayin IHA-6 is a very serious amplifier!


If you have the chance, you should definitely try the HD250 on an OTL! I have got the feeling that you will like them. If you were to live nearby I would invite you to try them with my amplifier.

I have no chance. By buying on classified. Only own Aeolus and Aeutuer use to. They have only one planar. And yes, poor people like me somewhat able to get my hands on it, long story. Lets pm if possible. This is HD250 Linear 1 thread.

Will do soon, tq. Do you feel like more expensive OTL will scale with HD250 Linear 1 ?

 

[Monsterzero]

I have just watch your review. Interesting indeed. You made my want to try those headphones. Unfortunately, they are extremely expensive and I doubt I will be able to listen to them at some point.

The thing is, it doesn't surprise me sincr the ZMF is built with modern technology.

By the way, are ZMF headphones dynamic or planar?

The Caldera is the only planar ZMF currently. The rest of their lineup are dynamic drivers.

Objectively speaking, to me ears, the high frequencies are a bit more contained, the law frequencies are more elevated. From the the subjective aspect, the midrange is more alive and smooth and the overall sound is more musical. I wouldn't say they sound better on OTL tubes amplifier but different and I do prefer them on OTL personally although I enjoyed listening to them on a transistors amplifier as well. Another noticeable difference is that the OTL tubes add more space to the soundstage.

If your Akai sounds like mine then it has a neutral sound signature, as does the THX 789. For me personally I prefer warmer amps for the HD250. Violectric or a warmer vintage receiver like a Sansui or a Marantz. But as mentioned above, to my ears an OTL is the the way to audio nirvana for the HD250, but one will have to choose tubes carefully.
Some GEC, Mullard or RCA 6AS7Gs and some Ken Rad in the driver seat will get you a hard hitting warm sound that will tame the upper mids a bit.

 

[QusayM]

I have no chance. By buying on classified. Only own Aeolus and Aeutuer use to. They have only one planar. And yes, poor people like me somewhat able to get my hands on it, long story. Lets pm if possible. This is HD250 Linear 1 thread.

Will do soon, tq. Do you feel like more expensive OTL will scale with HD250 Linear 1 ?

Regarding your question. I have only owned two OTL amplifiers. The Xudoo and the Cern, which is hand-made. Yes, there is a noticeable difference between the two but I could enjoy the HD250 on both.

 

[QusayM]

The Caldera is the only planar ZMF currently. The rest of their lineup are dynamic drivers.

If your Akai sounds like mine then it has a neutral sound signature, as does the THX 789. For me personally I prefer warmer amps for the HD250. Violectric or a warmer vintage receiver like a Sansui or a Marantz. But as mentioned above, to my ears an OTL is the the way to audio nirvana for the HD250, but one will have to choose tubes carefully.
Some GEC, Mullard or RCA 6AS7Gs and some Ken Rad in the driver seat will get you a hard hitting warm sound that will tame the upper mids a bit.

I tend to agree with you. Slightly warmer amplifiers are the way to go when it comes to the HD250 although they are still enjoyable on neutral sound amplifier.

 

[Saberpunch]

Just got the Sennheiser HD250 Linear 1 today. This headphone is seriously really good, especially for something out of the 80s to last this long. The version I got is supposedly got is the 600 Ohm version and the black driver. I basically got someone HD250 from this thread, but I am probably the third owner. I love seeing things sold in the audio market just show up years later in their original place, this thread for this case. I bought this headphone through sheer curiosity because a lot of people talked about how great its bass is, but honestly, the bass is not even my favorite thing about the headphone. I came for the bass, but stayed for the HD250's fantastic clarity, and yet the music still remains natural sounding and organic to my ears. Unlike some other headphones I tried in the past that has good clarity and details, but sounded so unnatural to me. Looking forward to many more listening hours with the HD250! If you are reading this thread in 2023 or beyond and is wondering if you should try these headphones, I say go for it! You will regret not getting this headphone because this headphone is certainly one of a kind even 30 years later.

 

[Monsterzero]

The version I got is supposedly got is the 600 Ohm version and the black driver.

Look on the cup, under the bracket and you will see which version it is.
I still have mine and at one time it was my favorite headphone, but the AC does what the HD250 does and does it better, of course for just a couple bucks more.
For 75 bucks shipped, it remains one of the best bargains I've ever scored in this hobby.

Enjoy!

 

[NickT23]

Well, mine does not sounds natural at all. Artificial and bright. Maybe because hook up on solid state.

 

[Monsterzero]

Well, mine does not sounds natural at all. Artificial and bright. Maybe because hook up on solid state.

An OTL amp is the way with the HD250, or if that's out of the budget, pickup an old solid state vintage receiver from Sansui or Marantz, both of which made warm sounding receivers.
If you're running it from a modern HP amp that has a 0.001 THD, then yeah I can see where it might come off as bright.

 

[Saberpunch]

Well, mine does not sounds natural at all. Artificial and bright. Maybe because hook up on solid state.

I think my setup also helps a lot in making the headphone sound organic. To me, the HD250 is a really solid neutral headphone. Tried different pads and the headphone did get a little too bright for me, so pads might be a factor on helping it stay neutral. On my setup, I have a R2R DAC going through a chains of tubes, including 45 tubes which does wonder with vocals. I agree with MonsterZero that OTL amp is the way. Tubes distortion in a system to me add more body and texture to the music. Pretty much all Sennheiser headphones that I tried or own in the past soar really high. Since this is a Studio Headphone in the first place, I think I do want to try it on a neutral solid state to hear how it was supposed to be heard in a “studio” setting. Used to own the B22 amp… wish I never sold it

Look on the cup, under the bracket and you will see which version it is.
I still have mine and at one time it was my favorite headphone, but the AC does what the HD250 does and does it better, of course for just a couple bucks more.
For 75 bucks shipped, it remains one of the best bargains I've ever scored in this hobby.

Enjoy!

Thanks and killer deal on getting the HD250 for $75! I tried the AC, but wasn’t really impressed. It was good, but I don’t think I will add it to my collection. It was also in show condition for like 10-15 minutes and it did take me more than 10 minutes to appreciate the HD250 as this headphone kept sounding better and better as I put more hours into the night. AC from memory was pretty warm. What I like about the HD250 the most is it’s neutrality. I check the ZMF website and it says you could get closer to a more neutral bright with Caldera Stock pads. The one at the show I had was Caldera thin pads. Maybe when I go to another CanJam or if there is another meet near me, I will give the AC another listen with my new love experience for the HD250. I was thinking the Abyss 1266 TC might fit the bill since it has visceral bass, good soundstage, and amazing resolution. But same as the AC, I don’t think it’s a neutral linear headphone like the HD250. It has been about or close to 30 years, probably have to dig deeper on the studio headphone side to see if anyone got inspired by the HD250 and made their own version of a neutral linear headphone.

 

[NickT23]

An OTL amp is the way with the HD250, or if that's out of the budget, pickup an old solid state vintage receiver from Sansui or Marantz, both of which made warm sounding receivers.
If you're running it from a modern HP amp that has a 0.001 THD, then yeah I can see where it might come off as bright.

CORRECT... modern typical transparent solid state, that is very measurement based of 0.0001. That typical low output impedance amp.

 

[Monsterzero]

AC from memory was pretty warm. What I like about the HD250 the most is it’s neutrality.

Yeah, the AC is def much warmer than the HD250. I was speaking purely about the bass response in a head to head vs. the AC.

CORRECT... modern typical transparent solid state, that is very measurement based of 0.0001. That typical low output impedance amp.

Nothing wrong with enjoying an amp like that, and as I said above, I can see where the HD250 might come off as bright and/or piercing out of such an amp.
This hobby is all about system synergy and if you heard the HD250 out of an OTL with good NOS tubes, I think your opinion might change.