[SHAMuuu]

But why don't you just squeeze the plastic headband to increase clamp pressure? If you keep it squeeze for some times... the previous owner of my last purchased HD250 sent it tightly packed and when I received it the clamp force was strong.

Yes i've tried that. But the plastic headband returns to its natural state quickly. It must have softened over time. I am looking for a metal headband i can attach to it so the clamp is as tight as possible. The Beyer one does work ; in that, it adds more clamp. I added pro beyer headband, and had the metal bit under it. Weight does go up though.

When i push them closer than what they are now, the sound is near perfect. And when i had the sheepskin (hm5 which i squished as much as possible) , it was too thick, but with the cups pressed closer the sound is good, and i prefer the sheepskin over pleather.

They have that vintage German sound like the 48 with more extension in the low end which is gravy for me

I am very happy to have these in my arsenal , just wished Sennheiser made a metal headband!

 

[ScareDe2]

Are you sure it's the increased sealing or because your ears gets closer to the driver that you enjoy the sound more? You can try thinner pads, just to be sure. And in my opinion, the farthest the ear drum is from the driver, the more compromised the sound is.

 

[RenZixx]

Are you sure it's the increased sealing or because your ears gets closer to the driver that you enjoy the sound more? You can try thinner pads, just to be sure. And in my opinion, the farthest the ear drum is from the driver, the more compromised the sound is.

Well I would have to agree and disagree with your statement that the further the driver is, the more compressed it sounds. There are some headphones that benefit from this. The reason why the 250 sounds better with small pads is because the driver is already pushed back and normally older Sennheiser's are a bitch to pad roll.

Yes i've tried that. But the plastic headband returns to its natural state quickly. It must have softened over time. I am looking for a metal headband i can attach to it so the clamp is as tight as possible. The Beyer one does work ; in that, it adds more clamp. I added pro beyer headband, and had the metal bit under it. Weight does go up though.



When i push them closer than what they are now, the sound is near perfect. And when i had the sheepskin (hm5 which i squished as much as possible) , it was too thick, but with the cups pressed closer the sound is good, and i prefer the sheepskin over pleather.

They have that vintage German sound like the 48 with more extension in the low end which is gravy for me

I am very happy to have these in my arsenal , just wished Sennheiser made a metal headband!

Well you could try and drill some holes on either side for the DT 770/880/990 headband. Or you could try and get a thin piece of steel, bend it to your preference, tape it on top of the stock headband and cover that with a DT headband pad. Wish ya luck!

 

[Malfunkt]

As towards claims of the HD250 beating the Utopia:

Having spent considerable time with the Utopia... no, the 250 Linear does not technically match it. The drivers on the Utopia are significantly a step ahead. You will get better definition across the frequency spectrum. I can see a Utopia owner like the HD250 and vice versa.

The HD250 has a wonderful mid-range linearity, and is very spacious sounding for a closed back. It has bright highs, that are somehow never fatiguing, and a slightly bloomy bass with respectable distortion levels. For older dynamic driver technology, it is very good.

My pair has now moved on to a friend, and I still have the HD540 Reference. For strict linearity, I found my jam with the Etymotic ER4SR. Beyond that the Utopia is my favourite signature. Also have really gelled with Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany as a closed back, and it has more body and low end presence than 250.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Are you sure it's the increased sealing or because your ears gets closer to the driver that you enjoy the sound more? You can try thinner pads, just to be sure. And in my opinion, the farthest the ear drum is from the driver, the more compromised the sound is.

Its a distance thing 100% with Linear I. I don't have issue with a few mm distance with the 560 II which I have sheepskin round with atm after trying hybrid xl and stock. The distance tamed the treble a bit, raised bass, and mids stayed somewhat same just warmer due to midbass slight accentuation. Someone recommended sheepskin hm5 on the 540 thread, so i figure to try it mon 560 II. It was not so great on 250 without clamp, so i resorted to skinner pleather pad. But i prefer sheeep.

 

[ScareDe2]

As towards claims of the HD250 beating the Utopia:

Having spent considerable time with the Utopia... no, the 250 Linear does not technically match it. The drivers on the Utopia are significantly a step ahead. You will get better definition across the frequency spectrum. I can see a Utopia owner like the HD250 and vice versa.

The HD250 has a wonderful mid-range linearity, and is very spacious sounding for a closed back. It has bright highs, that are somehow never fatiguing, and a slightly bloomy bass with respectable distortion levels. For older dynamic driver technology, it is very good.

My pair has now moved on to a friend, and I still have the HD540 Reference. For strict linearity, I found my jam with the Etymotic ER4SR. Beyond that the Utopia is my favourite signature. Also have really gelled with Fostex TH-X00 Mahogany as a closed back, and it has more body and low end presence than 250.

With the Utopia, the nuances are exaggerated. I hear all the strength variations with which the drummer hits a symbal, or a guitarist picks a string. I am sure the guy in front of the console with his monitor speakers do not even hear the music like that. It's a gimmick headphone tuned to deliver a new sound experience, or a signature sound if I understand the term you use - an exotic listening. Definitely an audiophile headphone. Not really linear or accurate.

 

[477621]

Just popping in to share a recent find.

I have tried various pads on my Linear 1, beyer m pads, dekoni, AKG pleathers but my original pads always felt the best but sounded lacking due to seal failure thanks to cracking. These are very close to the stock feel, but they seal well even with glasses thanks to the dense memory foam with sheepskin. I moved to these pads on my older AKG a few months ago, I bought a few more pairs while still available to stick in a drawer and realised how close they were in size to the stock 250 pads and so tried them. Been using them for over a month and no going back. I agree with others that these are very sensitive to pad rolling especially if too deep, these tick all boxes for me.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G5WVPR3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Pics on my 250's below.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Just popping in to share a recent find.

I have tried various pads on my Linear 1, beyer m pads, dekoni, AKG pleathers but my original pads always felt the best but sounded lacking due to lack of seal thanks to cracking. These are very close to the stock feel, but they seal well even with glasses thanks to the dense memory foam with sheepskin. I moved to these pads on my older AKG a few months ago, I bought a few more pairs while still available to stick in a drawer and realised how close they were in size to the stock 250 pads and so tried them. Been using them for over a month and no going back. I agree with others that these are very sensitive to pad rolling especially if too deep, these tick all boxes for me.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07G5WVPR3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Pics on my 250's below.

Awesome stuff! How do you like them compared to the other cans in your arsenal?

 

[jon parker]

@TheCatnipMouse - Thanks Buddy, really appreciate you sharing this - Ordered a pair

 

[477621]

Awesome stuff! How do you like them compared to the other cans in your arsenal?

I love the 250's. They and my 565's are all the Sennheiser that I think I need. I wish I knew someone close to me who had the 800S as the 250 and 565 have seen off all other modern Senns up to the 700.

I work from home and wear headphones all day, my office is in my loft/attic. I often start my day on these cold mornings with the 250's on as I can happily wear them with my hood up until the room warms a little.

I don't have a favourite just now, they all have their strengths but now that I have them comfy the K340 and HD250 are getting a lot of head time.

 

[477621]

@TheCatnipMouse - Thanks Buddy, really appreciate you sharing this - Ordered a pair

No worries, I hope they work for you too.

 

[jon parker]

I love the 250's. They and my 565's are all the Sennheiser that I think I need. I wish I knew someone close to me who had the 800S as the 250 and 565 have seen off all other modern Senns up to the 700.

I work from home and wear headphones all day, my office is in my loft/attic. I often start my day on these cold mornings with the 250's on as I can happily wear them with my hood up until the room warms a little.

I don't have a favourite just now, they all have their strengths but now that I have them comfy the K340 and HD250 are getting a lot of head time.

I heard the HD800S at a show a while back. Was NOT impressed. They were like a little rich kid trying to show off with the Every frequency - I found them very childish and far from subtle. For me the last truly great headphone produced was the HD 540. Also the price they charge now is a joke. They use classic audio tricks to make there headphones sound very 'Wow' like to the ear but to be honest they don't replicate the emotive true to life sound of music any more :/
They released a headphone recently that they claimed they had matched the driver signatures to the HD 250 -When I heard I felt like taking them to court. Absolute joke - the low end was so mushy, messy and NOTHING at all like the HD540 !
Im the same though - Im whittling down to a few favourites (from over 100 different types I have bought and tried over recent yers!) The HD 540 / HD 250 will always be a favourite

 

[477621]

I heard the HD800S at a show a while back. Was NOT impressed. They were like a little rich kid trying to show off with the Every frequency - I found them very childish and far from subtle. For me the last truly great headphone produced was the HD 540. Also the price they charge now is a joke. They use classic audio tricks to make there headphones sound very 'Wow' like to the ear but to be honest they don't replicate the emotive true to life sound of music any more :/
They released a headphone recently that they claimed they had matched the driver signatures to the HD 250 -When I heard I felt like taking them to court. Absolute joke - the low end was so mushy, messy and NOTHING at all like the HD540 !
Im the same though - Im whittling down to a few favourites (from over 100 different types I have bought and tried over recent yers!) The HD 540 / HD 250 will always be a favourite

That doesn't surprise me, i still want to hear them even though I am 99% sure I would not pay that much. I played in bands for around 20 years including recording other bands. I am looking for real tones from the headphone game. I would rather switch headphones than use an eq as I find frequency gating that eq brings is jarring. That was my issue with the 650. I thought the 58X was very nice (like a modern 565 Ovation) but a friend needed some new headphones so passed them on.

 

[Monsterzero]

Taking a ride tonight with my HD250s via my GOTL. I havent had a lot of time lately to listen to these,but each time I go back I'm reminded of just how good these sound.

 

[SHAMuuu]

Taking a ride tonight with my HD250s via my GOTL. I havent had a lot of time lately to listen to these,but each time I go back I'm reminded of just how good these sound.

and thanks to you sir, I also share this expedience (minus the GOTL) along with an Ovation II.

To think how i lived without this for so long