lengcm 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2003 (edited) I was walking around People's Park the day before and spotted the HD25. Since I was in a hurry, I couldn't really see if it was a HD25-1 or a HD25-SP. BTW, I was looking for the HD25-1 as suggested by the title above. The thing that caught my eyes was the price, stated at $119. So I decided to go for an audition yesterday with Rameish since he is on the hunt for a pair of closed portable cans. To my dismay, it was a HD25-SP and not a HD25-1..... Anyway, we decided to go ahead with the audition of the HD25-SP. The setup which we auditioned the cans was the Marantz CD6000 OSE, some rotel integrated amp and unknow ICs. Maybe Rameish can shed some light on the ICs used and the model of the integrated amp. The 1st impression of the can was that the bass is very boomy. We were speculating the reasons for boominess of the bass. In the end we came to the conlusion that it was the cans and no the setup. Later, I verfied this in one of the post in head-fi by Jan Meier. Anyway if you folks come across any HD25-1 please do post where you have spotted it. Your help will be greatly appreciated. BTW the HD25-SP is a great pair of cans for bass head.. Edited October 17, 2003 by lengcm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2003 Easiest way to spot the HD25-1 is that the cable plugs that meet into the driver enclosure is on the top instead of the bottom. The headband is twin as opposed to single on the SP. PM Bangraman as he might still have his pair for sale. I nearly went for it but I decided that I prefer full sized ear cups. Would be interesting to know the type of sound. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted October 17, 2003 The IC were the freebie types that come with cheaper equipment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petem 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2003 I am currently running a HD25-1 out of a Corda HA-1 (original) modded with Cardas cable. Without going into too much detail I have found them to be the best combination I have heard so far in my system (not to say this can't be improved however). I would have to agree with this quote from the Meier-Audio site: "The Sennheiser HD 25-1 is a true insider-tip. Intended for professional use this small-sized headphone is very durable. A warm and dynamic sound" FWIW I have recently heard the Stax Signature System (SRM-006t & SR-404), Jecklin Float Electrostats & Sennheiser HD600 in my system. I _prefer_ the Corda HA-1 & Sennheiser HD25-1 with Cardas system to all of the above by far. Just my opinon, take it for what it's worth. And it just so happens that the sonics are very close to my amp-speaker combination, which obviously helps (it's a "familiar" sound). Relevant system components: Audio Aero Capitole 24/192 Mk II & Sonic Art Silver interconnects. Anyway, if there's enough interest I may write a review comparing the Sennheiser HD25-1 to Sony MDR-CD3000 once I have received the latter & listened for a period of time.... Cheers, Pete. PS. Bass is quite good on the HD25-1 model but not necessarily just for bass-heads! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 18, 2003 pete, I will be looking forwards for your review! It might turn out that I like the hd-25 too I listened to them quite sometime ago, but I could hardly remember how they sounded already. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2003 HP25-1 or SP Blues? I'm interested too Pete. BTW you mentioned Cardas? Cables for interconnects or headphones? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blues 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2003 naz: dunno which one.. I think 25-1 sp is the lower model, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 19, 2003 SP is the lower model. Also as I've mentioned before the HP25-1 has twin headband & the cable plugs on the top instead of on the bottom of the driver enclosure. HD25-SP HD25-1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lengcm 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 I was at Hung Brothers yesterday and I found another version of the HD25. It is called the HD25-13, it is the 600ohms version of the HD25-1. Looks like the HD25-13 is a no no for me... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petem 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 Hi N@Z, Cardas headphone cable (yes, can be attached by turning drivers 180 degrees), custom-terminated in a Canare mini-plug by Cardas so that I can plug it in directly to the Corda HA-1 without an adapter. Interconnects are Sonic Art Silver: www.sonicartaudio.com My headphones are the HD25-1, low-impedance version, with the double-headband. Still waiting on the CD3000, should be here this week, allow another week for run-in.... Cheers, Peter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rameish 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 Peter, Did the amount of bass reduce significantly after burn-in on the 25-1? I have heard this headphone sometime back and it did not seem too bassy. However when I auditioned the 25-sp it was very bass heavy. It has been said that the 25-1 has slightly less bass than the 25-sp. However how much less is a good question. So if your 25-1 (when new) was bass heavy and after burn-in becames less bassy then this would be a good closed can for both noisy environment and portable (the low impedence version at least). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petem 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 Hi Rameish, I've had the 'phones for a few years now, so I really don't remember how the bass changed, if at all. During burn-in transducers usually smooth out & "warm up" in my experience though, so a burned-in pair is likely to have more/better bass, or if you like, be less skewed towards the treble... I think they have "adequate" bass, just right for my tastes, but then I do use a REL Stadium subwoofer when listening to speakers, although I like to think the REL is configured to give a neutral bass response.... I've also heard that the HD25-SP is bass-heavy compared to the HD25-1, which is what made me choose the HD25-1 over them in the first place. I didn't bother auditioning the HD25-SP though so I can't say for sure. One thing to note with the HD25-1 -- it's generally not considered comfortable due to the "clamping" effect. The bigger your head (mine's not small!), the more clamping & the more the bass is enhanced. Now that I've found a way to reduce the clamping effect significantly I find the bass more subdued & natural, to my ears at least. What I'm trying to say is: bass response will vary depending on how hard the 'phones clamp onto your ears! Note also that there are optional velour pads available for the HD25-1 which I use -- again comfort is increased with these & bass volume is decreased somewhat. Using the Cardas cable probably helps as well -- the original steel cable was designed more for reliability than sound quality I think (they are considered "professional" cans afterall). I hope that helps, cheers, Peter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petem 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 PS. FWIW, I hear a well-known German-based headphone fan thinks the HD25 are "highly underrated", he really likes them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 That's what Dr Jan Meier said too in not so many words. Headroom has the HD25 which has the inverted cable plugs but single headband. How different is this one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
petem 0 Report post Posted October 20, 2003 That's the HD25-1. The headband looks like it's single, but the round bit between the wide & narrow parts of the headband is actually a hinge allowing the band to separate in half. See your pics above Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
