Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Since my first HD 202's I've been a Sennheiser type of guy. Sure I've had some other good headphones, but this producer's approach to sound has always appealed to me the most. And I had no doubt HD 25-II will satisfy all my listening needs for a remarkable time, and I wasn't wrong!

To emphasize the less pronounced qualities of this product first- comfort, as it always is with closed models, is not perfect, but in this case it probably couldn't be better. After letting the construction stretch a bit to your head and getting used a bit they give a delightful sound suppression to gentleness ratio.

Their design embraces whatever appeals to me in Sennheiser products' general outlook - you might say they are a pinnacle. Not intrusive but stylish and in some way edgy. One of the cords ending in red, the square elements holding the earpieces, the relative flatness, or the visible screws - all done with taste, but also voice.

Now to the main dish - the Sound of these headphones. Now mark my words, you may be disappointed if you buy them and expect some sort of audiophile-spatial ear feast. These headphones are from a DJ line and instead provide you with an awe-inspiring clearness; totally natural tones and similarly impartially modeled spectrum. I even tested them on my father's $1300 microphone and the voice sounded the same both before and after processing!

This may not be what some music lovers seek, being willing to reach for more soft (but still natural), spatially improved sound like Sennheiser HD 555 or 595. To me neutral is the first choice.

But enough with this paean - HD 25-II's, aside from a great deal of advantages, have also their wrongs. After almost 20 months of extensive usage I only noticed two setbacks - first, the "ladder" holding the right earpiece (unusually, the one with cable's input part) gets quite worn-out over time, in my case it took about 10 months. This has no crucial meaning, but the earpiece will slide down easily on event of even slightly pulling the cable. To me it's annoying as my desire for symmetry usually forces me to adjust it ravingly everytime it happens. Second issue is not as important- it's just that in my opinion, such high-end DJ headphones should come with a spiral cord pre-packaged. As it is, you have to spend like $50 on it (I didn't), whereas I've seen some cheaper model of same company's DJ gear coming with one.

Those are the only symptoms of discomfort I've experienced with Sennheiser HD 25-II's. So it won't be any surprise I'm yet another to say- they are worth every penny!

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I wanted a headphone that would be lightweight, portable, comfortable, and great-sounding, with good sound isolation to and from the environment. These Sennheisers fit the bill. They are well-made and seem very durable.

The most impressive things about the sound are the bass performance and the midrange detail, both better than I had expected. Bass, in particular, is very deep and well-controlled. I was a little disappointed in the treble performance; they are a bit weak in this department and I often have to boost the highs a bit with equalization. With the boost, though, they are sweet, clear, and delicate.

The only other thing I'd complain about is the comfort. These phones clamp rather tighly onto your head and this can become uncomfortable after a while. However, it leads to really remarkable sonic isolation, so the tradeoff may be worth it for you.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

These are my first professional headphones and my third different Sennheiser purchase until now. I am very pleased with this product. Sound and isolation from external noise are very good. Also these headphones are indeed well built and light, but after a while I can feel some pressure on my ears... I guess this is the price for good sound isolation. Design is very simple, almost minimal and I like the way earcups connectors point upwards.
I feel that cord is a little short, but for my non-professional use this is not going to be a problem.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Great sound. I use for editing and capturing. Comfortable, they really block out outside noise to the point I don't hear my phone ringing on the table beside me. Compact to boot. Great product. Worth the investment.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

My first foray into better headphones for audio editing with video work. Beautiful sound, although not very comfortable to wear hours at a time.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

It gives clear sound, but is weak in the bass and provides only moderate noise reduction.

I bought this and the Sennheiser HD 380 Pro. Comparatively, this gives more volume for the same setting so I prefer it for location recording where upping the headphones too much can give too much noise for good monitoring. On-the-ear is not especially comfortable for me and I wish it came with a semi-rigid case like the 380 instead of it's drawstring bag.

380 has more accurate bass and gives a sliver more noise reduction but runs quieter. So I prefer the 380's for listening from a device where the headphone amp isn't nearly maxed out and noisy, such as a computer.

Oh, and I'm keeping them both. One for each situation.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I use these to dj progressive house and trance parties. I've played "out" with them twice so far and LOVE THEM. They're incredibly lightweight and fit great on my head. I love the swiveling cups as well.

The angled input was one of the best surprises - that means at least the wires won't break in the cord like in previous headphones I've owned!

The only downside is the cord - I wouldn't *not* buy them because of that, but you just have to be mindful that the cord is shorter (~5 feet) and not stretchy, so you can't roam away from the decks with your phones on like with other headphones.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Yes, these are pricey. But like they say, you get what you pay for... and that is certainly the case with Sennheiser. We still use Sony headsets often, but these are definitely superior in quality.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Great for Production Sound Mixing.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I've always been somewhat of an audiophile, but as a student I never had a huge budget to work with, so I work with what I've got. I'd been looking into a good set of headphones for a while and had a couple things that I wanted. I wanted a closed back headphone to keep sound in as to not disturb others when I was listening to music, I wanted headphones that would keep outside noise out, and I wanted something that would sound good with Electronic music (Trance, House, Dubstep, etc). After doing lots of research I settled on these headphones.

When I received these headphones I was immediately impressed by the build quality. The fact that these headphones had replaceable parts was a major plus. The headphones don't look flashy or crazy and don't have any ridiculous logos or branding on them, just the Sennheiser name on the bands and that's about it. At first glance I wondered how these would stay on my head as the band did not feel very tight. I put them on and was pleasantly surprised with how they felt. I was using the leather pads but they also come with different ones in case you don't like them or are gonna get sweaty and don't want the leather on your head. They didn't put a ton of pressure on my head so as to make them uncomfortable and even after hours of listening they still feel good with just slight adjustments occasionally. I shook my head around and they stayed right in place. It would take some serious head bumping to move this things and if that's the case and you're going crazy just split the bands and you're ready to party hard all night long.

Also as soon as these were put on the ambient noise was almost completely isolated which I love now when my roommate's talking loudly on the phone! This was also true in reverse as it does not let lots of sound out when it's on your head at high volumes.

Now for the sound... These are great sounding headphones. You know they've got to be good when you've got world renowned DJ's using them. I heard Guetta uses these, and just today watched a video where Avicii is using them. The bass isn't terribly heavy hitting but I don't know how much you can really expect from a set of headphones. It is a very tight and precise bass though and these really seem to perform well no matter what I throw at it. Overall I am impressed by the sound quality I'm getting running these directly out of my MBP. I've heard using headphone amplifiers and such will increase sound quality even more, but I'm satisfied as is for now!

Just one more point for durability, these actually were victim to my clumsiness and I stepped on them one night while shuffling locations and there were no problems whatsoever.

I had looked into other Senn's, Denon's, Beyerdynamic's, and a couple other sets, but after considering everything I needed and reading other reviews I settled on these and have been nothing but impressed. The only con I can think of is if you're one of those people that wants something flashy or cool looking or want something to take to the gym and use, then these aren't them, but that's not what these are made for. These are quality DJ headphones that provide amazing sound and functionality.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I purchased these headphones after using Bose Triports for the better part of three to four years. The sound quality on these cans are great overall for casual music listening. I am no audiophile so I will leave the details to other more qualified reviewers. Instead, I'll talk about aesthetics and comfort from the perspective of a casual music listener.

The design of these headphones is understated and utilitarian. They are all black and much of the components are exposed to the user. For example, the tape that connects the ear pad to the headphone is in plain view. It seems like over time the tape could easily become undone and split apart. The headphones are basically all black plastic which feels high quality.

The audio cable drops from the right ear versus the left. The individual cables that drive each headphone protrude from the top which you may or may not like. I tried to pull one out but gave up. They may or may not be replaceable, I'm not sure.

Overall they are comfortable to wear because the headband can be split in half. The biggest gripe I have with comfort is that the headphone clamps too tightly on my ears. After maybe 10-15 minutes, you'll start to feel the pressure get to you. Sometimes I can feel/hear the blood that pumps near my ears because the clamp is so tight.

If you are looking for more comfort, these may not be the best option. I'm hoping overtime these headphones get broken in and lose some of the tightness.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

listening to music with these headphones is like an explosion of the senses: all of the sudden you not only Hear the music, but you see, taste and feel it in your bones! Its like snorkeling ... what you see on top of the ocean is nothing compared to what you see inside it. A whole other world...

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I would say that these are perfect for the mobile producer / recorder. Excellent frequency response, incredibly light, not necessarily the most durable (not sure how much they stand up to wear but i do try to keep them stored safely) but nevertheless a great set of headphones. Note: the audio seemed to be a little too crispy when i first got them (treble seemed to stand out a little much) but after about 2 weeks of use they sound PERFECT. I also use them for djing atm and they have a great sense of isolation, especially for being on-ear headphones.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Just perfect for ENG recording!

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

these are outstanding. clean sound and comfortable, while still blocking out almost all the ambient noise around you. wish i'd bought these before now!!! Well worth the little extra money over the competition.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

I needed a new set of open-aire cans for use in the office and in hotel rooms while traveling. The sound of open-aire headphones is easier on my ears and more pleasant over long listening periods, and the lack of isolation keeps me feeling connected to my environment. The sound quality is great, just as I would expect from Sennheiser. I've been using their headphones for as long as I can remember. These fulfilled all of my needs and have successfully banished the lousy small computer speakers from my desk at work.

I give four stars ONLY because of the plug design on the cable. The cable has a 1/4" jack, and comes with a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. Unfortunately, simply due to the size differential, this adapter is unusable on some 1/8" electronic devices, and creates a cantilevered-connector weight problem on the side-mount plugs of things like laptops. Why they didn't go with the 1/8" stereo jack with screw-on 1/4" adapter (as they use on other models, like the HD-280's and HD-25-1 II's) I do not understand. I solved the problem using a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter cable that I built for my HD-414's. A short length of cable between two solder-on connectors fixes the cantilevered-connector problem and also enables use in many electronic devices with tight-tolerance 1/8" connector openings.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Our video production team purchased these headphones to be used in the field to monitor camera audio inputs, as well as for sensitive editing for which our studio monitors are impractical. They have a somewhat light and flimsy feel, and the pressure they exert can be a bit much after long periods of use. However, they provide good isolation and very clear sound.

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Excelente for use daily, not only for pofessional works, as recommended

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

This is my second pair of HD25's, but the first pair of II's. They sound just as good, are just as light, and have a much better cord management system. Love 'em!

Comments about Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - Closed-Back Stereo Headphones:

Great for overall listening. Very neutral sound, if you are looking for earth shaking bass, it's not here. Don't expect to rock out to some of the dubstep tracks. The bass is controlled, good for rock kick drums and the like.

Overall a good buy, very happy with them.