Sennheiser HD-25

originally got these strictly for Dj'ing. Been using them for almost a year for that. Never listened to music on them really. They are great DJ headphones.

After getting the urge to upgrade my headphones from my long time mdr7506's (over 15 years) to something more...…...punchy......I actually listened to some music on the hd25s with a critical ear and was surprised at the frequency response. I do like the bump on the mid lows especially since if you are listening to material with an extended bottom end these headphones will come to life. Great for doing referencing. Surprisingly after going out to listen to a few other closed headphones in the $100 to $250 range...…...
Beyers: too dang bright but so pretty n comfortable
ATH: muddy low end, might as well stick with my 7506s -
ATK: the more expensive models must be where the magic is happening
SHURE: again, 7506 might as well stay in bed
KRK: and one more time the 7506 say why are you giving me up for that?
I found myself in a bit of a confused state. In order to really improve the sound I'm getting with the 7506 and better the HD25 I would have to get into the $499 range which Im not really wanting to do at this time since I need to replace 2 pairs of 7506's.

I liked the sound of the HD25's better than the other phones. Nothing beats actually hearing what's out there because reviews for headphones...….yikes. I mean look at this one. THe HD 25s are revealing in their own way. Like the 7506's highs are not punishing if the source material was recorded well BUT if your source is drenched in skull splitting highs it will reveal that. Same with the low end. That's important. If the bottom is rolled off on like in in say country music and 70's pop, you hear just that, no exaggeration in the low end. Put on a modern rap track and they come with the Boom. Its not techno festival level boom of course, but its the kind of boom that is clearly defined and as long as you A / B with other source material (as with any headphones) you know well …..you can't go wrong really. HD 25s do what the 7506's did for me all these years but with more GUSTO. Much more defined.

But the HUGE negative which knocks off a star......and this is only for folks who want to use these as tracking or monitoring headphones...... is that the are not comfortable for extended use.

Or if you wear glasses (or ear-rings). I don't think they designed these strictly for DJ work but it seems that's what they were designed for. I looked at the other Sennheiser close back offerings and there was nothing that has THIS SOUND in a more comfy headphone. If only Sennheiser made this headphone with this sound with a larger cup with some foam they would be on to something I think. These are great sounding headphones. Don't let the size fool you. They are of course magical DJ headphones for obvious reasons but they do work as studio headphones if you can deal with the slight discomfort. I'm going to use these as 2nd option headphones in the studio, what a welcome "you already own them" surprise. Well that's enough hot air for now. Hope this is useful info.

I have the original HD 25-1 (made in Ireland) and listened -vs- this new pair. The oiginal sounds much more balanced, clear, and less hyped in the low end. I really thought it would sound the same. Too bad.
They say it's the "classic HD 25", but the sound signature is completely different. This new pair has a modern "bad headphones" smeared sound. It's hard to tell where anything is sitting in a mix. Everything is just in your face with a huge unnatural bass that is super hyped and not accurate at all.
My old pair has lasted for 10+ years of use. It sounds much, much more accurate when listening to reference tracks that I know.
Really too bad. I wonder why Sennheiser, and other brands think people who could use this in a studio or even for DJ use would want to hear the bass so incredibly wrong. These headphones are getting returned.

I?m very happy with these headphones. I already own the HD6XX and a Sony bluetooth, I bought this to have a decent wired closed back headphones, that are suitable for mobility. The sound signature is flat, neutral, with a bass little kick, like a modern warmth to them. Not so detailed as HD6XX, but easy to drive with any phone or ipod, much smaller. More comfortable than expected even though they are on-ear. You can easily get alternative earpads to make them more comfy, as well as copper cables to improve sound, have a better connector for phones with case, and a copper wire instead of steel. Having all spares available makes a big difference. All in all, very happy with them.