So after living with these for a few months it's about time to share my thoughts on them. Bottom line first - They're brilliant!
While they don't quite have the outright level of detail and clarity of the much more expensive Sennheiser HD700, or even my DM10 speakers for that matter, they do manage to come very close. They sound far better than a £130 pair of headphones has any right to. One area where they beat the HD700 is their naturalness with all types of music. With the HD700 I gravitated towards well recorded music and avoided poor quality recordings because they sounded so bad. With the HD-25 everything sounds good which is how it should be with good quality well balanced hifi.
Being only 70 Ohms they're easy to drive and sound good straight from a phone or MP3 player. A slight improvement can be found when plugged into a proper headphone amplifier but the difference is minimal. Maybe a fraction more control in the bass but nothing really noticeable.
They're very tough too. They feel like a pair of Dr Martins. Built to be used. With the HD700 I could never quite relax when handling them. Partly because they're expensive and partly because they feel a bit delicate. I always take care of my possessions and treat things with due care but the HD-25 don't need kid gloves at all. Just use and enjoy them without a worry. They're modular too so if ever they do get damaged all of the parts are easily replaceable and can be fitted at home without the need for any special tools or expert knowledge.
So finally I come to what's arguably the most important part of a headphone. Comfort. These bode well (for me at least YMMV). They clamp your head fairly tightly but never become uncomfortable due to the soft ear padding. The split headband is a nice touch which helps too. I'm surprised that other headphone manufacturers haven't stolen this feature to improve comfort. Generally I can wear them for hours at a time without any issues. I did stretch the headband on mine very slightly because I wear glasses which has helped a bit but TBH this wasn't really necessary because they were already comfy to start with. People with large heads or those who wear glasses might want to try before they buy though in case they find them too tight.
So overall while my old HD700 are technically better for both sound and comfort I still prefer the HD-25 due to their robustness and more natural easy going sound which allows me to enjoy all types of music. For my needs they have definitely been an upgrade over the HD700. The £170 profit I made in the process was just a bonus.
Sound 8/10
Comfort 8/10
Build 10/10
Value 10/10
While they don't quite have the outright level of detail and clarity of the much more expensive Sennheiser HD700, or even my DM10 speakers for that matter, they do manage to come very close. They sound far better than a £130 pair of headphones has any right to. One area where they beat the HD700 is their naturalness with all types of music. With the HD700 I gravitated towards well recorded music and avoided poor quality recordings because they sounded so bad. With the HD-25 everything sounds good which is how it should be with good quality well balanced hifi.
Being only 70 Ohms they're easy to drive and sound good straight from a phone or MP3 player. A slight improvement can be found when plugged into a proper headphone amplifier but the difference is minimal. Maybe a fraction more control in the bass but nothing really noticeable.
They're very tough too. They feel like a pair of Dr Martins. Built to be used. With the HD700 I could never quite relax when handling them. Partly because they're expensive and partly because they feel a bit delicate. I always take care of my possessions and treat things with due care but the HD-25 don't need kid gloves at all. Just use and enjoy them without a worry. They're modular too so if ever they do get damaged all of the parts are easily replaceable and can be fitted at home without the need for any special tools or expert knowledge.
So finally I come to what's arguably the most important part of a headphone. Comfort. These bode well (for me at least YMMV). They clamp your head fairly tightly but never become uncomfortable due to the soft ear padding. The split headband is a nice touch which helps too. I'm surprised that other headphone manufacturers haven't stolen this feature to improve comfort. Generally I can wear them for hours at a time without any issues. I did stretch the headband on mine very slightly because I wear glasses which has helped a bit but TBH this wasn't really necessary because they were already comfy to start with. People with large heads or those who wear glasses might want to try before they buy though in case they find them too tight.
So overall while my old HD700 are technically better for both sound and comfort I still prefer the HD-25 due to their robustness and more natural easy going sound which allows me to enjoy all types of music. For my needs they have definitely been an upgrade over the HD700. The £170 profit I made in the process was just a bonus.
Sound 8/10
Comfort 8/10
Build 10/10
Value 10/10