Thanks for checking out this Sennheiser HD25-1 II DJ Headphone Review.
Sennheiser is a huge brand name in the pro-audio industry.
The German company has for decades, specialized in the design and production of high-quality DJ headphones that have won the hearts of DJs and producers alike.
Headphones such as the HD25’s have been known for their classic design and great sound quality.
The most recent upgrade, the HD25-1 II, is no different.
It’s light, its design is highly functional and its sound quality is quite hard to fault.
The HD25-1 II, which comes only in black, is identical to the Adidas Original version in terms of overall design. The only differences are the color variations to the earpads and headband pads, and the Adidas stripes and logo on the capsules.
Both models come with optional velour pads in the box.
Also included in the box is an adapter for a ¼” plug, a carrying bag, and a warranty.
The HD25-1 II works with MP3s, iPods, DVDs and CD players as well as mobile phones supporting a 3.5mm jack plug. The model also works (listen only) with the most recent generation of tablets.
Design
The HD25-1 II headphones have a very functional and humble design – one that some may call “painfully elementary”. Their classic look and feel began back in the late 80s. It’s clear that they are more about performance than fashion.
One thing you will immediately notice about these headphones is that they are very light. They weigh just 5 ounces. This makes them perfect for traveling DJs and producers.
And speaking of traveling, they, unfortunately, do not fold or collapse. This makes them take up space in the bag and that’s not very appealing.
In terms of material, they are made of plastic and a strong plastic at that. They are resistant to scratches and cracks. They are also not damaged by a couple of careless falls.
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For portability, they come with a soft bag. But realize this. It is just a bag. It will not make the headphones indestructible. Consider getting a hard case if you want to protect your HD25-1 IIs better.
In general, the HD25-1 II headphones are fairly comfortable. There is little pressure exerted by the adjustable dual headband. It can be split to provide wider support for your head and prevent the headphones from slipping downwards.
The clamping force, however, can be a bit much. But it’s nothing a little constant adjustment can’t fix.
Good headphones are meant to allow you to wear them and forget they are there. But these ones don’t exactly allow you to do that. You will keep noticing that they are there hour after hour.
But the fact these headphones are light-weight and have relatively small earpieces means they are comfortable to wear around the neck – at least.
The earpieces move pretty well considering there are no joints whatsoever. The left earpiece can move backwards and forwards to allow one-ear listening. So you don’t have to take the headphones off to preview your mixes if you’re a DJ.
The HD25-1 II headphones come installed with vinyl pads but as mentioned earlier, the box comes with optional velour pads. We really didn’t mind the feel of the vinyl pads but some seem to prefer the velour ones.
The headphones come with a thickly-insulated 3.93 feet long cable. Attached to it is a ridiculously robust plug. It’s made of a thick rubber making it very rigid.
The cable being inset in the headphones’ headband is a risky design feature. It could get trapped or even damaged with a little carelessness.
It could also get tricky for people with glasses or sunglasses.
An interesting feature of the HD25-1 II model is that every part of it is user-replaceable. The headphones can be disassembled in just a couple of minutes.
Should you need to, you can order a longer cable or one including a mic/controller.
Performance
In terms of overall performance, the HD25-1 II headphones check all the necessary boxes. They perfectly showcase Sennheiser’s decades of experience in manufacturing audio electronics. They deliver a distinct sound that comes with clarity, balance and high fidelity.
Despite their seemingly perfect sound, the HD25-1 II headphones have a few shortcomings if compared to similarly-priced cans.
The bass is tight, clean and punchy. But it sounds a bit more punchy than powerful if tested side by side with the K181Dj or M-Audio Q40. For a portable headphone model, however, the bass is just right.
The mids are well-proportioned, detailed and clear. They are perfectly integrated with the bass and treble.
But the HD25-1 II headphones are somewhat lacking in soundstage width and depth, especially when compared to most full-size cans. They seem to work well with genres that do not depend on the soundstage size for overall enjoyment.
Their isolation is pretty good, particularly for monitoring in loud environments. And in this, the vinyl pads perform a bit better than the velour pads.
These headphones are also good in preventing sound leakage. If you happen to be at a crowded place, you don’t have to worry about disturbing others with what you are listening to. Unless, of course, you max out the volume – and that’s obviously bad for your ears.
The maximum usage volume of HD25-1 IIs is 114dB. This is certainly enough for any kind of listening. Get beyond that point and these cans will give over 3% distortion which is disturbing to any ear.
Conclusion
The Sennheiser HD25-1 II model is great for its high-level performance in terms of general sound quality as is with most of Sennheiser’s pro-audio products. But the $150 price tag is relatively high when its features are compared to those of other similarly-priced full-size cans.
The identical Adidas Original model is even more expensive. It’s obvious that the colors and the brand name are to blame for the extra dollars you would need to cough up.
The light-weight and classic design of the HD25-1 II, coupled with pretty good isolation and general sound quality that works great for most genres makes it easy to recommend.
But it might be worthwhile waiting for the price to go down or checking out similarly-priced headphones. Thanks for reading our complete Sennheiser HD25 review!