Alucard1729
Forerunner
Wish those high powered single end portable DAC/amp make a comeback in budget segment. Most of the portable amps or dongles out there can't handle sub-bass eq or require balanced cable...
Audiophile and gears
- Thread starter icysmoke
- Start date
nick.knack91011
Explorer
What are people's thoughts on senns HD25s whoever owns or has tried them ? Especially in terms of comfort and long listening hours ?
I mostly use open backs all the time and don't like headphones clamping or putting too much pressure on my ears hence why generally never get closed - backs. Another reason I prefer earphones still to buds and why still my grados and my monks are my go to most of the time , but I am willing to try hd25 because I have heard amazing things and I might be able to get one used for reasonable price and it can work sometimes when I need isolation . I have heard great reviews in terms of sq , just curious about a) the fit and how comfortable and tight it is for long ish periods and b ) How fatiguing it might be for long ish listening hours when I travel ? Also any other cons it might have that I should consider .
I mostly use open backs all the time and don't like headphones clamping or putting too much pressure on my ears hence why generally never get closed - backs. Another reason I prefer earphones still to buds and why still my grados and my monks are my go to most of the time , but I am willing to try hd25 because I have heard amazing things and I might be able to get one used for reasonable price and it can work sometimes when I need isolation . I have heard great reviews in terms of sq , just curious about a) the fit and how comfortable and tight it is for long ish periods and b ) How fatiguing it might be for long ish listening hours when I travel ? Also any other cons it might have that I should consider .
MrdK
Discoverer
I have never tried hd 25 but have tried similar on-ear headphones before. They were very uncomfortable for me because my pinna will hurt after 30 minute or so. Even with lower clamping force, it still is resting on your pinna, so it will hurt if you already get pinna fatigue from full size headphone . It seems like it will be the same for you as you are getting pain or fatigue from even closed back full size headphone.
For travelling purpose, i dont think it will be a good choice becahse of the less isolation from on-ear design. Increasing volume to cover up ambient noise while traveling is highly dangerous fo your ear health.
About the sound, it looks like it is very different from typical sennheiser sound that we know of. It is v shaped and designed for monitoring purpose as per some discussions i had previously with other enthusiasts. Highs are more prominent and reveal flaws in the track. Bass also maybe on higher level than mids.
Saying alll these from the discussions that i had with other enthusuasts and own reading in the past.
I will echo what @MrdK mentioned above. I cannot tolerate on ears unless it is something like the exceedingly well cushioned Jabra headset I use in office. Instead of on ears, an earphone or NC earbuds will be better options for travel. Then again the comfort factor will vary from person to person.
From what I read, Senn sells HD25 as part of its professional range and it's popular as a monitoring headset among DJs.
MrdK
Discoverer
For me, even with good cushioning it is uncomfortable because it is resting on my pinna. It will be comfortable for first 15 minute or so, after that pain starts to creep in.
Hope this is the right place to post this question.
I bought this dongle DAC, CS-Pro Audio CS46L41 to use with my Sennheiser IE200 on my Pixel. Also upgraded the eartips to Spinfits. Overall I'm enjoying the experience- this is the first time I'm buying a DAC of some kind; have always had good earphones but never really bothered to invest in a DAC because I wasn't sold on it. It actually makes a notable difference to the sound. Didn't even need A-B to know there's been a sonic upgrade. Was also surprised to find out it can drive my HD598Se as well, and the soundstage / separation has seen a measurable boost. Wasn't expecting this from a cheap DAC.
But I'm finding that the upper end has become quite a bit harsher when using the DAC, mainly with the IE200. There's now sibiliance that doesn't exist in the IE200 otherwise, and its a bit fatiguing.
Is there something I can do other than use a system-wide eq software on my phone and laptops?
I bought this dongle DAC, CS-Pro Audio CS46L41 to use with my Sennheiser IE200 on my Pixel. Also upgraded the eartips to Spinfits. Overall I'm enjoying the experience- this is the first time I'm buying a DAC of some kind; have always had good earphones but never really bothered to invest in a DAC because I wasn't sold on it. It actually makes a notable difference to the sound. Didn't even need A-B to know there's been a sonic upgrade. Was also surprised to find out it can drive my HD598Se as well, and the soundstage / separation has seen a measurable boost. Wasn't expecting this from a cheap DAC.
But I'm finding that the upper end has become quite a bit harsher when using the DAC, mainly with the IE200. There's now sibiliance that doesn't exist in the IE200 otherwise, and its a bit fatiguing.
Is there something I can do other than use a system-wide eq software on my phone and laptops?
Mann
Guide
Wavelet
blackscorpio
Discoverer
For windows, apparently best one available is https://sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/
but you have to work your way up.
MrdK
Discoverer
I think the sennheiser ie200 stock tips have some damping in the eartips itself. Atleast some sennheiser iem do. Generally sennheiser doesn't respond well to pad change in headphones and eartips change on iems. So if you don't want to use system wide eq, then try ie200 with stock tips. Otherwise you will have to use an iem thst pairs well with ie200's sound signature. With dac, pairing matters too.
Yeah, i just realised the same thing a couple hours back. The foam helps tune down the upper end i guess. But sadly I had already bought the eartips from a store that doesn't have returns.
The stock eartips have better control of treble, but the Spinfits have far better everything else. And also a world of difference in comfort. Such a shame.
MrdK
Discoverer
Then try some mods on spinifit. Try to tke the foam it from senn tips and add it on spinifit or do some similar mods with foam.
Also you can sell the tips in classifieds if you dont like them.
In a similar case with an iem, what I did is, i used medical face mask, which have thin porous material layers of different density inside, l stacked them on top of each other on iem nozzle by cutting in to small pieces and put eartip on top of that, until i achieved the desired sq.
Last edited:
Alucard1729
Forerunner
As suggested above EqualizerAPO+ Peace Interface works well in windows.
You can see the frequency response and use autoeq with squig.link for ie200 and select any of the preferred target curve.
What I do is eq with the graph for 5-8k for treble heavy sets with banbeucmas target and export it to be used with EqualizerAPO+Peace.
Mann
Guide
I decided not to mod the Spinfits. Will put them up for sale here like you suggested. I think my main concern is that the Sennheiser tips have that 'grill' and foam (which like you said can be added with mask foam) which will reduce the amount of debris and gunk that may reach the housing's filter. Will adjust with this for the time being.
@Alucard1729 Yes, I installed Peace on my PC and I was happy to find that it auto detects the DAC and applies the EQ only to that, and not necessarily system-wide. I've also got my desired SQ from Squig.link. Super convenient website. This earphone is also reacting well to EQ.
MrdK
Discoverer
Also there is a groove on the nozzle of the ie200. Right? I have heard that the groove is affecting sq in some way if covered or not, or something like that. Please do search for that info also.
Yes, the groove is on that thumbnail @Mann shared- its colloquially called the 'bass hole', haha. There is a big loss in bass if you leave it open.
I bought this eartip based on that (CP100+); it was recommended in Spinfit's website. Covers it well.
hellblazer33
Forerunner
what is the current cheap dac to get for pc for beginner's around 5k I see fiio e10k one out of stock everywhere?
MrdK
Discoverer
Which one is your headphone or iem?
And do you want a dac/amp or dac only?
Try to get a used e10k, ifi zen dac, ifi uno, schiit fulla etc.
I dont see any true desktop dac/amps under 5k in the usual online stores. There maybe fosi audio or fx audio dacs available.
Last edited: