TECH
Sennheiser HD-25
words: LUKE PEPPER
Sennheiser celebrate 25 years of loyal
service with their new HD-25 Aluminium
headphones...
T
here are few — if any — headphones
that have the same reputation and longlasting appeal among professional DJs
that Sennheiser’s HD-25s have earned for
themselves. The best comparison that can be made is
with that other clubland favourite, the Technics SL1200
turntable. Both are seen every night in countless clubs
across the planet, and while technology has moved
on — and other products have come and gone — the
classic design and high quality of these products has
meant that they have continued to be popular without
ever falling out of fashion. This is because they do the
job they were designed for very well and are ultrareliable.
After 25 years of faithful service to the DJing
community, it is only ?tting that Sennheiser have
released a special anniversary edition made from
aluminium to celebrate what is probably clubland’s
favourite set of cans.
VERDICT
The key to the unusually long-lived success of the
HD-25 cans is the functional elegance of the initial
design that manages to do everything just right. These
headphones are comfortable, long lasting and have just
the right kind of sound and volume levels needed to cue
tracks in outrageously loud club environments.
Of course, the big problem with getting something
right ?rst time is that it is very hard to improve on
perfection. Therefore, the improvements made to this
anniversary edition are hardly revolutionary. But given
the cool aluminium ear-cup bodies and styling, we
doubt Sennheiser will have any trouble convincing DJs
to take the HD-25 Aluminiums home with them, and
with Christmas coming up it might be a good time to
start dropping heavy hints to girlfriends, boyfriends
and any other cashed-up loved ones!
When ?rst seeing the HD-25 Aluminium, the most
obvious difference from the plain old garden variety are
the ear-cups, which are lathed individually from a single
block of high-grade aluminium — making every set of
headphones unique. The look of the HD-25 Aluminium
is very similar to the short-lived high-end HD-25
Amperior version, and closer inspection reveals that
other features found on the Amperior have found their
way onto this anniversary edition.
The aluminium ear-cups are much stiffer than the
standard plastic ones and as a result handle the drivers
in a much more con?dent and noise-free manner. The
result is that the harshness in the top-end that the
HD-25 is known for is reduced, and the sound quality
bene?ts from this. While the improvement to the
sound reproduction is noticeable in a quiet listening
environment, it probably won’t be noticeable in the DJ
booth — but it certainly won’t hurt.
tidy and store spare adapters. While the inclusion of a
proper case is a nice touch, this one lacks the function
and protection offered by a hard case design like the
ones supplied with V-MODA headphones.
Another slight niggle with the case and the HD-25
range as a whole is the fact that they are quite bulky
to carry because they do not fold up, and in this age
of shrinking technology this may put some potential
owners off.
As with all of the HD-25 range, the build quality of the
HD-25 Aluminium is absolutely amazing. All of the
component parts work perfectly together to make a
supremely comfortable set of headphones, thanks to
features like the split headband, swiveling ear-cups and
generous height-adjustment range. These headphones
have a reputation for being able to take a beating, and
it is well earned: the components are all of the highest
quality, and every single one of them can be purchased
as spare parts and easily replaced, making them
potentially the last pair of headphones that a working
DJ ever needs to buy.
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