Welcome to your comprehensive Sennheiser HD 25 headphone review.
Widely regarded to be the top choice for DJs, the HD 25’s headphones are the benchmark to beat in the audio world.
These high-performance headphones might have been around for some time, but they’re still as iconic as when they first emerged on the market.
These headphones perform exceptionally and are lightweight, reliable, and incredibly durable.
The Sennheiser HD 25 is a must-have for any professional DJ kit.
If you’re investing in a new solution for mobile monitoring, audio equipment testing, or music production and you’re keen to discover extra features like studio monitoring, sound reinforcement, and excellence in loud environments, these are the headphones for you.
How Good Are the Sennheiser HD25 DJ Headphones? (in short)
With these, you get a tough and modular set of DJ headphones that adapt to suit your needs and deliver accurate high-quality sound. Lightweight and portable, these headphones will withstand every trip and DJ set, plus they come with a range of package options to choose from.
Sennheiser HD25 Video Review
Sennheiser HD25 Overview
The Sennheiser HD25 headphones are legendary in the DJ audio world.
Robust and powerful, these headsets have been to go-to choice for many DJs since they first emerged for the consumer market in the late 80s. Before that, the HD25 cans were intended for airline passengers and pilots, to assist with reducing the loud engine noise of the Concorde flights in the 80s.
Created with a focus on exceptional performance, the HD25 headphones are unlike anything else on the market.
They are ideal monitoring headphones that tune out background noise and deliver fantastic focus. More importantly, these are headphones that can take a beating and keep delivering great sound.
Today’s DJs rely on the HD25 headphones to perform in noisy environments, deliver the kind of noise cancellation you’d expect for a jet engine, and produce accurate reproductions.
It’s also worth giving a shout-out to the Sennheiser’s unique design, which allows you to flip the left can off completely when you’re in the booth, or just swivel the cups according to your needs.
Specifications
| Cable Length | 1.5m |
| Frequency Repsonse | 16Hz – 20,000Hz |
| Weight | 140g |
| Jack Plug | 3.5 and 6.3mm Stereo (With adapter) |
| Transducer | Dynamic, Closed |
| THD | <0.3% |
| Contact Pressure | 2,5N |
| Ear Coupling | Supra Aural |
| Load Rating | 200 Mw |
| Max Sound Pressure Level | 120dB |
Features
With a low weight and a one-ear listening option, the HD25 headphones from Sennheiser are a must-have for most DJs and studio owners.
Rugged and modular, these closed-back Sennheiser HD25 headphones are professional monitoring headphones that can block out background noise, minimize high sound pressure levels, and perform well in loud environments.
You can easily throw these headphones into your backpack or the back of the car when you’re moving between venues.
Though the HD25 headphones are lightweight, they’re surprisingly capable of holding up to all kinds of situations. Today, there are currently 3 versions of the HD 25 headsets on the market, including:
- HD 25 Light
- HD 25
- HD 25 Plus
The HD 25 Light headphones are missing the rotatable ear cup and split headband with the single-side cable design of the standard HD 25 headset.
For those who upgrade to the 25 Plus, there’s the option to access extra cables, ear pads, and a bonus carry pouch.
Build Quality
Any effective review of the Sennheiser HD25 headphones usually starts with an overview of the incredible durability and build quality.
Despite their age, these are headphones that have easily endured the test of time, with excellent longevity, unforgettable build quality, and amazing music reproduction.
If you have any issues with your HD headphones after a few years of use, it’s also nice to know that you can track down plenty of replacement parts.
Almost all the components on your headphones can be replaced and repaired if something goes wrong. This is one of the factors that add to the value you’re getting from the Sennheiser HD 25 in a standard audio environment.
Sennheiser has a fantastic reputation for manufacturing headphones that suit a range of professional applications.
The Sennheiser HD25 DJ headphones are a great example of what the brand can produce, with the extra bonus of noise cancellation that can withstand some seriously loud environments.
It’s easy to assume that the DJ headphones are too lightweight for true durability. When you pick up the box, it feels like there’s barely anything in there.
The headset only weighs about 16g. In your hand, the mostly plastic design feels more like a toy than a professional-grade headset.
Yet there’s something special about these amazing cans.
It’s only after you use the HD 25 headset for a while that you discover just how amazing they are. The plastic really won’t break – no matter how much you bend or bash it.
These are headphones you can invest in and enjoy for years, despite the tough settings that DJ equipment often must endure.
There are a couple of weak points. The cable connections at the earcup can begin losing contact, and you’ll need to bend the contact surface back into place with a needle.
The mechanism holding the headband and earcup together can also loosen over time.
Style and comfort
There’s more to the design of a professional set of DJ headphones than how durable they are.
Although longevity and extremely robust construction are important, you also need to get the style right.
After all, you could be playing in front of a huge crowd of listeners.
You want to look your best.
The HD 25 headset is understated in its style. Though these headphones have been around for decades, they remain timelessly modern and simple, with a clear-cut finish.
While it’s evident that these headphones weren’t created by a designer, they don’t look bad.
Sure, these iconic DJ headphones are a bit low-key than the flashing LED headsets and neon-colored cans we’ve seen elsewhere on the market. However, they look professional enough that you shouldn’t worry too much.
One area where the Sennheiser HD 25s start to lose their appeal is in comfort.
Surprisingly, though these headsets are some of the most popular in the world for DJs, they’ve never been the most comfortable.
The ear pads can begin to feel uncomfortable against your head after a few hours.
The chances are you’ll need to take a break every few hours to refresh.
The reason the Sennheiser HD 25s aren’t comfortable is the same reason they’re so good at blocking out external sound.
These headphones are designed to offer passive noise cancellation through clamping force.
Your headphone ear pads will bind themselves against your head as tightly as possible to prevent access to external disturbances.
You will have more protection and focus in loud environments with these headphones ear pads, but you might not enjoy the listening experience much.
Functionality
In terms of headphone specs, it’s hard to argue with the Sennheiser HD 25’s design, even several years after the cans were first released.
The Sennheiser HD25 headset comes with a powerful and wide frequency range of between 16Hz to 22kHz, so you should expect an accurate monitoring experience.
Behind the simple but sleek design, every component is strong and reliable. Lightweight aluminum voice coils support an impedance of around 70 ohms for excellent flexibility. A detachable single-sided cable with steel components feels extremely robust.
There’s also the extra bonus of an extra 3.5mm jack and ¼-inch adapter included.
Although they’re not intended for casual listening, you can still get a great experience from these headphones however you choose to use them.
Sennheiser recommends the HD25 headset for studio environments, cameramen, DJs, and professionals.
They’re capable of handling a very high sound pressure level, and the rotatable capsule for single-ear listening makes for ideal monitoring headphones.
Another bonus of the HD 25 headphones is how easy they are to use. As with most headphones in the modern market, the better your audio source, the better your headphones are going to sound.
When you pair your headset with an entry-level device (from an audio perspective), like a cheap digital player, or cell phone, you’re not going to get the best results.
The best experiences come from devices that offer extra amplification and EQ performance.
This is part of what makes the Sennheiser HD25 such an iconic headset for DJs, even if it’s less popular and well-known in the standard audio world.
Accessories
Ask most DJs and audio professionals and they’ll tell you that any true expert will have a set of HD 25s in their tool kit.
If like most pros, you fall in love with the technology after you’ve tried it, then you could always look into buying some accessories too.
Sennheiser offers a range of “extras” that you can buy for your HD 25 headset, including extra foam disks for your earpads and cable clamping sets for DJs.
There’s the option to stock up on bonus cables with angled plugs to reduce the risk of your wires getting damaged or not working as well with regular use.
You can also buy bonus ¼ stereo screw-on jacks for versatility.
For those who find that the standard black leather-style padding on the ear pads wears away too quickly, you can buy either bonus ear pads, or switch to black velour.
Additional padding for your headband is also available, along with things like spiral cables for extra durability, headphone capsules (in case you can break for some reason), and transportation bags.
The storage bag and an extra set of ear pads do come as standard with the Plus set.
Performance
The sound quality of the Sennheiser HD25 headphones is one of the better-known features among professionals.
Sure, they might not be the most comfortable or expensive-looking headphones around – but that doesn’t matter much with the HD 25s.
The sound quality and durability of these headphones outweigh any other negatives you can think of.
Despite being extremely affordable, HD 25 headsets offer an insanely accurate and detailed sound with a balanced response.
The punchy high-energy quality of the music is ideal for mixing and monitoring. Speed of attack is fantastic, however, there is a caveat.
The 70-ohm resistance does mean that you need to ensure you’re using the right source for your music.
Balanced and reliable, the Sennheiser HD25 doesn’t add any extra spice to your sound. This is perfect if you’re looking for something that’s pure, accurate, and reliable.
If you’re used to accessing consumer headphones with more warmth and bass response, then these headphones might sound a little odd at first. Be patient, you’re really getting a much more accurate response here.
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a set of on-ear headphones, the soundstage isn’t amazing – but it’s fine. You get a decent amount of sound depth, despite the clamping experience, and detail retrieval is ideal across the spectrum.
There’s no shortage in the treble, and no sibilance, despite the bright performance. Imaging is also ideal, and it’s easy to distinguish between different sounds and instrumentation in more complex music.
Notably, the channel balance in these headphones is good, but you do need to ensure that you’ve got the position of the cans just right over your ears.
The issue with on-ear headsets is that it’s easy for frequencies to bash against the insides of the ears.
Unlike other headphones that seem to work best with specific types of music like hip-hop or metal, the HD 25 remains true to its purpose with every genre. You may struggle a little with bass-heavy genres if you’re listening for pleasure alone.
Listening options
Keep in mind that these DJ headphones are available to listen to either with dual cans or used with only one ear. If you’re only listening to sound in one headphone, there’s some risk that you’re going to miss out on some of the depth and quality you can get from these headphones.
However, you might find that removing the extra can does make it easier to manage your shows.
If you’re not ready to remove the headphone can entirely, it’s easy enough to flip the headphone can out of the way on one side so you can check in with a co-worker or another DJ in your booth.
Once again, although the comfort of the Sennheiser HD25 headset isn’t ideal in general, you’re likely to face additional discomfort when messing with the cans.
Pros and Cons
The Sennheiser HD25 headphones remain as popular today as they’ve ever been. Known around the world for incredible reliability and performance, these headphones are unlikely to disappear any time soon.
From time to time, Sennheiser even releases special versions of the headphones to help bring them back into the public eye.
Pros:
Cons:
Sennheiser HD25 Review: The Verdict
Speak to almost any professional in the DJ or music studio landscape about the most iconic headphones in the industry, and you’ll hear about the Sennheiser HD25 headphones.
At first glance, it’s easy to be bewildered by the sheer amount of love and attention these headphones get.
While they look fine, and they’ve got the added bonus of the Sennheiser brand, they don’t look like much.
However, once you start using your HD 25 for the first time and discover what you can do with your music as a result, it’s difficult to use anything else.
These aren’t your standard set of consumer headphones designed to pump up the volume when you’re chilling on the train. These are headphones made for audio professionals, with unbeatable, mind-blowing accuracy in the audio.
The sound is clear, loud, and reliable, so you know exactly what you’re producing at any given moment. Additionally, while the padding and comfort aren’t great, you do get a lightweight and durable design that’s difficult to beat.
If you have a significant problem with the comfort of these headphones, you can sometimes find custom ear pads elsewhere.
The DJ headphones have been around for more than 30 years now, starting their career in the aircraft industry, and making their way into DJ booths and studios on an unrivaled scale.
