Sennheiser HD 25 Light New Version

Choosing an HD 25 means placing more emphasis on functionality and sound, and less on its understated yet appealing appearance. These headphones have thus established themselves as the most popular among DJs and broadcasters. So far, the light version has distanced itself from the classic mainly because of the missing swivel joints, but also because of its slightly less hefty sound.

Sennheiser has once again remained true to its purist, one-piece design, but with the technical data, it is fortunately now on a par with its big brother.

Design and functionality

The revised HD 25 Light are as simple as ever, without any particularly conspicuous features. Functionally, the headphones again consist of a very flexible full plastic headband, with a thin, somewhat cheap-looking foam strip on the underside to cushion pressure on the head. The first serious difference to the previous model is the extension of the headband, which now protrudes at each side, with an enclosed hollow space. The ear cup suspension, which was originally narrow and roundish and connected without an additional joint, has been replaced by a wider and flatter one, familiar from the HD 25. This not only looks better as the bracket and ear cup mount smoothly overlap, it also gives more support when the ear cups are moved to one of the fourteen ratcheted steps. The ear cups, with their ear-covering, replaceable pads, rotate slightly about the y-axis to position themselves on the ear. The interchangeable 1.5-metre long straight cable, with mini-jack connector plus 6.3-millimetre jack plug, connects with the corresponding conductor on both the left and right sides.

Wearing comfort

At 141 grams including cable, the HD 25 Light lives up to its name: it truly is lightweight, and its tight-fitting design exerts a resolute but not unpleasant pressure on the head and ears. Thanks to this, the headphones securely maintain their position on your head. The soft padded leatherette cushions press firmly onto the ears, allowing the drivers to deliver the signal directly into the ear canal without any loss.

The diameter of the headband is quite small and the ear cups can be adjusted in fourteen stages, so the HD 25 Light are suitable for those with even the smallest sized heads, including children.

The popularity of the HD 25 model is based on its special swivel joint, which the light version doesn’t have. You can still use them to listen with only one ear, however, as the flexible headband remains stable enough to allow the ear cup to be rotated slightly behind the ear.

Sound

The new HD 25 Light has the same technical specification as the larger model. Compared to the older Light edition, its frequency response opens up considerably more, from the former 30 to 16,000 Hertz to 16 to 22,000 Hertz. The slightly increased impedance to 61,4 Ohm (averaged) compensates for the significantly increased sound pressure level of 120 decibels (according to the manufacturer’s specifications).

This is not just inspiring on paper, but it also enthusiastically reflected in the much juicier, yet neutral sound, as demonstrated by my test tracks: The sampled drums on Röyksopp’s “Epple” sound pithy, but also quite centred. The true spectrum soon reveals itself in the incoming bass line and bell-like lead sound. These headphones go deeper in Moby’s “Rushing”; the beat is punchy with a lot of pressure, the blanket of textures is overlaid very smoothly. Tears For Fear’s “Sowing The Seeds Of Love” also features an avalanche of drums in the intro, with emphasis on very low frequencies, which continues to play well throughout the rest of the song. In short, the HD 25 Light impressed me with precise clarity and homogeneity in their low, mid and high frequencies without exaggeration in the spectrum. Those with hi-fi attuned ears might miss the cushioning under the lower frequency range.

The linear and quite matter-of-fact sound, their undistorted and precise transient playback, plus their enormous volume, makes them especially suitable not only for DJs, but also for producers. Their tight fit on the ears provides insulation and effectively shields you from ambient noise, which really pays off.