HEDD listening impressions and comparison with the Ananda
There are many reviews of the HEDDphone in this thread, so probably I’m not going to add anything new, but I’d like to share my thoughts with the community.
It’s not an actual review, I can’t write them and I don’t have enough experience and gear to form an absolute opinion, but it’s a set of listening impressions, going back and forward between the HEDDphone and the Ananda, my other headphones.
My setup is pretty simple, MacBook running Media Centre, connected to a RME ADI-2; the HEDDphone are driven from the 6.35 socket in High Power Mode, the Ananda from the IEM socket. Volumes were matched using pink noise, at 70db.
I only listen to classical music, in fact 90% of my listenings are Chamber and remaining 10% are Solo and Orchestral.
Also, I can’t describe audio in terms of bass, midrange and highs, I can only describe how instruments sound like, at least compared to my live experience of concert-goer. And I can't tell about width, height and depth of stage, imaging and all that. I admire people that can discern that, I can't.
The two headphones are very different: immediately with the HEDD instruments appear to be bigger, massive, compared to the Hifiman. The Germans produce a sound that is like a painting with saturated colours, very vivid, but not glossy.
The Chinese are very polite, modest almost, strokes are just outlined.
Instruments lines are perfectly highlighted on the HEDD,not just by placing them in a different position on stage, but by ‘marking’ the timbre differences heavily.
With the HEDD I get the feeling of being on stage with the players, with the Ananda is more like watching a concert in an auditorium. The HEDD presentation feels somewhat unnatural (I’m not used to seat on stage!) but very engaging.
The HEDD also make background details more evident, I’d say maybe too evident. Things like breathing or players turning the music score have almost the same weight as the music.
The piano benefits a lot from this type of presentation, it’s really much richer and deeper than I’m used with the Ananda. Cello strings are tighter and the bow is ‘louder’ on them too. But the Ananda is so gracious in present the music, simple and non fatiguing. Your brain is not overwhelmed by the recorded information.
On small combos, like trios or duos, the HEDD is more capable to create dynamic contrast between the instruments, and as a listener I like that a lot. But it doesn’t work that well with bigger ensembles: listen to one of the latest Beethoven quartet (in my case it was the 12th played by the Takacs Quartet) and the music is almost torn apart. Shostakovich Concerto for Piano and Trumpet (Boris Giltburg conducted by Vasily Petrenko) sounded completely off too. In that regard the Ananda is more musical...whatever it means.
A couple of recordings have left me speechless: the first is a set of of chamber works by Toru Takemitsu (a, nearly, contemporary Japanese composer). The flute on ‘Toward the Sea’ has given me goosebumps, the realism is incredible. This music with the Ananda is cute borderline boring, too soft and lacking vibration. In the same tracks the guitar is a bite mute, lacking the plucking of the strings.
The second recording was a Piano quintet by Korngold, which was quite bright on the Ananda but acceptable on the HEDD, as the tonal balance is somehow shifted. The strings in the first movement are playing these long, rich, dense late romantic harmonies: add the sweetness of the Ananda on top and it’s just too much for my taste. The HEDD uses his ability to dissect the instruments to create a less homogeneous sound, which is more engaging. By the way the Adagio of the second movement is of a striking beauty.
^ this is not my recording, but it should give you an idea of what I mean.
The effect is the same on harmonically complex music, like Elliott Carter second string quartet (played by the Pacifica Quartet): the 4 way conversation is so well defined...I can almost pretend I understand what is going on.
I have struggled to use the HEDD for more than one hour without taking a break: the weight is not a problem, but I’m getting a burning spot on the top of the head. Also, the HEDD wants the listener to pay attention and stay focused, pestering almost with details and nuances never heard.
On the other hand I could wear the Ananda for a day and use it for background music without any problem.
