Klipsch High End Over Ear-your input appreciated
Jul 14, 2017 at 9:43 PM Post #286 of 1,468
OK. This is sketchy at best but I really feel we need to start to get these in your hands or better yet on your ears (that was bad I know...).

Lets have a meet or two.

Here's what I'm thinking:

First meet in NY or Philly. Please message me, or do you think we need a separate thread?

I'm thinking I can have myself, Vlad my Product Manager and Andrew our chief HP engineer. If we get enough response I will rent a ballroom...some place cool...Soho Grand in NY or somewhere in Old City in Philly (if you haven't been there is an amazing spot for Belgian Beer called Eulogy on 2nd and like Chestnut (their slogan is the 300 best beers you've never heard of). We'll do a raffle with some of the current product and if you attend we will get you special pricing on production Heritage HP's.

Between the three of us at Klipsch we have a decent amount of amps and other gear but we should probably ensure there is enough gear to make comparisons and also a bunch of different rigs...

If we can move quick, maybe we can get together in the next 2-3 weeks. The faster we arrange the less formal this will be...but perhaps the more beer we will consume...

Our goal is to get honest feedback, so if you plan to attend, I'm giving you homework!

Based on the success of this event, we can make this a roadshow and certainly arrange a west coast meeting too. I think we need a few informal events before we start to gear up for the major trade shows.

Thoughts???
I really like the idea, but I live in TX so not really applicable to me. Any chance of demo tour of some sort or a special price for those of us who would attend if we didn't live 2k miles away?
 
Jul 14, 2017 at 9:52 PM Post #287 of 1,468
I really like the idea, but I live in TX so not really applicable to me. Any chance of demo tour of some sort or a special price for those of us who would attend if we didn't live 2k miles away?

I think we can get them to most larger cities in the next few months. Also like the idea of creating a program for forum members. BUT for these samples from our alpha build, these must be accompanied by a member of product dev. If you notice these are such early samples that they still say "Reference Premiere" on the side, that will change..that was our internal code name. Once we get out of beta build we will get these to a larger group. So I'm happy to try to get you a set, but we are probably a month out for that yet...

Any members in drivable distance to Philly or NY?
 
Jul 14, 2017 at 10:24 PM Post #288 of 1,468
I think we can get them to most larger cities in the next few months. Also like the idea of creating a program for forum members. BUT for these samples from our alpha build, these must be accompanied by a member of product dev. If you notice these are such early samples that they still say "Reference Premiere" on the side, that will change..that was our internal code name. Once we get out of beta build we will get these to a larger group. So I'm happy to try to get you a set, but we are probably a month out for that yet...

Any members in drivable distance to Philly or NY?

Sounds good, I am a patient person. I completely understand not letting these out of your sight. Hope the meet happens though, I'd love to get more opinions on them.
 
Jul 22, 2017 at 8:23 PM Post #291 of 1,468
Was the impedance of the flagship ever officially announced?

As far as I know, no it was not. However, based off the claims of how easy they are to drive, I would expect it to be low. Also, as far as I know, from the THx00, Emu teak, TH610-900, all Foster biodynamic drivers are 25ohm. That being said, they have said these are an all new 52mm driver not used on anything else, so it's possible they are higher.
 
Jul 26, 2017 at 2:47 PM Post #294 of 1,468
Any updates?

Edit: Might as well ask a few additional questions.

1. Wood choice. Is it still Oak, Walnut and Ebony? If so, have you noticed a difference in sound between the various woods? It probably makes more of a difference with a closed back but I was curious how you would describe the sound of each version if there is any discernible difference.

2. Do you still plan to offer a 4 pin XLR balanced cable?

3. Any possibility we will see a high impedance (200+ ohm) model at some point? Not a big deal, just curious.
 
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Jul 28, 2017 at 10:37 PM Post #295 of 1,468
I'm very interested in these. If you want to get a pair out to Arizona for a few good ears to listen and give feedback let me know. I like the lighter wood ones very classy but the copper/gunmetal version is understated badassery.
 
Aug 4, 2017 at 1:54 PM Post #296 of 1,468
Its way too quiet around here. I saw that Klipsch was added to the RMAF headphone exhibit list so I imagine this will be the first time that the phones will be shown publicly. Are the mini meets with the Klipsch team prior to RMAF still on?
 
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Aug 5, 2017 at 2:25 PM Post #297 of 1,468
I'll keep asking questions in the hopes that the Klipsch guys eventually return to this thread. I don't know why this didn't come to me sooner but the obvious competition / point of comparison is the Audioquest Nighthawk. Both headphones use the Fostex 50mm biocellulose driver, both have an impedance of 25ohm, both have wood cups (liquid wood for the Hawk but close enough) and both are semi open designs. Since the Hawk is an extremely divisive headphone, I'd be curious to hear if the Hawk was included in the competition collection you gathered for testing and how the HP3 might compare to its closest rival.
 
Aug 8, 2017 at 6:48 PM Post #298 of 1,468
The
I'll keep asking questions in the hopes that the Klipsch guys eventually return to this thread. I don't know why this didn't come to me sooner but the obvious competition / point of comparison is the Audioquest Nighthawk. Both headphones use the Fostex 50mm biocellulose driver, both have an impedance of 25ohm, both have wood cups (liquid wood for the Hawk but close enough) and both are semi open designs. Since the Hawk is an extremely divisive headphone, I'd be curious to hear if the Hawk was included in the competition collection you gathered for testing and how the HP3 might compare to its closest rival.
Nighthawk doesn't use Fostex drivers...
 
Aug 8, 2017 at 8:27 PM Post #299 of 1,468
The

Nighthawk doesn't use Fostex drivers...

They probably do. The metal mesh over the driver in the Klipsch is identical to the Nighthawk. They are both 25ohm as well and 50mm. Audioquest has never stated who makes their drivers so I'm assuming but its extremely likely that Fostex makes them. Fostex makes a ton of headphone drivers for many companies, most of whom will never state that Foster is the OEM.
 
Aug 9, 2017 at 4:50 AM Post #300 of 1,468
They probably do. The metal mesh over the driver in the Klipsch is identical to the Nighthawk. They are both 25ohm as well and 50mm. Audioquest has never stated who makes their drivers so I'm assuming but its extremely likely that Fostex makes them. Fostex makes a ton of headphone drivers for many companies, most of whom will never state that Foster is the OEM.
Skylar has said many times the driver is built in house
 

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