BREAKTHROUGH ANNOUNCEMENT:
In case some of you missed the recent and increasing excitement about this headphone, let me briefly introduce you to the HEDDphone One from German speaker company Heinz Electrodynamic Designs.
From the seminar description that was given about it at CanJam London last month:
"Transducer technologies in speakers and headphones are either electrodynamic systems, coming in the voice coil, planar or pure ribbon flavor, and electrostatic devices, all existing in both product categories. In the last decades the Air Motion Transformer, originally invented by the German physicist Oskar Heil, took a different approach. It found its way in a compact form into new tweeter designs based on the original work of the author. By introducing VVT® or Variable Velocity Transform, the original AMT concept is expanded by replacing the fixed geometric structure of conventional AMT drivers by folds that vary both in width and depth, thus varying the AMT specific velocity transform over the frequency range. Dr. Frederik Knop from HEDD presents the technology behind the HEDDphone ONE, the first full range headphone based on the Air Motion Transformer principle."
As you can see, this is a truly unique headphone and the first of its' kind to implement this technology into a headphone. To me it sounded perhaps like the best hybrid between perhaps the HE-6 and the Orpheus 2, with both the planar bass and the electrostat speed / transparency - but being neither, a new AMT electrodynamic driver which is said to be even much faster than electrostatic technology. I tried it at CanJam SoCal 2019 and it's a sound I can't soon forget and will always aspire to have one day...
photo thanks to
@AndrewH13
My review was
here and you can see the recent CanJam London impression thread lit up about it as well, even vs. some new $25k e-stats.
Planning to still get a GOTL when funds permit and definitely on board for this new giant-killer of a headphone, it's been my sincere hope that it will synergize well with a GOTL. So
@2359glenn and anyone else here that cares to shed their expertise, what would you say about the HEDDphone being driven well by a GOTL? (hoping to have both synergy and good gain level). Here's the specs:
"38 ohms and 90 dB SPL for 1 mW"
@whirlwind told me that using the 6336 tubes would supply more current, and somehow I've a feeling that a GOTL with the HEDDphone One would pair quite well! Moreover there's already a general consensus from those who have tried this headphone on both SS and tube amps that these sing best with tube amps. And from my Euforia amp (along with unique multi-tube combos) I already have a pristine pair of 6336 in storage, along with a huge arsenal of to flight tubes such as 2x GEC 6AS7G, 6x EL32, 6x EL38, 2x EL39, 6x 6BL7, 6SN7, 6N7, 7N7, 5998, 6080, 9-pin octals, etc., etc.
The crew at HEDD Audio are still making last minute adjustments and it's slain to be released sometime in October for around $1,700 which is an insanely good cost / performance. Anyone interested feel free to sub to the HEDDphone thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hedd-announces-heddphone-with-amt-technology.906270