[pataburd]

The battle of the arrangers:
Nelson Riddle and Henri Mancini.
[Have been listening to the ADX5000, and they do sound fine. Brass/woodwinds sound lush, beautifully intoned and exquisitely detailed.]
The air, overall, is more fully integrated and elements more naturally contiguous with the HEDDphone, though.

 

[pataburd]

The HEDD are duly countrified:
Tennessee Ernie Ford: "Shotgun Boogie" [from Vintage Classics]
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band [w/Michael Martin Murphy]: "Lost River" [from Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2*]
. . . nice all-rounders, these headphones . . .

(* nice compilation and nice recording, by the way)

 

[eimis]

I'd say, it's sub-standard for a new 1700€ headphone to look like this straight out of the box.

though, IME, thomann.de does sometimes ship you b-stock when you actually buy a-stock. So I don't know who's at fault here and I've no patience or energy to deal with disputes...

 

[pataburd]

If the seller has a reasonable return policy, and these were advertised as a-stock, then you probably should make the effort to see justice served; if not only for yourself, but for others who may be likewise treated. Though odious, it needs to be done in the interests of all actual and would-be consumers; and, in the longrun, is healthy--even necessary--for the marketplace.

FWIW, my HEDDphone have what appear to be minor, point-of-origin, production anomalies with the coating on the exposed metal parts. In addition, the coating itself is not very durable under common--even for what I would typify as "light"--usage. Mine have developed visible wear along the slider-bands, too.

But when I clamp these around my skull and listen intently with my ears, none of the aforementioned defects are perceptible* and the sound coming out of the AMT drivers is nothing short of excellent. So, I cut HEDD some slack, based on what appear to be early and often inevitable production glitches. But I give no leeway to a retailer who sells a used product at a new product price.

[* Like you, though, the thought of the monetary injustice would tend to despoil my listening enjoyment.]

 

[Bucketron]

If the seller has a reasonable return policy, and these were advertised as a-stock, then you probably should make the effort to see justice served; if not only for yourself, but for others who may be likewise treated. Though odious, it needs to be done in the interests of all actual and would-be consumers; and, in the longrun, is healthy--even necessary--for the marketplace.

FWIW, my HEDDphone have what appear to be minor, point-of-origin, production anomalies with the coating on the exposed metal parts. In addition, the coating itself is not very durable under common--even for what I would typify as "light"--usage. Mine have developed visible wear along the slider-bands, too.

But when I clamp these around my skull and listen intently with my ears, none of the aforementioned defects are perceptible* and the sound coming out of the AMT drivers is nothing short of excellent. So, I cut HEDD some slack, based on what appear to be early and often inevitable production glitches. But I give no leeway to a retailer who sells a used product at a new product price.

[* Like you, though, the thought of the monetary injustice would tend to despoil my listening enjoyment.]

Same here, minor scratches on the headband slider metal part and the earcup holder. Especially the earcup holder which I believe is plastic which is very easy to get scratches and dirty. But all good to me.

 

[SteveM324]

I'd say, it's sub-standard for a new 1700€ headphone to look like this straight out of the box.




though, IME, thomann.de does sometimes ship you b-stock when you actually buy a-stock. So I don't know who's at fault here and I've no patience or energy to deal with disputes...

I don't think those defects are acceptable for a brand new headphone. If you end up selling it, you would have to note the defects in your ad which could reduce the amount you get for it. I've seen B stock headphones that looked better than that. The dealer should replace it for you and let you keep that one until you receive a replacement. Most good dealers will do that for their customers.

 

[Uebelkraehe]

This looks much worse than mine after 2 months of use, imo not acceptable for something sold as 'new'...

 

[eimis]

thomann.de did the same thing to me with my 2nd purchase of ATH-R70x - sent b stock instead of new. leaving this here, hope people beware

 

[pataburd]

I place the HEDDphone on a cloth pad when not on my head.

 

[fiiom11pro]

My heddphone is just getting better especially when you are constantly using it and getting used to its tonality.

Now my go to music listening and movie watching.

 

[pataburd]

(i) Break-in is apparent: the HEDD or my head, or both.

(ii) "Junior Head-Fier" for sure!

 

[pataburd]

Sawyer Brown, The Dirt Road, "Some Girls Do" and "All These Years" sound so airy and humanly alive.
This whole album sounds very good.
The HEDDphone seem to have really opened up over the past week.

 

[Monadist]

Don't want to start an argument, but here's my two cents: there's no chance I'm keeping the Heddphone instead of my LCD-3.

Yes, it's better with classical music and I had a nice experience listening to The Dark Side of the Moon. But it leaves me cold emotionally. In my opinion, the Heddphone with its super resolution lets you really appreciate the recording, but you're left outside looking in. Whereas LCD-3 gets your blood pumping and takes you for a journey. And this is the only thing that really matters for me.

Of course this is just a matter of preference. But the one thing I was really disappointed with was the soundstage. It seemed to be very precise and without gaps, but it didn't feel as wide as I hoped, nowhere near HD800 as some have suggested. And it definitely was very 2D, which came as a surprise after Resolve's review. To my ears the LCD-3 has a lot more depth.

So, a very competent headphone that just didn't fit my taste. If something, it made me love my LCD-3 even more.

 

[pataburd]

How many hours do you have on the HEDDphone? . . . and what are you amping them with? [I am using a 3W Meridian amp, dialed up to about 2:30.]

For about the first 5 or so hours they sounded cold and confined to me, making me wonder: "What is all the hype about?" After about 50+ hours, though, the HEDD sound wide open, live and very musically/emotionally involving.

But [caveat] "to each his own".

 

[pataburd]

Tidal Masters: Iron Butterfly: Heavy [their first album], "Unconscious Power"
. . . excellent tracking of Lee Dorman's bass guitar lines.