[Reputator]

The HEDDphone One are easily my favorites. While listening with them I'm not waiting for "something to happen" or noting "what didn't happen" sonically, just purely enjoying the musicality and technicalities of a great set of headphones.

[Will be saving up for the Two. Curiosity is getting the better of me.]

Accurate. You just listen to them. You don't analyze them. It's just you and the music and it demands nothing of you.

 

[dmagnan]

Accurate. You just listen to them. You don't analyze them. It's just you and the music and it demands nothing of you.

I may have missed it in this thread , but I am interested in how the HEDDphone 2 compares sonically to the HEDDphone 1.

 

[pataburd]

From what I have gleaned on the web:
HEDDphone Two is much more comfortable, has a more midrange-centric presentation and is overall more coherent in its presentation.
The Two is reportedly not as spacious-sounding as the One and has a bass roll-off compared with the One.

 

[Reputator]

I may have missed it in this thread , but I am interested in how the HEDDphone 2 compares sonically to the HEDDphone 1.

You definitely missed it, and even in a number of HEDD2 reviews there are comparisons.

From what I gather, unless comfort is an insurmountable issue for you, the HEDD1 might have a more musical, "consumer-y" tuning to it with more low-end emphasis. The HEDD2 was tuned and aimed primarily at studio use and has a more even, neutral tuning.

But I'm not a first-hand witness.

 

[pataburd]

. . . The TWO still intrigues me . . .

 

[Asterisk3095]

Second update on the HP1 cracked earcups situation:

The Source AV (retailer I bought them from) said that unfortunately they have no more new units in stock; told me they couldn't order any more units(????). HEDD Audio offered me a future discount on the recently released V2, but I declined as I like the V1's sound more. Gonna try talking to The Source AV one more time; if they still tell me they're not going to replace my unit I'll just take my losses, and keep the HEDDphone V1 I have. I would *normally* return them, but I got these at an amazing price ($1100), and don't want to pay a different retailer $1400-$1500 with taxes for a new unit.

The cracks in the earcups don't affect how they sound, so I'm *somewhat* fine with that problem. I was also able to stop the diaphragm's crinkling noises by keeping the seal against my ears broken (luckily I don't notice a difference in sound). Here's my janky looking seal breaker; basically have one of those velcro cable ties stuffed under the pad, secured with a twist tie to the connector. Not pretty, but it works!

Final update: HEDD Audio eventually directed me to their US distributor, RAD Distribution for a replacement. They were very easy to work with, and I got a replacement unit. Though that replacement unit arrived broken... the swivel mechanism was broken (I assume damaged during shipping. the box was *very* beat up). So I had to get *another* replacement unit which arrived about 2 weeks ago, and this one is perfect! It was a long 3 months, but I can finally enjoy music with these incredible cans

Now I just need to get a better amp/DAC

 

[FunkyBassMan]

Would you [kindly] care to elucidate those differences? I have been considering the Two, too. Thank you.

So sorry, I missed this post earlier.

To answer your question I got both out just now and am doing some A/Bing. I'm a recording engineer and producer so I have to express what I'm hearing in the terms I think in which is more musical than technical.

To me, the H2 grooves harder. In the biz that means grooves (the heart of the rhythm of a track) get under your skin more and draws you in. The technical reasons this is happening that I'm hearing are that 1) the H2 bass is tighter, meaning downbeats are more clearly defined (H1's bigger sub bass smears bass transients a bit in comparison). 2) The the H2 is less "sparkly", meaning that the highs flow more smoothly out of the mids (they sound like part of the same sound that's generating the mids, which is of course what's happening in reality). The H1 has a more clearly defined "treble" to me (as does nearly every other headphone I've ever heard). So the listening result with the H2 is that the instruments get more punch and your attention doesn't get pulled away by the highs.

The H2 brings all that tactileness the H1 has (that sense of kick drums really pushing real air, guitar amps vibrating, etc). To me it's more like listening to a live performance than other headphones are (less emphasized highs and lows but a real solidity to the sound).

Of course, different people have different tastes, and mine runs to really loving the coherence the H2 brings. Others will miss a "wow" factor like the bass in the Empyreans (however you spell it lol), or the pristine highs of the DCA Stealth.

 

[pataburd]

So sorry, I missed this post earlier.

To answer your question I got both out just now and am doing some A/Bing. I'm a recording engineer and producer so I have to express what I'm hearing in the terms I think in which is more musical than technical.

To me, the H2 grooves harder. In the biz that means grooves (the heart of the rhythm of a track) get under your skin more and draws you in. The technical reasons this is happening that I'm hearing are that 1) the H2 bass is tighter, meaning downbeats are more clearly defined (H1's bigger sub bass smears bass transients a bit in comparison). 2) The the H2 is less "sparkly", meaning that the highs flow more smoothly out of the mids (they sound like part of the same sound that's generating the mids, which is of course what's happening in reality). The H1 has a more clearly defined "treble" to me (as does nearly every other headphone I've ever heard). The listening result is that the instruments get more punch and your attention doesn't get pulled away by the highs.

The H2 brings all that tactileness the H1 has (that sense of kick drums really pushing real air, guitar amps vibrating, etc). To me it's more like listening to a live performance than other headphones are (less emphasized highs and lows but a real solidity to the sound).

Of course, different people have different tastes, and mine runs to really loving the coherence the H2 brings. Others will miss a "wow" factor like the bass in the Empyreans (however you spell it lol), or the pristine highs of the DCA Stealth.

Thank you!
This is [further] whetting my appetite for the HEDDphone Two . . .

 

[freddyknop]

Final update: HEDD Audio eventually directed me to their US distributor, RAD Distribution for a replacement. They were very easy to work with, and I got a replacement unit. Though that replacement unit arrived broken... the swivel mechanism was broken (I assume damaged during shipping. the box was *very* beat up). So I had to get *another* replacement unit which arrived about 2 weeks ago, and this one is perfect! It was a long 3 months, but I can finally enjoy music with these incredible cans

Now I just need to get a better amp/DAC

So sorry for the hiccup with that replacement! I am so glad you like them. Keen to hear which amp you will go for!

 

[freddyknop]

So sorry, I missed this post earlier.

To answer your question I got both out just now and am doing some A/Bing. I'm a recording engineer and producer so I have to express what I'm hearing in the terms I think in which is more musical than technical.

To me, the H2 grooves harder. In the biz that means grooves (the heart of the rhythm of a track) get under your skin more and draws you in. The technical reasons this is happening that I'm hearing are that 1) the H2 bass is tighter, meaning downbeats are more clearly defined (H1's bigger sub bass smears bass transients a bit in comparison). 2) The the H2 is less "sparkly", meaning that the highs flow more smoothly out of the mids (they sound like part of the same sound that's generating the mids, which is of course what's happening in reality). The H1 has a more clearly defined "treble" to me (as does nearly every other headphone I've ever heard). The listening result is that the instruments get more punch and your attention doesn't get pulled away by the highs.

The H2 brings all that tactileness the H1 has (that sense of kick drums really pushing real air, guitar amps vibrating, etc). To me it's more like listening to a live performance than other headphones are (less emphasized highs and lows but a real solidity to the sound).

Of course, different people have different tastes, and mine runs to really loving the coherence the H2 brings. Others will miss a "wow" factor like the bass in the Empyreans (however you spell it lol), or the pristine highs of the DCA Stealth.

That is a great way of explaining the differences, very aligned with how I hear them. For us at HEDD there is no doubt, that HEDDphone TWO is a better engineering tool, which was the primary goal - and the bass response is a perfect example: close to similar frequency response compared to HP1, BUT more transparent sounding. It makes it easier to understand / perceive different instrumental layers, work on (or enjoy) the many subtleties living within a recording or production. Natural mid presence and a non-hyped super-high end (AMTs tend to sound very open by nature and sometimes need a bit of taming) are core to our product philosophy: "Designed for professionals and anyone who is serious about sound"

 

[FunkyBassMan]

That is a great way of explaining the differences, very aligned with how I hear them. For us at HEDD there is no doubt, that HEDDphone TWO is a better engineering tool, which was the primary goal - and the bass response is a perfect example: close to similar frequency response compared to HP1, BUT more transparent sounding. It makes it easier to understand / perceive different instrumental layers, work on (or enjoy) the many subtleties living within a recording or production. Natural mid presence and a non-hyped super-high end (AMTs tend to sound very open by nature and sometimes need a bit of taming) are core to our product philosophy: "Designed for professionals and anyone who is serious about sound"

I think you did a great job with the "designed for professionals" part. We who use these professionally don't need monitors/headphones to make the music sound great; that's OUR job. We professionals need them to reveal what's there so we can figure out what to do with it.

But I know most people here just want the music to sound good (whatever that happens to mean to them), and I can only report my experience with the H2s is like with any great studio monitor: once you have an accurate representation of what's there, you tweak (for example, I run a pro-level EQ within Audirvana) and if you know what you're doing, you can make the recording sound better on the H2 than on any headphone I've ever heard (which, admittedly is far from all of them. But I did hear all the top ones that showed at Munich last year).

 

[pataburd]

I prefer to hear what is there with a set of headphones, too.

 

[S Crowther]

I think you did a great job with the "designed for professionals" part. We who use these professionally don't need monitors/headphones to make the music sound great; that's OUR job. We professionals need them to reveal what's there so we can figure out what to do with it.

That reminds me of the story about a great conductor of a bye gone age Otto Klemperer. After a recording session at the EMI studios he said to the recording engineer that the last take would have to be redone as there was a mistake in the orchestra. The recording engineer replied there was no need as he could patch it. A shocked Klemperer exclaimed to his daughter "Lotte, ein Schwindel!"

 

[TheMiddleSky]

I think both HEDD Two and DCA E3 for now become the most "technical capable" headpone for around $2-3K price range. Both really excel to render the last micro detail/texture, with precise pin point imaging, accurate decay and still being natural in overall timbre.

HEDD Two has advantage in term of spaciousness, airy, with more linear presentation, while DCA E3 with more forward character bring more engaging feeling (especially in Midrange area), but also wit narrower presentation. DCA E3 is a little bit more forgiving in upper mid when need to play not-so-good recording though.

I just have "hard time" to choose which one should I pick as my third headphone lol.

 

[FunkyBassMan]

That reminds me of the story about a great conductor of a bye gone age Otto Klemperer. After a recording session at the EMI studios he said to the recording engineer that the last take would have to be redone as there was a mistake in the orchestra. The recording engineer replied there was no need as he could patch it. A shocked Klemperer exclaimed to his wife "Lotte, ein Schwindel!"

That's great. It makes me think of the endless howls among the folks who can't afford good audio gear that buying quality is a waste of money because "you can't measure it so you can't hear it" anyway. So much of evaluating music at the highest end is not about what it sounds like, but how it makes you feel. And splicing takes can often be considered "inaudible" (especially by those paying the bills for the sessions), but almost always it won't feel as good as getting one good take all the way through.