[BreadMaster]

When I heard the Sr1a it was more of an 009 tuning, bright, thin, lacking weight. Generally fake and incorrect sounding. One might call it "Hi-Fi" but it's far from correct

What setup did you run then on?

 

[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

What setup did you run then on?

They were connected to the Benchmark AHB2 or whatever its called.

I can see why someone would like the SR1a if they are a fan of the 009 sound. But it didn't seem like a headphone that 007 lovers could love. Just my 2C

 

[AlwaysForward]

Sounded like someone said this is Audeze Bass & Stax imaging/treble? Subscribe

 

[Max Choiral]

Sounded like someone said this is Audeze Bass & Stax imaging/treble? Subscribe

What about midrange? Nobody cares?

 

[sean-xenos]

Here is a great impression of the HEEDphone prototype!

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fir...rodynamic-designs-heddphone-prototype.907704/

Hm, I asked "opiumhum" the original poster for some additional information on the soundstage and the kind of amplification used and got no reply. I also was in contact with HEDD Audio for an appointment for auditioning the prototype because there were hardly any listening experiences on Head-Fi up to then and some days later these impressions popped up. Might be pure coincidence...

 

[sean-xenos]

I made an appointment with HEDD Audio to audition the HEDDphone prototype on Friday and will bring my own HiRes Audio files to the listening session.
HEDD Audio will provide the HEDDphone, a PC with the RME TotalMix FX software, the RME Fireface UFX as DAC and a Lehmann Audio Linear headphone amp, unfortunately only single-ended cables up to now.
Do you have any questions considering the headphones and their sound signature, sonic capabilities? Any special wishes for music to test the phones with? I certainly have my own tastes and preferences but I am also open for suggestions as this is one of the rare opportunities to audition the prototype before it goes into production.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I made an appointment with HEDD Audio to audition the HEDDphone prototype on Friday and will bring my own HiRes Audio files to the listening session.
HEDD Audio will provide the HEDDphone, a PC with the RME TotalMix FX software, the RME Fireface UFX as DAC and a Lehmann Audio Linear headphone amp, unfortunately only single-ended cables up to now.
Do you have any questions considering the headphones and their sound signature, sonic capabilities? Any special wishes for music to test the phones with? I certainly have my own tastes and preferences but I am also open for suggestions as this is one of the rare opportunities to audition the prototype before it goes into production.

In addition to frequency balance, it would be great to know about it’s soundstage, sensitivity, price, and comfort level.

 

[sean-xenos]

The soundstage and imaging of the HEDD phone will be one of my primary concerns

I have a lot of audio files that are suitable for testing these aspects. In my opinion it would be a better set-up for soundstaging and imaging if the phones were driven balanced and not single-ended but I'll do my best...

Sensitivity and pricing are also on my list.

The comfort level might be be difficult to determine because it is still a prototype and not a final product. There might be many external design changes ahead.

 

[yates7592]

+1 For soundstage and imaging please.

 

[sean-xenos]

Let's have a look at some pictures ....

 

[sean-xenos]

I'll write about my listening impressions later during the day.

Some specs and technical details so far:

Sensitivity 90 dB/1mW (like the Hifiman Arya and HE-1000 V2)

Impedance 38 Ohms

Price for the final product: 1600-1700 Euros, final version should be ready in autumn 2019

I had the opportunity to talk to the product manager and the development engineer of the HEDDphone in detail yesterday afternoon.

The technology behind the HEDDphone is indeed revolutionary and has never been used in a headphone before.

So far all headphones feature diaphragms that move piston-like, no matter if they use dynamic, electrostatic, planar magnetic or ribbon drivers.

HEDD Audio introduces the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) to the headphone world, a technology that has been used for tweeters in studio monitor loudspeakers for many years.
The AMT driver uses a folded elastic diaphragm and the sound is produced by these folds opening and closing under current in a very strong magnetic field.
In theory the AMT technology gives the advantage that the air driven through the folds of the diaphragm can move four times as fast as the diaphragm by itself.

The whole production of HEDD Audio is based in Berlin Germany and the assembling of the AMT drivers needs a lot of manual labour.
The main disadvantages of the AMT driver are weight and production costs compared to conventional drivers.

The headphone connectors are exchangeable Mini-XLR connectors compatible with Audeze-LCD cables, so there will be a lot of aftermarket options.
HEDD Audio is considering to include two different kinds of ear pads in the final product (for user friendly sound tweaking) and there's still some R&D going on to improve the construction of the ear pads and the head band.

So let's see how theory meets my own listening experiences ....

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I'll write about my listening impressions later during the day.

Some specs and technical details so far:

Sensitivity 90 dB/1mW (like the Hifiman Arya and HE-1000 V2)

Impedance 38 Ohms

Price for the final product: 1600-1700 Euros, final version should be ready in autumn 2019

I had the opportunity to talk to the product manager and the development engineer of the HEDDphone in detail yesterday afternoon.

The technology behind the HEDDphone is indeed revolutionary and has never been used in a headphone before.

So far all headphones feature diaphragms that move piston-like, no matter if they use dynamic, electrostatic, planar magnetic or ribbon drivers.

HEDD Audio introduces the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) to the headphone world, a technology that has been used for tweeters in studio monitor loudspeakers for many years.
The AMT driver uses a folded elastic diaphragm and the sound is produced by these folds opening and closing under current in a very strong magnetic field.
In theory the AMT technology gives the advantage that the air driven through the folds of the diaphragm can move four times as fast as the diaphragm by itself.

The whole production of HEDD Audio is based in Berlin Germany and the assembling of the AMT drivers needs a lot of manual labour.
The main disadvantages of the AMT driver are weight and production costs compared to conventional drivers.

The headphone connectors are exchangeable Mini-XLR connectors compatible with Audeze-LCD cables, so there will be a lot of aftermarket options.
HEDD Audio is considering to include two different kinds of ear pads in the final product (for user friendly sound tweaking) and there's still some R&D going on to improve the construction of the ear pads and the head band.

So let's see how theory meets my own listening experiences ....

How about someone tell them to design a suspension headband if it’s going to be heavy?

 

[sean-xenos]

How about someone tell them to design a suspension headband if it’s going to be heavy?

I already did that yesterday
They are considering a suspension headband in the final version....

The problem is that the frame that carries the drivers has to be really sturdy and strong to support the weight.

 

[sean-xenos]

My listening impressions on the prototype of the HEDDphone, all HiRes audiofiles (24 bit/ 88.2 - 192 kHz):

1. Comfort level ... (not really about listening yet...): The drivers are very massive and heavy. The AMT drivers were developed from loudspeaker tweeters and need a very strong magnetic field.
On the prototype the headband was padded with a very thick layer of foam and encased with leather. I wore the phones for two hours on my head and it was okay. But that still needs some work...
I suggested to try out a suspension headband and the engineer confirmed that more R&D is going into the construction of the headband.
The weight of the drivers is a given factor for now, so these will be heavy headphones.

2. The prototype was driven single-ended by a Lehmann Audio Linear headphone amp. My impression is that this set-up was a bit limiting, these cans really need a lot of power/current to show their full potential.
HEDD Audio is considering to offer balanced cables as well and will do some R&D with balanced / fully symmetrical amplification in the near future.

3. Soundstaging / Imaging: In one word .... very natural. The soundstage was wide and deep. I didn't miss anything in this respect. I use a Hifiman HE-1000 SE and a Beyerdynamic T1 at home, so I really am a fan of a big, wide soundstage
and really dislike Focal headphones for their in-head presentation. In short the HEDDphone prototype did very well in soundstaging, I listened to big classical orchestra works like Holst - the Planets or Stravinsky - Firebird Suite and was very satisfied.

4. Tonal balance: Very neutral, well balanced. There wasn't any part of the frequency spectrum that stood out, no audible spikes. A very clean and refined sound in general.

5. Highs and resolution: Very detailed, refined, lots of resolution, one of the best highs I've heard in a headphone. No sibilants, no sharpness, not overly bright like the HD800 (S), just the right amount of detail.
That's one of the specialties of the AMT driver, resolution without any kind of sharpness or sibilance.

6. Male and Female Voices: I listened to Anna Netrebko (Dvorak-Rusalka, Donizetti-Lucia Di Lammermoor), Cassandra Wilson, Diana Krall - The look of love, Billy Joel - In a sentimental mood / Captain Jack, Sting, Carl Orff - Carmina Burana ...
All voices sounded very natural, full bodied, a real pleasure.

7. What about the bass? The prototype had a very tight and well textured bass, a little more amount of bass than the HD800S for comparison. But it didn't have the weight and slam of high end mangneto-planars like the Hifiman HE-1000 SE or the Audeze LCD 4Z.
I heard a slight emphasis around 60-100 Hz and below 40 Hz the sub bass / deep bass was rolled off. I listened to titles with a lot of deep bass like Daft Punk - Get lucky, Café Drechsler - And now Boogie,
Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat, deep organ notes as in Bach - Toccata und Fuge in d-moll, the Drumset in AYA-Authentic Audio check ... and something was missing.
The slight bass emphasis at 60-100 Hz worked very well with titles like Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit, Calexico - Feast of wire or the bongos in Santana - Africa speaks though.
With classical works the punch of timbals like in Stravinsky's Firebird Suite - The infernal dance of the Kachschei's subjects wasn't quite there.

I spoke about my impressions on the bass reproduction with the engineer and the product manager of HEDD Audio and they both confirmed that they are still working on the deep bass reproduction in R&D
and have some innovative new ideas to improve this frequency section but are also well aware that high-end magneto-planar headphones have more deep bass extension in comparison up to now.
A fully balanced/symmetrical amp might have provided more power and current, a single-ended / asymmetrical set-up (like the Lehmann Linear in my listening session) might be another limiting factor ...

8. What about the speed of the drivers, transients ? I'd say quite fast, faster than most dynamic headphones. See above ... a fully symmetrical amp might provide even more speed.
Of course this is highly subjective, but my impression is that my Hifiman HE-1000 SE is still the faster headphone ....
The team at HEDD Audio is especially proud about their AMT drivers and in theory these drivers should have an advantage over many other driver technologies in this respect ....

Being a German company their main goal was to surpass the reference headphone in the 1500-2000 Euro area and that is (at least in Germany) the Sennheiser HD800 S.
There are other contenders like the Hifiman Arya in this price range but Hifiman is rather a niche-product in Germany.

I know the Sennheiser HD800 (S) quite well and in my opinion HEDD Audio will achieve their goal and offer a headphone that will sound better than the HD800 S in most respects.

So far HEDD Audio is not quite in the game for the very TOTL headphones that cost more than 3000$ /Euros but who knows what comes next ....

Please feel free to ask further questions.

 

[Articnoise]

I'll write about my listening impressions later during the day.

Some specs and technical details so far:

Sensitivity 90 dB/1mW (like the Hifiman Arya and HE-1000 V2)

Impedance 38 Ohms

Price for the final product: 1600-1700 Euros, final version should be ready in autumn 2019

I had the opportunity to talk to the product manager and the development engineer of the HEDDphone in detail yesterday afternoon.

The technology behind the HEDDphone is indeed revolutionary and has never been used in a headphone before.

So far all headphones feature diaphragms that move piston-like, no matter if they use dynamic, electrostatic, planar magnetic or ribbon drivers.

HEDD Audio introduces the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) to the headphone world, a technology that has been used for tweeters in studio monitor loudspeakers for many years.
The AMT driver uses a folded elastic diaphragm and the sound is produced by these folds opening and closing under current in a very strong magnetic field.
In theory the AMT technology gives the advantage that the air driven through the folds of the diaphragm can move four times as fast as the diaphragm by itself.

The whole production of HEDD Audio is based in Berlin Germany and the assembling of the AMT drivers needs a lot of manual labour.
The main disadvantages of the AMT driver are weight and production costs compared to conventional drivers.

The headphone connectors are exchangeable Mini-XLR connectors compatible with Audeze-LCD cables, so there will be a lot of aftermarket options.
HEDD Audio is considering to include two different kinds of ear pads in the final product (for user friendly sound tweaking) and there's still some R&D going on to improve the construction of the ear pads and the head band.

So let's see how theory meets my own listening experiences ....

I don’t think HEDD Audio is the first to use Air Motion Transformers. Maybe they are different in some other ways, because Ergo AMT Headphones have used AMT for many years.

https://www.audioaffair.co.uk/ergo-amt-headphones

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-ergo-amt-review-56k-dont-even-try.193982/

https://precide.ch/eng/eheil/eheildetails.htm