[Christer]

I tried using the TT2 out of the 6.3mm connected in the front with the lcd4 and that barely drove those cans. It sounded like crap. Are you referring to the connection in the back?

Ok that explains why you use a Milo with your TT2.
But although I don't own TT2 I have auditioned it quite a lot and if I remember correctly there are two settings low and high gain also when using the front non balanced output,isn't there?

And if there is, you are saying that even with high gain setting the TT2 is not capable of driving your LCD 4 to your satisfaction?

I guess the same would definitely apply to the Susvara if so?

Just recently over at one the Chord threads Rob himself stated that he put quote:" sledgehammer amping" into the TT2?
Cheers CC

 

[Torq]

On high-gain the 1/4" output on the Hugo TT 2 will put out 292mw into the 200 ohms of the LCD-4. The LCD-4 require 200mw to reach 120 dB. So the qualitative aspects of that setup not-withstanding, it has the power to drive them. From the balanced outputs on the back of the unit, you'd get up to 720mw for the LCD-4 (520mw more than needed).

With the HEDDphone, again on high gain, you'd be maxxed out at 118 dB (SE) and and have 1.5W to spare at 120 dB (BAL).

For the Susvara you'd be at 112 dB (SE) and 116 dB (BAL).

Again, that's just raw power to output level and does not take into account the qualitative aspects of the delivery at those levels. Distortion tends to increase as you get closer to the limits of the amplifier (max numbers quoted are for 1% THD, per Chord's specs ... lower output levels will yield much lower distortion figures).

 

[DarginMahkum]

One thing to note: As I was at the HEDD office, to test the Hp, as a source they has a an RME studio equipment. The other thing lying around was a Chord Hugo2. Though Hp is a consumer product, it is possible that they have used mainly professional studio equipment as a source during the development.

 

[Torq]

I was under the impression the SPL Phonitor E was also used heavily during their development.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Ok that explains why you use a Milo with your TT2.
But although I don't own TT2 I have auditioned it quite a lot and if I remember correctly there are two settings low and high gain also when using the front non balanced output,isn't there?

And if there is, you are saying that even with high gain setting the TT2 is not capable of driving your LCD 4 to your satisfaction?

I guess the same would definitely apply to the Susvara if so?

Just recently over at one the Chord threads Rob himself stated that he put quote:" sledgehammer amping" into the TT2?
Cheers CC

Not even about driving them. It just didn’t sound good together. The D8000pro has way better synergy with that setup. I don’t own the tt2 or the lcd4 or d8000pro. I own the Milo. I’m still in search of a new headphone for my amp. And dac too.

 

[Pale Rider]

I was under the impression the SPL Phonitor E was also used heavily during their development.

Same here. And perhaps Leben?

 

[Quickanddirty]

I was under the impression the SPL Phonitor E was also used heavily during their development.

That's what the european sales manager told me at the Audiovista (Phonitor 2). Out of all amps they had in use this was his favorite.

 

[ThomasWolf]

Looks interesting.

 

[aminus]

Interesting to read your observations again.
I probably won't be in Singapore until February, March possibly for Canjam, missed it for live concerts instead last year.
But if you are auditioning the HEDD at Zeppelin would you know if they have any Chord dacs like H2 Qutest or TT2 or still a Dave/HMS?
In my experience the most neutral and most resolving dac combo I know of is the Dave /HMS with a high quality headphone amp.
If you get a chance to audition the HEDD via any of those three I suspect you will get a more accurate idea of what the HEDD may be capable of than your Sony DAP?
No offence intended just a suggestion
I know some people can get very sensitive when criticising the HIFI they own.
I am playing hi res acoustic music via a slight compromise down from DAVE or TT2 myself.
I am using a Qutest /HUGO MScaler and a Benchmark headphone amp when listening via my HD800 or HEKV2.
But is better than any DAP I've auditioned.
Even Sony's heavy as a brick, top of the line DAP can't quite keep up with those imho.
But it is a lot more expensive than the Q/HMS.
I am very curious to hear if the HEDD can seriously compete against a DAVE/HMS/WA33 combo with the Susvara and non compressed large scale classical hi res recorded music.
Cheers CC

Zepp have a Hugo 2 lying around but IMO it’s not a particularly amazing source outside of being tonally decent and not having an egregiously wrong timbre. I wouldn’t mind using one if handed one but it’s not a source I would pick if you handed me a couple other more interesting ones.

I believe they used to have a DAVE a year ago but something happened to it. Something about it catching on fire. Some stories are better left untold.

 

[Christer]

Zepp have a Hugo 2 lying around but IMO it’s not a particularly amazing source outside of being tonally decent and not having an egregiously wrong timbre. I wouldn’t mind using one if handed one but it’s not a source I would pick if you handed me a couple other more interesting ones.

I believe they used to have a DAVE a year ago but something happened to it. Something about it catching on fire. Some stories are better left untold.

Thanks again,
more interesting ones you say?
Could you be a bit more specific?
And yes the H2 on its own ie without an Mscaler has imho got some competition indeed.
I was a bit underwhelmed by its performance on its own too.

But its sibling the Qutest with an Mscaler and high quality amp is quite nice compromise if one is not willing to dish out the dough on a TT2 or Dave to go with an Mscaler but still get most of the benefits an Mscaler brings.

And the HMS sure brings benefits ,big benefits again imho!

The Mscaler is capable of raising the SQ over even a DAVE on is own with demanding hi res large scale western classical music which is what I mainly listen to.

So their Dave went up in flames you say?
I remember it being gone last time I visited Zeppelin in April last year.

I was a bit tempted to buy it there.
Their price was quite ok.
I auditioned their DAVE against both H2 and with the BLU2 which they also had for quite a while.

And apart from being incapable of driving the highend headphones of my choice without adding a high quality headhone amp as well, it still stands in my references as one of the best sources to play redbook rbcd 16/44.1 material and make it sound very close to real hi res.
But to do so the DAVE also absolutely needs an Mscaler which a bit later became available separately without having to buy the clunky cd drive of BLU2 and it came at a much lower price too.

I'd say that among the quite many dacs I have heard the DAVE /HMS is among the best digital I have heard and imho only challenged by some PRO recording gear I have heard and or the best DAC combos from DCS. But the DCS are even more expensive than Chord's dacs so I am sticking to Chord until something both better and cheaper comes along.
But the Chord Mscaling tech is both to my ears and also tech and measurement wise I suspect hard to beat.
I could be wrong and if you know of anything to really challenge their tech at better prices I am all ears!
If you want to hear what DAVE/HMS can deliver go to the Adelphi, AV ONE normally keeps both DAVE and Mscaler on demo.
Maybe they even have the HEDD?
Cheers CC

 

[TylersEclectic]

So got the opportunity to demo these... I'll copy-paste my initial impression from another forum below...I basically listen to Qobuz on random and as I'm listening I'll write out my thoughts in a post usually a couple of hours worth of thoughts as I'm listening...





For those wanting to see the original post and thread... https://forum.headphones.com/t/hedd-audio-heddphone-official-thread/3179/252?u=darthpool

…Stream of conscious post incoming!

The HEDDphone is…unique… It is very power-hungry! it sounds good off the Cayin DAP, but, it really sounds much better with the Phonitor XE…but I had to mess with the line out dBu on the ADI-2DAC, I currently have it at +13…with the Phonitor volume at about 11am on the knob. I will need to mess with the ADI-2DAC settings to get it dialed in more…not EQ but line out settings =)

Ok, sound…at first I was just like…hmm…reminds me of a much better version of the HD800…I am going to stick with that for now…but, after listening for a bit longer, I am surprised at the stage and imaging… speed…it’s impressive. To me it has something in the highs that isn’t sitting with me on certain tracks, it comes off shouty… but that could be due to mastering of the track… these are some pretty impressive headphones…

They kind of have a bass lite feel to them…but it is odd, as it also seems to me like it has good “impact” lol… I like these the most so far with live music, or orchestra/jazz/classical/band…etc…

Comfort is not bad actually…I think @Resolve nailed the description here… they are pretty dang comfortable, but, very big… and they leak sound, but no worse than other open backs.

I find myself having to volume control a lot between random tracks on Qobuz…nothing to bad, but, on occasion can be painful beginning to a new track…

Man…Live music/acoustic music is bomb.com 1 on these!!! OOHHH…and well-mastered tracks! I’m brain-burning on these… getting it, getting it… I’ve been searching for a Planar to add to my collection that isn’t a gaming headphone, and these just might be that ticket! Wow! Detail, imaging, stage… these are what I wanted my HD800 to sound like.

hmm…bass is still an interesting bit… it isn’t quite lite, but, is missing something, not in a bad way mind you… it just feels like it should have more Impact? I think this is contradicting myself from earlier lol but, I can’t quite put my finger on the bass aspect…it sounds good, I think it is the impact that is missing…as the sound is there but the impact seems to be missing? (Impact to me: is the visceral thud feeling of bass). So, hmm… I think that is it, ok, now that I think I’ve figured that out I can move on

These have a great presentation, but, can be shouty at higher volumes. *Edit: removed a user that is specific to that forum*
Crisp, clean, accurate, comes to mind… oh…Wandering by Yosi Horikawa just came on…that is intense… one of the best presentations of this track I’ve heard! Oh man, drums sound epic on these!

https://open.qobuz.com/track/24807623 2

This was a great listen… damn… I think I’ve been listening to the SR1A too much as it colored my initial impression of these… not gonna lie…was not that impressed initially…but now… brain feels burnt in a bit… I’m picking up the details and nuance, these are good.

I think the only cons I can think of so far to my ears:

Can get shouty at higher volumes (80-95db) depending on the track
bass has at least to my ears a lack of Impact that defies the bass sound/quality (I’m struggling to find the right word here…)

ok back to conscious streaming

vocals are also pretty damn good… I think this reminds me more of the Utopia than the HD800, I would say it is more of a Utopia contender than an SR1a contender at this point…

https://open.qobuz.com/track/61348118 3
man this track is another great track to test female vocals…intense

Ha, this next track is one of my favorites, and it sounds excellent with the HEDDphone
https://open.qobuz.com/track/80159884 4

Ok, I need to revisit the bass dealio… just to be clear it is good! But, it is missing that visceral feel at times…

These are exceptional…there I said it… at this point, they are the best sounding Planar(ish) I’ve personally heard. These are monsters… please don’t feed them poor quality food

they will force-feed it back to you lol…

oh damn, this triggered an emotional reaction… damn

https://open.qobuz.com/track/2837987 2

…damn… might have to end on that note… I’ll have to touch back with a comparison between these and the SR1A next…

*edit adding another post from the thread where I do a brief a/b with the SR1A*

Ok, just a real quick back to back with the SR1a…

SR1a still wins…hands down… sorry, to anyone that was hoping otherwise… at least this is my opinion…

Ok, that being said… THESE ARE OUTSTANDING!!! especially for the price… damn…I would say these have in their sights the Utopia and higher-end planars like Hifimans…

The HEDDphone is here, and I think it will disrupt some folks… It isn’t perfect…but the price to performance is a major factor here!

 

[TylersEclectic]

I'll tell you the reason for all the discrepancies in the impressions regarding tonal balance: source gear.

Last weekend, while I had the HEDDphone to mess around with in the store, I began to realize something. Out of the Matrix X-Sabre Pro, I noted a slight oddness in the lower midrange that I remarked about in my review. I assumed this was just a FR artifact or an inherent part of the HEDD's tuning, until I tried it using my WM1A as a source into the same amplifier as earlier. The HEDD's lower midrange oddness was gone, and I would almost class its midrange tonal balance as slightly upper midrange tilted. This led me to realize that the HEDDphone is actually picky with what it synergizes with, not because it's extremely resolving, but because it has a rather precarious tonal balance that can be tipped in the wrong direction fairly easily.

What does this imply? The HEDDphone absolutely needs tonally lean sources. Anything too thick will emphasize the lower mids and bring out the tonal oddness in the area, whereas a leaner source will be able to mask it seamlessly enough.

Is this an excuse or handwave for what's more or less a tonal flaw on the HEDDphone? No. Does this discount your personal impressions on how the HEDDphone plays with your gear? No. This is merely an explanation as to how there are 50 different impressions on the HEDDphone's midrange tonal balance, and how a potential buyer can make the most out of building a setup around it.

This is a good response! and... can be used in literally all reviews of any headphone! Source, and the individual make up a lot of disparity between reviews

 

[Khronos]

I'd say that among the quite many dacs I have heard the DAVE /HMS is among the best digital I have heard and imho only challenged by some PRO recording gear I have heard and or the best DAC combos from DCS. But the DCS are even more expensive than Chord's dacs so I am sticking to Chord until something both better and cheaper comes along.
Cheers CC

Have you ever tried the Rockna Wavedream?

 

[aminus]

This is a good response! and... can be used in literally all reviews of any headphone! Source, and the individual make up a lot of disparity between reviews

Definitely. I also didn't mention how individual head gain plays a large part in perceived midrange tonal balance, as well as previous headphones. Someone used to a LCD4 is going to find most other things bright.

 

[Christer]

Have you ever tried the Rockna Wavedream?

No, but judging from reviews it seems to be a good dac but priced around the same as a DAVE /Mscaler And the Dave/mscaler can play the highest current pro level pcm rate available 32/768 and from what I can hear it seems to matter.
The difference between 384 and 768 upscaling is audible to me with really well recorded material via Mscaler.
I suspect that Rob Watts designing his mscaler with 1M taps and 32/768 capability is on to something that so far seems better than the competition I've heard.
Most conventional chip dac products sound a bit hazy and undefined in comparison.
But I haven't heard everything out there.
Have you compared the Rockna to a DAVE/HMS?
It seems HEDD thinks the HUGO 2 is a good match with their new product if they use it at their headquarters for demos.
I just wonder if they have an Mscaler there too?
The Mscaler is what to me makes the Chord dacs so special.
I am not sure I would even own a Chord dac if it hadn't been for the MScaler.
I look forward to auditioning the HEDD via my Mscaler

Cheers CC