Each HEDDphone is handcrafted in Berlin, Germany by a company that is relatively small and therefore has only limited resources. If you want one then you have to be either quick or patient. HEDD is one of the few independent headphone manufacturers that differentiates them from others. Not only do they develop their own technology, they also produce everything in Germany. Because of their limited number of pieces, they are likely to sell out quickly.
HEDD Announces HEDDphone With AMT Technology
- Thread starter bugstone
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I ordered mine I/7/20 and was #29 in the queue, so I'd be waiting approximately 3 weeks from my order date as well if headphones.com receives them on (or roughly) about the 27th.
Mine arrived this afternoon. Looking forward to listening to them tonight. Man I am anxious!
Quick first impressions of the HEDDphone. I was #6 on the list according to the good guys at Headphones.com. They just arrived today and I've had them on for a couple of hours now.
Equipment: Auralic Aries G2 --> Schiit Bifrost 2 --> PS Audio BHK Preamp (headphone out). Fed by Qobuz.
Clarity is the first outstanding characteristic of the HEDDphone. My typical comparison is the Focal Clear, and the HEDDphone is clearly more resolving. Sound is very clear, with no noticeable tilt towards bass or highs. They come across as slightly bright due to the resolving power, but I am not sensing any fatigue from sibilance or treble response. Tone and timbre seem natural (with nice wetness - not lean sounding), and ambiance and decay on percussion instruments are very good. As I type this I am listening to Tales of Another (Gary Peacock) and all the delicate string work on that album is very clear - one can truly hear into the recording. This observation has been true with all I've thrown at them so far, from piano, vocals, various rock, and electronic music. (Think Vladimir Horowitz, JS Bach, RUSH, Bill Evans Trio, Johnny Cash, Blossom Dearie, Deadmau5, Boy Harsher (yeah, my tastes are eclectic).)
Overall, the clarity is the standout feature of the HEDDphone. With an overall natural sound, they are unbeatable. It is an interesting comparison - I just attended a local meetup and got to hear a number of electrostatic and planar headphones two days ago. It was a fun event with lots of great equipment, but nothing I heard at the meet would beat the HEDDphone - electrostatics probably come close, but the HEDDphone would be my standout choice.
The soundstage is good, but we are still not talking a good 2 channel speaker setup here. I have not heard enough headphones at length to compare in detail - definitely wider than the Focal. Imaging stays precise, although I think the HEDDphone could benefit from a little crossfeed - will have to try this on my RME ADI-2 dac. I suspect a little touch of crossfeed will help the HEDDphone disappear a little (as it can with other headphones). Right now, while extraordinarily clear, I am aware that I am listening to a recording/speaker.
Other impressions: On power, the headphones definitely need more than the Focal Clear or similar. However, you don't need a huge source - I suspect any decent amp will have plenty of power. I'm listing on volume 36 (out of 100) on the BHK at reasonable volume; some quieter recordings I've had to push it up to 40s. I tend to listen a little quieter than many.
Weight - this is not a light headphone, but you don't really feel the weight. That is, until you move your head. If you turn your head anything other than slowly you will feel the HEDDphone in a couple of ways. First, due to the deep cups, the mass is sitting far from your head. When turning your head, you can feel the inertia- it is a bit like someone is trying to twist back at you. Also, the clamping pressure of the HEDDphone is not super strong so as you shift your head the phones want to move a bit (or, more precisely, stay where they are due to inertia). I don't want to overstate this, but if you move your head at any speed it is definitely noticeable. The summary point here - if headphone weight bothers you, this probably isn't a good choice. I don't think I'd wear these for more than a few hours unless my head was supported (by, say, laying into the chair).
Other observations: As noted by Resolve Reviews, the extension of the cups from the housing is not great - a little more here would be useful. Comfort is generally good; cushions are generous and clamp pressure is generally enough to take some weight but could be a little bit more. This would also help with keeping the HEDDphone in place while moving your head. I think the design would have been better with a strap. I keep adjusting the phones on my head slightly forward and back to play with the comfort. I can feel a little bit of pressure where the gap in the top is after a while. My head is average to slightly small - YMMV.
My only other observation at this point is that while the bass is good, it can lack the punch of some headphones. EQ may fix this, but I don't feel a need to change anything.
The summary impression so far is that the HEDDphone is everything it is billed to be.
Equipment: Auralic Aries G2 --> Schiit Bifrost 2 --> PS Audio BHK Preamp (headphone out). Fed by Qobuz.
Clarity is the first outstanding characteristic of the HEDDphone. My typical comparison is the Focal Clear, and the HEDDphone is clearly more resolving. Sound is very clear, with no noticeable tilt towards bass or highs. They come across as slightly bright due to the resolving power, but I am not sensing any fatigue from sibilance or treble response. Tone and timbre seem natural (with nice wetness - not lean sounding), and ambiance and decay on percussion instruments are very good. As I type this I am listening to Tales of Another (Gary Peacock) and all the delicate string work on that album is very clear - one can truly hear into the recording. This observation has been true with all I've thrown at them so far, from piano, vocals, various rock, and electronic music. (Think Vladimir Horowitz, JS Bach, RUSH, Bill Evans Trio, Johnny Cash, Blossom Dearie, Deadmau5, Boy Harsher (yeah, my tastes are eclectic).)
Overall, the clarity is the standout feature of the HEDDphone. With an overall natural sound, they are unbeatable. It is an interesting comparison - I just attended a local meetup and got to hear a number of electrostatic and planar headphones two days ago. It was a fun event with lots of great equipment, but nothing I heard at the meet would beat the HEDDphone - electrostatics probably come close, but the HEDDphone would be my standout choice.
The soundstage is good, but we are still not talking a good 2 channel speaker setup here. I have not heard enough headphones at length to compare in detail - definitely wider than the Focal. Imaging stays precise, although I think the HEDDphone could benefit from a little crossfeed - will have to try this on my RME ADI-2 dac. I suspect a little touch of crossfeed will help the HEDDphone disappear a little (as it can with other headphones). Right now, while extraordinarily clear, I am aware that I am listening to a recording/speaker.
Other impressions: On power, the headphones definitely need more than the Focal Clear or similar. However, you don't need a huge source - I suspect any decent amp will have plenty of power. I'm listing on volume 36 (out of 100) on the BHK at reasonable volume; some quieter recordings I've had to push it up to 40s. I tend to listen a little quieter than many.
Weight - this is not a light headphone, but you don't really feel the weight. That is, until you move your head. If you turn your head anything other than slowly you will feel the HEDDphone in a couple of ways. First, due to the deep cups, the mass is sitting far from your head. When turning your head, you can feel the inertia- it is a bit like someone is trying to twist back at you. Also, the clamping pressure of the HEDDphone is not super strong so as you shift your head the phones want to move a bit (or, more precisely, stay where they are due to inertia). I don't want to overstate this, but if you move your head at any speed it is definitely noticeable. The summary point here - if headphone weight bothers you, this probably isn't a good choice. I don't think I'd wear these for more than a few hours unless my head was supported (by, say, laying into the chair).
Other observations: As noted by Resolve Reviews, the extension of the cups from the housing is not great - a little more here would be useful. Comfort is generally good; cushions are generous and clamp pressure is generally enough to take some weight but could be a little bit more. This would also help with keeping the HEDDphone in place while moving your head. I think the design would have been better with a strap. I keep adjusting the phones on my head slightly forward and back to play with the comfort. I can feel a little bit of pressure where the gap in the top is after a while. My head is average to slightly small - YMMV.
My only other observation at this point is that while the bass is good, it can lack the punch of some headphones. EQ may fix this, but I don't feel a need to change anything.
The summary impression so far is that the HEDDphone is everything it is billed to be.
Hifiearspeakers
Headphoneus Supremus
Here’s a song that really shows off what the HEDDphone can do in terms of staging, layering, tone, timbre, and bass impact. Check out, “Polly Come Home”, by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss from the Raising Sand album.
And while you’re at it, check out, “The Healing”, by Ray Montford, from his album called Live Sessions.
You’re welcome
And while you’re at it, check out, “The Healing”, by Ray Montford, from his album called Live Sessions.
You’re welcome
Joining the HEDD club.
First impression, I wish the headband would extend down a little further. Right now the ear pads doesn't extend down enough to fully cover my entire ears and it's clipping my earlobes. The weight is not an issue for me unless you like to lean forward or backward, the headphone will feel like it's slipping off your head. The built is nice and it is very flexible. You twist this thing. Initial sound hearing, sound is clear and with good sound separation. It have just enough bass for me. I can EQ if I needed more. I have no problem driving it on my Burson C3 or with a THX amp.
First impression, I wish the headband would extend down a little further. Right now the ear pads doesn't extend down enough to fully cover my entire ears and it's clipping my earlobes. The weight is not an issue for me unless you like to lean forward or backward, the headphone will feel like it's slipping off your head. The built is nice and it is very flexible. You twist this thing. Initial sound hearing, sound is clear and with good sound separation. It have just enough bass for me. I can EQ if I needed more. I have no problem driving it on my Burson C3 or with a THX amp.
Mine arrived too ... have been enjoying them for the last few hours (mostly between RME ADI-2 DAC fs/Phonitor X and Chord DAVE/Woo WA234 MK II Mono) ... took a break due to my ears getting hot and developing a bit of a hot-spot where the band splits in the middle ...
This company has something very special. Is it the people or the story behind the people? I'm not sure. The rest buy housing and carve them.
Beagle
His body's not a canvas, and he wasn't raised by apes.
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Keep the reviews coming!
Mine arrived too ... have been enjoying them for the last few hours (mostly between RME ADI-2 DAC fs/Phonitor X and Chord DAVE/Woo WA234 MK II Mono) ... took a break due to my ears getting hot and developing a bit of a hot-spot where the band splits in the middle ...
Glad it is not just me - definitely getting a hotspot at that point. The cups are big enough to move around - probably a lot of tweaking with fit possible to minimize this. Wish they just had put in a strap....
Here’s a song that really shows off what the HEDDphone can do in terms of staging, layering, tone, timbre, and bass impact. Check out, “Polly Come Home”, by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss from the Raising Sand album.
And while you’re at it, check out, “The Healing”, by Ray Montford, from his album called Live Sessions.
You’re welcome
Thanks - I gave both a quick listen. Will have to spend some more time with those albums.
Both have lots of complexity and really show the towe, layering and separation the HEDDphone is capable of. On these and other tracks, I would say that the breadth of the soundstage is definitely there, as well as precision in imaging. Front to back depth is not as much - it seems more like I am in the recording.
I took a break from music and listened to some videos running sound through my DAC. One video, in particular, caught me by surprise - the audio was well recorded and I was looking away for a minute - the voice was so real that I had to look up. I felt that I was in the room with the speaker and he was right in front of me! I think this is the capability of the HEDDphone - it puts you right there in the middle of the recording.
Just started listening to my new HEDDphone. Running lossless ALAC from Mac mini<Yggdrasil<HeadAmp GSX mk2. Also swapped out stock cable for a Norne Audio Silvergarde. Not that the stock cable is bad, I just really like the Norne cable and it is a known commodity.
First impression is of the speed. Very fast decay. Gives precise imaging.
The concerns about headband size is legit. I have an average to smaller hat size. These fit me fine, but they are completely extended.
Also your ears do get warm. I haven't had a problem, but if you live in a warm climate or are sensitive to it you will want to demo these first.
Also going from memory these are similar to my Utopia's. But without the occasional metallic sheen.
Again very early first impressions.
First impression is of the speed. Very fast decay. Gives precise imaging.
The concerns about headband size is legit. I have an average to smaller hat size. These fit me fine, but they are completely extended.
Also your ears do get warm. I haven't had a problem, but if you live in a warm climate or are sensitive to it you will want to demo these first.
Also going from memory these are similar to my Utopia's. But without the occasional metallic sheen.
Again very early first impressions.
Quickanddirty
100+ Head-Fier
After 3 days of excessive use I can say the cushion in the headband comes down a bit. I guess I got a medium sized head and while they initially were sitting snug fully extended, now the fit is comfortable and just fine.
When do you think the company will start supplying longer headband straps, since I had planned to place an order, but with my big head I know for sure they will not fit me?
If I may add, this is something I cannot comprehend. Have they not tested the headphones with real life persons with different headsizes?
A company comes out with a new product, where a good fit is of utmost importance, but we already have quite a few people complaining that the headband extension is too short.
How could Heddphone overlook that people with bigger heads do exist?
I am almost inclined to say it is no wonder that the new Berlin airport has become an eternal construction site.
jmills8
Previously known as bmiamihk, jmills2
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