[mendye770]

I just saw on headphones.com the HEDDphone on sale for 1300!!!
That’s just mind blowing for how good they are!

 

[LCMusicLover]

I just saw on headphones.com the HEDDphone on sale for 1300!!!
That’s just mind blowing for how good they are!

Yes, they haven’t gotten the traction they deserve in the marketplace.

 

[Nisachar]

Yes, they haven’t gotten the traction they deserve in the marketplace.

Primary reasons (IMO), compared to other flagships in my collection:
- poor build quality overall for a flagship (but stellar sound)

• Heavy ( Some other flagship headphones are heavy too, so maybe not an issue. Doesn’t bother me at all)
• The driver housing handles seem to spoil faster over time. They feel cheap.
• Discomfort at the center of the head (due to poor cushioning/suspension of the headband ), necessitating extra cushioning solutions.
• The cable input jacks are of a poor quality. The right cup jack became loose. Never had that happen with other headphones.
• The headband extensions are shorter than one would like and they too soil real fast when compared to other headphones.
• The leather cushion frayed far faster than expected.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Primary reasons (IMO), compared to other flagships in my collection:
- poor build quality overall for a flagship (but stellar sound)

• Heavy ( Some other flagship headphones are heavy too, so maybe not an issue. Doesn’t bother me at all)
• The driver housing handles seem to spoil faster over time. They feel cheap.
• Discomfort at the center of the head (due to poor cushioning/suspension of the headband ), necessitating extra cushioning solutions.
• The cable input jacks are of a poor quality. The right cup jack became loose. Never had that happen with other headphones.
• The headband extensions are shorter than one would like and they too soil real fast when compared to other headphones.
• The leather cushion frayed far faster than expected.

Personally, I’d say primarily due to 2 things:

- Build, quality and comfort issues as you listed
- A not insignificant number of negative impressions and reviews, with little of the normal best headphone ever hype, which ends up being a negative, as in

Well, if nobody is raving about them …

JHMO of course.

 

[DecentLevi]

Does anyone know a good source for replacement ear pads for the HEDDphone? My the pleather type material on my earpads is starting to fray and flake apart. Maybe just contact HEDD?

 

[adeadcrab]

Official HEDD earpads, or have a look at Vesper audio if you like customisable, full-grain leather earpads. They also offer alcantara from what I remember.

 

[DecentLevi]

Thanks so much! I've messaged Vesper Audio about their HEDDphone earpads. Anyone mind to tell me how much you paid? I didn't see any prices listed. I prefer the same sound signature as stock, and their whole grain leather ear pads look similar anyway - and they're angled which I assume may be a plus.

 

[adeadcrab]

I paid ~60 EUR per pair for microsuede / alcantara earpads for the Koss ESP/95X, but due to the local situation in Belarus at the time they were lost in transit.. I will have to order some more soon and include a pair or two for the HEDDphone!

I just paid for a HEDDphone here in Australia, demo unit, for 10% off retail.. will post impressions here soon when it arrives... I spent the past week or two reading through the entire thread (how many can say that?) so I knew more than the person I spoke to at my local retailer regarding batch date and issues with plastic / headband revision etc

With the Vesper, you can choose to have them angled or flat, add a cooling gel behind the foam, there's lots of customisation available.. just have to be patient as that requires lead time to custom make each pair!

I just checked and the stock price was ~50 euro per pair; customisation options stack up on top of that. They will reply to you with the full customisation options.

 

[plumpudding2]

I paid ~60 EUR per pair for microsuede / alcantara earpads for the Koss ESP/95X, but due to the local situation in Belarus at the time they were lost in transit.. I will have to order some more soon and include a pair or two for the HEDDphone!

I just paid for a HEDDphone here in Australia, demo unit, for 10% off retail.. will post impressions here soon when it arrives... I spent the past week or two reading through the entire thread (how many can say that?) so I knew more than the person I spoke to at my local retailer regarding batch date and issues with plastic / headband revision etc

With the Vesper, you can choose to have them angled or flat, add a cooling gel behind the foam, there's lots of customisation available.. just have to be patient as that requires lead time to custom make each pair!

I just checked and the stock price was ~50 euro per pair; customisation options stack up on top of that. They will reply to you with the full customisation options.

Congratulations! If you have a strong neck I am sure you will not regret your purchase what will you run them off?

 

[adeadcrab]

Congratulations! If you have a strong neck I am sure you will not regret your purchase what will you run them off?

I will show when I have the HEDDphone

 

[DecentLevi]

I am very pleased to announce my findings with the aforementioned mod thanks to @JaZZ here.

I call this the HEDDphone experience 2.0. After experimenting with 4 types of grille coverings and 2 types of leather around the main body over the last month, I have finally settled on a mod that is giving absolutely sensational and refined sound. Over the course of owning the HEDDphone, I've always loved the sound that is very resolving, fairly detailed, good soundstage and FR, but there's always been that subtelty that seemed 'off', which I believe relates to a certain resonance and minor imperfection in the dynamics handling... Now with this mod I'm getting better heft and robustness to the bass and kickdrums, improved macro detail, intimacy and smoother treble. Any resonance seems to be gone, and now replaced with a more clear, vivid sound with better dynamics that are more true to life and without extra HF glare.

Leather tape (for around main earcup)
I first tried this ONine leather repair tape on the body, which gave me a great experience, improved bass response and control, but maybe not eliminating quite enough resonance. Finally I decided to try this Omont Leather Repair Patch tape and I was awestruck at the improvement! I would consider this perfect handling of dynamics and a very desirable bass definition, and even a bit more inner detail.

Adhesive felt sheet (for on earcup grille)
Initially I tried these Caydo Soft Velvet Felt Sheets. I was impressed at how the sound further changed, namely in detail retrieval and perhaps evening out the highs. I also tried these Velour Plush contact paper which are very thin, and so far this was my favorite sound. Great detail and balance of frequencies! Unfortunately these have a very poor adhesive material, making them prone to fall off just after putting on. I also tried 1, 2 & 3 layers of most of these and 2 layers of this may have been the best sounding, but they would just not stay affixed.

Net I tried this Hygloss Velour Paper. It stayed on well but that's about as much as I can say, because with all combinations of 1, 2 or 3 layers it was always too bright and somehow sounding 'off'. Finally I tried these Perzodo Adhesive Back Felt Sheets, and it was instant satisfaction! Having spent about a week with these and just finishing another comparison, I am confident to say these synergize very well with the HEDDphone, and especially in comination with the Omont Leather Repair Patch tape on the main earcup. To me this makes the HEDDphone closer than ever to electrostatic headphones with the best detail I've heard, robust bass, vivid detail, while sounding smooth and non fatiguing.

The formula I've settled on largely agrees with the findings of @JaZZ but the difference for me was a preference for felt (includes velvet) for a more balanced sound, as opposed to velour which seemed to put too much emphasis on the treble.

Also note I've since revised my cutout template shape vs. what's shown above, to be more like the shape you see actually on the HEDDphone grille which is more rounded inside. I would recommend going even a tiny bit thinner / less than what I have. And for the leather dampening around the main earcup, note that it must be measured precisely to avoid any part of it overlapping or doubling up, to still allow for the HEDDphone yoke to swivel. The brand, thickness and material of both make a big difference as well, so for an easy result just go with my recommendations for a great sound.

Looking forward to hearing other people's good experience with this mod! And since it's external only, it's easily reversible.

 

[S Crowther]

Any sign of Heddphone 2?

 

[adeadcrab]

Just wondered; is anyone running the Hedd's off the new Topping A90 Discrete? I'm currently running mine from a Fiio K9 pro, which I think maybe slightly underpowered. I'm tempted by the new A90, having seen some reviews which have mentioned how powerful it is....

Somewhere in the middle....

(XLR output on Low Gain, 70-75/99 for most modern rock / pop / metal. Still burning in but sounding better than yesterday... For reference this is a few clicks higher volume than HD800s on single ended output.)

 

[hjf3Gd]

Nice photos! I also went for the A90D, just after I posted in August. I'm very happy with the combination.

 

[mendye770]

I am very pleased to announce my findings with the aforementioned mod thanks to @JaZZ here.

I call this the HEDDphone experience 2.0. After experimenting with 4 types of grille coverings and 2 types of leather around the main body over the last month, I have finally settled on a mod that is giving absolutely sensational and refined sound. Over the course of owning the HEDDphone, I've always loved the sound that is very resolving, fairly detailed, good soundstage and FR, but there's always been that subtelty that seemed 'off', which I believe relates to a certain resonance and minor imperfection in the dynamics handling... Now with this mod I'm getting better heft and robustness to the bass and kickdrums, improved macro detail, intimacy and smoother treble. Any resonance seems to be gone, and now replaced with a more clear, vivid sound with better dynamics that are more true to life and without extra HF glare.





Leather tape (for around main earcup)
I first tried this ONine leather repair tape on the body, which gave me a great experience, improved bass response and control, but maybe not eliminating quite enough resonance. Finally I decided to try this Omont Leather Repair Patch tape and I was awestruck at the improvement! I would consider this perfect handling of dynamics and a very desirable bass definition, and even a bit more inner detail.

Adhesive felt sheet (for on earcup grille)
Initially I tried these Caydo Soft Velvet Felt Sheets. I was impressed at how the sound further changed, namely in detail retrieval and perhaps evening out the highs. I also tried these Velour Plush contact paper which are very thin, and so far this was my favorite sound. Great detail and balance of frequencies! Unfortunately these have a very poor adhesive material, making them prone to fall off just after putting on. I also tried 1, 2 & 3 layers of most of these and 2 layers of this may have been the best sounding, but they would just not stay affixed.

Net I tried this Hygloss Velour Paper. It stayed on well but that's about as much as I can say, because with all combinations of 1, 2 or 3 layers it was always too bright and somehow sounding 'off'. Finally I tried these Perzodo Adhesive Back Felt Sheets, and it was instant satisfaction! Having spent about a week with these and just finishing another comparison, I am confident to say these synergize very well with the HEDDphone, and especially in comination with the Omont Leather Repair Patch tape on the main earcup. To me this makes the HEDDphone closer than ever to electrostatic headphones with the best detail I've heard, robust bass, vivid detail, while sounding smooth and non fatiguing.

The formula I've settled on largely agrees with the findings of @JaZZ but the difference for me was a preference for felt (includes velvet) for a more balanced sound, as opposed to velour which seemed to put too much emphasis on the treble.

Also note I've since revised my cutout template shape vs. what's shown above, to be more like the shape you see actually on the HEDDphone grille which is more rounded inside. I would recommend going even a tiny bit thinner / less than what I have. And for the leather dampening around the main earcup, note that it must be measured precisely to avoid any part of it overlapping or doubling up, to still allow for the HEDDphone yoke to swivel. The brand, thickness and material of both make a big difference as well, so for an easy result just go with my recommendations for a great sound.

Looking forward to hearing other people's good experience with this mod! And since it's external only, it's easily reversible.

WoW, thanks for this info!
Will definitely try out the mods.

Question, what do u use to stick the materials to the headphones?