[LCMusicLover]

Acts as a preamp; easy to control volume via the A90D compared to the OTL amp.
It is a lovely clean preamp that adds a tiny bit of extra 3D stage to the sound of the LF339. Good dynamics, retains all the upper frequency detail etc.
Turns a good setup into a really inviting one; I got lost in dying light 1 yesterday with this setup - The HEDDphone does low end like nothing else; LCD-X, Focal Clear etc... with a clean chain the HEDDphone is amazing.

Oh, quite agree about Hedd bass. Out of my Audio-gd Master 11 and from the XLRs out of my TT2 it can be thunderous. I’m getting a Caldera demo in a few weeks, and I’m looking forward to that aspect of the comparison.

I was really asking about your chain because I’ve been listening to:

TT2 ==> Bottlehead Crack ==> Liquid Gold X ==> planars

It’s the only way to use the BHC w/ planars. I actually control volume at the TT2. Anyway, double- (really triple-) amping. Silly, I know

 

[adeadcrab]

Oh, quite agree about Hedd bass. Out of my Audio-gd Master 11 and from the XLRs out of my TT2 it can be thunderous. I’m getting a Caldera demo in a few weeks, and I’m looking forward to that aspect of the comparison.

I was really asking about your chain because I’ve been listening to:

TT2 ==> Bottlehead Crack ==> Liquid Gold X ==> planars

It’s the only way to use the BHC w/ planars. I actually control volume at the TT2. Anyway, double- (really triple-) amping. Silly, I know

From what I remember, the Bottlehead amps use the same tubes as LF339 - The 7236 tubes have enough gain and wattage to power the HEDDphone - I just need to turn the 339's volume to 1 o'clock!
However, the LF339 is dual mono design so it has one power tube per channel which may make powering the HEDDphone easier.

 

[LCMusicLover]

From what I remember, the Bottlehead amps use the same tubes as LF339 - The 7236 tubes have enough gain and wattage to power the HEDDphone - I just need to turn the 339's volume to 1 o'clock!
However, the LF339 is dual mono design so it has one power tube per channel which may make powering the HEDDphone easier.

Oh, problem w/ BHC ==> planars is the impedance mis-match.

 

[Reputator]

Well, I gave the HEDDphones another shot, and I'm really glad I did. I had them in '21, but I chose the Arya Stealth over them and sent them back. I always missed their sonic characteristics, although the comfort was atrocious for my head shape.

I mean, I have a huge head. Here's what they look like on DMS's head, and then how they look on me.

Spoiler

Yeah. Cranial-gigantus.

So I got a good deal on a used pair, but I still needed to figure out how to fix the comfort issue. I'd get major pain at the top of my head after just 20 minutes or so. I bought the popular leather strap off eBay this time around, which helped some, but I found the top was still pressing on top of my head, and I need all the slack I can get for the cups to even (mostly) fit over my ears.

I determined the padding was just getting the in way for me. If I could just remove the padding and put all the weight on the strap, they'd finally fit right and be comfortable, right? So I did a crazy thing!

Spoiler

So yeah, there's no padding in the center of the headband anymore. The HEDDphones now sit lower on my head, fully covering my ears, and the entire weight is distributed across the leather strap.

They're SOOO much more comfortable now. I wore them for an hour so far without issues. It's amazing to be able to just focus on their sound without worrying about how they feel on my head!

And since I last had them, I've upgraded literally everything about my setup. Getting to hear them two years later with a better chain, I can really hear what they can do. The soundstage is the biggest improvement. They used to sound like a flat wall of sound, but now they have much more depth. And the dynamics seemed to have improved as well.

They complement my Arya Stealths really well and I'm really glad to have them in my stable!

 

[Reputator]

Since resolving the comfort issue once and for all, and giving it 80 hours of burn-in (which for onlookers, just know that's very critical for this headphone), I'm left with a baffling discovery.

I originally chose the Arya Stealth over these. Why then, two years later, am I enjoying them more than Arya Stealth?

Is it new toy syndrome? Maybe. They don't have quite as much midrange warmth on my setup. A little more shout in the upper midrange which the Arya actively avoids. But every time I think the Aryas had more impact or dynamics, I switch back and...that's not the case. I didn't consider the HEDDphone to be very dynamic, but I mean, the Lyr+ is capable of 4 watts at 50ohms (so slightly more at the HEDD's 42ohms), so maybe that has something to do with it? They sound pretty dynamic now.

With a high quality vacuum tube, the soundstage is just crazy. The clarity surpasses the Arya, and the sheer soundstage width gives everything a further sense of separation. There are times where perhaps that also reduces cohesion, but the technicalities are just so good. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

It's also so smooth. Treble is still the best I ever heard. Present and bright, but no hint of harshness. Much better with vocals than Arya.

 

[Arcamera]

I love the timbre on these headphones. Superb.

And the general lower tonal center of gravity, so to speak.

And the instrument separation. Wonderful.

But rather than "headphones," I'm more inclined to call them "ear speakers."

 

[adeadcrab]

Seems like you have pretty good concepts for cable design. For my preferred source, different from the design you see on his website, I ordered a custom-made cable 18 AWG with the best shielding around, and he also just got a very pure stock of copper and silver litz. Anything can be customized at request. He's a real pleasure to deal with. It wouldn't hurt to shoot him a message and see what he says.

Using the stock cable now actually; and it sounds quite good. I have literally no background noise with it through my OTL amp - for reference my HD800S hums constantly, tubes crackle - dead silent with the stock HEDDPhone cable. It must be that resistor in the Y splitter...

 

[D3an Robin]

The weight on these is ok as long as you don't move your head. If you start to move your head from left to right you immediately feel how heavy they are. I really hope they will come with a slimmer version in the future.

 

[ruselok]

Since resolving the comfort issue once and for all, and giving it 80 hours of burn-in (which for onlookers, just know that's very critical for this headphone), I'm left with a baffling discovery.

I originally chose the Arya Stealth over these. Why then, two years later, am I enjoying them more than Arya Stealth?

Is it new toy syndrome? Maybe. They don't have quite as much midrange warmth on my setup. A little more shout in the upper midrange which the Arya actively avoids. But every time I think the Aryas had more impact or dynamics, I switch back and...that's not the case. I didn't consider the HEDDphone to be very dynamic, but I mean, the Lyr+ is capable of 4 watts at 50ohms (so slightly more at the HEDD's 42ohms), so maybe that has something to do with it? They sound pretty dynamic now.

With a high quality vacuum tube, the soundstage is just crazy. The clarity surpasses the Arya, and the sheer soundstage width gives everything a further sense of separation. There are times where perhaps that also reduces cohesion, but the technicalities are just so good. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

It's also so smooth. Treble is still the best I ever heard. Present and bright, but no hint of harshness. Much better with vocals than Arya.

Heddphone One doesn't get anything from burn-in.

 

[Reputator]

Heddphone One doesn't get anything from burn-in.

Yes it does.

You see how posts like this don't change people's minds?

 

[bgoods1221]

Looks fabulous

 

[DecentLevi]

Using the stock cable now actually; and it sounds quite good. I have literally no background noise with it through my OTL amp - for reference my HD800S hums constantly, tubes crackle - dead silent with the stock HEDDPhone cable. It must be that resistor in the Y splitter...

You see, that's just the thing. I also thought the HEDDphone sounded "quite good" using the stock cable. But, knowing there's always more sonic reproduction potential to be untapped in this hobby, I ventured out to a custom designed aftermarket thick silver / copper hybrid cable with nice shielding from a trusted seller (mentioned here a few pages back). And now the sound changed from "quite good" to profound and quite sublime, and gets even better with system upgrades. So much more of the audio picture is coming through with a better cable. So much more macro detail, imaging, naturalness of voicing, etc. - All without changing the tonal character / FR. It has to be experienced firsthand to know it.

PS it was a misunderstanding that the stock cable has a resistor, it has a small circuit board. That quieter volume is from the impedance of the transducers. Shown by the volume also being the same with my newer cable.

 

[mendye770]

Heddphone One doesn't get anything from burn-in.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
These headphones ABSOLUTELY need burn-in!

The difference in sound before and after was incomparable

 

[ruselok]

This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
These headphones ABSOLUTELY need burn-in!

The difference in sound before and after was incomparable

Zero difference was in my case after 100 hours of burn-in.

 

[mendye770]

Zero difference was in my case after 100 hours of burn-in.