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HEDDphones Loaner program @TTVJAudio.com
Jun 6, 2020 at 1:52 PM Post #16 of 32
jp11801 said:
sorry for the delay in my posting my impressions of the Heddphone.

I was absolutely excited to see a company use this technology in a headphone after hearing AMT drivers in speakers at shows for years and loving the results.

Initial unpacking and visual impression - I really liked the packaging and think it was well thought out allowing the unit to arrive in pristine shape .

Ergonomics - self disclosure I have a large head, when I wear an adjustable baseball cap invariably I am on the last circle in the back and the hat barely fits. I could not get these over both of my ears while having my ear lobes inside the earned without shoving them in. This led to a bit of discomfort that I don't think I would have felt if my head was a bit smaller. The cans are also the heaviest I think I have had on my noggin.

Fit and finish - not bad but not a luxury feel. These are in an MSRP band that is just short of the luxury space. You get pleather without a high end feel of say a ZMF or Focal or Meze. No leather or exotic materials used. In that case all the cost goes into the design and sound of the heddphone. They do crackle when moved on the head but that is part of the driver design that can't be overcome much like a planar or electrostatic can.

Sound - these are a neutral sound lovers dream. I came to think of these as mini Utopia during ny time with them. They may be more neutral than the Utopia. Much like having a great studio monitor on your head. I found the tone and timbre to be spot on and very natural during my time with them.
Bass was well represented and much more micro detail on the bass than with other headphones. How this come to life is hearing multiple layers of overtones that allows you to hear better the model of bass or type of amp used. Many rock bass players put a bit or hair on their sound by using a touch of overdrive like Chris Squier or Berry Oakley. It was a joy listening to Jaco Pastorius' debut LP with these :) .

Midrange was neither dry nor wet felt pretty much nurtural to me. Great details and emotion came through with these as I listened to well worn audio tracks from Norah Jones (OMG don't kill me) or Shelby Lynn (at least I didn't use Diana Krall). You get a good dose of hearing sounds like throat and mouth sounds with these. The voices also didn't get sibilant or hot as with some set ups. Instrumental tracks from Monk and Davis sounded like you were in the studio with them. They had well fleshed out tone on the piano and trumpet that just allowed me to tap my toe and forget I was evaluating them. At no point did I think they were trying to have a sound signature or impose their point of view on the music. Like Dragnet - Just the Facts, Just the Facts. I know sometimes we like romantic or rich sounding things, these are great tools to hear the music at the artist and producer left it on the tape.

Treble was detailed without splashy or sharp edges. Cymbal hits were detailed and decay was very nice with out coming ear piercing or jarring, provided the music didn't call for it. I did listed to a bit of Pharaoh Sanders and Archie Shepp and that music is jarring and the Heddphone got right in my face exactly like Pharaoh and Archie intended. Where sounds were silky like Vanessa Fernandez the headphone returned a glorious and rich result.

Soundstage - this was not a win for me with these as they appeared good left to right but didn't project out at all and didn't layer back to front as well as the Utopia. The utopia also is not great at left to right soundstage with a somewhat smallish stage.

Compared the Utopia they were not as detailed or texturally rich but came pretty close at less than half of the MSRP of the Utopia.
I compared these to the ZMF Veritie Closed and they were two very different beasts with the ZMF absolutely having a point of view on the music that the Heddphone didn't impose on you. That said the ZMF has a great POV that many myself included find fascinating.

Overall the Heddphone has my strong recommendation provided your head is not larger than normal and you do not mind heavier than average cans. These get you within inches of TOTL headphone experience and had I had a smaller head I would have purchased a set on the spot.

Lastly I must thank Todd for the opportunity to hear these. Todd at this point probably has the honor of being the longest vendor supporter of our community. I really appreciate your dedication to our hobby and the Head-fi space. If you get a chance to do business with Todd it feels like working with a friend. He is truly one of the best we have.
Click to expand...

Great thoughts JP...and not just because they fell right in line with mine. :)
 
Jun 22, 2020 at 7:55 PM Post #17 of 32
Jul 1, 2020 at 1:17 PM Post #18 of 32
My thanks to @Todd for the opportunity to audition these HEDDphones(headphones?). I have been interested in these since they first were announced. Way back in the day I had a close friend who owned a pair of ESS Heil AMT-1a speakers which I still count as some of the best I ever heard so I was curious what could be done with the AMT in a headphone configuration.

I have been using headphones for over 45 years as my preferred listening manner but did not get in to HeadFi until about five years ago much to the chagrin of my wallet. Since the it has been a steady move forward and upward.

Equipment used: Lumin U1 streamer
PS Audio Directstream DAC
Cavalli Liquid Gold
Woo Audio WA33 EE
Audeze LCD-4
ZMF Verite Open

I am not going to list the tracks used since I had the unit for a week listening to dozens of songs though I may reference a few select tracks(I'm making this up as I go).

Initial Impressions: By now this unit has been well discussed so much of what I say may be repetitive but maybe I can find some new perspective to bring to the table. The unit came well pack in an attractive cardboard box. The unit is well protected inside. I guess these are not expected to travel so no further protection is necessary. Still considering my experience with Audeze pelican cases and my desire to attend meets a cardboard case is mildly disappointing

Construction and Finish(leaving ergonomics to the conclusion): The unit is well made with a couple of quibbles. The pads are cushy and the headband seems soft enough. The sliders appear to be the new longer ones. At the bottom there is a small amount of swivel for the earpieces. This felt a little loose and insecure but both sides were the same. At the top the same situation where the sliders entered the headband. The sliders would wriggle back and forth entering the headband. Again it was the same on both sides so maybe part of the design but unexpected and perhaps not quite befitting a premium product. Most disconcerting was the positioning of the connectors. I have not seen this mentioned before so either I have discovered something new or only I am bothered. The connectors(thank you Heddphone for using the 4pin mini-xlr. I wish there was greater uniformity across the industry) are positioned in the middle of the cups. This was not a problem ergonomically(which I promised to discuss later) but made identifying left and right difficult. To identify the channel one has to either look at the side of the headband where one must remember which way the HEDD logo faces for right or look underneath for however your cable identifies the right channel. My setup is in my bedroom utilizing blackout curtains to darken the room. All my other phones are designed such that merely by picking them up one can instantly feel which way to put the unit on your head. In darkness or lowlight I found this impossible and somewhat annoying. Call me shallow. Last quibble; the provided cable. I had no problems with the sound though I found the part of the cable above the split very microphonic. I feel that a headphone of this quality and price should either provide or have the option of a balanced cable.

Remember I said quibbles. This a fine piece of equipment.

Sound: Bass was there in sufficient quantity and quality when the track called for it. No one should ever call these bass-shy. It was smooth and articulate never overwhelming any other part of the SQ. I could hear individual bass notes without a hit of muddiness.

Midrange was rather forward. Most of the time this was a good thing because this is where the music and vocals live. Acoustic instruments were very well presented. My only classical bent is solo piano and the HEDDphone did a very fine job on a difficult instrument to reproduce. Listening to Johannes Linstead(an artist I highly recommend) acoustic guitar was vibrant and detailed
with great immediacy.

Treble was very clear and detailed and bright. Not to the Utopia point which I gave up after thirty minutes of listening. The treble gave the Heddphone its signature for me. Most of the time this was good but occasionally hinted at emptiness. This was most evident on the Alison Krauss remake of All Alone Am I. On the Heddphone Krauss' voice is high and sweet almost heartbreaking. Very beautiful! Then I played the same track using the LCD-4 and you go "Oh, that's what a real human voice really sounds like".

Soundstage: Major disappointment. This is where the HEDDphone fell short big time. The soundstage was sufficiently wide(actually quite good) and good height but for me it was absolutely flat. It felt like the musicians were sitting in a single line across the stage. Perhaps this is the product of the forward midrange or some design factor but for whatever reason there was very little depth to the sound.

Comparisons: As you can tell I tend toward a warmer signature. I found the HEDDphone on roughly the same level as the VO. Obviously they do not have the same sound signature but on a resolution level I found them roughly equal with the Heddphone having the advantage on the upper mid and top end with the VO having a clearer and more well defined bottom end.
The LCD-4 is my preferred sound. The Heddphone is a fine sounding unit but for me still not up to the level of the LCD-4. The bass impact and slam is superior and the liquid mids that Audeze is fame for is superior. The Heddphone is equal or slightly superior on the top end but when take as a whole the LCD-4 comes out on top(YMMV).

Conclusion: Here is where we get to ergonomics. I really wanted to like this headphone and I do like it. It represents a different take than my current equipment. I even put off selling a top cable with the expectation that I would need it for the HEDDphone. The plan matter of fact is that this headphone does not fit my listening style. My headphone setup is in my bedroom and I do all my listening inclining on my bed. Stated on an insert in the package "you may sometimes notice quiet crackling sounds while adjusting the HEDDphone® to your ears. This happens when air pressure is applied to the diaphragm and does not affect the driver‘s performance. The crackling won’t appear when you have found your ideal listening position." Apparently I do not have an "ideal listening position". When inclining on pillows with the cups touching the pillows even the slightest movement elicited crackling noises. Perhaps this won't be a problem if your listening to Metallica but with much of my listening consisting of solo acoustic recordings or less dense Americana recordings I was constantly hearing crackles that were
very audible over the music. I did most of my comparison listening sitting upright in a chair and the problem was greatly reduced though not eliminated.
I also experience some discomfort with the headband affecting the top of my head. I have never been a fan of leather(pleather) pads and have installed suede pads on both my headphones. With the pads on the Heddphone both my other phones felt more secure than the HEDDphone.

I did not want to make this a wholly negative review and hope I have not. The Heddphone is a wonderfully great headphone with a fine sound signature with a very reasonable price(comparatively speaking). The only truly negative aspect to the sound signature is the flat soundstage. The HEDDphone is not for me but not because of its sound but because of how its design and ergonomics impact on my preferred listening style. This is definitely a piece of equipment that needs to be auditioned if at all possible before purchase or from a dealer with a generous return policy(at the time this was written an internet dealer had 10 open box units in stock so some are being returned for whatever reason).

Thank you for wading through this. Hope it helps. And again thanks to Todd for making this happen!
 
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Jul 16, 2020 at 4:00 PM Post #21 of 32
Thanks go out to @Todd from TTVJ for sending these out. I just got them out of the box and going through my first listening with them. Quite a different experience than the Arya, but not at all in a bad way.

Jesus these things are heavy.... people just weren't kidding about that. The supplied cable is pretty meh and the build quality feels good other than the slider adjustments... they feel more on the cheap side. I will have a review up before the end of my time with them, but so far so good.
 
Dec 2, 2020 at 3:05 PM Post #22 of 32
Hi All,

There is only 1 person left on this loaner program. If you want a shot at auditioning it before I bring it back here, sign up now - see the loaner program rules at the beginning of this thread.

There also should be a few more reviews here...

Todd
 
Dec 3, 2020 at 2:04 PM Post #24 of 32
Hello and good morning, everyone. Bit late on the update but I couldn't find this post, but I've received the HEDDphone and everything's amazing. Though I'm working on my review for it now, here's my unboxing video for those interested.
 
Dec 9, 2020 at 6:36 PM Post #27 of 32
Dec 16, 2020 at 10:33 AM Post #29 of 32
Sorry, y'all. This goof, either didn't take the mic off mute or plug it in. So my entire 26min, raw preedited, HEDD audio HEDDphone review is completely without sound. So I can't upload it. BUT, I've still posted my full written review linked below.

https://head-fi.org/showcase/hedd-heddphone.24445/reviews
20201204_160745_HDR.jpg
 
Dec 17, 2020 at 6:45 PM Post #30 of 32
A huge thank you to Todd at TTVJ for organizing this loaner program so that the community can demo the very cool HEDDphones!

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Build:

The build quality seems to be very good. Everything feels solid though the hinges seem a bit rough when swiveling. It feels and sounds like the swiveling mechanism is grinding against something.

It’s a bit odd that they only come with a ¼” cable. It seems like there’s a balanced cable option but it’s an additional 189 USD. At this price, considering the relatively low sensitivity at 87 db/mW and how most amps output more power with a balanced output, I think it should also come with a balanced cable. Also, the cable is pretty microphonic when rubbing against something. It’s a fairly light cable otherwise.

The diaphragms crinkle (driver flex) when putting them on and/or moving your head even slightly. It's not a defect. HEDD Audio even explains it in a poster in the box. It's pretty annoying considering how prevalent it is even with the slightest of head or muscle movement.

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Fit/Comfort:

The earpads are very thick and comfortable. The headband has quite a bit of padding with most of the cushion split like on the HD650’s cushion so the weight won’t really weigh down at the top of the head. The slider adjustments seem a bit short, but I was able to get a good fit with 2 or 3 adjustments from maxing each side out. The materials used are comfortable but my god are the headphones heavy. I feel my neck straining after only a few minutes of wearing. Now I’m not an Audeze user so I’m not used to the weight, but I have tried a few and the HEDDphone does not distribute weight nearly as well as the Audezes with the suspension headband. The heavy earcups pull my head down over time without me realizing until I feel my back straining. So uhh, the materials used are comfortable but the headphones are excessively heavy. They are heavy enough for me to call this quirk a dealbreaker.

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Sound:

Source: Schiit Modius > Topping A90

Preface:

As a reference for what headphones I’ve been using, my daily driver is a Hifiman Susvara that I’ve pad swapped with something that looks like Beyerdynamic earpads (though has non-perforated underside unlike most Beyerdynamic earpads). I remember they were on an old vintage headphone that I bought but I forgot which one.

Bass:

The bass extension is pretty good though the sub-bass is more heard than felt. Though the lower midrange and upper bass measures flat, the headphones sound a bit “full” and “chesty” as if there is a bit of bloom in this region - which is also odd because the bass is also tight and punchy. I don’t think there’s any bleeding into the midrange per se. It’s just a bit odd in listening but I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing. I guess another odd thing is that I find them a bit bass-lite despite, what I think, the headphones to be a bit “full” and “chesty” sounding. Bumping up the sub-bass a bit with EQ (<60 Hz, + ~3 db), the sub-bass response can be very visceral sounding, being both easily heard and felt with very good detail and texturing. I really like the sub-bass response after bumping it up a bit with EQ.

Midrange:

When I first listened with the headphones, I was taken aback. I thought they were broken because vocals sounded a bit wonky and stuffy. There was just something about them that wasn’t quite “right.” A bit mid-centric with a “closed-in” sort of sound. I think a part of the reason is partly due to the midrange. I mentioned above that the headphones sound like the lower midrange had a bit of a “bloom” and so they sounded sorta “chesty.” Additionally, there is this bump around 600 Hz (though it shows only on the left side in my measurements) that sorta sticks out; not really honky per se, but those particular frequencies in voices stick out and sound a bit unnatural. In this particular unit and in my measurements, the response shows a bit of a dip around 600 Hz on the right side which is also very weird comparatively to the left side. Though this was repeatable in multiple seatings and to somewhat of the HEDDphone’s defense, I did not notice this imbalance in listening even now. The midrange response is like hovering your hands over some *really* open back headphones and then hearing all of the reflections and reverberations - obviously not to that extreme but I do think it sounds like that to some extent. I think the weirdness in vocals is centered around that part of the frequencies but I think the also odd treble response may also play a part.

Treble:

I think this is the weakest part of the headphones. The treble response is really uneven and so some harmonics say like in a cymbal’s crash or even just “shh,” “esses,” or “thh” in words are just gone or very recessed. The lower-treble in particular around 5-6 kHz is really just recessed to the point that these sound dull. The treble then spikes back up to around 8 kHz and though it’s not a crazy spike, it’s really apparent due to the huge dip around 5-6 kHz. There is a bit of a peak around 12 kHz that is a tiny bit too much for my liking though it’s not as much of a problem as the 5-8 kHz region. It does give a sense of an “extended treble response” but can sound a tiny bit “hot” especially considering the odd lower-to-mid treble response. I think the really uneven and overall dull treble response is enough to be a dealbreaker.

Soundstage/Imaging:

I mentioned above that I think these sound rather “closed-in.” I perceive the soundstage as a fairly narrow “straight line through the center of your head” sort of soundstage. Sounds don’t really sound like they’re coming from in front or behind. Despite what its thick earpads would suggest, the HEDDphone has a surprisingly narrow soundstage like the HD6 series if not just a bit better - though I would say take this with a grain of salt since I don’t currently have one on hand. I definitely think the fairly poor treble response plays a part in the perception of its fairly closed-in sound along with its odd midrange that pushes harmonics in vocals a bit forward. Imaging is ok. It’s not bad but I don’t think it’s particularly very clear on where instruments are precisely. Everything sounds like it’s, as I said, in a flat line across your head so the depth is also not very good. This is very apparent when listening to tracks like “Bubbles” or “Wandering” both by Yosi Horikawa.

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Measurements

HEDD Audio HEDDphone.jpg
Measured on a MiniDSP EARS. HPN compensation. Left channel at 90 db. The 3-5 kHz region on the MiniDSP EARS measured on most if not all headphones is inaccurate. The MiniDSP EARS is also not entirely good at accurately measuring the treble region though it does provide some insight if overlaid with another headphone’s response. I typically identify dips and peaks in the treble by ear with a tone generator - how reliable one thinks that may be is up to whoever’s reading. There are also more reliable measurements done on industry standard rigs so please look at those as well.

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Conclusion/TL;DR:

I’m not really a fan of the HEDDphones. They’re way too heavy and I think the frequency response without any EQ sounds really wonky. The treble response in particular is uneven and dull. Voices sound a bit stuffy and unnatural. The sub-bass, however, is rather nice especially when bumped up a bit. Soundstage and imaging are both rather disappointing considering what its huge size would suggest. It seems like the focus in developing this headphone was making the AMT tech work relatively well in a headphone design, and if that were the case, then I guess they’ve succeeded. I am still looking forward to how HEDD Audio further develops the AMT tech for headphones. As of now, I don’t think this is quite it. However, if you like the HEDDphones, then more power to you. Don't let what I said change your mind.

I wasn't sure where to mention this but I did like jazz, and/or slower ambient tracks with the HEDDphones.
 
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