HIFIMAN HE-R10 Closed-Back Headphones Discussion & Impressions
Dec 7, 2023 at 12:01 AM Post #1,096 of 1,232
I love them to death, but I still wouldn't recommend them just because my taste in headphones can be so odd. They're basically built for classic rock, though. They do rap and the like well, but any genres softer than those are ill-suited for these.

I do plan on keeping them though, and I feel like I got my money's worth, even disregarding all the extras they come with. To any sane person I would recommend the R9 over them, but if you've got a screw loose like me, R10D all the way.
I ordered them yesterday from HIFIMAN for $389 (with a $10 coupon). I got curious. While I haven't read about them being weird, I suspected they would be, and I like weird signatures. Reading from you that they are indeed odd is reassuring to me. I want them to be bombastic. I have plenty of normal-sounding headphones, ha-ha.
 
Dec 7, 2023 at 6:11 AM Post #1,097 of 1,232
HE-R10D: Hifiman's smartest headphones.

The headphones in question are certainly "smart" headphones starting from the name which recalls the legendary Sony of the legendary 80s/90s. It's simply the least "Hifiman" of all Hifiman headphones there is. It is certainly a Hifiman headphone in terms of tonality, balance, technique, extension, softness and correctness but at the same time it is perhaps the headphone that distances itself furthest from the classic Hifiman sound. As soon as you put it on and turn it on it envelops you with unexpected bass... soft, deep, natural, highlighted but not swollen, soft but not leaky, powerful but not intrusive. Here comes the first "smart trick"... as the frequency increases one might expect equally deep and thick mids but this is not the case... in fact the bass attenuates becoming medium-bass and ends up being very flat mids and with little weight... but thanks to the frequency curve it is precisely the mids that refresh the sound spectrum which would otherwise have become very heavy. The mids are therefore very natural and present themselves as a perfect connection with the upper mids where yet another change occurs with a slightly increased presence and greater freshness which then increases further until reaching the highs which close the circle being very expressive and rich in nuances, very extensive but never bright and out of control. It is practically like having Hifiman headphones in terms of tone, balance, richness and delicacy of the sound but with bass that makes it the most "special" of all Hifiman headphones. Another thing that you will notice almost immediately is that these are closed headphones that sound almost like open headphones... this is thanks to another "smart"... in fact Hifiman has not only copied the Sony name, but also another thing and that is the size of the cups, their shape, their material, in a word the resonance they create. This means that the headphones never feel oppressive, muffled, alienating, claustrophobic... in a word closed. The cups and their special resonance contribute to widening the stage well beyond what one might expect, which becomes very large (for closed headphones) and which can contain within it different sounds, different tones, different representations of the sound both at of quantity and quality... and he will make you listen to them one by one. Here there is no confusion, there is no overlapping, there is no mixing but there is only cohesion, refinement, softness, class. There is no frantic search for details, there is no microscope to examine the sound, there is no scalpel to dissect it, here there is only the music that you have chosen to listen to, to savor, to enjoy as if it were a excellent rum as if it were a warm blanket that keeps you company on winter evenings. It is a headphone from times gone by like the one from which it takes its name... but at the same time very current in its performance and technical capabilities which, however, are not at the service of the wow effect which is as unexpected as it is ephemeral. It is a solid, decisive headphone that does not want to convince everyone, but only to please those who appreciate its sound. Try it with different DACs and you will understand that it will never bend to them... it will let them enter into her way of playing made of leather, metal and wood, materials from other times but which retain their charm and their typical way unchanged. to play. Very light and very easy to drive, it won't help you discover how your DAC sounds... it's not here to judge... it will just let you know how much it likes it and will let you listen to it, but in its own way... it wasn't born to reveal... it was born to play and it does so with its charm... with its elegance, with its class. You can try it and if you don't like it, return it... but I really don't think you will... if you love music you will love its authentic, soft, visceral sound... perhaps ancient but at the same time never so modern. This is his latest clever trick... looking almost ancient... almost out of fashion... but actually being very modern and not made to follow fashions but to precede them... who would have ever thought of a headset of this level with a amazing sounding R2R dac inside? Do you really think she's old? You don't know how wrong you are.
 
Last edited:
Dec 7, 2023 at 9:08 PM Post #1,098 of 1,232
I was about to order these and small stuff, but the shipping was Crazy. One headphone and a few earpads was going to be $178.00US.
It would have been going to Nova Scotia in Canada.
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 1:45 AM Post #1,099 of 1,232
I ordered them yesterday from HIFIMAN for $389 (with a $10 coupon). I got curious. While I haven't read about them being weird, I suspected they would be, and I like weird signatures. Reading from you that they are indeed odd is reassuring to me. I want them to be bombastic. I have plenty of normal-sounding headphones, ha-ha.

I think as long as you keep the right mindset, and let them settle in, you'll be very pleased with them. They didn't immediately click with me, and that's with my coming from the R9, which sounds very similar.

Definitely post impressions when you get them!
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 3:26 AM Post #1,100 of 1,232
I was about to order these and small stuff, but the shipping was Crazy. One headphone and a few earpads was going to be $178.00US.
It would have been going to Nova Scotia in Canada.
It happened to me too if I ordered more stuff at the same time, try putting just the headphones in the cart and see that the shipping price will be normal.
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 7:06 AM Post #1,101 of 1,232
I have been checking the bluemini wired to the phone (dac mode wired) and it sounds sooo good... I just get a bit low volume even with the phone maxed and if i let tidal (i use tidal) take control, it crashes and the bluemini turns off. But if i dont "ok" it works and sound is very pleasant
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 8:20 AM Post #1,102 of 1,232
I have been checking the bluemini wired to the phone (dac mode wired) and it sounds sooo good... I just get a bit low volume even with the phone maxed and if i let tidal (i use tidal) take control, it crashes and the bluemini turns off. But if i dont "ok" it works and sound is very pleasant
I use the bluemini with a phone with Qobuz not with its app but with UAPP which makes everything much simpler and has no compatibility problems. It costs a few euros but it's worth them all and even many more. Try it with Tidal too, it will work wonders.
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 5:06 PM Post #1,103 of 1,232
Just got the Hifiman R10D today, my daily driver is the HE5xx and have had the whole Hifiman line except the HE2000 and Susvara. They look a lot like the Audivina but feel a little lighter and more compact. I just went into the stock equalizer on Foobar2000 and bumped 1.8khz and 2.5khz by 2db each and really like them now. They're out of the question for video calls unless you wear an orange safety vest for work, or the person who waves planes on the runway with the flashlight batons. A college football coach who's team color is orange would love them... It comes with three cables, but the 6.35mm one is microphonic, so give that away as soon as possible. The XLR is nice and the 3.5mm short one is good also, but good luck wearing these on an airplane. They leak less sound than the Audivina, but it's a solid comfortable choice if you get them on sale for under $400. I'd take these over the DT1770 or DT700Pro (had both) any day. The Beyerdynamic DT770 250 ohm is still the value for money winner if you compare prices and put a ply of toilet paper over the driver to act as a comb filter for the treble peak (or EQ it).
The original MSRP is madness, got a refurb pair for $349 and also got the Ananda Stealth for $349 last month open box. At this price you could feel really good about it. Save something else for Zoom/Skype calls unless you have a clown nose to complete the outfit while wearing these...
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 10:33 PM Post #1,104 of 1,232
I ordered them yesterday from HIFIMAN for $389 (with a $10 coupon). I got curious. While I haven't read about them being weird, I suspected they would be, and I like weird signatures. Reading from you that they are indeed odd is reassuring to me. I want them to be bombastic. I have plenty of normal-sounding headphones, ha-ha.
I am the same. I like the unfavorable HPs. I am currently using my everyday HP, the SEN HD700. I bought these for less than $500 similar to the R10D. I did add a Black Dragon cable, so the price went up. But, does not matter. I use them everyday and love them. When I first listened to AC/DC on the R10D, I felt like I was listening to Back in Black for the first time as I did when I was a kid. They are a "fun" HP. Concur, wear them in the privacy of your home unless you attend a R10D convention in the future.
 
Dec 8, 2023 at 11:14 PM Post #1,105 of 1,232
I am the same. I like the unfavorable HPs. I am currently using my everyday HP, the SEN HD700. I bought these for less than $500 similar to the R10D. I did add a Black Dragon cable, so the price went up. But, does not matter. I use them everyday and love them. When I first listened to AC/DC on the R10D, I felt like I was listening to Back in Black for the first time as I did when I was a kid. They are a "fun" HP. Concur, wear them in the privacy of your home unless you attend a R10D convention in the future.
I installed a few of the Modhouse foam tuning kits on HD700's, best $15 you can invest on those. Takes the 6khz peak down 1-2db and increases bass by just 2db to smooth them out. The stickers peel off easy to remove, but I've never wanted to, really finishes the tuning on them I think.
 
Dec 9, 2023 at 12:20 AM Post #1,106 of 1,232
I am the same. I like the unfavorable HPs. I am currently using my everyday HP, the SEN HD700. I bought these for less than $500 similar to the R10D. I did add a Black Dragon cable, so the price went up. But, does not matter. I use them everyday and love them. When I first listened to AC/DC on the R10D, I felt like I was listening to Back in Black for the first time as I did when I was a kid. They are a "fun" HP. Concur, wear them in the privacy of your home unless you attend a R10D convention in the future.
Good to know you love the HE-R10D. I'm eager to receive them. HIFIMAN still haven't shipped them or even provided a tracking number [EDIT: They actually did.🥹 The e-mails went to the Spam folder for some reason😅].

I'm imagining how they're gonna sound, not due to the measurements (which I completely ignore), but due to the shape of the ear cups. I am sure I will love them, and no, I don't wear headphones out in public like a douchebag, ha-ha. Not only do I think I'd look ridiculous, I want all my senses on full tilt in case of a situation.

Why would I care to hear the utmost details around people in a noisy environment? There is a time and place for everything. At the most, I wear cheap wireless ear buds in the gym to block the crappy music they play. Like to many people on Head-Fi and elsewhere, audiophilia is strictly a special, private affair to me. I have to be in the mood and I need my mind clear in order to get lost in the music.

On the subject of the HD 700 and weird headphones, I had the HD 630VB, and as much as I loved their build quality and goofy looks, I didn't like their shoutiness and lack of heft in the lows...as clear and detailed as they sounded. I ended up gifting them to my mail man literally brand new, ha-ha.
 
Last edited:
Dec 9, 2023 at 12:20 PM Post #1,107 of 1,232
It happened to me too if I ordered more stuff at the same time, try putting just the headphones in the cart and see that the shipping price will be normal.
Yes, just the headphones is $38.00. I spoke to HiFiman and they asked for screenshots, which I sent them.
 
Dec 9, 2023 at 1:17 PM Post #1,108 of 1,232
Yes, just the headphones is $38.00. I spoke to HiFiman and they asked for screenshots, which I sent them.
Let's see what they reply and above all if they correct it.
 
Dec 9, 2023 at 4:09 PM Post #1,109 of 1,232
Luckily, HIFIMAN didn't charge me anything to ship to Puerto Rico. Sent them via USPS Priority Mail, too, which I find unbelievable. Only Crutchfield has done that for me.
 
Dec 9, 2023 at 5:06 PM Post #1,110 of 1,232
Luckily, HIFIMAN didn't charge me anything to ship to Puerto Rico. Sent them via USPS Priority Mail, too, which I find unbelievable. Only Crutchfield has done that for me.
That is awesome! :thumbsup:
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top