[Musiqlovr]

Thanks for the comment on the Powergate Max, my inspiration was the 1970's Luxman with their switches that go "Kerchunk" when you engage them...

 

[gonzalo05]

I know the colors will be off a bit, but I think this amp will pair well with my ls50. By any chance how good is the headphone out? Thanks in advance.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Musiqlovr ... can you confirm or deny if Sony or Fostex (Foster Electric) are involved in the design and/or manufacturing of the headphones? The amp is clearly based on a Fostex HPA4 BL. Just curious. Both of these companies have a good track record on this site so I think people would be happy to hear if they are are involved. 
 
Also, when you say that the clamping force is 450-500, what exactly do you mean by that? Sorry if this is a amateur question. 

 

[SHAMuuu]

Good Lord those are beautiful!!!

 

[Musiqlovr]

Well...I can tell you Foster is involved and Sony is not. A number of years ago I worked at Denon (AHD series) and I was very happy with my experiences with Foster.

On the HP amp, we actually have two ideas, the modded Foster you saw in the pics and another one we are building from the ground up. Literally 5 minutes before the show, Vlad (my product manager) and I made the call to show the Foster Hp amp even though we are currently leaning towards the ground up amp of our own design from a different electronics factory only because the sample quality was better on the Foster. So stay tuned on the amp...

 

[SHAMuuu]

I thought i saw the word biocell in the other thread?!?!?!

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Happy to hear Foster's involved in the drivers. My EMU Teaks are basically Fostex THX00's with custom wood cups, one of the best sounding headphones I have. 
 
I think the community would certainly be more excited by a ground up headphone amp as well. Excited to follow the development of both of these products. 

 

[Andrew Rieger]

  I thought i saw the word biocell in the other thread?!?!?!

Biocellulose ... its the driver material. 

 

[gikigill]

So when can we have a tour going or any headfi specials?
 
Big Klipschorn fan here and still have my X10 and Custom 3 bought over 5 years ago.

 

[james6333]

As soon as I saw them I assumed they had foster drivers in them. Personally don't care for the overly bassy tuning of Fostex th900. It was more of a novelty to me but it had potential.

I would love to see more of a purist sound (flat/open) from a foster driver.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

As soon as I saw them I assumed they had foster drivers in them. Personally don't care for the overly bassy tuning of Fostex th900. It was more of a novelty to me but it had potential.

I would love to see more of a purist sound (flat/open) from a foster driver.

It sounds like Foster is making the drivers but Klipsch is doing the tuning. Honestly, the best headphones using Foster drivers have been tuned by other companies - Massdrop THX00, EMU Teak, ZMF's planar range. I expect the Klipsch to follow the same trend.

 

[Nick727]

I currently own a Klipsch Reference Premier 5.1 setup and have been very very happy with it. Naturally when I saw this announcement I was excited.
 
The design looks great and based on what I've read in this thread, you guys might be on to a really great product. Really looking forward to trying it out, especially the flagship model.
 
Edit: Just to add some useful information, you had asked "What features, technology, and accessories are important to you?" Well personally:
 
Features: Comfort! My LCD-2's sound fantastic but they're just so heavy. Too much weight or having a headphone that's uncomfortable can make even a great headphone bad. Easily replaceable pads would be great too.
Technology: Sensitivity? Klipsch is known for having very sensitive speakers so having an easy to drive headphone would be nice. On the closed back model; ANC and Bluetooth.
Accessories: 1/4 standard on the high-end model with 1/8in adapter. A sensible case that you can store them in easy and put them away. For reference, the Audeze headphones come with a great case but you have to collapse them and remove the cable before you put them away, which is annoying. Balanced cable option.
 
Hope that helps a little. Really looking forward to the final product!

 

[int_architect]

So...lets start a discussion about what you would like to see in a premium selection from Klipsch.  What features, technology, and accessories are important to you?

Was super excited when I read about the Heritage headphones, especially the HP-3. Loved the darker wood version. I've been researching my next purchase and reached a point where I was torn between iems (Klipsch X20i; JVC HA-W01) and full-size open backs (Focal Elear), but I'm partial to to open back cans (love that air).

Regarding sound: A wide soundstage; great separation, detail, clarity, and good bass definition; good for lots of genres; doesn't necessarily need an amp to tease out its best; non-proprietary cable with low/no microphonics and of reasonable length.

Regarding design: Comfortable for long listening sessions; good durability; integrity of the materials (quality of, selection and craftsmanship); and packaging as potential storage. I have to admit aesthetics/design is just as important to me as the sound. There are very well-respected -- and expensive -- cans I wouldn't consider buying simply because of the materials used or workmanship. The Heritage headphones appear to have checked my box for design and materiality (exposed metal edges are eased and quality leather stitching?). I'd certainly welcome the opportunity to have them be a part of one of my listening sessions. Thanks so much.


e: added a word/revised another...

 

[luvmusik]

Like your innovative idea of magnetic earpad changing. It could revolutionize the industry. We already see magnetic earcup pieces marketted to change open to close back in seconds.
 
The magnet seal around the earpad to backplate needs to seal very well and not buzz at high volume.
 
Maybe some sort of all-around magnetic circle for the backplate may work well - like a circle cut from thin, flat but strong gauss "refrigerator-magnet" type idea.
 
Otherwise, if pinpoint magnets were placed around the backplate circle spaced apart in postion, then some type of "washer" surrounding them could create a tight seal.
 
Super concept you have there.

 

[luvmusik]

Open-back woody biocellulose driver is a cool segment in the market for this project.
 
Would like to see the inherent Foster V-shape biocell driver sound tuned with a tad bit more mids, but near evenly balanced top to bottom, for an all around reference tuning, retaining very low sub bass and brilliant sparkling highs characteristic of that driver type.