[Giraku]

As a matter of fact, the Focal Clear, HP-3 and the Aeon Flow Open were the three I was interested in and choosing among. I was lucky to have the chance to try them all and in the end, it's exactly an impressive soundstage (3D and depth in particular) and that wonderful punchy bass (yet well controlled) of the HP-3 that made me go for it. The Focal Clear wasn't bad at all but just seemed to lack that weight and sense of living presence... (the Aeon Flow Open was the least impressive and exciting amongst the three.)

Happy Listening!

Hugo

I completely agree with you. That was exactly my experience and impression. I returned Clear and kept HP-3.

 

[hugo poon]

I completely agree with you. That was exactly my experience and impression. I returned Clear and kept HP-3.

The combo, Hugo 2 + HP-3, does not only sound great but also look cool.

If you're also using the Hugo 2 as your source, do give the RCA output a try. It's lifting everything to a different level!

 

[BuddhaBruce]

About to get a Hp-3 rather soon! (After new years), has anyone tried these with Woo Audio equipment? Specifically the Wa7 fireflies

 

[BuddhaBruce]

Did some final listening. I believe @Giraku is correct on the female vocals. I understand the subtle midrange nuances a bit better now, which should help with more accurate impressions in the future. I revised my previous impressions with the following:

Revised: Already touched on this but I'll add more. Compared to the Elear's upper midrange dip, the HP-3's dip is more towards the middle making low vocals sound great, high vocals sound good, and poor for most vocals when in the very middle. This seems to be affecting overall vocal clarity the most, despite having more upper mids than the Elear. There is some sibilance depending on the song, but it's not as exaggerated as other V-shaped headphones under the $1000 price range.

This revision is more in line with the review by @grizzlybeast as well. The point about the dynamic range is a good one too. Listening to Yndi Halda's newer album, the low and high points of the songs don't seem to change much in volume. This flaw hurts instrumental music for me the most.

In the end, I will be returning these as well. I feel at this price, comfort should be a non-issue and the midrange clarity more representative of other headphones heard in this price range. I could buy a mid-forward DAC or amp to help alleviate the veil, but I feel I would only be paying more to mask it's flaws.

So what is next on the list?

 

[ctaxxxx]

So what is next on the list?

I'll wait after CES 2018 to see if there's any new announcements. Still hoping Fostex does announce an official open-back version.
Otherwise, I'm going for the Clear to complement my Z1Rs, and maybe the TH-900 again until something else comes out that can compare to it's bass and soundstage.

I am curious to hear what a closed back version of the Klipsch HP-3 would sound like. Hopefully something like the NightHawk to NightOwl transformation, which actually fixed the fuzzy midrange and treble at the cost of soundstage.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

I'll wait after CES 2018 to see if there's any new announcements. Still hoping Fostex does announce an official open-back version.
Otherwise, I'm going for the Clear to complement my Z1Rs, and maybe the TH-900 again until something else comes out that can compare to it's bass and soundstage.

I am curious to hear what a closed back version of the Klipsch HP-3 would sound like. Hopefully something like the NightHawk to NightOwl transformation, which actually fixed the fuzzy midrange and treble at the cost of soundstage.

I'll be getting my HP-3 shortly, hope they work out for me! If not I might just take it safe and keep my AFO or go for an Edition X V2

 

[jinxy245]

I'll be getting my HP-3 shortly, hope they work out for me! If not I might just take it safe and keep my AFO or go for an Edition X V2

I'm really curious to hear all 3 of those...more so the Auteur, but it is a bit pricey (but might be worth saving up for given my preferences). No headphone is perfect of course, but I'm the most curious about the mids on the HP-3, which seem to be the most polarizing aspect. I'm hoping these will be at CanJam NYC to demo!

 

[RichGuy]

About to get a Hp-3 rather soon! (After new years), has anyone tried these with Woo Audio equipment? Specifically the Wa7 fireflies

I am using my HP-3's with a Woo Audio WA6 amp, makes a nice combo. I am using an MHDT balanced Stockholm DAC, though I am not using the balanced connection with my headphones. I have been very happy with my HP-3's.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

I'm really curious to hear all 3 of those...more so the Auteur, but it is a bit pricey (but might be worth saving up for given my preferences). No headphone is perfect of course, but I'm the most curious about the mids on the HP-3, which seem to be the most polarizing aspect. I'm hoping these will be at CanJam NYC to demo!

I am using my HP-3's with a Woo Audio WA6 amp, makes a nice combo. I am using an MHDT balanced Stockholm DAC, though I am not using the balanced connection with my headphones. I have been very happy with my HP-3's.

Definitely excited to try them and was thinking about picking up the Wa7... just gorgeous gear haha.

How are the mids on the hp3 compared to the 650

 

[RichGuy]

Definitely excited to try them and was thinking about picking up the Wa7... just gorgeous gear haha.

How are the mids on the hp3 compared to the 650

Let me just say that after buying and listening to my HP3's I sold my HD650's. There was no comparison to which I enjoyed listening to more. I've sold my HD-650's so I cannot do anymore direct comparing and I don't really remember specifically how the mids compared. But overall the HD-650's were a more generic and slightly dull sound when compared to the HP3's which have a sound more like live music and less of a headphone sound. My MHDT DAC does help bring out the mids very well with my speakers so it most likely does with headphones as well, I have always used this DAC with both my HD-650's & HP-3's.

 

[trellus]

Just noticed one frequent praiser of these 'phones putting his up for sale in the classifieds here... loyalty to this set seems to be in short supply. Not that anyone should be loyal to headphones, by any means, just may be that these are very niche headphones.

 

[jinxy245]

That's a bit unfair, I think.

We aren't privy to the reasoning behind anyone's sales...Money problems? Another hobby (addiction lol) with a deal too good to pass up? Heard the best headphone/amp/DAC ever & must have so this one must go? You may be right, which why it's important to demo whenever possible, but it's not helpful to jump to conclusions.

I am looking forward to hearing these myself.

 

[Jozurr]

How did they keep designing the headphone with constant feedback from the community through the entire process and still end up with such poor tuning is beyond me.

 

[cskippy]

The community helped with features and cosmetic choices but the tuning was Klipsch. It's not bad, you have to understand what they were going for and it needs the right amp pairing. Not super versatile like your mainstays.

 

[trellus]

They do look ridiculously great, and at least from the description of their sound I’ve read so far, I’d probably really dig them, but at the price, it’s just really way down on the list, sadly, of future purchases for me.