Let’s spark some life into this thread since I’m probably the latest owner of these fine headphones and no one participated in this thread. Does anyone own these anymore or is everyone still upset with the moves Klipsch made with personal? I agree with everyone but he put a lot of work into these and we should honor his name in the product he basically developed. Or is it that no one likes them and really don’t want a headphone at this retail that most definitely aren’t a neutral tuned headphone for audiophiles?
PC>Gumby MB gen 5>Mjolnir2>1958 2C51 western electric ( currently) and fully balanced.
Right off the bat with my first listen, I “really” liked them A LOT, much more then the AFO that I traded to own these. They’re a very fun sound signature.
This headphone is close to basshead territory but not fat or bloated. Most times it doesn’t bleed into the mids or treble but it depends on the track your listening too and how it was mastered. I mean it can get a bit slow and thick at times but I’m hearing that mostly in what track/band I’m listening too.
Overall the bass sounds great and they’re a lot of fun to rock out on. The subbass can really dig down deep, is pretty tight and clean while rattling my head. Midbass is nice and presents an overall warm sound signature with extended treble and thumping bass. Kind of an oxymoron but it is.
They’ve got really good stage, expansive and especially pleasing in the width. They’re dynamic, detailed and very refined especially stacked up against the Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts. They’re spot on and absolutely perfect for the type of music I listen too. They've got really nice separation on all the busy passages in most of the progressive metal tracks I listen too. I also listen to a lot of instrumental progressive metal which really helps with the vocals.
The mids, they definitely can be recessed at times with the bass and treble taking front and center stage but that’s what you get with a V shaped sig. The distorted guitars are crunchy, crisp and just monstrous. The kick drum is pretty tight and sounds quite realistic. The snare hits are snappy and on point. The high hat and especially the crash and ride don’t provoke any type of sibilance to my ears. I can hear the separation between notes with a TON of air while it stays pretty tight.
I think the treble is tight actually and the sibilance I continue to read about?.... I don’t hear it and I’m sensitive to brightness and sibilance, hence the reason I own the ZMF Ori and Atticus, LCD-2C, HD650 and Meze 99 Classic which I use for portable. The HP-3 are fully burned in though.
Theres much better headphones that excel in imaging but they’re nice and good enough for me.
This is not a critical listening type headphone and excel at kicking back, rocking out, getting lost in its musicality and for our fun enjoyment.
I don’t know if i’d would pay $1200 for them. Maybe $899/ $999 new? But after a lot more quality headtime, I might change my mind.
I did own the Fostex TH900 ( traded close to a year ago maybe) and the best I can recollect, the sub bass reaches into the abyss the the 900’s but not as tight and fast, close though. I missbass is much better on the HP-3 along with a more relaxed treble which I think is its biggest attribute comparing to the 900. In the grand scheme of things (this is sacrilege) I like them more then the 900 after I now own them and going off memory.
They’re also great for live music.i feel like I’m there with it’s nice reverb, realistic imaging and dynamic like a live show.
After some headtime (this now really sucks) they really make the Atticus and Ori sound so freakin warm now. Haha. I love the Atty and Ori but won’t be swapping immediately between the HP-3 or either ZMF’s or ever getting rid of them. The ZMF housesound is I’m preferred tuning and can see myself picking up a few different other variants. But I’ll definitely be keeping the Klipsch. They’re a great compliment to everything else in my stable while being a major upgrade to the TH-X00 Purpleheart.
They seem to pair well with my gear especially running with a NOS 1950’s 2c51 Western Electric as they’re a pretty warm tube. I got a lot of warm tubes so I should be set. I don’t own a SS amp so I couldn’t even say how they sound running with say something like a Jot or Gilmore lite as an example.
If anyone actually came to this thread, thanks for taking the time to read my humble take on these fine headphones.
Here’s some Measurements courtesy of
@cskippy comparing them with the AFO I traded.
Cheers!