[RedHotFuzz]

How about a wireless pair that sound as good (or better) as the B&W P7 Wireless but more comfortable to wear?

 

[Musiqlovr]

So we do have a pair of wireless coming, they will be Closed back and have a 40mm driver.  
 
As to the choice of finish, there is no additional cost for us to make additional versions.  There is whats called an MOQ-minimal order quantity.  But since we are a global company, the MOQ is small and easy to absorb across all regions.  
 
Good catch on the headband, we are in fact going to darken or blacken the finish of the headband on the ebony version.  To same time and complexity, we made them all the same finish for CES.
 
As to the fasteners being visible and copper.  This is something I am responsible for because since I joined Klipsch, I have been pushing for us to have an identity across all product categories.  The theme is Bench Made, Kraft Made etc.  Its all about celebrating the material composition and not hiding from it.  You will see this element on virtually all the new Klipsch products developed under my watch, be it HP, Integrated Amp, Powered Speakers etc.  This is one of those things I am not compromising or changing.  Feel strongly that one day you will be able to look across a retail store and tell what is Klipsch imply by look at the construction. 
 
Did you guys notice there is minimal branding on the product?  It will stay this way through production and is another thing my team is focused on.  We want there to be a conversation.  We want you to see the product and ask questions.  Then you learn about the 70 plus year history of Klipsch...thats the hook in my mind.

 

[lifeisbeautiful]

So we do have a pair of wireless coming, they will be Closed back and have a 40mm driver.  

As to the choice of finish, there is no additional cost for us to make additional versions.  There is whats called an MOQ-minimal order quantity.  But since we are a global company, the MOQ is small and easy to absorb across all regions.  

Good catch on the headband, we are in fact going to darken or blacken the finish of the headband on the ebony version.  To same time and complexity, we made them all the same finish for CES.

As to the fasteners being visible and copper.  This is something I am responsible for because since I joined Klipsch, I have been pushing for us to have an identity across all product categories.  The theme is Bench Made, Kraft Made etc.  Its all about celebrating the material composition and not hiding from it.  You will see this element on virtually all the new Klipsch products developed under my watch, be it HP, Integrated Amp, Powered Speakers etc.  This is one of those things I am not compromising or changing.  Feel strongly that one day you will be able to look across a retail store and tell what is Klipsch imply by look at the construction. 

Did you guys notice there is minimal branding on the product?  It will stay this way through production and is another thing my team is focused on.  We want there to be a conversation.  We want you to see the product and ask questions.  Then you learn about the 70 plus year history of Klipsch...thats the hook in my mind.

I currently have the klipsch x10 IEM. How does the sound signature of these headphones compare to the x10s?
And sorrry if I missed this information. When and where will these headphones be available to try/buy? And the price.
Thanks.

 

[Grodzman]

  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!

 
Loving this thread guys. My name is Vlad and I'm the product manager behind these beauties. The feedback is great and I think a lot of what we're talking about aligns. Now, to address a few things:
 
Comfort: All of you are spot on - from the entire category of premium headphones it's actually surprisingly hard to find ones that are comfortable for long listening session. I love the low-end reach of the LCD-2 as well but wearing them for any longer than 30 minutes negates the otherwise enjoyable experience of their planar driver. Huge clamp force and high weight is exactly what we're fighting against here. I can promise you that these will not squeeze your head like a vice or weigh any more than 420g. The current weight of the prototypes is 405.6g so I think we're pretty close to our target. My goal now is to find some ways to cut weight instead of add to it.
 
Technology: The entire Heritage series is using Biocellulose drivers from Foster. They're simply one of the best dynamic drivers we have ever worked with. The amount of customization we can do is giving us all the tools to make these sound great. These headphones will be as efficient as our speakers - you will NOT need an amplifier to drive them as the impedance will be kept low. A purist may argue this point but I strongly believe a good set of cans should be able to be driven by an iPod, an A&K player, a MacBook, a solid state amp, and a tube amp. Will the sound change? Of course, but even the smallest peripherals will be able to drive these things sufficiently.
 
Acoustics: The aim is to carry over some of the great low-end extension and high-frequency detail of the Fostex headphones while widening the soundstage as much as possible. The first step in that department was back-venting much more like a conventional open-back. The second will be a partially recessed front baffle to get the drivers further away from your ears (combined with angled earpads to line up the drivers with your ear canal).
 
Accessories: Various earpads are definitely a part of the suite of accessories we will be launching - at least one version is guaranteed to be in the box obviously, and right now that's a sheepskin pad with dense memory foam. We're going to be exploring at least two more - a perforated leatherette and some form of velour/alcantara derivative. Outside of that - I intend on packaging a short (1.37m) cable with 3.5mm, a long cable (2.5m) with 1/4 press-fit adapter (can be removed for long 3.5mm), and a custom headphone stand in the box. The packaging should be dual-purpose as storage. We'll work with some interesting partners to make a travel case but it'll have to be robust, not a flimsy bag, so I don't think we can afford to throw it into the box as well (TBD). 
 
Last but not least, this product is intended to be a nuts and bolts headphone. The screws are not for looks only, otherwise they would be purged from the design. From earpads, cables, and headbands, the design intent is complete serviceability. If I'm asking this community to pay good money for a good product, it should be able to survive many years of wear and tear as well as being taken apart and reassembled with new parts for years to come. At Klipsch we have a primary mission to be transparent, that's why we're divulging as much information as possible as early as possible. Let's make something awesome and sell it at the right price. If we can afford all of this great stuff and sell it for any less than $999 we absolutely will.

 

[Grodzman]

I currently have the klipsch x10 IEM. How does the sound signature of these headphones compare to the x10s?
And sorrry if I missed this information. When and where will these headphones be available to try/buy? And the price.
Thanks.

 
This one's a bit hard to answer since they're quite different animals. Personally I think the X10's bass tends to creep into the midrange a bit to much, so the HP-3 will have ironed that out. Next is the X10's high frequency response, it rolls off faster than our X20, so the HP-3 will have better high frequency extension. Outside of that, the tonality of the X10 is superb, but since it's an in-ear headphone it doesn't have the soundstage that the HP-3 will.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Welcome to the thread Vlad, thank you for the very detailed breakdown of the development goals for these headphones. You and Steve should ask Jude or someone at Headfi to give you a special profile pic tag or signature so people skimming through this thread can know that you work for Klipsch. It just makes it easier for people to find info coming directly from the company, which is helpful when threads become 20+ pages long. 
 
Look at Zach915m's profile in this thread for example: http://www.head-fi.org/t/821782/atticus-and-eikon-the-new-dynamic-driver-headphones-from-zmf/60

 

[conquerator2]

This is exciting

 

[canthearyou]

Technology: The entire Heritage series is using Biocellulose drivers from Foster. They're simply one of the best dynamic drivers we have ever worked with. The amount of customization we can do is giving us all the tools to make these sound great. These headphones will be as efficient as our speakers - you will NOT need an amplifier to drive them as the impedance will be kept low. A purist may argue this point but I strongly believe a good set of cans should be able to be driven by an iPod, an A&K player, a MacBook, a solid state amp, and a tube amp. Will the sound change? Of course, but even the smallest peripherals will be able to drive these things sufficiently.

Acoustics: The aim is to carry over some of the great low-end extension and high-frequency detail of the Fostex headphones while widening the soundstage as much as possible. The first step in that department was back-venting much more like a conventional open-back. The second will be a partially recessed front baffle to get the drivers further away from your ears (combined with angled earpads to line up the drivers with your ear canal.

Having such low impedance drivers will keep many OTL tube amp owners from owning these headphones. From what I've gathered is that OTL amps pair better with higher impedance loads.

Having a slightly less efficient driver will probably not drive away potential buyers.

With that said, I'm looking forward to trying out this new headphone.

 

[Grodzman]

Having such low impedance drivers will keep many OTL tube amp owners from owning these headphones. From what I've gathered is that OTL amps pair better with higher impedance loads.

Having a slightly less efficient driver will probably not drive away potential buyers.

With that said, I'm looking forward to trying out this new headphone.

 
If I have the choice of being able to drive this HP-3 with a portable device (basically anything running off a 3.7V lithium battery) or driving them with OTL amps, we would likely choose portable devices over the latter. However, there's no reason why one headphone can't do both in most cases. If Andrew and I find a nice benefit to high-impedance models like Beyerdynamic has, then there's no reason why we wouldn't do an alternate version.

 

[conquerator2]

I am all for increased efficiency. That will drive awau much less people than if they were hard to drive IMO.

 

[int_architect]

We want there to be a conversation.  We want you to see the product and ask questions.  Then you learn about the 70 plus year history of Klipsch...thats the hook in my mind.

Sounds awesome!

 

[voxie]

Hi Steve, congratulations on designing a headphone that showcases the very  essence of what klipsch is all about. The very name portrays its long tradition in the audio world. Great to read your ambition and determination. Will add my pennies worth re my personal views on the finer details on a later date. Keep well.

 

[int_architect]

Loving this thread guys. My name is Vlad and I'm the product manager behind these beauties. The feedback is great and I think a lot of what we're talking about aligns.

I'm getting SO excited! My body is ready!

 

[Nick727]

   
Loving this thread guys. My name is Vlad and I'm the product manager behind these beauties. The feedback is great and I think a lot of what we're talking about aligns. Now, to address a few things:
 
Comfort: All of you are spot on - from the entire category of premium headphones it's actually surprisingly hard to find ones that are comfortable for long listening session. I love the low-end reach of the LCD-2 as well but wearing them for any longer than 30 minutes negates the otherwise enjoyable experience of their planar driver. Huge clamp force and high weight is exactly what we're fighting against here. I can promise you that these will not squeeze your head like a vice or weigh any more than 420g. The current weight of the prototypes is 405.6g so I think we're pretty close to our target. My goal now is to find some ways to cut weight instead of add to it.
 
Technology: The entire Heritage series is using Biocellulose drivers from Foster. They're simply one of the best dynamic drivers we have ever worked with. The amount of customization we can do is giving us all the tools to make these sound great. These headphones will be as efficient as our speakers - you will NOT need an amplifier to drive them as the impedance will be kept low. A purist may argue this point but I strongly believe a good set of cans should be able to be driven by an iPod, an A&K player, a MacBook, a solid state amp, and a tube amp. Will the sound change? Of course, but even the smallest peripherals will be able to drive these things sufficiently.
 
Acoustics: The aim is to carry over some of the great low-end extension and high-frequency detail of the Fostex headphones while widening the soundstage as much as possible. The first step in that department was back-venting much more like a conventional open-back. The second will be a partially recessed front baffle to get the drivers further away from your ears (combined with angled earpads to line up the drivers with your ear canal).
 
Accessories: Various earpads are definitely a part of the suite of accessories we will be launching - at least one version is guaranteed to be in the box obviously, and right now that's a sheepskin pad with dense memory foam. We're going to be exploring at least two more - a perforated leatherette and some form of velour/alcantara derivative. Outside of that - I intend on packaging a short (1.37m) cable with 3.5mm, a long cable (2.5m) with 1/4 press-fit adapter (can be removed for long 3.5mm), and a custom headphone stand in the box. The packaging should be dual-purpose as storage. We'll work with some interesting partners to make a travel case but it'll have to be robust, not a flimsy bag, so I don't think we can afford to throw it into the box as well (TBD). 
 
Last but not least, this product is intended to be a nuts and bolts headphone. The screws are not for looks only, otherwise they would be purged from the design. From earpads, cables, and headbands, the design intent is complete serviceability. If I'm asking this community to pay good money for a good product, it should be able to survive many years of wear and tear as well as being taken apart and reassembled with new parts for years to come. At Klipsch we have a primary mission to be transparent, that's why we're divulging as much information as possible as early as possible. Let's make something awesome and sell it at the right price. If we can afford all of this great stuff and sell it for any less than $999 we absolutely will.

 
Having always been a Klipsch fan and having my home theater full of Klipsch products, it makes me happy knowing that these headphones will contain the Klipsch DNA.
 
I agree with all your points about comfort, weight, their ability to be driven without an amp, acoustics, and having a headphone stand come with them is a great idea. Seriously, you guys are checking off all of the right boxes. I saw a couple people mention that low-impedance headphones don't pair well with OTL tub amps but in my opinion, that's irrelevant. Way more people have no amp, or a solid state amp than they do a OTL tube amp.
 
Looking forward to more information and pics along with the beta program. Keep up the great work!

 

[Daemon Ursus]

Thanks all, keep the feedback coming.

Wooden hard case (presentation box) with gloss finish or portable style nylon case?

I'm going to work on something special for HeadFi'ers....thinking we create a beta test group, as well as a launch promo where the first initial release goes to this community. If you have ideas, please send them to me or add to this thread. Once we get something official created, I'll create a new thread for the launch.

My team and I are headed to Japan next month and can also start dropping pics and info if you guys are interested...

Steve

 

 
You bet we are interested. These were the single most interesting announcement of CES in my opinion. I can't wait to get my hands on a pair.