RedHotFuzz
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2016
- Posts
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- 42
How about a wireless pair that sound as good (or better) as the B&W P7 Wireless but more comfortable to wear?
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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