[Sonic Defender]

The HP-3 is a signature that is very deliberate and those who tuned it clearly had to decide where and how to optimize the HP-3 and nothing comes with a free lunch. The HP-3 would not be the best choice for music like Mr. Kitty, and I am quite certain the designers are good with that trade off. The design decisions pay very positive dividends in many, many situations, imperfect of course and the HP-3 is not for everything. Mind you, in my experience few headphones are so no, I do not think the HP-3 is remotely akin to a muddy mess. I have listened to some of the most engaging renditions of musical elements that are low frequency creatures and the HP-3 can make me just be still and listen. Some will love them, some won't, but a muddy mess they are not. It is a tuning and it will have hits and misses, but I would rather companies take a shot at creating a statement and being deliberate in their goals and aspirations. If everybody simply dialed things in safely and unremarkably we would basically have one monolithic approach to headphone voicing and that would be a shame.

 

[RSC08]

The HP-3 is a signature that is very deliberate and those who tuned it clearly had to decide where and how to optimize the HP-3 and nothing comes with a free lunch. The HP-3 would not be the best choice for music like Mr. Kitty, and I am quite certain the designers are good with that trade off. The design decisions pay very positive dividends in many, many situations, imperfect of course and the HP-3 is not for everything. Mind you, in my experience few headphones are so no, I do not think the HP-3 is remotely akin to a muddy mess. I have listened to some of the most engaging renditions of musical elements that are low frequency creatures and the HP-3 can make me just be still and listen. Some will love them, some won't, but a muddy mess they are not. It is a tuning and it will have hits and misses, but I would rather companies take a shot at creating a statement and being deliberate in their goals and aspirations. If everybody simply dialed things in safely and unremarkably we would basically have one monolithic approach to headphone voicing and that would be a shame.

Thank you.

Posts like these are one of the reasons I've enjoyed being a part of this community.

 

[Slim1970]

The HP-3 is a signature that is very deliberate and those who tuned it clearly had to decide where and how to optimize the HP-3 and nothing comes with a free lunch. The HP-3 would not be the best choice for music like Mr. Kitty, and I am quite certain the designers are good with that trade off. The design decisions pay very positive dividends in many, many situations, imperfect of course and the HP-3 is not for everything. Mind you, in my experience few headphones are so no, I do not think the HP-3 is remotely akin to a muddy mess. I have listened to some of the most engaging renditions of musical elements that are low frequency creatures and the HP-3 can make me just be still and listen. Some will love them, some won't, but a muddy mess they are not. It is a tuning and it will have hits and misses, but I would rather companies take a shot at creating a statement and being deliberate in their goals and aspirations. If everybody simply dialed things in safely and unremarkably we would basically have one monolithic approach to headphone voicing and that would be a shame.

I agree with @RSC08. This is very well said!

 

[theangelboy]

The HP-3 is a signature that is very deliberate and those who tuned it clearly had to decide where and how to optimize the HP-3 and nothing comes with a free lunch. The HP-3 would not be the best choice for music like Mr. Kitty, and I am quite certain the designers are good with that trade off. The design decisions pay very positive dividends in many, many situations, imperfect of course and the HP-3 is not for everything. Mind you, in my experience few headphones are so no, I do not think the HP-3 is remotely akin to a muddy mess. I have listened to some of the most engaging renditions of musical elements that are low frequency creatures and the HP-3 can make me just be still and listen. Some will love them, some won't, but a muddy mess they are not. It is a tuning and it will have hits and misses, but I would rather companies take a shot at creating a statement and being deliberate in their goals and aspirations. If everybody simply dialed things in safely and unremarkably we would basically have one monolithic approach to headphone voicing and that would be a shame.

I agree. This is the reason I think music pairing is as (or more) important as amp pairing. This also the reason I have so many headphones since they all provide a different flavor due to their various tunings.

When I first started this hobby I didn't understand this and expected all music to sound better with "better" headphones. This approach would always leave me angry and disappointed. When I started thoughtfully pairing the music with the headphones (or, at the very least skipping songs that didn't work with it), that's when I really started to enjoy this hobby.

 

[CTR640]

The HP-3 is a signature that is very deliberate and those who tuned it clearly had to decide where and how to optimize the HP-3 and nothing comes with a free lunch. The HP-3 would not be the best choice for music like Mr. Kitty, and I am quite certain the designers are good with that trade off. The design decisions pay very positive dividends in many, many situations, imperfect of course and the HP-3 is not for everything. Mind you, in my experience few headphones are so no, I do not think the HP-3 is remotely akin to a muddy mess. I have listened to some of the most engaging renditions of musical elements that are low frequency creatures and the HP-3 can make me just be still and listen. Some will love them, some won't, but a muddy mess they are not. It is a tuning and it will have hits and misses, but I would rather companies take a shot at creating a statement and being deliberate in their goals and aspirations. If everybody simply dialed things in safely and unremarkably we would basically have one monolithic approach to headphone voicing and that would be a shame.

That's right. That's why we have many different headphones. Each have their own signature and it depends on which mood and which one you pick up to enjoy. So far I have my top 3 most favorite headphones. The HP-3 really suits my needs in terms of sounds and design. But at the moment I'm waiting for it to be discounted. 1k€ for bad comfort is a huge compromis that I'm not willing to make.

 

[CTR640]

Thank you.

Posts like these are one of the reasons I've enjoyed being a part of this community.

Also in a very mature way too. So totally agreed too.

 

[RSC08]

That's right. That's why we have many different headphones. Each have their own signature and it depends on which mood and which one you pick up to enjoy. So far I have my top 3 most favorite headphones. The HP-3 really suits my needs in terms of sounds and design. But at the moment I'm waiting for it to be discounted. 1k€ for bad comfort is a huge compromis that I'm not willing to make.

I must say that, although still not perfect, the comfort on these has been improving for me since day one. I still ordered the Sennheiser HD650 headband foam though, just in case.

 

[CTR640]

I must say that, although still not perfect, the comfort on these has been improving for me since day one. I still ordered the Sennheiser HD650 headband foam though, just in case.

So it's a matter of time to get used to it?

 

[RSC08]

I think it's too soon to make that statement. But, for me, they have been improving comfort wise as the leather breaks in and I find the right length settings.

 

[CTR640]

I think it's too soon to make that statement. But, for me, they have been improving comfort wise as the leather breaks in and I find the right length settings.

Makes sense and it confirmed for me about the leather breaking in. What about the earpads? I really like it how the earpads are magnetically removable! But so far there are no 3rd party pads? I think I can use my Geekria earpads covers.

 

[vodanhkhack]

That's right. That's why we have many different headphones. Each have their own signature and it depends on which mood and which one you pick up to enjoy. So far I have my top 3 most favorite headphones. The HP-3 really suits my needs in terms of sounds and design. But at the moment I'm waiting for it to be discounted. 1k€ for bad comfort is a huge compromis that I'm not willing to make.

Compare to the light HPs I have like the Sennheiser HD598 or Meze 99 classics, the Klipsch HP3 does not have bad comfort at all ! It is just a bit heavier!

 

[theangelboy]

So it's a matter of time to get used to it?

It depends on your head, I think. The issues I have with the headband are because it's relatively under-padded, narrow, has low clamping pressure, the headphone is relatively heavy, and the headband contacts just a small portion of the top of my head (this is a big one), and I don't think time/use would make any of these aspects better.

It was the combination of these things that made it intolerable for me and if just one of those aspects had been a non-issue (for instance, if my head contacted a larger part of the headband), it might have been tolerable for me without having to add my comfort strap. In the long run, though, I'm glad I had to make the strap because instead of just being tolerable, it's very comfortable now. It worked so well, in fact, I might try to make straps for some of my other headphones.

The earpads, in contrast, have seemed to get more comfortable with use since they are pretty plush padding-wise, it's just that the leather is stiff and takes some time to break in.

 

[Sonic Defender]

So it's a matter of time to get used to it?

I found the HP-3 to be quite comfortable right from the beginning so it will depend on your head. Hopefully you will not find the HP-3 uncomfortable. It isn't the last word in comfort, but it certainly is comfortable.

 

[wazzupi]

if anyone is interested in purchasing these headphones still PM me(all three colors are available) and I can give you a direct link to a dealer who is offering them for a discount New and Demo units. you would have to E-mail them.

 

[gazzington]

Hi, these headphones look awesome. Would they be good for metal through a hugo 2?