[CTR640]

Yes, agreed!

The issue cfranchi mentioned sounds almost like the issues I got when I received it. The design, the cool wooden and the gadgets like the cool 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter and everything are way too nice to return it. After a week I started to love it.

It happens the exact same time to my Beyerdynamic T5p.2, way before I knew about the HP-3.

 

[cfranchi]

The issue cfranchi mentioned sounds almost like the issues I got when I received it. The design, the cool wooden and the gadgets like the cool 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter and everything are way too nice to return it. After a week I started to love it.

It happens the exact same time to my Beyerdynamic T5p.2, way before I knew about the HP-3.

Thank you everybody for your answers, well the Klipsch is always with me in its box, I plan to return it next week, about burn in are you sure that the bad issue with too much bass into the mids would be solved by burn in? Isn’t it brain burn in ?

 

[pbui44]

Thank you everybody for your answers, well the Klipsch is always with me in its box, I plan to return it next week, about burn in are you sure that the bad issue with too much bass into the mids would be solved by burn in? Isn’t it brain burn in ?

There is always audio experience, or “brain burn-in” to take into account, but the HP-3 really needs your attention on a lot of things. Yes, you do need to know how it works by almost a mile, especially compared to other headphones, but knowing how to use amplification with its drivers is a larger part of it. The HP-3 with flat EQ now does not sound the same as when I had it on flat EQ eight months ago. I no longer feel the need to adjust anything, except maybe the volume, now. Driver burn-in does not always exist, but when you have a sensitive coil, ribbon, membrane, or other unwieldy driver type, you need to provide it a lot of time to retune it. Otherwise, it is going back to the store or your storage area.

 

[maggie17fan]

Thank you everybody for your answers, well the Klipsch is always with me in its box, I plan to return it next week, about burn in are you sure that the bad issue with too much bass into the mids would be solved by burn in? Isn’t it brain burn in ?

Reading your concern and looking at your "Previous headphones (by order of preference)", I'm thinking any burn-in isn't going to resolve your issue. I haven't sensed much change in my HP-3's when new to now over a year later. To me they were great right out of the box - and what a box! These and my Empryeans are what I like - those others, not so much, so HP-3's may not be your thing.

 

[cfranchi]

Reading your concern and looking at your "Previous headphones (by order of preference)", I'm thinking any burn-in isn't going to resolve your issue. I haven't sensed much change in my HP-3's when new to now over a year later. To me they were great right out of the box - and what a box! These and my Empryeans are what I like - those others, not so much, so HP-3's may not be your thing.

Well, maybe you are right...

 

[CTR640]

Well, maybe you are right...

It also might depends on your most used headphone(s) before the HP-3. The X2 is your most used one?

What about the your previous headphones? You sold them? Not happy with them? The HD800s is not really a cheap one.

 

[Tano]

Hi, I'll give my 2 cents to the discussion. No doubt that the HP3 are a special pair of headphones and got his advantages and flaws.
I enjoyed them very much and was great with modern genres but as some people said, the mid bass is too boomy and it bleeds to the mids, making some styles that I heard a bit artificial.
Don't mean to hurt anyone but it's miles above the X2HR in terms of sound quality.

Anyways I think its a great purchase if you buy one under 800€.

 

[cfranchi]

It also might depends on your most used headphone(s) before the HP-3. The X2 is your most used one?

What about the your previous headphones? You sold them? Not happy with them? The HD800s is not really a cheap one.

I bought the X2 3 times... X2 then Kennerton Vali, sold Vali rebought X2, then sold X2 because of Sundara, sold Sundara for HE6se (second hand), sold He6se for HD800s second hand (big mistake), 800s is quite impressive technically but lack musicality of HE6se for long listening session, so sold 800s and rebought X2 (135 eur amazon).
In fact what I’m looking for is a technical X2, also I guess I’m on the clear side of the force,

 

[cfranchi]

Hi, I'll give my 2 cents to the discussion. No doubt that the HP3 are a special pair of headphones and got his advantages and flaws.
I enjoyed them very much and was great with modern genres but as some people said, the mid bass is too boomy and it bleeds to the mids, making some styles that I heard a bit artificial.
Don't mean to hurt anyone but it's miles above the X2HR in terms of sound quality.

Anyways I think its a great purchase if you buy one under 800€.

Agree with that, I just can’t live with that bass into the mids, not realistic for me

 

[Tano]

Agree with that, I just can’t live with that bass into the mids, not realistic for me

Yeah, only if the bass was a bit cleaner it could be an almost perfect headphone.

 

[xanlamin]

@cfranchi, I listen mostly to jazz and pop music. Regarding Quad, I didn't like the tuning. It sounded thin and analytical. You might like it if you are listening mostly to classical music. I see you had the Denon D5k before. It is still an awesome headphone if you can still find one and I would rec it over the Fidelio X2HR. What made you sell it? Too much bass?

 

[cfranchi]

@cfranchi, I listen mostly to jazz and pop music. Regarding Quad, I didn't like the tuning. It sounded thin and analytical. You might like it if you are listening mostly to classical music. I see you had the Denon D5k before. It is still an awesome headphone if you can still find one and I would rec it over the Fidelio X2HR. What made you sell it? Too much bass?

I sold it because I entered my iem period, bass was very good on the Denon

 

[godmax]

Got the Klipsch HP-3 for some weeks now....wow what a ride! I am usually unbiased about the need/impact of burn-in of headphones, but these do definitely change over the time.

The first hours they were very boomy and narrow sounding with distant vocals, some hours later the bass was still very strong, but more refined/tamed, some weeks later this refinement in bass quality even further proceeded, to the point the sounded almost lean and lifeless...but than I plugged them into my GS-X mini together with the Ares II ... holy **** .. this combo is magic. Wide holographic soundstage, deep shattering bass without bleeding and vocals spot on upfront without any hint of recession.

This is the only headphone that is not happy when driven by Violectric V281, even the CMA400i sounds way better....which leads me to the conclusion that this headphone really shines when fired by class A amplification goodness (seems to make full use of the specified power handling of 1800 mW).

So I am curious if you made similar experience and what your favourite DAC / amp combo for the HP-3 is?

 

[maggie17fan]

Mine were new and sounded great right out of the box. Blew away my LCD-2C’s.

 

[vodanhkhack]

Mine were new and sounded great right out of the box. Blew away my LCD-2C’s.

I see in your signature that you are having those ...Meze Empyrean (Jet Black), Klipsch HP-3 (Walnut) , Audeze LCD-2 Classic, Meze 99 Noir
Audeze iSINE10 w Cipher V2 cable, Meze Rai Solo. I also got the Klipsch HP-3, Dita Fealty, Audeze iSINE10 balanced cable, Meze 99 Classic... I am just curious how do you compare the HP 3 vs the Empyrean?