HEDDphone Two impressions and reviews

First of all, thanks to everyone that made this loaner possible! I really enjoy getting to have extended time with gear in my system.

The Heddphone Two is the most confusing headphone that I've ever listened to. It is a good headphone that does a lot of things pretty well, but I didn't enjoy it all that much. I found it to be somewhat boring and lifeless compared to my other headphones. Normally, when I don't like a headphone the reason is obvious, but the Heddphone Two doesn't have glaring faults, and I can't pinpoint exactly what I don't like about it.

I have a suspicion that the Heddphone Two might do better with different gear, though. My setup is primarily focused on synergy with dynamic headphones, so please bear that in mind as you read the rest of my impressions. I wish I had the loaner Mjolnir 3 to try these with.


GEAR USED

Roon -> HQ Player -> Yggdrasil+ OG/A2 (NOS) -> DSHA 3F | SW 51+
Roon -> HQPlayer -> iFi Zen One Signature -> Piety


BUILD & COMFORT

I owned the original Heddphone One for a little while and the Heddphone Two is vastly superior in build and comfort. It's not even close. I put it on my head and forgot about it's physical presence completely. My wife thought it was mostly comfortable, but that there was a little more clamp than she liked. Others have said that it is still a relatively heavy headphone, but I don't have any weight issues with headphones as long as the weight is distributed well, which is the case for the Heddphone Two.


TUNING

One thing that several other reviewers have mentioned is the lack of deep bass. I agree that the bass is rolled off a bit, but it is still present and reaches down quite low, just at a slightly reduced volume. I would prefer more bass but it didn't distract me too much.

I also agree with other reviewers who've pointed out that the treble sounds strange, especially cymbals. It sounds like there is too much upper treble and it makes cymbals sound like they're hissing. The depth and complexity of cymbals is missing and they are rendered in an overly simplistic way. Otherwise, the treble was easy to listen to—smooth and lacking in sibilance.

I thought that the mids were tuned reasonably well, but I would've liked a little more lower mids to add some warmth. I also thought that the upper mids and lower treble were too pulled back. It's interesting because I've liked many headphones with laid back upper mids and lower treble, but it doesn't seem to work for this driver, because it sounded a bit dull and lifeless.

All that being said, I never felt like there was any sibilance and I found it to a non-fatiguing listen even when I turned the volume up. I also thought that instruments, besides cymbals, sounded natural with good timbre. Overall, the tuning was decent and there were no sins of commission, but I found the Heddphone relatively boring to listen to. I can't say if it's just the tuning, but it could be a contributing factor.


TECHNICALITIES

The Heddphone Two had decent detail retrieval and microdynamics, but it wasn't amazing. It was notably less resolving than my Utopia, and a little behind my Blackwood ZMF Verite Closed. The macrodynamic punch was okay—not bad but not great. I would say that the macrodynamics were better than estats for sure, and a little better than my old LCD-3, but worse than my dynamic headphones and worse than the RAD-0. Perhaps similar to the stock 2021 LCD-X that I used to own.

I thought that the transient response was quite good, however. The leading edge of tones was crisp and rounded, and there was a sense of effortlessness that I appreciated.


SYNERGY

I mostly used the Heddphone Two out of my 3F, but I was surprised when I plugged it into my SW 51+ because in some ways it sounded a little better! I was expecting it to be pretty bad, because my RAD-0 doesn't sound good out of the SW 51+, but the Heddphone Two sounded a little more alive. As you would expect, it didn't have better macrodynamics or more bass, but the mids sounded less sterile and boring. Perhaps the Heddphone Two is similar to balanced armature IEMs and has dominant third-order harmonics and so it really benefited from the extra second-order harmonics provided by the tube amp. I'm not sure, but it seems feasible because I've never heard a headphone liven up as much when switching between the 3F and the SW 51+.


CONCLUSION

The Heddphone Two is an uncanny headphone. It does quite a few things right and it definitely isn't a bad headphone, but I didn't enjoy it very much. It sounded boring to me, but it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why. It's hard for me to recommend, but I'm hesitant to give a fully negative review. As I mentioned above, I think my gear might not have good synergy with the Heddphone Two, so take these impressions with a healthy grain of salt. What I can say for certain is that HEDD has made several significant improvements over the original Heddphone and I'm curious to see where they can take AMT headphones in the future.

 

First, thanks to Hedd and the gearmasters for this.

Chain: Qobuz via Audirvana on Mac -> Pi2AES -> AES -> Yggdrasil A2 -> Piety^2

Music: mainly rock, electronic, indie.

Overall: the most detailed headphone I've heard at home (Caldera, Diana V2, HD600, Atrium, RD-X, HD8XX, ETA mini C). Great for hearing stuff buried in the music. I imagine this is the headphone I would use if I was making a quality recordings.

I perceive it as a neutral response with a slight upward tilt. Very pleasant with no particular weirdness. Based on reviews I've read I expected it to be very bass light but was pleasantly surprised. It's not for bassheads and I would like more lower-end presence but it's better than expected. For me it's on par with the HD600. I love the HD600 but the significant difference in price warrants a noticeable upgrade.

Wide, even headstage though not as wide at the extremes as some other headphones like my daily driver Diana V2.

The headband can be better. I have a pretty average head and with the headband at its tightest setting, the earcups sat too low for my liking.

A better headband and a more robust low end would make this a fantastic headphone.

 

I had a similar experience with the ZMF Caldera from my SW51. On paper it shouldn't be good, especially given how little power it can send to planars. But somehow, for some unknown reason, even if it isn't the ideal pairing, it sounds good. Funny how this stuff works sometimes.

 

There's more coming and I wish this was all, but...

First off, huge thanks to the hardworking admins and basically everyone at SBAF who makes shit happen for making this loaner happen. It's a big deal to be able to get in on these loaners for a bunch of new gear without having to invest anything except shipping and a review. Hats off, seriously. We love y'all. Big thanks to Heddphone as well if they provided a review sample. That's putting your money where your mouth is and opening yourself up to potential criticism which is a good look for a brand. I'm not sure who provided this one but many thanks to all involved.


Signing up for this loaner I'd never looked into Heddphone anything. I had no idea about the technology, I purposely didn't look at any of the reviews and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just wanted to hear something new without researching and getting ideas into my head beforehand.

On to the listening notes:
From Red with Gentooplayer/Diretta I2S to May KTE balanced out to MJ3 and 1/4" jack out to Heddphone 2 (no XLR native cable came with the loaner, but an XLR adapter cable did):

Seems like it's a bit compressed - not huge peaks and valleys, things just seem smaller top to bottom and the difference between the louder and quieter parts isn't as noticeable as I'm used to.

Can get boring with complicated recordings, though details are good and very present/upfront with simple acoustic recordings. They just get blurred with more complicated passages.

For acoustic and less complicated stuff this headphone can put in the work. I started with a cover of Powderfinger by Cowboy Junkies and it sounded very nice. Nothing off-kilter, just realistic playback and good sound.

I then moved on to Tool's Chocolate Chip Trip followed by 7empest. It just didn't hold my interest and I found myself looking for something else to do before changing the song early. When presented correctly, these tracks are a trippy onslaught and it's hard to concentrate on anything else while listening. I think the music is just kinda smeared together instead of having all the individual elements fighting for attention. I'm guessing the drivers just can't handle all that separation (though I still haven't looked into what kind they are, and still have no idea what technology is powering this Heddphone.)

What really sold me on these headphones handling small acoustic ensembles well but falling apart with more was listening to the opening song from Lana Del Rey's album "There's A Tunnel Over Ocean Blvd". It never gets too wild and complicated, but it opens very simply and gets more complicated as it goes. Opening and small, it sounds nice and I like it. As it builds, it gets more problematic.

Now, give me some Colter Wall which is some good, simple, cowpoke music and these headphones are more than enough. Still feel like a tweeter with a woofer strapped to them but that's fine.

I think these headphones sound like a ribbon tweeter with a subwoofer attached. That's a little dramatic and they actually have some decent midrange, I'm just trying to figure out what they're actually built with. There has to be a reason that solid leather pads are attached and they have good, detailed treble when the sound isn't too complicated. That would make sense with ribbon tweeter and subwoofer (solid leather pads bring the BASS) , but it wouldn't explain the midrange response I'm getting. Earpads are definitely helping the bass response though.

With this current setup I'm going to say that they're no match for my daily drivers, but with simple music (which I actually listen to quite a bit) they can be quite good. They do weigh on my elephant ears a bit but I'm used to the 800 which give the ears all the room an elephant man needs.

Tomorrow night I'll test them with different variables. It'll be Allnic D-5000 DHT DAC into Stellaris and we'll see w
hat's up with that.

 

From Allnic D-5000 DHT DAC and Stellaris headphone amp, everything else is the same:

This setup has a lot more dimensionality than May/MJ3. Less flat for sure.

There's a sense of sounds coming from around the front and rear of the ears. Not a speaker-like "field of vision" in which you can imagine where the performers are located on a stage, but the sound isn't coming from a flat, compressed line.

There is better separation in general and the individual instruments and elements of the recording aren't nearly as squashed together as the May/MJ3 combo. Doesn't feel super compressed like the other combo.

Sounds are allowed their own space without other elements of the song trying to crowd them out and steal their thunder.

This is using the Igorrr album "Hallelujah" to test, which has a lot of different elements all happening at once.

Listening to the album Rhythm Of The Saints, separation is excellent and clarity is superb. I know a few of our peers hate the term "clarity", but when you can hear many different elements of the sound all happening at once and can still easily hear what the singer is saying/singing, the word "clarity" is the word that fits that for me.

Not really getting that "ribbon tweeter with a subwoofer strapped to it" sense. This feels more like a cohesive headphone.

I tried the high OI switch on the Stellaris and it was hot garbage, so I can only assume this is a low ohm headphone. (I still haven't read a single thing about 'em.) If it is a low ohm headphone, I'm kinda surprised the 8ohm out of the tube amp sounds so much better than the MJ3 combo I tried it with last night.

I do still think this is a better headphone for acoustic music. Listening to Dr. Michael White playing Summertime live somewhere in New Orleans is a lot more convincing than Daft Punk, Igorrr, Tool or other much more layered and synthetic music.

Other real small-ensemble acoustic instruments playing in real (non-stadium) spaces yield similar results.

As good as the MJ3 is, I'm thinking that compared to the Stellaris it's likely guilty of less separation and less staging. Totally different amps, tubes vs SS, totally different price point.

In short, with the right system synergy and the right taste in music that these headphones will make shine, I think these headphones can shine. IMO they're too limited for my wide variety style taste in music, but could work for a lot of the music I actually listen to. But unless you're pretty narrow in what you like I don't find them to be all 'rounder daily drivers for my personal taste.

I do think that it's possible that whoever designed these had a particular system and a particular taste in music and they are perfect for that narrow set of circumstances. There are certainly things that they do very well, like texture when there's not a whole lot going on in musical passages.

Thanks again to SBAF for making this loaner happen!

 

Just out of curiosity - did you try the Allnic with the MJ3?

 

I did not, but while I'm waiting on shipping information from the next person in line I can give that a shot tonight and report back.

Technically my 10 days (with MJ3) are over, but without someone to mail it to I'm playing the waiting game.

 

Loner Impressions:

I was anticipating this loaner more than most. The technology it uses was interesting.

After digging out the headphones from the box, it took a while trying to adjust them for a correct fit. I think the weakest aspect of this headphone is the fit. I do like the pads, but the clamp had an emphasis on the lower end, on the check bone. I could never get it to a comfy position.

For the sound, it was very crisp and snappy. The opposite end of the butter smooth sound. I like a V shaped sound response and did some tweaks with the Schiit Lokius that is in my audio chain. Post knob twiddle, I got them to a great sounding headphone(to me).

For now, the fit is just not there and could not recommend them just because of that. If the fit was good and you like your music with some dynamics and some EQ in your chain. Then I could recommend them.

Thanks to everyone's effort to make the loaner happen!

 

First, I wrote these impressions up before @purr1n posted above. But I think I’m aligned, I just tried to pluck some gold nuggets from the turd.

Second, I want to thank everyone involved for letting me be a part of this tour. Being able to hear a piece of gear in my own chain is completely different than hearing it at a show.

Third, the fit. I liked the headband design, I got a proper fit without having to fiddle with it at all. But man, the clamp was painful, moreso than a virgin HD600. The great headband design never really came into play, practically speaking - the clamp was so tight, I don’t think the headband was ever really pressed into service, if you know what I mean. I could not listen to it for more than 30 minutes without having to take it off and let my jaw relax. If there was a way to reduce the clamp itself, I couldn’t figure it out and I didn’t want to stretch a loaner.

Now, in terms of my listening experience with the Heddphone 2, I have to say it was a confusing headphone for me, at least in my normal setup. My chain is an Abbas U1 into either a Stratus v3, Glenn OTL or Cayin HA-300b. So tubes upon tubes and I think that put a damper on these cans, to some degree. I also used a Lampizator tube DAC (which is for sale…) and the experience was similar, so it wasn’t just the Abbas at play here.

On all of those amps, it sounded muffled and closed in. On the HA-300b it lacked slam and that big bottom end (which is actually hard to do). It did have good tactile thwap, snare drums sounded quite lively and present. The stage was relatively small, but the placement across the small stage was quite nice. On the tubes, I didn’t get the planar-like speed that my previous experience with the Heddphone 1 had (though I don't think that was on tubes, tbf, but even on solid state, it was not planar-like in that regard). Similar to my comment about needing to take it off periodically to give my jaw some relief, I found myself wanting to take it off so I could swap over to another headphone so I could get some space around me, to remove the close-in muffled feeling. I had the feeling of wearing closed backs, or semi-open cans, and I don’t know if that feeling was more physical or mental, but it would get overwhelming for me at times.

I have a Piety in another setup, so I wanted to give the Heddphone a chance on a solid state amp and pulled it over. Things improved a lot for me on the Piety. But it was still a confusing can for me. If you think of the difference between background listening and focused listening, the Headphone felt like it was always in that background listening mode, even when I was trying to focus. Nothing jumped out, nothing grabbed me by the collar and smacked me - in a good way, or bad.

I kept searching for some synergy or something that would be fun, and I went down a rabbit hole with 70’s CBGB punk, which somehow really shone through compared to everything else I threw at it. Roadrunner was fun, I felt like I was at the front of the stage, right up close. Ever Fallen in Love by Buzzocks was similar, really awesome. Ether by Gang of Four was nice and had some 3D effect going on. All those impressions were on SS. So I thought I found a vein, and swapped back over to tubes, and lost it all. Maybe it's because those are not exactly mastered the best, and so the limitations weren't exposed, but I did enjoy it. I just don't see a reason to ever own these, but I appreciated the chance to learn that the cheap way.

 

Yeah, I used it with the SW51 and fully expected it to be a disaster out of that amp, but it was in the same ballpark as my 3F, but with some tubey engagement in the mids. But it's entirely possible that my relatively "positive" experience with the SW51 has more to do with it vastly exceeding my expectations vs actually being a good pairing.

 

In my notes, I wrote this:

"Very similar description to @ilikebananafudge_ , except for me, on tubes it sucked. On the Piety it opened up / cleared up a fair amount. "

But maybe also similarly, opening up didn't also take it to a great place, just a better place.

 

And it fit on the medium setting too lol. But the headband was still going to create hot spots on the top of my head for me after a while - I would want a way to distribute the force out more evenly to a larger area. Clamping force on the sides of my head was not an issue actually - defined as less of an issue than a standard HD600 series.

In all seriousness about the HP now - having seen the impressions as they've come up - I'm starting to this this headphone must be VERY amp and probably chain dependent.

 

I have the feeling that very exact timing (and thus positional information) is possible with these headphones, but the chain must be able to deliver it.

To my ears, the stage was better from the start than what I was used to (Clear Mg and HD650, both no stage monsters, ofc), but it improved significantly with every source improvement I did since, especially with the change to the iFi Neo iDSD and with it the move to HQPlayer SDM.

And it varies a lot with material. With some stuff, it’s almost eerie how exactly I can hear where instruments are in the room, whereas other music mostly stays within the head.

OTOH, stage definitely isn’t the HP’s main feature, it’s average, maybe, nothing special at all (it’s only separation I’d single out). But not particularly bad to my ears, either.

This. To me, plankton is what this headphone is about. Interesting how different the impressions can be.