I received my Heddphone Two this week and have already listened for several hours. Iâm surprised there arenât more impressions here, so Iâll share my impressions of this unique headphone (abbreviated HP2 below because Iâm too lazy to type of the full name).
As far as first impressions go, the HP2 made a great one. The first track I chose is one of the three I had time for during my HE-1 audition at CanJam, Here With You from Diana Krallâs Live in Paris (yes, an audiophile clichĂ©âŠ) My first thought was that the HP2 reminds me a lot of the HE-1 because it did not grab my attention in any way, but just sounded natural. All instruments and Dianaâs voice sounded very realistic, instruments were well-separated into their own spaces on the soundstage, and transient speed was excellent. I did find the sound lacking in impact, slam, or whatever you call the sound of lots of air hitting my ears.
Fast forward a few days and Iâve formed more complete impressions of the HP2. I used it in my system including a Gungnir Multibit, Lyr+, and a recently received Midgard.
I agree with other reviewers that have said the HP2 is able to convey details and variations in tone (microdynamics) extremely well. On Luli Leeâs âI feel your loveâ, I noticed an echo effect of the singerâs voice. Switching to my ZMF, I could hear this effect, but I had never noticed it because the ZMF doesnât present fine details as well. Similarly, with the HP2 I noticed gradations in the bass notes of Daft Punkâs Get Lucky that I never noticed before. The HP2 also has a great sense of speed and never got tripped up no matter what music I threw at it. On drum solos or fast bluegrass music like Jim Vancleveâs album No Apologies, every note was clearly delineated.
Sound staging and instrument separation are also high points of the HP2. I canât say the sound stage is massive in the sense of a Stax Omega-series or Sennheiser HD-800, but within the boundaries of its stage, sounds were localized with pinpoint accuracy. For example, on Anderson Eastâs Alive in Tennessee album, I could hear the relative location of each person in the crowd who was clapping or yelling, which is quite a neat trick. When listening to rock tracks that mash together guitar, bass, and drums such as Yellowcardâs Always Summer and Ocean Avenue, I found the HP2 did an admirable job of separating these instruments â not perfect, but perhaps the best we might get short of a much more expensive Susvara or X-9000.
Another word that comes to mind when listening to the HP2 is ânaturalâ. The timbre of instruments sounds normal, and frequency response is balanced with what I perceive as a very slight emphasis on the midrange. This is one of the headphones thatâs underwhelming in a good way. It doesnât grab your attention with massive soundstage or heart-stopping bass, but it just sounds correct.
I believe the HP2 is suitable for all genres. I typically use jazz as my benchmark for evaluating the realism of headphones and found the HP2 to have among the most realistic timbre I have encountered. Listening to jazz is really a pleasure with the HP2 and I canât think of a headphone which would do better. Rock tracks sound great as well â I listened to my favorites from Joy Formidable, Yellowcard, and Mammoth WVH and they sounded good, if lacking that extra bit of crunch or grunge a Grado or 109 pro gives electric guitars. Electronic music such as Daft Punk and the Naked and Famous sounded clean, but lacking in bass quantity (not quality). I appreciated that the HP2 was able to make some songs I love with poor recording quality sound as good as possible. It gave a more relaxed and natural tone to super dry early 90s recordings and brought out as much detail as possible, even if there wasnât much detail there in the first place. I appreciate that the HP2 has never sounded harsh, strident, etched, or dry with any recording I've listened to. Some reviewers have mentioned that it's "warm" and in general I agree, but I wouldn't say it's overly warm to the point of being colored like some ZMFs can be.
So, is this the new Best Headphone Ever, even better than last monthâs Best Headphone Ever? Does it Change the Game in a way that the game has never been changed before? I think that really depends on what you want in a headphone. Two things I want are lacking from the HP2: bass quantity and macrodynamics. The former has been covered in reviews and itâs not a big deal to me, but I do wish the HP2 had better sub-bass extension and a slightly higher bass level overall, maybe not to Harman levels, but just a bit higher. The latter is a little more difficult to describe, but the word which keeps coming to my mind is âsoftâ. The HP2, while having high technical performance, just lacks the impact and slam something like a Focal or Audeze planar has. This results in a curious feeling of being precise and soft at the same time. It also results in continually turning up the volume looking for that crack or snap which just isnât there. If impact is what you crave, the HP2 is probably not your cup of tea.
I think the most similar headphone is the MM500, which I used to own and am very fond of. According to my understanding, they are both designed for use in studios and they have a similar neutral or âstudio monitorâ sound, which can sound boring to some. The MM500 has better bass and sense of impact, but it also has a very dry sound that can move into the harsh territory depending on the track. The HP2 never sounds harsh and probably has slightly better technical performance than the MM500, but lacks its impact. One crucial difference is that the MM-500 needs just a few milliwatts to get to deafening levels, while the HP2 demands a more powerful amplifier. I'm not as familiar with other competitors like the Arya Organic, but I've either owned or auditioned every headphone in this price range and I believe the MM500 and HP2 are the best under $2000.
Lastly, I want to note some impressions of the item itself which are not related to sonic performance. First, it crackles a lot âafter reading some reviews I learned this is normal behavior. I believe that if HEDD included some information about this in the packaging, they would have fewer returns and complaints. I am still not sure if the driver could ever be damaged from excess crackling⊠Second, I am a little worried about the durability of the carbon headband over time because this is a part which flexes every time you put the headphone on. Unlike metal, carbon does not gently deform but shatters when itâs flexed past its limits. I am curious what kind of flexion testing was done on this part. Third, Iâm pleasantly surprised that you get every possible cable included in the packaging. This should be a point of shame for other OEMs who sell $5000 headphones but wonât include a $10 XLR cable with them. Fourth, the industrial design of the HP2 is awesome. Every part is purposeful and that makes it beautiful. If youâve ever seen a really cool piece of construction equipment, thatâs the same feeling I get when I look at the HP2.