HEDD is proud to introduce the first full range Air Motion Transformer headphones to audiophiles and recording artists worldwide. The Air Motion Transformer (AMT) is an electrodynamic transducer that allows to move air significantly faster than common voice coil, magnetostatic (planar) or electrostatic systems. Their traditional piston-like movement is overcome by a folded diaphragm that squeezes out air four times faster: A breakthrough for capturing more details in a musical recording.
30 years ago HEDD CEO and Chief Engineer Klaus Heinz designed the first compact and marketable AMT tweeter based on Oskar Heil’s original Air Motion Transformer invention. Since then he has increased its sonic quality in several fundamental revisions. The 2019 version of the AMT can be heard in HEDD´s innovative Series ONE studio monitor line.
Recently Heinz has focused on developing a full range Air Motion Transformer to break new grounds for this superior transducer principle. In order to reproduce the complete audible frequency band (and beyond), the HEDDphone® incorporates VVT® (pat. pending). VVT® introduces a new diaphragm geometry that expands the AMT principle to a linear full range (10Hz–40kHz) headphone transducer. It replaces the fixed geometric structure of conventional AMT drivers as the folds vary both in width and depth.
The HEDDphone® introduces a fourth transducer technology. It brings the enormous dynamic capabilities and the superior sonic resolution of the AMT principle to the world of top-end headphones. HEDDphone® excels where it really matters: in accurate, untamed, and touching music reproduction.
Available in Quarter 3 / 2019!
Added by Taron
Technical Specifications
Design
Open over ear headphone with Air Motion Transformer
Fun fact: I knew a few car audio guys who would use those BG Neo planar transducers in their mobile setups. Required heavy modifications to the A-pillar and countless hours spent aiming both the x and y-axes to get staging/imaging right, but MAN…when it was done, that was a real feast for the ears.
AMTs can be really temperamental with positioning, too. I don’t feel like these are going to be a very “you can move around while they’re on” kinda pair. FR can shift pretty wildly depending on your ear position relative to the transducer. Treble extension on those are going to be unreal, though. Take a look at ADAM Audio’s studio monitors for an example, but they should easily reach the supersonics.
I have a pair of powered monitors by Hedd with a 7 inch woofer and the AMT tweeter. They sound really good. Much better than the JBL 307s they replaced. I hope the headphones are as good as the speakers!
With AMTs, that’s fully up to the implementation. Assuming they’re designed uniquely for being right next to your ears instead of the standard near-field use in studio monitors, they’re surprisingly relaxing in comparison to what you’d get out of a dynamic driver (a la Beyer). If they didn’t, well, that’s a whole hell of a lot of sonic energy focused directly at your ears.
Also curious to know how these will do when the AMT isn’t relying on HRTF since they’ll be focused right on your earholes vs able to reflect around the shape of your head.
@andrew got to try these out for an evening in his hotel room in Munich. He spent some pretty good time with them so he would be able to give impressions. I do know that they were quite heavy.
I actually don’t think that the HEDD monitors are bright at all! I listened to the ADAMs before pulling the trigger and I am quite comfortable with the sound of the HEDDs. I have not yet REW’ed them but they come across as very “balanced”. And significantly better (accurate?) than the JBLs, though the HEDDs are more expensive.
I did spend some time with these. Not in my hotel room though. They were a very early prototype that was put together just for the show so I wouldn’t read into my impressions.
What excited me was talking to the team about what they’re building. We’re going to have an early production pair at the office so we’ll be able to give true impressions then.
Actually, and embarrassingly, I have to correct myself. I don’t have HEDD but EVE SC207. My confusion as both have AMT tweeters and I was hesitating a lot between them.
But the sound is magnificent anyway. Very highly recommended.
I had the ESS422h recently, cost me $150 USD. I was favorably impressed by the resolution, but not the weird signature. If they can achieve a decent hi-fi signature, it might be competition for the better planars.
I was very interested in the HEDD 07s. They were just a bit too large to comfortably fit on my desktop, and I didn’t want to surrender midbass by going to the 05s.
Because these powered studio monitors are primarily used in professional settings, it’s hard to find typical audiophile commmentary regarding their sound. The few sonic comments I found were almost uniformly positive. I found few if any references to brightness or fatigue associated with HEDD’s AMT tweeters (by contrast, I read a number of comments about brightness w/various Adam Audio AMT models).
I never heard HEDDs or Adam monitors for myself, so can’t verify the accuracy of any of these comments.
The HEDD Type 07 monitors sound great. No fatigue in the high end. The main weakness is that the sweet spot is not very big. Moving around much isn’t an option.
