As @Xgatt noted, the SR1a + Jot R combo is literally over twice as expensive as the HEDD (assuming you already have a competent amp). I get that as this top end of headphone gear going from $2k to $4k isn’t absolutely ridiculous since we are already in ridiculous prices. But $2 is still $2k and I could use that to buy a nice tube amp like a DNA Starlett.
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Nice review!
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Can the people in the first batch of preorders please get an update? We were promised that we would at least get a tracking update by Thursday, which was yesterday. Has the initial batch even left Germany yet?
Throughout your impressions video I was curious which source chain (amp, DAC and cables) you were using. I couldn’t help but think your impression of the dynamics was influenced by the amp. Would you mind to say what your source chain was? Great job otherwise!
Yup there is an update e-mail coming shortly.
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I put the source gear in the video description. For the DAC I used the Chord Hugo 2, and for the amps I tried it with the SPL Phonitor X, the Cayin IHA-6 and the iFi iCAN Pro.
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I’m pretty sure the Phonitor X was used in the development of the HEDDphone. And neither it, nor the Pro iCAN (owned both), is lacking in dynamics.
The Phonitor X, in particular, excels in dynamics/dynamic range.
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The Phonitor E was confirmed to be Freddy’s (CEO of HEDD) favourite pairing with the HEDDphone. They really like the SPL gear.
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It makes sense given their origins (Germany).
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Yeah you are! If they developed the HEDDphone on a Phonitor, well… I mean yeah. 
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Now this is perplexing… So you say your 32 ohm tube amp is not suitable for the HEDDphone at 42 ohms?! I may be in BIG TROUBLE!!! I basically custom ordered a tube amp from Glenn Studios that outputs 32 ohms because I thought it must be a near perfect pairing with the low impedance of the HEDDphone’s 42 ohms. Can someone clue me in on this: what would be the ideal ohm output of an amp for the HEDDphone? And maybe @Resolve (Andrew) knows this: which settings were most optimal to drive the HEDDphone on the Phonitor X, and which may have been used for the Phonitor E? Thanks…
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I thought the Ω output of the amp has to be lower than the headphone ohms, or is it the other way around? Also my amp will have an option for 8 ohms to drive speakers, maybe this will give more power also. And perhaps as long as it’s giving enough watts into the 32 ohms it may be good?
Generally you want the output impedance of your amplifier to be about 1/10th of that of your headphones. Otherwise you may encounter frequency response shifts where the headphone’s impedance is frequency variable.
As I understand the AMT implementation, it is more like a planar driver in terms of being largely impedance invariant with respect to frequency, so that should not be an issue.
However, you still want your amplifier’s OI to be as low as possible so that the amplifier isn’t wasting its power output overcoming its own internal resistance.
If your amplifier was capable of 1 watt of output at 47 ohms, and it’s OI was 32 ohms, you’d effectively lose ( 32/47 ) * 1000mW of power just to the amplifier’s internal resistance. In other words, you’d get about 680mW output.
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@Torq is that basically like the rule of 8 you’re referring to, but saying it may not apply so much to the HEDDphone with its’ driver type? And @Resolve or anyone, do you have a suggestion on which ohm / watts specs of an amp is most recommended for this headphone, and which settings your Phonitor and other amps were using? I want it to be driven with authority for the best possible dynamics / slam, detail among other aspects.
Then what about my planned tube amp at 32 ohms, would this be likely to have a good result, given there’s enough watts behind it? Or even the 8 ohm settings for speakers perhaps? I can also roll many different power tube types and choose from either 2 of 4x which may also effect the synergy / output current / watts. Though it’s an OTC (transformer coupled) amp so maybe the difference wouldn’t be so great.
HERE is a link to an answer that was given about my specific amp, if someone doesn’t mind reading this link for a second opinion, thanks!
I’d prefer you didn’t quote me elsewhere; the context shifts are often awkward.
Response to your other question(s) when I get a chance.
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I generally wouldn’t recommend this type of headphone with an OTL, although I know there are some that have decently low OI. Plus, as Torq mentioned, what makes them difficult to drive has much more to do with their inefficiency than their impedance, so I wouldn’t be too worried about frequency response changes as a result of a higher output impedance (within reason). But I do think it would be optimal to use a low output impedance solid state source. Honestly my IHA-6 drives it just about as well as the Phonitor X, with minimal difference - the IHA-6 is specifically designed for this kind of low efficiency headphone. So if you have a 789 or something similar, that’s probably a good option as well. At the high level, I’m really enjoying it with the Phonitor X from the XLR out (default settings), in fact I think I prefer both the Phonitor X and the IHA-6 over the iCAN Pro with this one. Stage depth is more well-defined, where as on the iCAN Pro (which has more power), everything feels a bit more focused inward, rather than spread out. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but I think I prefer the forward depth of the others.
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Hi @Resolve thanks for your response. It will actually be an transformer-coupled SET amp, opposite of an OTL amp. I have actually tried the HEDDphone (SoCal CanJam in a fairly quiet listening environment) with a transformer-coupled amp (the modest Quad PA One “+”) and with the PrimaLuna Evo 200 amp which is also a transformer-coupled amp if I believe and I was completely blown away with the performance across the board, more than the solid state amp I tried it with. I’m not saying it’s a better pairing than your Phonitor amp, but from my limited experience, the HEDDphone shined best with tube amps, adding a nice touch of warmth and lushness, and perhaps even best with transformer-coupled vs. OTL. Would you mind to click the link on my above post that goes to the 2359 Glenn thread? It mentions data specific to the amp which may still make it pair well.
Also what is OI?
Output Impedance.
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