After three years of R&D from the team at HEDD Audio, the HEDDphone TWO is finally here. It’s 25% lighter (550 grams), has a brand new patent-pending HEDDband that is one of the most flexible headband adjustment systems we’ve ever seen and features re-engineered AMT drivers.
Also, this should bring joy to new and old HEDDphone users. The ear pads are once again removeable but this time it’s not just the pad but a a clippable system. This will make it so the ear pad doesn’t fall off randomly and it also makes the replacement process much, much easier.
Patent-pending HEDDband that allows for adjustment of height, clamp and curvature
Variable Velocity Transformation (VTT) technology
High-Definition HEDD Air Motion Transformer (AMT) drivers
High-Quality, Vegan friendly materials
Crafted in Germany
Technical Specifications
Design
Open-back over ear headphone
Driver
AMT with full-range VVT® technology
Frequency Response
10 Hz - 40 kHz
Efficiency
89 dB SPL at 1mW
Impedance
41 Ω flat
Power requirements
min. 200mW, recommended ≥ 1000 mW
Connection
symmetric 3.5mm
Cable
Kevlar-infused, graded.
Pads
Faux leather ear pads and heat cushion.
Weight
550g
As a sweet bonus, we had our designer throw together a limited edition print poster for the first 150 pre-orders, exclusive to Headphones.com. Poster will be signed by her as well as Klaus Heinz of HEDD Audio.
I’ll add some more quick impressions from CanJam London:
Feels like it weighs less than it actually does. Don’t be alarmed by the number, it is well distributed and supported.
Good build quality with a magnesium chassis.
Slightly more sensitive (~2 dB) compared to before, probably from more efficient drivers.
Compared to the original, the new one addresses one of the biggest issues and has increased bass extension along with reduced upper mids presence to present a warmer tonality. Hard to say much more useful things about the sound given it was still a show floor.
Overall it’s an exciting release and one that should be more accessible to people thanks to the reduced mass and increased fit customization. Highly recommend worth checking out at least.
I agree, they are going to open Hedd up to being experienced by more people who got put off by the weight.
I am a daily Hedd user and I love the sound, the new one according to the team at CanJam is meant to be even better because magnetic redesign amongst other changes.
The hall was just too noisy for me to fully enjoy the new design of the AMT drivers, it sounded very good and detailed despite the sound leaking in from the busy exhibition but for looks, weight and headband design they are much more user friendly.
I was searching for the video in my YT history just to find the songs you listened. That last one, with the drums, sounded awesome! Would you mind pointing the songs again, please?! Already knew Snarky Puppy, so I just remember Lingus…
FYI for anyone wondering about the earpad size: I measured the inside cause I thought it looked small. It turns out to be about 65 mm which is the same height as the MM-500. I didn’t have any issues with fit.
Just saw the video on the channel definitely look interesting! I am curious how these compare to the Arya Organics - if anyone has tried both? And are these different to Hedd HEDDphone One Revision 2?
The HEDDphone revision 2 was only a revision to the headband to allow a slightly longer extension. There were no changes between the original HEDDphone release and the revised version outside of that. So the HEDDphone TWO is tuned differently than that.
I haven’t listened to the Arya Organic outside of a brief listen at High-End Munich but I know @Resolve currently has both and might be able to give some comparison notes.
These are an impressive step forward from the V1 (which I thought were excellent sounding).
The ONLY reason I’m not ordering a set for myself is my (slower than planned, somewhat due to the slow. used market) rationalization of my headphone setup.
And even then, given the originals, I’m sorely tempted …
My written review of the HEDDPhone TWO just went up.
Probably the longest and most comprehensive one I’ve written so far at 3.5k words. There was a lot to talk about and I re-wrote this about 3 times.
I tell myself I won’t write something this long again in the future but realistically if I review something like the Modhouse Tungsten I’ll fall into this trap again.
tl;dr for those who don’t have time but seriously, please read it because those 3.5k words are meant to answer all the questions that I myself would have had if I wasn’t reviewing it. I only haven’t heard the HEDDPhone 1 enough to comment for comparison. Also there’s a bonus EQ in the end if you want to try.
Pros:
Excellent ergonomics and build. Really goes to show how much care and attention HEDD Audio puts into the feedback they’ve gotten. The ability to control both clamp force and height at once is genius. And they didn’t skimp on the headband surface area or padding. I usually don’t wear headphones for like 2-3 hours at a time but I could with these despite it still being a hefty headphone. Oh and a 5-year warranty is nothing to sneeze at.
The two standout features of the HEDDPhone TWO features are microdynamics and what I call “timbral resolution”. Microdynamics is the subtle gradations between notes and within passages that capture the performer’s emotional expression. Timbral resolution is all the little microdetails of a note that comes together to create the full character of an individual instrument you can hear. For example, when a cello is bowed, all the tiny little individual resonances in the strings that make up its timbre. It’s like suddenly realizing that there can be so many different shades of the same type of note and the HEDDPhone TWO is telling you exactly what shade it is. HEDDPhone TWO is the only headphone that I can remember where I’ve noticed these qualities so strongly.
Stringed instruments and synths perform exceptionally well thanks to the above points. Vocal layering is also top notch.
Despite the subbass roll-off, these AMT drivers do push air quite effectively. Notes can sometimes sound bigger and boomier than expected.
Cons:
The tuning is an odd combination of warm and bright. It’s honestly not reallllly a con but just something to know. Its more like a shotgun scatter of mini-peaks rather than a hard peak here and there. And yes, there is sibilance in the vocals.
Macrodynamic impact and slam is lacking. This just isn’t a Focal headphone. More like on the level of the MM-500 I’d say and better than HD800S or Arya.
Along those lines, there’s some poofiness in the midbass for drums - kicks and toms. Of course, this is highly dependent on the recording of your track. But with my library consisting of a lot of alt-rock tracks with less-than-stellar productions, it does show up. For better recordings this isn’t much of a problem. For this reason, it took me a couple of days listening across my wider library to really start to appreciate what these AMT drivers can do.
Staging is nothing to write home about. Just does not have the openness or size of the HD800S or Arya. It’s more along the lines of the MM-500 but with less precise imaging.
I was extremely excited for the HEDDPhone TWO but ended up with some mixed thoughts. No headphone (or HEDDPHONE) is perfect. At the end of the day though I do think it’s a very competitive offering. It manages to do one of the most important things in the headphone landscape: present a meaningfully different sound. While I won’t go so far as to guarantee you’ll love the HEDDPhone TWO, I’m positive it’s one you won’t easily forget.
