The price tag makes it sound competitive to the market they’re trying to reach.
People didn’t really know how headphones were supposed to be tuned back then either.
As someone who absolutely swears by vintage headphones, I’m hurt. Kidding. There were some decent ones but many terrible ones.
I really like the old 70s Fostex planars. Obviously, not quite up to par to even today’s “mid-fi” planars but they’ve got a certain charm to them especially when going down the rabbit hole of modding. I regret selling my T30 and T50. I mean they’re better than current Fostex planars though I guess that’s not saying much. I emailed Fostex after the release of the T60RP if they had plans of a possible high-end planar in the foreseeable and they said no.
But yeah, I’m not sure why they went with the R10 earcups besides wanting to stir some waves among the community. I doubt that particular shape is exactly “ideal” for planar magnetic drivers. It seems more like they wanted to make it work with that shape.
3 Likes
Yeah, I mean in some ways the HD650 is almost ‘vintage’ at this point haha. There was some good stuff back then for sure. But our understanding of how things should measure was quite a bit different (bordering on nonexistent haha), even when a number of them did hit the mark.
5 Likes
I hadn’t really thought about the HD650 being pretty much vintage haha.
Ah, yeah you’re absolutely right about how things should measure. It was the wild west for headphones back then. Some manufacturers had graphs for some headphones but there was no standardization on the instruments used nor the target.
1 Like
Why is the dynamic version only 1300 usd but add a planar and it skyrockets?
1 Like
Probably because HiFiMAN actually developed the driver for the planar. Where as the DD is likely from somewhere else (I could be wrong about that).
From reading the website I get the feel that it’s normal hfm driver just shoved into an enclosures. They should really explain why it’s worth 5000 usd.
1 Like
From what I can tell this is a unique driver in the HE-R10P. I haven’t seen the specs match their other headphones. But really, I’m just at the beginning of my evaluation. Still trying to figure this out.
Same headband, earpads and cable from their budget 100 dollar headphones. Basically, I’m guessing If you order those 5 dollar r10 gimmick earcups from China and put them on your deva wired you get this headphones.
4 Likes
Come on Brunx, Hahahaha that’s rough on HFM!
Let’s wait for @Resolve’s thoughts on build quality since he had most of their models in hand at one point and we can also refer to his previous reviews’ build quality sections.
1 Like
It definitely has WAY better technical performance than the Deva. No contest. It’s also not that driver.
2 Likes
Kinda gets you thinking tho, don’t it? What’s the difference?
Diaphragm, tension, and magnets. I’m guessing there is a chance that it’s probably the same diaphragm, so… He might not be that far off.
I’m just playing the devil’s advocate here, don’t mind me.
3 Likes
well, I’m sure there’s some similarity haha. But yeah there’s a lot that goes into it. In many ways I’m kind of wondering why the Deva’s performance wasn’t so good. Maybe magnet strength, even though they had magnets on both sides.
1 Like
Intentionally crippled? This is an ancient marketing strategy. The cost difference between a 4 cylinder vs 6 cylinder edition of the same car is 1/3rd the sales price difference.
Happy buyers. Ignorance can be bliss.
3 Likes
Im assuming these will never get a chair pic…
This just seems like an odd thing all around, from borrowing Sony stuff to the price to the price differences, to the widely claimed outsourcing of cheap components? Maybe the reviews will support this as a good edition to the HFM family… I cant do closed so this is an academic thing for me and not a purchase option - Id try VC or Stells first anyway.
2 Likes
I highly doubt it. Fang Bian really wants wireless to be a success. So I really do think they tried their best with the Deva.
2 Likes
but HiFiMan’s cables are so good! 
3 Likes
Save your money Abyss closed back coming out. At least the build quality will be good.
3 Likes
I wouldn’t want to derail the discussion but wanted to say something about that “well designed build quality”.
I tried the Diana Phi. As a $3000 accessory you may carry in your luxury bag, it looks nice. But the headband design is horrible. It does not sit properly and you cannot have a proper fit, if you have a larger head. Happened to me and I know from the forums I am not the only one. And please, let’s not talk about the quality. I would believe if they would tell me that it is the toy version of the real HP.
Coming back to the HE-R10 headband design. This design also has a high risk of being uncomfortable with a larger head. They could have done a better job there but apparently they took an off-the-shelf design from their inventory. I really would want to see a better headband design at this price. Not just what materials they use or how much each piece costs.
I don’t own any HFM headpones (my HPs are D8000 Pro and T+A Solitaire P), but the balance of sound quality, weight and design is the most appealing HFM property for me. There are those who don’t mind the weight, but for me it is an issue. Such a device that costs several thousand $/€ should anyway be babied - I don’t see the reason to build a tank.
3 Likes