£1,749, hedd.audio
As you will have guessed from the title, the HEDDphone TWO is the second ear-worn monitoring system from Berlin primarily based producers HEDD. It’s been three years within the making and is a serious enchancment over what was already a particularly completed headphone monitor.
The unique HEDDphone – which remains to be accessible – attracted a lot important approval for its excellent sound, but its monumental proportions left many wishing for related sound high quality with decreased measurement and weight. That want has been realised with the discharge of the TWO.
The corporate’s tag-line for the HEDDphone TWO is “Lighter, higher, sooner, stronger” and that’s precisely what it’s. There’s no minor tweaking of an current design, nevertheless. Slightly, it’s a ground-up remodeling that addresses all of the criticism of the unique mannequin, whereas additionally bettering on sound high quality.
Other than the shallower earcups, the obvious change visually is the brand new headband meeting, designed to accommodate each head measurement. It’s an ingenious design incorporating HEDD’s good strap system, which replaces the sooner mannequin’s fundamental clamp association. Now, you get an eminently adjustable mechanism that means that you can exactly tailor match, not solely by way of peak and width, but in addition curvature and clamping stress.
Regardless of being 25% lighter than the unique, the TWO remains to be a big circumaural (over-ear) design, aimed squarely on the pro-audio market, so it gained’t double as a headset you need to use whereas jogging or utilizing public transport, as there’s appreciable sound leakage from the transducers. This additionally signifies that in a recording studio atmosphere, they’re higher used for mixing and monitoring relatively than monitoring, the place bleed from the cans would possibly spill into close by microphones.
As a mixing software although, the TWO’s efficiency is nothing in need of excellent. Like its predecessor, the brand new mannequin options HEDD’s Air Movement Transformer drivers, nevertheless these too have been fully redesigned, in response to the corporate, to enhance sound high quality.
These drivers carry out in a different way from standard dynamic varieties, which use a piston-like movement to maneuver air with a 1:1 ratio. As a substitute, AMTs have a folded diaphragm that squeezes air in and sucks it out, like an accordion and at a ratio of 4:1; this makes them 4 instances sooner than different transducers.
The total-range AMT is a results of HEDD’s proprietary VVT (Variable Velocity Remodel) know-how, which permits the AMT precept for use as a full-range headphone speaker by the use of variable diaphragm geometry. As a substitute of the diaphragm’s folds being equal, as they’re in common AMT tweeters, the folds are irregular, permitting full-range frequency response in a extra compact design. Remember although, that when adjusting the headphones, the drivers emit a crackling sound. That is fairly regular and doesn’t hurt them in any manner.
Whereas AMTs comprehensively outperform extraordinary dynamic drivers within the treble area – therefore their reputation as tweeters in fashionable studio screens – they aren’t famend for delivering deep bass. Inside HEDD’s designs although, they possess ample low-end amount, inside purpose, however extra importantly, astonishingly correct low-end high quality.
Huge consolation enchancment
Consolation clever, the HEDDphone TWO is an enormous enchancment on the sooner design, being lighter with glorious weight distribution. With the straps slackened it’s simple to regulate the carbon-fibre HEDDband and earcups to suit as snugly as you would like, then as soon as fixed the ‘telephones will stay set to your personalised necessities. The fabric-covered head pad is gorgeous and mushy, with out the bulkiness of the older mannequin.
Fake leather-based covers the reminiscence foam earpads, so they’re vegan-friendly and once more, the decreased measurement makes for a much less claustrophobic listening expertise. Excessive-quality audio cables connect to every earcup, with the choice of both customary jack connection or a balanced mini XLR. And the set comes housed in a sensible and durable exhausting case.
Sound clever, the TWO has a extra laid-back character than {many professional} monitoring headphones, which generally come throughout as overly ahead within the midrange. This isn’t to say it lacks midband readability although, relatively that it doesn’t power info onto the listener in a shouty manner. One purpose for that is that in contrast to the lean nature of some ‘telephones, the TWO has a decidedly heat character with a full and plush low-end. It by no means comes throughout as bloated nevertheless, because the ultra-fast response of the AMT drivers ensures that bass notes are impactful with out showing gradual or soggy. Bass guitars, for instance, are introduced with excellent accuracy, with no synthetic mid-bass bump to mislead you. Transient assault and the guts of every word is introduced in excellent proportion, whereas the tail of every word decays convincingly.
Within the midrange, the place a lot of the audio motion takes place, the TWO does an excellent job in preserving sounds distinct and effectively positioned throughout the stereo image. The soundstage itself isn’t as cavernous as some although; even hard-panned devices stay head sure relatively than creating the phantasm of a panoramic soundscape. In some ways this improves focus, permitting you to listen to filigree element with out the distraction of a larger-than-life presentation.
Whereas we wouldn’t go so far as saying the mid-frequencies are scooped, emphasis is positioned within the higher treble area, which might add a contact of sparkle that you simply won’t hear on different monitoring programs. It’s a nice stability that rewards prolonged listening periods with out fatigue and has the added benefit of constructing ambient cues, resembling reverb and echo repeats, simple to listen to and work with.
HEDDphone TWO is an excellent, if dear, private monitoring system. Not like nearly all of headphones, particularly extra budget-friendly ones, it richly deserves its description as an ‘ear speaker’. Criticism of the unique, mammoth mannequin has been addressed and enhancements made to each facet of the design. Should you want full-range sound, with an unforced but reliable timbre alongside final adjustability to suit your head, then look no additional.
As soon as you’re used to this fashion of headphone monitoring, it might make extra ruthless, brutally trustworthy designs an uncomfortable pay attention. The HEDDphone TWO is diligently designed for consolation in each sense.
Key options
- Newly designed AMT drivers
- Sensible-strap HEDDband
- PU leather-based coated earpads
- Jack or mini-XLR connection
- Sturdy moulded carrying case
