In the realm of high-fidelity audio, HEDD Audio has carved a niche with its innovative headphone designs, merging cutting-edge technology with exceptional craftsmanship. The HEDDphone TWO GT stands as a testament to this commitment, delivering a sound experience that elevates studio monitor performance to an entirely new level. Let’s delve into the look and feel, groundbreaking design, soundstage, and tonal characteristics of the HEDDphone TWO GT to see how it redefines what headphones can achieve in the audio world.
What You Get
- HEDDphone® TWO GT
- Travel case for HEDDphone® TWO GT and Accessories
- 2x sets of ear pads finished in velour and sheep leather
- 1x unbalanced cable with 6.35mm termination (1.6m)
- 1x unbalanced adapter, from 6.35mm to 3.5mm
- 1x balanced cable with 4.4mm termination (1.6m)
- 1x balanced adapter, from balanced 4.4mm to XLR
Look & Feel
I remember the monster that was the first iteration of the HEDDphone, which was like wearing two speaker monitors on your head. Thankfully, the HEDDPhone Two, and now the GT have made the proper adjustments to reduce the size considerably. While smaller, the HEDDphone Two still retains its speaker-like aesthetic, fitting with the appearance of its high-end monitors and loudspeakers.
It’s a very mechanical-looking headphone and not one that looks comfortable to wear at a glance. The way you adjust the headband doesn’t help its case, adjusting it like a snapback baseball cap instead of more conventional means. When worn though, the HEDDPhone Two sits comfortably. You don’t feel nearly as much weight on your head as it seems, and the earpads seal well without featuring any clamp or pinch. The HEDDPhone Two GT even offers extra velour pads if that’s more comfortable for you.
Design
What makes HEDD Audio’s products special is their Air Motion Transformer(AMT) technology, which has been redesigned for the GT. This driver uses a new multi-layered polyimide film that aims to reproduce a signal with low distortion. It also comes with a Variable Velocity Transformation (VVT) allowing for a higher frequency response range from 10 to 40kHz. With an impedance of only 41 Ohms and a sensitivity of 88 dB SPL at 1W, the GT can still be pretty tough to drive. I spent some time listening to the GT with an Astell & Kern SP3000T, which reached a surprisingly high gain before I felt they had a comfortable loudness.
Soundstage
With the GT’s superb accuracy and scale, the soundstage is as advertised. If the idea of the HEDDphone Two GT is to be a set of studio monitors directly on your head, the soundstage and spatial imaging do a good job convincing you of that. While the openness of the GT feels limiting to its headspace, everything comes through with surgical precision. Each sound element appears direct and individualized in the mix while showcasing layers with wonderful dimensions. There’s a clear barrier to the soundstage that keeps it from feeling holographic, but that ends up working in the GTs favor with its analytical presentation. I would expect immersive imaging while not going beyond a traditional stereo field.
Low End
You can expect the bass to perform like most headphones prioritizing balance and realism. The GT offers a tight bass with tons of dynamic range. It has a careful presence to it, never overstepping its bounds but not being shy when called upon to respond with impact. There’s a thudding tone that has the most consistent low-end performance in the sound signature, giving it more depth and texture. While you may not notice its shape right away, the GT always features reliable bass detail and clarity. It just might take some time to focus on it.
Mids
If the bass is going to take a backseat, the mids should have some meat to it. That’s exactly what the GT does, showcasing a lush midrange response that offers lively details and transparent layers. Individual performances and notes appear concise and offer plenty of room to place everything on an equal playing field. Like a pair of high-end studio monitors, the instruments put on display are reproduced very directly. It creates a clinical tonality that you might not always find fun, but it’s easier to find artifacts that are made clearer by its lack of coloration.
Highs
With the GT’s colder, analytical sound signature, you might expect the highs to be raw and bright. While the timbre expresses transparent brightness in certain ranges, the highs are brought under control and appear just as tight as the bass. It’s like the dynamism of the low end combined with the micro-detail of the midrange. In effect, the highs respond with uncompromised fidelity and still appear comfortable to listen to without getting fatigued. This way you’re able to pay more attention to important high-end properties like reverb tail and crackle, which the GT brings out with excellent clarity.
Summary
In terms of its sound, the HEDDPhone Two GT is exactly what it sets out to be. If you need a headphone that is as close as you can get to having a high-end studio sound on your head there’s nothing better. It’s not the most richly textured sound you’ll hear, but you can depend on it for critically analyzing arrangments and mico-details. There aren’t a lot of high-end headphones that come with this type of sound signature, which ups its value for me. Then there’s the comfort, which is more complicated.
The GT has a weird adjustment system, but once you deal with it the fit isn’t bothersome. While its appearance doesn’t scream luxurious comfort, the build quality is superb, with a durable frame that’s built to last. Overall, the HEDDphone Two GT is an incredible piece of work, in both sound and design, and while it might be for a more specific type of listener its accolades should reflect HEDD Audio’s excellent craftsmanship.
The HEDDphone Two GT is available at Audio46.
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