Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Headphones Preview

Well, nothing compares to the HD800 in terms of soundstage, and the K1000 doesn't count. I mean, you can't beat hanging two drivers slightly in front of the ears - which both the HD800 and K1000 do. I will say that the HP-3 actually has good depth. Definitely better than X-00 from memory, and way better than HD600. Part of this may due to the good high-end extension, which definitely contributes to the more open feeling.

 

On magnetic flux and 1-1.5 Testicles... sounds somewhere in between, but hard to say what was done because so many factors. I know there are distortion lowering tweaks that can be made with speaker voice coils, but not sure if they can be applied to headphone drivers. Also surrounds and mechanic damping / compliance can be tweaked.

In terms of bass quality, HP-3 is better than X00 / TH-600, but just short of TH-900. Just not quite as super duper clean as the TH-900. Open backed designs can present a more serious challenge for bass because there is more excursion for a given SPL. But also, open backed bass exhibits a more lively faster quality. There's no air cushion providing extra damping. So maybe if the magnet isn't much bigger, the open backed nature, and maybe some tweaks, helps with bass quality, particularly with transients and articulation.

I went back and forth with the HD800, and I'd say the quality of the HP-3 bass is on par, actually slighty better given the superior low end extension, even with the higher volume level.

As for resolution and microdetail, definitely better than TH-900 or other biocellulose designs such as R10, Eikon, etc. And as I said before, on par with the TPE on Atticus. Just a notch below uber German HD800 resolution. I don't know what Klipsch did here to pull this off.

I know that a lot of people will be looking forward to this headphone. (I've received several PMs and texts from members already!) It's going to be very successful.

Measurements coming up. Super curious myself how they will align with my subjective impressions.

 

After I post measurements, it should be pretty obvious how it compares to HD650 in terms of frequency response. But I can definitely say right off the bat the the HD650 treble is smoother and more sedated, has a bit more upper-mid emphasis (there's a tiny 4-5kHz bump with the HD650), and that the HD650 bass sounds like farts in comparison.

 

Definitely, but after Klipsch finalizes everything.

 

Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Frequency Response (Preview Unit - Not Final)

Slight differences between channels are mostly attributable to pads and placement on measurement rig. These types of designs tend to super sensitive to placement. Since you guys are in a rush to see them, I sort of slapped them on the rig to get some quick results.

 

Klipsch Heritage HP-3 CSDs (Preview Unit - Not Final)



I sort of see and hear this as a mild dip between 1-5kHz (there's a narrow dip at 2-4kHz, which I bet @Hands would favor, sort a BBC dip). As I've said energetic up top, between lower and mid treble. The HP-3 pushes it here up to the edge but knows when to pull back. The ridge at 8kHz isn't long lived and dies before 1ms. I do recommend tube amps, laid-back solid-state amps, and R2R or hybrid ladder DACs so that the edge isn't overemphasized. On the lower end, Vali 2 or Project Horizon would be suitable. But honestly, I didn't have a problem from a Magni 2U / Modi Multibit stack, and you guys know how sensitive to lower treble I am. For reference, the HP-3 actually has less of sharp edge compared to the X00, subjectively speaking.