HEDDphone TWO GT Headphones Review
HEDDphone TWO GT Headphones by German manufacturer HEDD use Air Motion Transformers in place of electrostatic or more conventional drivers. They cost £1899, which pits them against some serious competition in a very competitive marketplace. Oscar Stewart takes a listen for HiFi PiG
HEDD is a German manufacturer well known for its studio monitors, which feature AMT (Air Motion Transformer) tweeters. A few years ago, they decided to introduce this driver tech into a pair of headphones—in this review, we are looking at the TWO GT, which is their second revision of AMT headphones with a GT tuning specially derived for music lovers rather than studio monitoring.
Coming in at £1899, these are not a cheap pair of headphones. Let’s see how they stack up.
BUILD QUALITY AND FEATURES OF THE HEDDphone TWO GT
First things first, the build quality is fantastic; the headband is made from carbon fibre with thick rubber straps and a leather/fabric comfort strap (more on this later). The earcups are made from some form of plastic, and the yokes are made from a magnesium alloy for strength and weight reasons. These are open-back headphones and have metal grilles. The cable is a braided cable with 4 cores of SPC (silver-plated copper). They come with two pairs of earpads in the box, a pair made of real leather and a pair of velour. HEDD have gone to great lengths to ensure the sound does not change based on the earpads, so you can choose solely on which is more comfortable. The overall build quality is fantastic, and these feel like they are built to last.
Feature wise you get the two pairs of earpads as mentioned above, you also get two cables (one has a 6.35mm single ended jack, the other a 4.4mm balanced jack), these have the common dual 3.5mm ends on them so the cable is easily interchangeable with aftermarket options or HEDD’s upgrade cable. You also get a 4.4mm to 4-pin XLR adapter and a 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter included, which ensures all bases are covered. There is a lovely grey clamshell carry case too, to keep them in pristine condition when not in use or travelling.
The AMT drivers in these use HEDD’s VVT technology (Variable Velocity Transformation), which allows for reproduction from 10-40kHz – these are the world’s first full-range AMT-based headphones. AMT drivers are technically electrodynamic transducers; they use a folded Kapton diaphragm, which allows for a much higher effective driving area than conventional dynamic/electrostatic and planar designs. Being extremely lightweight gives AMT drivers the benefit of being able to deliver quick dynamics and transients, too.
The headband is also very innovative, and looks aside, it gives you the flexibility to tune the height, width, curvature, and clamping force, which is pretty much unheard of in a headphone. They give you the ability to fine-tune the fit to your exact head shape, which leads to the comfort of these headphones. Once you have found the optimal headband settings, they are extremely comfortable, and I found the included real leather earpads to work well for my tastes, and I had no issues listening to these headphones for hours on end.
Lastly, we have the impedance and sensitivity; these have a flat impedance response of 41Ohms and a rated sensitivity of 88dB/mW @1kHz. HEDD recommend at least 1000mw of power to get the best out of these headphones; they are not designed for portable use and work their best when paired with a quality desktop setup. As usual, I will be using my reference iFi iCAN Phantom headphone amp paired with the SMSL D6S DAC for this review, music is running through Roon from a local library of FLAC files and streamed music from Qobuz.
SOUND QUALITY
I have always been a fan of planar headphones over other driver technologies. I recall listening to the first HEDDphones a few years ago, and was taken aback by how resolving and snappy they were (if a little lacking in body). Could the new TWO GT make me an AMT convert?
Sleep Token recently released their new album (Even in Arcadia), and Damocles is a fantastic track from it. The opening section of vocals and piano is clean and detailed, whilst the piano gives the sound a solid foundation that is well presented on the HEDDphone TWO GT. That effortless enveloping bass is quite special, giving the sound body and depth without overwhelming any other part of the spectrum. The track gets progressively heavier as it progresses, with vocal pitch shifts in the chorus as fluid as the genres Sleep Token blend. These have an incredibly airy presentation with both width, depth, and height to the soundstage – they fool you from time to time with sounds coming from way outside of the physical cups of the headphones. The drums hit with authority, with that lack of body in the original model not showing its face here. There is an effortlessness to the treble, much like a good ribbon tweeter on a loudspeaker, that manages to be clean and detailed without coming across as harsh or bright.
LA Dispute, a band known for their poetic, almost spoken word vocals, were up next with the track “A Letter”; this track has an articulate bass line throughout that has great depth and body, as well as a grungy tone that’s easily picked up through these headphones. The heartfelt vocals cut through with excellent clarity and emotion, the layered guitar lines crisp and balanced. These headphones are exceptionally coherent; they tie everything together to deliver a musical sound that is both well-balanced and technically exceptional. The drums are snappy and flow from left to right, and there is a huge level of detail that is presented in a completely effortless way. These are headphones that deliver bags of insight, yet draw you into the music; they really are tuned for musical enjoyment.
Ben Ottewell’s So Slow, takes it down a notch; this recording shows off the accuracy of these headphones. Each part of the song is in its right place within the soundstage, you can hear every finger slide on the fretboard, every breath taken, all delivered in a perfectly coherent way. The underlying bass line is in just the right place, never too forward, with great control and depth. The kick drum is subtle, and the cymbals trail off without any peakiness.
Lucy Rose’s Lines is up next. This is another slightly softer track yet with a somewhat more poppy underpinning. The HEDDphone TWO GT is doing a fantastic job at delivering silky smooth female vocals with a full bassline and panned guitars. These are versatile headphones; they can play most genres very well and offer up a huge amount of control with impeccable transient response. The snappy transients mean they do well with songs that have a wide dynamic range or tonal shifts, they manage to retain a natural sound whilst never skipping a beat when it comes to changing up the tempo.
I wouldn’t, however, call them a party headphone, and those looking for real, thumping bass may want to look elsewhere. Take the Prodigy’s Funky Shit; these headphones do a brilliant job at delivering what is in the mix crisply and cleanly, without fatigue. And it’s not that they are lacking bass extension, as that is not an issue. It’s more in the way the bass is delivered; it is slightly more polite rather than bombastic. What tracks like this do well, though, is highlight just how much is going on in these mixes, you will discover new sounds, and they are usually in places you haven’t heard before – the L/R panning effects in songs like this are pinpoint accurate.
The HEDDphone TWO GT has no issues keeping up with complex mixes, delivering explosive dynamics in heavier tracks like Nihilism by Vended. Each double pedal kick is cleanly distinguishable, and no matter how hard or fast the snare hits get, these can pick them apart. The heavily distorted guitars sound aggressive, the bassline is gritty, and the vocals are full of angst. Vended are raw, energetic, and powerful, and these headphones manage to capture that perfectly. A lot of heavier tracks are not all that well mastered, and these cans will let you hear that. Luckily, this is one of the better bands in terms of recording quality (thanks to two members’ parents, who are part of Slipknot).
QUIBBLES
Well, the only thing I can think of is the bulkiness of these headphones – they are not alone in this, though. The high-end headphone world is full of odd-looking headphones, but they’re designed for indoor listening, so nobody is really going to see you wearing them.
CONCLUSION
Well, HEDD have delivered a more musical AMT driver headphone with the HEDDphone TWO GT, and they do address some of the quibbles a few people had with the original HEDDphone and normal HEDDphone TWO. So, whilst these may not be as strictly neutral, they are a damn sight more enjoyable for daily listening. These have a good amount of punch, and the dynamics are truly explosive when called for, whilst their snappy transient response can keep up with anything you throw at them. These deliver a very mild U-shaped sound signature; it’s a subtle colouration that never seems to throw off the overall balance of the sound. The soundstaging is impressive too, delivering both huge width, depth, and height.
For me, they are fantastic headphones that are both versatile and a blast to listen to. There is a huge amount of resolution; they bring out so much detail without even bringing your attention to it, as well as vanishingly low distortion, which means no fatigue during long listening sessions. They are transparent too, in the sense that they do a good job at portraying the mix you are listening to in an honest way – this does mean they won’t necessarily make your poorly produced music sound fantastic, though.
Suffice to say, I am a huge fan of what HEDD have done with these, nearly matching the impact and punch of a good planar cans, whilst effectively matching the speed and resolution of some electrostats. It’s a nice middle ground between the two technologies, and that is a very good place to be in the headphone world.
AT A GLANCE
Build Quality And Features:
Superb build quality, fit, and finish
Great accessories included
Sound Quality:
Punchy, slightly U-shaped, engaging, and airy
Impressive resolution and refinement
Value For Money:
I’m going to confidently say these are good value for money, you would struggle to find this level of refinement and resolution from another headphone at this price
We Loved:
The sound and the overall package
We Didn’t Love So Much:
The bulky look and fit
Elevator Pitch Review: Looking for a highly resolving yet non-fatiguing headphone? The HEDDphone TWO GT might be worth putting on your shortlist. They offer up a truly impressive sound that is both full and engaging, whilst giving an airy soundstage and huge amounts of detail. With punch that is nearly on par with good planars and transients as good as some electrostats, they do combine the best of both in a very convincing way. Try them out, you may find yourself losing hours to listening to your favourite tracks, a little too easily.
Price: £1899
Oscar Stewart
Additional photography: Kelly Bowden (@shuttersymph)
SUPPLIED SPECIFICATION
- Design – Over-Ear
- System – Open
- Driver – Variable Velocity Transform (VVT) multi-layered full-range Air Motion Transformer
- Impedance – 41ohms
- Frequency response – 10Hz-40kHz
- Sensitivity – 88dB SPL/W
- Cables – 1 x 1/4″; 1 x 4.4mm w/ adapters
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