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Summary. The HE-300 is the first dynamic headphones from HiFiMan and sounds completely different than their stock-in-trade planar models of HE-500, HE-4 and HE-6. They are less selective and open but more powerful in the bass. Paradoxically that makes them a better fit in most systems. They are more forgiving and have that groove. They are quite easy to drive although the HD800s will clearly play louder and can be driven from even tiny amps. Despite that the HE-300 worked very well with portable players, both the stable mate HF-801 and an iPod Classic 160GB. They look nice too which is important. And they were perfectly paired with the Music Hall ph25.2 headphone amplifier.
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The stock leash turned out to be pretty good. Its Entreq Konstantin 2010 replacement brings slightly better resolution but economically makes little sense. The only practical issue turned out to be the quite vibrant plastic ear cups. Pretty stiff cables making even gentle knocks resulted in quite loud mechanical feedback caused by the vibrating plastic cups. It might be worthwhile to damp those from the inside (easy access) with thin strips of bitumen mat. This should also improve sound quality.
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Test methodology. The headphones were compared in an A/B test with A and B known using 2-min. music samples against the following headphones: HiFiMan HE-500, Sennheiser HD800, AKG K701, Beyerdynamic TD-770 Pro (Limited Edition 32 Ω) and DT-990 PRO (vintage). Both Sennheiser and HiFiMan were equipped with the Konstantin Entreq 2010 cable. Entire albums were auditioned as well. I used the following headphone amplifiers: Leben CS-300 SX , Synergy HiFi 6F3, Ear Stream Sonic Pearl, the headphone output of the Marantz SA-11S3SACD player; and the Music Hall ph25.2. The amplifiers and player sat on the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H anti-vibration platform. In addition to the headphone amplifiers the following portable players were used: HiFiMan HM-801, iPod Classic 160GB.
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Design. The HE-300 are dynamic open headphones and the first such design offered by this firm. The manufacturer is known not only for its focus on magnetostatic headphones but also a close relationship with a large loyal Internet community of users. Whenever he introduces a new product, owner Mr. Fang Bian welcomes feedback from all over the world to release quick fixes for any reported issues. The HE-300 have the same dimensions as the other headphones in this catalogue and are of the same appearance. The only change is the silver cup color. The bridge and components supporting the cups are steel and clamp the headphones tightly to the head. The bridge is covered with faux leather and padded at the contact point with the head. The cups sport perfectly fitting soft and thick velour pads. From the outside the diaphragms are protected by steel mesh. The 50mm drivers are mounted on a rigid plastic component screwed into the cup. That divides the ear cup into two parts –the ear side and the outside.
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The headphone cable terminates in gold-plated screw connectors typical for the manufacturer. With the HE-300 we get a very light yet quite stiff silver cable. Each run consists of only a few wires which are quite thick. The cable terminates on the other side in a 3.5 mm jack. A 6.3mm adapter is included. The HE-300 are extremely comfortable and do not exhaust even after long sessions. One reason is their light weight of just 270 grams. Though at first we may have the impression of a slightly too tight head clamp, this is false. The clamping force is just sufficient to close the space before the ear which is so necessary to get low bass but is non-fatiguing so one doesn’t mind. The headphones sit perfectly on the head, probably best so of all my headphones. The only problem were the quite vibrant ear cups. The headphone cable is pretty stiff and each knock of the cable caused cup resonance. I think the cups should be damped from the inside with thin strips of sound-absorbing material.
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Technical specs per the maker
Drivers: 50mm diameter, dynamic
Impedance: 50Ω
Sensitivity: 93dB@1kHz/1mW
Rated power: 30mW
Frequency response: 15Hz - 22kHz
Weight: about 270g |
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opinia @ highfidelity.pl
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