RMAF 2017

Vlad Grodzinskiy and I chatted earlier this year at CES about their upcoming new Heritage series headphones. Of course, Vlad and the design team have talked to a lot of people earlier this year about the HP-3 ($1199), for example these threads on Head-Fi and SBAF where the team asks for feedback from the community on what they would like from a high-end Klipsch product. It's a rather high-maintenance way to get feedback...but it's a great way to really get to know what enthusiasts want. Who said product development is easy? Might as well get it right the first time and engage the hoards. Kudos to them on their cat herding efforts.

The now finished HP-3 was on display for all to see and hear at CanJam and boy is it a sweet headphone. The baffle plate is a complex molded plastic part, but other than that it's all die-cast steel, milled wood, premium leathers, and machined aluminum components—no plastic to be seen from the outside. I have mixed feelings about the old school look the Klipsch brand is going for over all their product lines, but I do think it works very well with the HP-3. DIYers will be glad to know this headphone is built to be able to disassemble and reassemble.

On the inside we find a 52mm biocellulose free-edge (having a surround) dynamic driver with 25 Ohms impedance and 98dB/mW efficiency. I've not seen any official confirmation in the threads, but the driver may be a top-of-the-line Fostex part. I've really liked biocellulose drivers in the past and felt they've never been dialed in to their full potential. After a brief listen at RMAF I have high hopes. Can't wait to get a pair of these in and placed cozily over my ears...both on my head and my measurement head.

Vlad gives us a tour of the HP-3 in the video.

View on YouTube.