And the sounds keep on coming.
The HE-R9 Headphones from HIFIMAN are the latest headphones that have crossed the Digitalchumps desk. These closed-in, dynamic headphones featuring 35khz frequency-response are artsy, comfortable, and hit the right spot when needing a clear catch system for audio. While the artsy side of the HE-R9 Headphones might be a bit much for some, the overall performance is quite good.
So, let’s slap on some good music, crank it up, and talk about how the HE-R9 Headphones sound.
Design
The design of the HE-R9 Headphones can be taken two ways: either you’re going to think they’re artsy as hell, or you’re going to feel like you’ve just purchased headphones at a NASCAR race. With modern design these days, headphones generally are beefy and big. Apple Beats started small, then quickly became far bigger and flatter than most headphones. For the HE-R9 Headphones, they have taken the latter route.
The HE-R9 Headphones are huge in terms of bulkiness, which means you can’t simply throw them in your bag and go, as they sport a very large outer shell that truly does make you feel that you’re at a raceway protecting your ears. The maroon shading with a corvette sparkle has a tough time taking away the sheer girth of these suckers.
Now, suctioning onto your ears fully and keeping noises in and out is probably the biggest purpose for the design. While you might feel that you’re putting on big headphones, the moment you let them cup over your ears and bring a silent comfort from the design is enough to excuse their girthy-ness. They are made to be comfortable, and because everything seems to have space with the design, the HE-R9 Headphones accomplish that mission. In addition, their flexibility with head movement and adjustment just brings the entire design back to beauty and good intentions. These were designed for long-term usage, and they accomplish that through their bulky, yet somewhat artsy design. The fact that they don’t weigh very much helps justify their bulkiness as well. They are light as a feather.
The design of the HE-R9 Headphones might make you feel a little ridiculous, but the moment you start the audio, you quickly forget how big they are on your head. Comfort and audio quality are why you want headphones, and the HE-R9 Headphones answer those calls flawlessly.
Functionality
While the design might be bulky, the comfort spot-on, the functionality is why someone would buy these headphones. They are closed-in headphones, meaning that audio isn’t prying itself into your moment, nor will your audio escape your slow sink into song. Because of how big the headphones are, the HE-R9 Headphones prevent audio from entering or leaving. It’s impressive how well the headphones work in both directions, and sets a good standard for how closed-in headphones should be. Need an example? While editing my latest documentary, I used these headphones to concentrate on audio correction and cohesion, and the HE-R9 Headphones allowed me to fully focus on both without interruption from the outside world. They sealed in the audio that I was concentrating on, while pushing away any potential interruptions that might stop said concentrating. Anyway, because of this, the HE-R9 Headphones will be my go-to headphones for future editing products.
Now, in addition to the closed-in feature, the HE-R9 Headphones sport a frequency response of 35khz with a dynamic design. The former makes the audio gorgeous and distortion-free. For example, I have been on a huge Alison Goldfrapp kick lately and have been enjoying the hell out of her electronic music with the HE-R9 Headphones. It’s by far the best listening experience outside of IEMs that I have had with Goldfrapp this month. That is saying a lot because I prefer my IEMs over everything else. Now, the IEMs have competition for my Goldfrapp attention. Anyway, the audio comes through smoothly, emphasizes the bass when it needs to do so, and just sounds delightful. It’s one of the crisper parts of the HE-R9 Headphones experience so far.
On the dynamic side of the tracks, the headphones sport a magnet-driven design that passes through what HIFIMAN calls an advanced voice coil to deliver dynamic hi-res sound. It’s what makes the headphones a good choice, despite their big design. The internal design works well, even after hours and hours of usage, while avoiding delivering any sort of distortion.
In short, the HE-R9 Headphones have delivered a good sound without much fuss. That’s the type of headphones you want, especially at their current price ($79.99).
Conclusion
HIFIMAN HE-R9 headphones are a solid pair that deliver on their promise. While the artsy, bulky design might intimidate some, these headphones deliver top-notch isolation, sound quality, and comfort.
