- HEDD’s D1 is the first open dynamic consumer headphone
- D1 introduces the world’s first thin film carbon diaphragm (TPCD)
- Priced at $799 / £599 / €699 (i.e. around AU$1,226)
If you haven’t introduced it yet, allow me: HEDD (which, perhaps unusually, I’ll continue to stylize like this) is the German audio specialist who brought us the Air Motion Transformer; It should not be confused with HED Technologies, the Swiss firm that brought us the first Wi-Fi headphones (called HED Unity).
Let’s go back to the (ahem) double D company, because HEDD just launched D1 (yes, a single D in the product name, stay tuned), which is not only HEDD’s first dynamic driver earphone, but also the first open-end dynamic consumer earphone. As an argument for being one of the best headphones on the market, it’s pretty solid.
The star of the show here is the world’s first thin-film carbon diaphragm dynamic driver (TPCD), which features super-fast transients and low distortion. There’s a lot to cover in terms of key technology, so let’s get granular.
HEDDphone D1: what you need to know
Becoming the world’s first dynamic driver headphones to feature Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm (TPCD) technology is no easy feat – the company tells me it’s been eight long years in development.
HEDD tells me that aside from this (and the 40-year acoustic legacy of HEDD founder Klaus Heinz), the D1 has been developed in collaboration with Composite Sound of Sweden, specialists in advanced diaphragm design and manufacturing.
Thin-Ply Carbon (TPC) is not your average carbon fiber. It is composed of ultra-thin layers of carbon precisely aligned and bonded, as you would expect. However, it is its exceptional stiffness-density ratio, low mass and strength that have made it the material of choice for NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, along with several F1 chassis.
HEDD calls its use here a “revolution in dynamic drivers” and while I can’t guarantee it yet, I have to hear it.
All D1 headphones are made in Germany, with their custom TPCD diaphragm produced exclusively by Composite Sound in Sweden, and in a lovely nod to sustainability, HEDD assures me that all components are fully repairable and an impressive five-year warranty accompanies your purchase.
How much are we looking at? The HEDDphone D1 from HEDD is available starting today (November 6) at a price of $799 / £599 / €699 (that’s about AU$1,226), which is expensive because it’s more expensive than Neurable’s new brain health monitoring, cans that offer daily cognitive snapshots, or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd generation) headphones that will blow you away when it comes to ANC, and that’s just for starters.
Then again, some of the best wired headphones similarly aimed at audiophile-level clarity can sell for thousands, so in the wired space, it’s actually not bad…
There’s no active noise cancellation because this is an open design that’s also wired, so there’s no Bluetooth codec support to contend with either. Since these types of solutions are praised for their vivid and detailed audio performance, I can’t wait to get my hands on a pair. Watch this space…
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