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Drop + HIFIMAN HE-R7DX Closed-Back Headphones

$99

~~$149~~

overview

details

reviews59

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Drop + HIFIMAN HE-R7DX Closed-Back Headphones

Name: Drop + HIFIMAN HE-R7DX Closed-Back Headphones
Brand: Drop + HIFIMAN
SKU: drop-hifiman-he-r7dx-closed-back-headphones
Price: 99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.148305 (59 reviews)

$99

~~$149~~

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overview

details

reviews59

photos18

q&a13

discussions136

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T.Fernandez

517

Collabs

Jan 20, 2022

Stickied

Today we are excited to introduce our first closed back headphone with long time collaborator HIFIMAN. While HIFIMAN is widely known for its planar dynamic drivers they have recently started to branch out into more dynamic drivers featuring their proprietary topology diaphragms. Our aim was to incorporate these drivers into an accessible closed back offering. With an acoustically tuned chamber, the headphone has an engaging, lively sound with a rather spacious soundstage given its closed back design. The result was a nice sonic contrast to our other HIFIMAN collaborations such as the X4 and 4XX which are on the darker warmer side. The added efficiency also makes it easy to pair with portable dac/amp combos or straight from a laptop for versatility. We look forward to kicking off the new year with the new HE-R7DX from HIFIMAN.

(Edited)

peterlask

May 26, 2022

Dear Drop friends here is my opinion on the HE-R7DX. The full review can be found here (https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/drop-hifiman-r7dx.25832/review/28558/) Build quality and appearance The HE-R7DX shares the same design language with the HE4XX, it has the old-style HIFIMAN headband with a hand-stitched protein leather cover that envelopes a foam cushion and the inner spring steel. The gimbals and yokes are made from steel and attach to the headband by the means of a rounded plastic component. The height adjustment is done by freely sliding the cups up and down thanks to a friction mechanism. It doesn't have the usual prefixed stops, so there is the possibility that it might loosen but for starters it is tight and gets the job done. The left - right markings are barely visible so you have to rely on the cable markings in order to distinguish between them. The plastic ear cups have the darkish blue - Drop trademark - color. They are huge with a rather uninspiring and boring design, so don't expect to wear the HE-R7DX and make a fashion statement. The hybrid earpads are custom made with a protein leather ring that surrounds the velour part that touches the face and are padded with soft memory foam.

Comfort and isolation I have been reading various comments about the fit and seal of the HE-R7DX. Mine came with a good clamping force out of the box, not too tight nor too loose, they stayed stable in my head with a clamping pressure which ensured proper sealing without causing any kind of discomfort. If you find that your pair doesn't seal well enough then it is pretty easy to adjust the clamping force by gently bending the headband till you achieve the desired pressure. The headphone at 338g is lightweight and thanks to the huge earpads it is super comfortable and suitable for extended use, minus the usual sweating due to the closed ear cups. The only real downside is that the large sized ear cups may not fit people with small faces even at the lowest height setting and after bending the headband. This is something to be carefully considered before buying because loose fit will result in poor sealing and bad sound. Passive noise attenuation is very good given that you have properly adjusted clamping force.

Associated gear As per usual practice the headphone was left playing music for 150 hours before listening. The Impedance is 16Ω with a sensitivity of 101 dB making the HE-R7DX very easy to drive. With the FiiO K5 Pro ESS set to low gain I never reached higher than half of the available volume. Except for the K5 Pro ESS, the SMSL SU-6/SH-6 stack was also used. The importance of proper sealing Before continuing it must be noted and emphasized again the importance of good sealing as it greatly affects the sound performance. A loose fit will result in early bass roll off and pronounced upper-mids/treble response that will make the headphone sound bass light, bright and piercing. So if you have been reading about the HE-R7DX being too bright and bass light then there is a great chance that the reviewer/user was evaluating the headphone poorly fitted into his head.

Listening impressions If you have been looking for a bass heavy closed back headphone with rumbling sub-bass and accentuated low end then you will be greatly disappointed. The HE-R7DX is not a bass-head headphone nor does it have the popular, heavily V-shaped crowd-loving tuning. This is undeniably a headphone with the reference HIFIMAN sound signature. Well extended but not too deep sub-bass, neutral bass, linear mids and a touch of upper-mids / treble emphasis. It is exactly like listening to your favorite HIFIMAN open headphones, like the HE400SE, but with some extra bass presence and impact. The bass tuning is extremely well done for a budget, closed back, headphone, featuring an almost neutral frequency response with good technicalities that far exceed the expectations. Sub-bass extension is not that deep in absolute numbers but you will not feel anything really missing unless you love your bass heavy, thick and over cooked. The headphone is definitely not lacking in some serious fun when it comes to electronic tunes but it is not what we would call a party animal. Then there is the slightest mid-bass emphasis to add some kind of warmth and compensate for the lack of extension but at same time clarity is kept on the highest level so the bass line sounds accurate and well defined without never clouding the mids. The bass is tight and well controlled, not bloomy or loose, you will not hear the annoying cup reverb, a usual phenomenon that is synonymous with budget (and not only) closed back headphones. Dynamics are good and although the presentation is not that punchy there is always a satisfying level of dynamic contrast, adding the needed sense of realism. The texture is not as visceral as someone would expect from a closed headphone but it is not too lean either, it is mid ground and maybe fuller than some of the open-back budget HIFIMAN headphones like the HE400SE. The mid range is the classic HIFIMAN neutral target with a touch of upper-mids emphasis that doesn't get too pronounced. Articulation, layering and clarity are surprisingly good for the price, the region sounds spacious, quite engaging and harmoniously intense but you will not fail to sense some kind of dryness to the sound. Timbre is more or less natural when it comes to voices and instruments with good coherency minus a touch of upper-mids glare but not that much as for the region to sound piercing or shouting. Climbing higher and the texture becomes leaner while timbre gets negatively affected by becoming somewhat metallic and artificial. The sound is not too bright or fatiguing but notes do loose in intensity and become thinner with a faster decay and too short in duration, missing in reverb. The detail retrieval is stellar for the price, the HE-R7DX is a finely resolving and well articulated headphone. The HE-R7DX is not bright sounding per se, it is just luminous, fast and agile with a sound character that will satisfy most people that are looking for an everyday, all rounder, headphone that is suited for long term listening without causing any ear fatigue. The only real downside is that some higher pitched instruments or harmonics will sound slightly out of tune and not too convincing regarding the naturalness of their timbre but we are really nitpicking here. The soundstage is the real star of the show, wide and extended with a rare spaciousness for a closed headphone, the HE-R7DX sounded superb, with accurate imaging, sharp positioning and adequate depth layering. The HE-R7DX is grand and glorious either while listening to music or watching movies and while I do not game, I bet that it can make a perfect gaming companion. A good sound example that highlighted both the strong and the weak points of the HE-R7DX was the following recording of Rinaldo Alessandrini featuring concertos by Antonio Vivaldi and their arrangements by J.S Bach.

I don't own any other closed back headphones, except the 10 times more expensive Meze Audio Liric, so I can't offer a fair comparison. But on the other hand, as already discussed, comparing the HE-R7DX with similarly priced open back headphones strengthened all the arguments about the overall quality of its sound. In the end The Drop+ HE-R7DX is a good sounding headphone with a mostly neutral sound signature, great technicalities for the category and a surprisingly open sounding nature. For a mere $149 (and sometimes as low as $99) you can get a great taste of the HIFIMAN house sound from a versatile, closed back, headphone that is commute and travel friendly plus easy to drive. Build quality is good for the asking price and while it is not going to earn any design prizes the only real downside worth mentioning is that the sound performance is largely fit dependent. But the headband clamping pressure can be easily adjusted and minus some exceptions you are definitely going to find a way to make it sound as good as it can. Petros Laskis.

Marcus22687

262

May 7, 2022

Headfonics review of the He-R7DX https://headfonics.com/drop-hifiman-he-r7dx-review/ "The Drop + HIFIMAN HE-R7DX is a bit large, but otherwise, I would consider it a solid performer overall. It offers a relaxed placement in the midrange vocal experience and it doesn’t require a powerful amplifier to get the best out of it."

tinyman392

256

May 6, 2022

I previously felt these were definitely worth it at the asking price of 150. These are a great value at 100. I think the initial reviews and measurements kind of deterred many people away from these.

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jhonis

155

May 6, 2022

all these months later, i gotta say i prefer these over my open back cans, which admittedly aren't spectacular or anything. (PC-37X and HE-X4's). But for the current sale price of $100, wowzers the value here is stellar. I am mainly a IEM guy, so maybe it is a noise isolation thing. Some dekoni nuggets on the headband are necessary.

(Edited)

Ishanty

Apr 21, 2022

For what they cost I think they GREAT

peteplays

Keyboard Club Member

Apr 13, 2022

Used with: MacBook Pro Samsung S9 Sound: I listen to a wide variety of music, including classical, rock, and rap. I used the headphones for 30 days to get a solid feel for them. The headphones have a very flat response. Not much bass or high end. They are also not muddy or super crisp. To get closer to the sound I was looking for I needed to use a EQ. Fit: The headphones are too big for my head on the smallest setting. That said, the padding on the headphones is comfortable and my ears did not get too hot. Additionally, they are not too heavy, but wearing them for eight hours straight was not ideal. This could be better if they fit my head better Build quality: The headphones feel solid. The materials used are not premium but they are solid.

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Ripper2860

Mar 12, 2022

Any comparisons to original Aeon Flow Closed? I know they are in different leagues, but I'm curious as to differences in sound signature. Thanks.

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Hyde

1004

Apr 20, 2022

I can confirm the soundstage and imaging indeed is amazing. As for sub-bass it's not the same level as Denon/Fostex but it's CLOSE. Like I was using D5200 and now using R7DX and not at any point do I feel like I'm missing out on bass. Mid and treble are decent but it's just amazing how open this headphone sound.

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Frogmeat

558

Mar 10, 2022

I know they aren't expensive headphones, and folks are mostly happy with the sound quality, but these look cheap and crappy as anything I have seen.

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spronk

176

May 26, 2022

Frogmeat

They're soo ugly... I'd be keen to try them if they weren't so ugly haha

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Hyde

1004

Mar 9, 2022

Anyone ever buy 2 items at once from Drop with different ship date? For example I'm looking at Holy Panda X switches that ships April 22, and this item is available Mar 11. So if I add both to cart and pay, do they ship both on April 11? Or would they send it twice even though they only charge me shipping once?

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