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rhythmdevils
39
Jan 21, 2022
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Bill-PThese headphones are going to be very polarizing. The difference between what you heard (and measured) and what I heard is how they fit. They did not sound the way you described or measured to me because the pads sealed better on my head.
so everyone should keep that in mind when buying these. If they sound thin or bright or have an upward tilting frequency response, try to get a better seal with the earpads.
Bill-P
187
Jan 21, 2022
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rhythmdevilsYeah, I do agree with you. I tried pressing the cups closer to my ears and that changed the sound significantly.
Problem is... that's not how the headphone is worn regularly. I tried to bend the headband and even then, it just won't clamp/press the cups closer to my ears. So it is what it is.
I don't doubt this headphone can sound better with a headband swap. But seriously, the current headband is very polarizing, and I have seen some reviews on Youtube that kind of agree with my take as well.
Mr_Smart_Guy
5
Jan 24, 2022
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Bill-PI feel like your update is so much worse than the original review, but then at the end of your update you type, "sound quality is improved significantly with higher clamping force." Huh?
Your first review was great (meaning you did a great job reviewing the 'phones), so I'm trying not to be critical, but I think you should have left the "update" out. It was great info you shared that the clamping force is light, and maybe you should have left it at that. I know they are only $149, but most people aren't going to try significant bending the headband, so review them as they arrived. Which you did, and you did an excellent job. To me, your inconsistency in the update ruined it. (I don't work for Drop, but they also probably didn't appreciate it, since it's one of the product's very first reviews, and after your initial review I wanted to buy them but not after your update.)
Bill-P
187
Jan 24, 2022
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Mr_Smart_GuyHi. Honestly, I'm not obligated to give this headphone a "positive review" nor am I compelled to try and make you buy it. I'm trying to make sure anyone reading this review will get the full picture of what they are receiving. If there is more bass and sound quality to be had by giving the headphone more clamping force, then that just means what you are receiving can be better.
And also, it's not like you will not be able to experience this yourself. When you get the headphone, all you have to do is press the cups closer to your ears, and then you will hear more bass. It's just that the stock headband leaves much to be desired. You can also read and see other reviews on Youtube regarding this issue.
Mr_Smart_Guy
5
Jan 24, 2022
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Bill-PI totally agree you can review it any way you want, and you are a good reviewer, so I'm glad you did. But it's very confusing. Your update, in my opinion, is an unfavorable review, but your initial one is not. But at the end of the update, you say you prefer the greater clamping force. What gives?
And you're absolutely right, it is going to sound different depending on the user (if one headphone sounded perfect to everyone, then there'd only be one headphone). Glad we all now know about a known issue, so I think it's great you bringing that to light here.
Comparing your update to the initial review seems to say you prefer the sound with the light clamping force, but the wrap-up to the update says otherwise.
Bill-P
187
Jan 24, 2022
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Mr_Smart_GuyI tried to mention why I'd prefer greater clamping force: more bass. With lighter clamping force, the headphone sounds very bright and bass-light. It would be okay for those who prefer a brighter, more "hi-fi" sound, but for me, I always prefer a warmer sound. This is more a personal preference, so that's why I know better than to say that this is what it should be.
If you are wondering about the soundstage, that's just what it is. Soundstage in headphones is always a balancing act of frequency response and many other factors. I have never heard a headphone that sounded anything quite like speakers. In this instance, even though soundstage may suffer due to more clamping force, I don't mind that. Improved bass and imaging are more important to me. One negative aspect versus two.
Hopefully that clears things up.
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Please read my updated part below on high clamping force versus low clamping force.
Preface: Hello. I am a fellow music lover slash audiophile who has been with the community for a while. I am lucky to have been able to experience a very wide range of headphones, and I have also had the opportunity to own some of them myself. After years of exploring the hobby and collecting numerous pieces of gears, I have finally settled with a Sennheiser HD800S and HD650 as my main headphones. So please read this review bearing in mind that my preference in headphone sound is toward a darker tonality with more bass, and more midrange emphasis without losing too much clarity and soundstage. I would like to thank my friends at Drop for providing me with the opportunity to check this headphone out. I honestly have too many open-back headphones and I have looked for years for a decent closed-back headphone to no avail. There have been some good candidates, but nothing got even close to the performance I can get from my open-back headphones. So when I learned that these headphones would be introduced soon, I jumped on the opportunity to check them out. TL;DR: these are great. I would highly recommend them. As for why, please read the below.
Fit/Comfort: The Drop x HiFiMAN HE-R7DX (will hereafter be shortened to R7DX) is extremely light for what it is, and the headband makes for extremely low clamping force. On one hand, that's the perfect recipe for comfort. On the other, it's kind of bad for sound quality, because there's no easy way to fit them without breaking seal and having bass dropping off a cliff. It took me quite a while to take proper frequency response measurement due to the headband not allowing a good fit on my MiniDSP EARS measurement system. This is translated to real world as well. I had to manually swivel and position the cups such that my ears are sealed in the ear pads. Even then, clamping force is very low so it's almost like the cups just float right by my ears. Without good seal, isolation from outside noise is pretty much non-existent, on top of bass not sounding quite right. So please keep this in mind. Once a good fit is achieved, comfort is top notch. I think it is very wise of Drop and HiFiMAN to go for very low weight with this headphone. I can wear the R7DX for hours without any discomfort. That is something I cannot do with my ZMF Eikon, which I think is easily almost twice as heavy as the R7DX. Sound: What I'm using: A&Ultima SP1000 + new 14" MacBook Pro I also tried putting the R7DX on my Zana Deux (OG) and... nope, its impedance is too low. I will be mainly comparing the R7DX against Sennheiser HD650 and ZMF Eikon here. Tonality: okay-ish. Pretty bright. More so than my personal preference. It's kind of on par with HD800S, but I could put the HD800S on my Zana Deux (it's a tube amp) to make up for its tonality. I think I will like the R7DX out of a warmer-sounding setup than either my SP1000 DAP or my MacBook. But again, that is just my personal preference. I do think the R7DX is very close to neutral reference here. Bass: I think bass has decent impact. There's not much weight, and it kind of is just about on par with HD650. ZMF Eikon gives much deeper bass. HD650 does give a bit more "body" to bass (but then again, HD650 gives more body to everything) and seemingly sounds a bit more congested, but upon closer listening, I think it's just the balance with treble that is masking bass on R7DX. I also tried to apply bass boost EQ, and R7DX is indeed capable of very good bass impact. Being very easy to drive also works in R7DX's favor here. Midrange: wow, a closed-back with midrange that sounds... not wonky! There's still a bit of reverb/shoutiness, but it's fairly well-controlled. Honestly, I cannot emphasize how important this is. I have heard quite a lot of closed-back headphones at all price range, and very few actually do sound like this. I think the midrange presentation of R7DX is on par with much more expensive headphones. It is certainly not too far from ZMF Eikon. For the most part, I can get behind this midrange, although it's somewhat lacking the warm/full-bodied tone that the HD650 and Eikon are capable of. On the other hand, HD650 and Eikon can sound somewhat congested with certain tracks, whereas R7DX just keeps trucking even through those tracks. Overall, I think midrange is the star of the show here, and it is reference-level. I do not have a HD600 headphone on hand to directly compare but I think the R7DX strongly reminds me of HD600, which has been a community favorite for reference headphone. Treble: there's plenty of air here. I think there is an emphasis in the treble region pretty high up... around or past the 10KHz range or so. This emphasis seems to allow for "clarity" and "definition" with this and many other headphones. Generally, I find that R7DX does not offend or cause sibilance to my ears, and I am very sensitive to treble. It's a tasteful amount of treble emphasis, I would say. Treble-heads will have plenty to love here. Soundstage: decent for a closed-back. I think it's competitive against HD650 and Eikon. At least R7DX headphone doesn't sound too boxed in for being closed back. No "cavernous" reverb detected either, which is a nice bonus. Imaging: I think this is the one weakness with how R7DX sounds. Due to lack of body, I find that everything sounds a bit... thin and flat. Eikon images slightly better here... giving a bit more body and 3D-ness (whatever that means). HD650 is the best, of course, as it gives "solidity" to vocals, instruments, etc... in the soundscape. Then again, I have a sneaking feeling that once R7DX is put on a tube amp, something like Schiit Vali, then it will really shine. Perhaps a warm and fuller sounding solid-state amp will do as well. Conclusion: Overall, I think this is very good effort at $149. The HD650 and Eikon headphones I used as comparisons are better in some ways but both of those cost quite a bit more. The cheapest HD650 is HD6XX by Drop and that one goes for $220 now. Eikon is like $1400. This headphone pretty much matches most of what HD650 and Eikon are able to do. In fact, I think it's closer to HD600 in tonality and overall sound than it is to HD650. Considering the price and knowing my own preference, I think this headphone will be a good fit for those who prefer something that's slightly "cleaner-sounding" than HD650. And even for those who prefer more bass, there is the option of taking this headphone and applying some bass boost to give that thumping impact. The R7DX is capable of very good bass while offering reference-level midrange and tasteful treble emphasis for just $149. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a budget reference headphone that sounds similar to Sennheiser HD600/HD650.
Bonus: Frequency response: (good left/right matching, by the way)
Update 01/22: I unscrewed the headband yoke parts and tried to see if I could swap the headband with a spare HiFiMAN that I had. It turns out that this headphone has its own unique headband yoke mount part. I.e.: it won't be easy to swap this with any existing HiFiMAN headband. Please be warned! But I was able to take off the cups and bend just the headband by itself. This allowed me to get more clamping force and it improved the sound quite significantly. Here are my updated impressions: Tonality: now kind of where I'd consider "even-keeled". It's kind of downward slanted but with slight rebound in the upper treble region. Kind of like an "ever so slightly brighter" HD650. Bass: still slightly less than what I'm used to. I'd prefer a bit more sub bass here but... it's okay for the most part. Good impact, weight, etc... for the price. In terms of quantity, it's also just right where I'd consider "neutral". Midrange: warmer, kind of more relaxed-sounding now. Less of that cupped-hand reverb (maybe having more bass masks this?). Some songs can sound like they're lacking bite/shout even. I'd say midrange is kind of relaxed/smooth and pretty enjoyable. But this can be a bit too dark for some. Female vocals lack a bit of sparkle. Despite being so relaxed/smooth, it's a bit... grainy-sounding? This is definitely not bad for the price and I'm probably nit-picking. But still, it is something to note. Treble: still the same as before. Slightly steely/harsh. It's not sibilant but sometimes it's a bit too sharp for my taste. It's like there's some ringing somewhere. I can't quite tell if it's 4-5KHz or somewhere much higher, but it's definitely there. Eikon also has this but I can tell the ringing with ZMF Eikon is much higher in frequency. Soundstage and Imaging: imaging improved ever so slightly (but it's still not "quite there"), but soundstage suffered quite a bit. I guess more clamping force improves isolation but that also means it decreases air a bit. Updated measurements: Frequency response with high clamping force: