HIFIMAN HE-R9 Review: Weird, But SO Fun

HIFIMAN HE-R9 headphones are both terrible and amazing at the same time. Let me explain why that's the case.

First of all, the HE-R9 is a closed-backHeadphones with sealed ear cups providing isolation from ambient noise; the trapped air behind the driver affects bass tuning and often produces a more intimate sound. dynamic driverThe most common transducer type, using a voice coil in a magnetic gap to push a cone or dome diaphragm, the same principle as a traditional loudspeaker. headphone from HIFIMAN. You can get it for $200 directly from HIFIMAN's website, and there's also a wireless version available for $440. They use the "topology diaphragmHIFIMAN's patented diaphragm coating featuring a precisely-engineered surface pattern that controls breakup modes and damps unwanted resonances across the driver's operating range." technology, which features a special nanoparticle coating applied to its surface, supposedly resulting in a more natural and detailed sound.

Build: Light on the Head, Shallow in the Pads#

Let's begin with their build. I'm going to say it's... interesting.

They feature the solid headband, which I was not a fan of on the Edition XS, as it was causing some hotspots on top of my head. But here's the thing: the HE-R9s are much lighter - really lightweight - so at least in my case, there are no uncomfortable hotspots. The headband has some swivel and a little bit of tilt.

The pads are very soft, but not deep enough. My ears touch the drivers, and it's a little bit uncomfortable. You have to keep that in mind and simply get used to it.

Design: Huge, Glossy, Unapologetically Plastic#

The design aspect of this headphone is... weird.

They're huge and can look really dumb on your head. I've heard mixed opinions on their aesthetics - some people think they look cool, others don't. But it has a reason to be so huge, which I'll discuss later.

The headphone generally feels cheap. It's all made of plastic, and really light - which makes them more comfortable, but on the other hand makes them feel cheap. I don't necessarily have a feeling of them being fragile or anything like that, so I wouldn't be worried about their longevity.

Sound and Amplification: A Bass Cannon, Easy to Drive#

They're extremely easy to drive, being a dynamic driver with a low impedanceThe total opposition (resistance + reactance) a speaker or headphone presents to the driving current, measured in ohms and varying with frequency. of 32 ohms and a high sensitivityThe output sound pressure level for a standardized input, typically dBSPL at 1W/1m for speakers, or dBSPL at 1mW or 1V for headphones. of 100dB. You don't need to worry about their amplification at all.

Now the tonality - haha, that's the fun part. Just take a look at the frequency responseA graph showing output amplitude vs. frequency, the most fundamental measurement of any audio component's tonal character. graph.

There's a massive, enormous boost to the bassSay: BAYSS /beɪs/The low-frequency foundation of audio, roughly 20-250 Hz - felt as much as heard, carrying a track's weight, warmth, and impact. (Said "BAYSS", like the guitar, not the fish.) and low mids - I'm pretty sure that the big size of the earcups has an effect on the bass, as it has room to reflect. That's paired with stepped-back upper mids and somewhat peaky highs. That combination has one downside, which I found really noticeable: it makes many female vocals sound boring and lacking in energy.

The HE-R9 specializes in bass. There's a lot of it, and it's really punchy. I'm not sure what they did, but the bass doesn't bleed into the mids most of the time. With that crazy amount of bass boost, it's unexpected. What's also unexpected is that it doesn't sound muddy - at least most of the time. There are songs where it can get a tiny bit muddy.

Soundstage and Separation: Wide for a Closed-Back#

For a closed-back dynamic headphone, you'd think it's going to have an extremely intimate sound, but you couldn't be more wrong. Fine, it doesn't sound the most open - because it's not an open back - but the massive space behind the driver makes them sound significantly wider.

The sound separation is not the greatest. It's not quite what this headphone is trying to achieve, but it can get easily overwhelmed by a lot of sounds at once, so you won't be able to catch every sound and instrument in the mix. This effect is even more amplified by the lack of higher frequencies, which often lead to a sense of detail in sound.

Verdict: For Bass Heads, Yes#

Should you buy the HIFIMAN HE-R9? It depends on what you're looking for. If you're a bass head, then sure - it's pretty cheap for the bass quality and quantity it offers. If you're in the market for some unique-looking and sounding headphones, and it's not your only pair, then probably it would be a good buy. But if you're in the market for a headphone with a really wide soundstageThe perceived three-dimensional acoustic space in a stereo recording, width beyond the speakers, depth front-to-back, and sometimes height information., image separation, sound clarity, or the ability to hear every single detail, it's definitely not a headphone for you - look elsewhere.