HEDD - HEDDphone TWO & RME ADI 2/4

scan pro audio presents...The ADI 2/4 Pro SE is the combination DAC / Amp HEDD themselves have been using to develop and demonstrate HEDDphone Two with.

This is not just an extremely detailed converter and amp, but also features Crossfeed and EQ built into the unit, to be able to fine tune the translation of headphone mixes.

Use the 4.4mm balanced cable for the best results and the most headroom and don’t forget that you also get an extra set of IO on this device, either to connect direct to speakers and a turntable, or to patch in an analogue mastering chain.

what's included? • 1x HEDD - HEDDphone TWO
• 1x RME - ADI-2/4 Pro SE

hand-built in Berlin, Germany HEDDphone TWO has been crafted by Berlin based HEDD Audio, with a discerning eye on the needs of mastering engineers, mix engineers, and producers, but it will surely captivate hi-fi aficionados and also the broader spectrum of consumer headphone enthusiasts.

Powered by new advances in Air Motion Transformer (AMT) technology and user feedback from the original Headphone model, the new HEDDphone has undergone a turbo-charged evolution. With a folded Kapton diaphragm over three times larger than in traditional dynamic, planar, or electrostatic driver designs, the sound of HEDDphone TWO has reached new heights with regards to precisely tailoring subtle transients and creating a transparent, natural musicality. It produces a speaker-like, evenly balanced soundstage with stunning definition, permitting long listening periods with very little fatigue.

Several breakthroughs have been achieved in the three and a half year process of developing and designing HEDDphone TWO. By reconstructing the driver from scratch and using lightweight materials like carbon fibre and magnesium, the HEDD R&D team was able to achieve a staggering 25% weight reduction from the first model. An all new mechanical design was developed in order to make the product more compact and durable.

A patent is pending for the all new unique headband (HEDDband) that provides users with a true custom-comfort-fit experience. HEDD have invented a smart strap system, allowing parameters like height, width, curvature and even the clamping pressure to be tweaked to the individual head shape and taste.

To ensure highest flexibility straight out of the box, this includes a carrying case as well as additional balanced / unbalanced cables, making it easy to take HEDDphone TWO safely wherever you need to, or even on holiday (if you are like our Tom) . Heavy users will also appreciate the spare set of ear pads for prolonged usage.

The extensive material and reliability testing results in HEDD offering a rare and extended 5 years’ warranty for these headphones.

Tom Francis - Scan Pro Audio

what's in the box? • HEDDphone® TWO
• Travel case to fit HEDDphone® TWO and Accessories
• 1x additional set of spare ear pads
• 1x 2.2 m unbalanced cable with 6.35 mm termination
• 1x 2.2 m balanced cable with 4.4 mm termination
• 1x unbalanced adapter from 6.35 mm to 3.5 mm
• 1x balanced adapter from balanced 4.4 mm to XLR

Users often liken the experience of wearing the HEDDphone to receiving a "warm hug" for their ears. The headphones create a spacious soundstage, with powerful yet authentic low frequencies, wide dynamic range, and transients that genuinely capture the essence of the musical content – akin to being immersed in a studio rather than just having drivers next to one’s ears.

HEDD maintains and cherishes its deep and symbiotic relationship with its users, weaving their insights into the very fabric of the company's evolution. This not only helps us envision the use cases for our products, but it informs the development of our products. We permanently interact online and in person with our users to keep this dialog open. Through this effort, we took notice that many creators have become inseparably bonded with their headphones to the point where the headphones have become the main monitors during production and mixing.

One example of a professional user is Blue May, a renowned producer and mixer, who has recently relocated from London to Los Angeles. He had become accustomed to working in professional recording studios in the U.K. for the likes of Joy Crookes and Lilly Allen but now finds himself working in an improvised studio space at his residence in the States. This shift in work habits has pushed him to spend much of his time working with headphones, rather than studio monitors. He was initially attracted to the comfort and natural sound of the HEDDphone and he has grown to trust the sonic results that working on the headphone produces. He attests that his mixes, sculpted through the lens of HEDDphones, possess an elevated resonance. His mixes, as he puts it are “a little bit better than when I was mainly on speakers.”

Similarly, mix engineer David Yungin Kim hustles between studios, and often between the U.S. and Korea, while trying to efficiently mix records as part of superproducer Hit-Boy’s team. Kim’s work has led to platinum and Grammy-winning records by BTS, NAS, Nipsey Hustle, and Post Malone. He is often seen shrouded by a pair of HEDDphones while grooving to the beat of one of his mixes. Kim says of the HEDD monitors and HEDDphones, “When I’m mixing, I’m looking for a monitor with balanced low frequencies and I want the highs to be tamed a little bit. There are some speakers I’ve used in the past where I get ear fatigue and have to take a break, which isn’t efficient. I find with the HEDDs that I can listen to them for a long time. The low-end is nicely defined, the mids are accurate and my ears don’t get tired listening to them.”

HEDD crafts its flagship HEDDphone TWO headphones for audio professionals with a remarkable fusion of cutting-edge technology and meticulous craftsmanship. A result that also resonates with the discerning ears of audiophiles. This is the narrative of HEDD – an ever-evolving symphony of innovation delivering not just audio products, but transformative auditory journeys.

High-End AD/DA Converter & Headphone AmplifierThe result of many years of focussed development and improvement of the existing ADI-2 Pro, RME proudly unveils the latest addition to the multiple-award winning ADI-2 range, the ADI-2/4 Pro SE. This latest masterpiece of design features a newly developed circuit board, improved specs and faster DSP for an incredibly transparent sound signature, extreme power headphone amplifiers including IEM power setting, super low noise 4.4 mm Pentaconn balanced connection, trigger out function for powering on/off external devices and finally a RIAA mode for directly digitising vinyl discs in highest quality.

at a glance • A high-end AD/DA converter in professional studio quality
• A double headphone amplifier in true high-end quality
• A USB DAC like no other - the most versatile and capable one aroundA USB DAC like no other - the most versatile and capable one around
• A high-end AD/DA frontend and headphone amp for iPad and iPhone
• An AD/DA frontend for measurement systems at up to 768 kHz sample rate
• A multi-format converter (AES, SPDIF, ADAT) with monitoring
• An SPDIF/ADAT playback system
• A DSD record and playback solutionA DSD record and playback solution
• A vinyl player digitizing solution on highest level

included accessories • MRC - Multi-Remote-Control
• 40 Watts SMPS with IEC socket
• BO968 Digital breakout cable (9-pin D-sub to 2 x XLR and 2 x RCA)

...compressed in one HousingThe ADI-2/4 Pro SE is a 2-channel analog input to digital and 4-channel digital to analog output converter in a half-rack (9.5") enclosure of 1 U height. Latest 32 bit / 768 kHz converters offer up to 123 dBA signal to noise ratio. Reference class tech specs throughout are combined with an unprecedented feature set. A powerful DSP adds all kinds of useful audio processing, including 5-band parametric EQ, fast Bass/Treble adjustment, Crossfeed, and a new concept in Loudness sound control.

The ADI-2/4 Pro includes two servo-balanced analog inputs on combo XLR / TRS jacks, two separate balanced and unbalanced outputs on XLR and TRS, two stereo Extreme Power headphone outputs on the front for easy balanced operation of all headphones, including IEMs via Pentaconn connector.

Also available are optical SPDIF I/O, which also understands ADAT, as well as coaxial SPDIF (RCA) and AES I/O (XLR) via an included breakout cable. This universal set of I/O options offers superior quality and flexible connectivity to those who take a no-compromise approach to audio.

With independent balanced outputs for Line and Phones, balanced phones no longer mutes the rear outputs. Balanced Line and Balanced Phones outputs can be used simultaneously, even with different sources/signals. The balanced TRS in the back can be fed from Line 1/2 or Phones 3/4 signal path, perfect for handling insert effects during the mastering process.

A high resolution IPS panel for the graphical operation surface eases operation even more, and displays further functions provided by the DSP, namely Peak level meters, a 30-band analyzer in DIGICheck biquad filter technology, and a State Overview screen listing the current states of SPDIF, AES, USB and clock.

The USB 2.0 port is fully Class Compliant (UAC 2.0) a standard that is natively supported by operating systems like iOS, macOS, Linux and Windows 10 (since 1709), and is also used for firmware updates. Including an external switched power supply with lockable connector, the ADI-2/4 Pro can be easily powered from battery, opening up mobile applications as well as galvanically isolated use cases.

As a computer interface the ADI-2/4 Pro offers a stereo (2 in / 2 out) and a multichannel mode (6 in / 8 out). Compatibility with macOS comes right out of the box. Under Windows the ADI-2/4 Pro uses RME's MADIface series driver, for full WDM and ASIO compatibility and highest performance.

choice of power supply is not criticalThe new Trigger Out socket provides a 12 V switching signal via 3.5 mm mono jack plug, which can be used e.g. to switch power amps with Trigger In on and off together with the ADI-2/4 Pro.

In order to make operating the ADI-2/4 Pro SE as flexible as possible, the unit has a universal DC input socket, accepting voltages from 9.5 Volts up to 15 Volts. An internal switching regulator of the latest technology with high efficiency (> 90%) prevents internal hum noise by operating above audible frequencies. Internally the switching regulator is followed by standard linear regulators, followed by super low-noise linear regulators. Therefore the ADI-2/4 Pro SE achieves its technical specs even with less optimal power supplies. Or in other words: the choice of power supply is not critical.

Shortly after the release of the original ADI-2 Pro we received many requests for digitizing vinyl records. Thanks to MM (Moving Magnet) compatibility, the ADI-2/4 Pro SE does not require an external preamplifier anymore and can directly connected to turntables. It has suitable input impedance, RIAA equalization, and the necessary preamplification.

The new Reference in Accuracy and Dynamic RangeRME’s developed Extreme Power headphone stage is now further improved and delivers incredible more powerful headphone outputs (2.1 Watts unbalanced, 3.4 Watts balanced at 32 Ohms, per channel). With a Special IEM mode, the Lower noise Extreme Power design adds additional IEM power states (High power, Low power, IEM) for full IEM compatibility.

All three phones outputs feature mute relay, over-current detection, DC protection, plug detection and DSP control, like auto assigning volume, volume ramp up, auto balanced mode, dual phones mode, user interaction at overload detection, and low impedance level meter auto scaling.

RME’s latest True Balanced mode realizes balanced phones operation independent from the XLR outputs. The device now features 2 balanced input channels and 4 balanced output channels. Balanced headphones only use DAC channels 3/4 and the rear outputs can still output an independent signal via DAC 1/2. In True Balanced mode the ADI-2/4 Pro SE’s maximum output level rises to +7 dBu for IEM, +13 dBu for Low Power, +25 dBu for High Power. The signal to noise ratio stays unchanged.