HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth Headphone Review

[Angenor]

When I find time, I will look for raving YouTube reviews which praise this really "high-end" headphone, which sets itself apart from the frugal mid-fi world.

 

[jkasch]

Maybe HiFiMan markets these expensive boutique phones to audiophools to be able to sell good ones like the HE400SE at bargain prices.

 

[kemmler3D]

$5500 and they couldn't even shoot for the $100 headphone quality level. Can't wait to go find all the glowing reviews from the audiophiles online. Sure this is a 9 out of 10 just based on price tag.

Didn't have to look far.

HIFIMAN HE-R10P Review

Hifiman recently launched their first closed back high end headphones, named the Hifiman HE-R10P. Find out now just how good it is!

www.headfonia.com

The Hifiman HE-R10P is a high end headphone with a corresponding price tag but the sound quality you get in return is exceptional for a closed back headphone.

The Audeze LCD-XC has been my favorite closed back headphone for a long time, but the number one spot has now been taken by the HE-R10P.

Meanwhile the LCD-XC:

If we assume this Headphonia review is genuine and not incentive-driven somehow, we can conclude 2 things:

-Preference for headphone tuning can vary quite a bit
-Some people really do enjoy more distortion

:shrug:

 

[JSmith]

At least the cups look like they're made from the exact same variety of wood that would be use to panel the walls of one of those contemporary takes on the traditional steakhouse. So well done there.

Fits right in... for sure.

JSmith

 

[phoenixsong]

At least the cups look like they're made from the exact same variety of wood that would be used to panel the walls of one of those contemporary takes on the traditional steakhouse. So well done there. Now they just need to put some light sconces at the flat part of the cup to complete the effect.

Thank you for the review, Amir.

Yeah now that you mention it... It might actually serve decently as decor

 

[Hart]

I am so curious about the generous people that donate their equipment to be tested. In this case they paid an incredible amount of money for headphones that do not test as well as a $300 Bose. I wonder if a "donator feedback" section would be possible? Do they like the sound and do not care about the test results? Some of the results have to be kind of crushing. Especially that expensive Carver tube amp that was beyond the pale.

 

[Bleib]

I am so curious about the generous people that donate their equipment to be tested. In this case they paid an incredible amount of money for headphones that do not test as well as a $300 Bose. I wonder if a "donator feedback" section would be possible? Do they like the sound and do not care about the test results? Some of the results have to be kind of crushing.

Curiosity? In any case Amir sends it back

 

[Hart]

Curiosity? In any case Amir sends it back

I guess curious to see what they are thinking, can or do they want to return the item? Do they like the piece regardless of the testing? I have had a few items, both vintage and new that tested really badly. I sold them.

 

[Maiky76]

This is a review, listening test, EQ and detailed measurements of the HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth closed back headphone. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $5,499.
View attachment 414926
The HE-R10P has a whimsical look which I quite like. Surprisingly, it is quite light and combined with its large cups, very comfortable to wear. The included headphone cord oddly like other Hifiman cables, has 90 degree bend to it. Why? Are most folks using these with portable players out in the wild?

Fitment on the GRAS 45CA fixture was very easy, requiring almost no work.

HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth Measurements
As usual we start with our frequency response measurement and comparison with our target:
View attachment 414927
My jaw fell down after seeing this! So much so that I measured again and got the same results. And it more or less correlated with the few other measurements on the net. I mean I like the bass but what is up with a major hump from 500 Hz to 2 kHz? There is deficiency in the 2K to 4K range but seems like that was intentional to try to copy the response of the Sony MDR-RP10. I expect highly colored response in listening tests.

Exact correction using EQ manually is going to be hard but here is what needs doing:
View attachment 414928

We have whopping 11 dB variation from our target!

If that is all that was wrong with it, maybe designers could sleep easy but not when you look at the copious amount of distortion this thing is generating:
View attachment 414929
View attachment 414930

We have to pull down some of the response which should help. But then again we also need to boost some.

Group delay shows copious resonances and other reflections creating a true "phase soup!"
View attachment 414931

Impedance is flat and low per spec but even that shows a kink, indicative of some resonance:
View attachment 414932

Sensitivity is very good especially for class:
View attachment 414933

HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth Listening Tests
You can have no doubt that this headphone is highly colored the moment you listen to it. Some voices of forward while producing a muffled overall response. But you won't get the full scope of that variation until you create EQ and turn that on and off:
View attachment 414934
The improvement was massive. There was now good balance and the forwardness was gone. I actually started to enjoy them listening to my reference tracks!

Spatial qualities are good but not exceptional. Same with deep bass.

Conclusions
We have one heck of a broken (design) headphone here. With modicum of attention to audio science it could have been so much better.

Needless to say, I can't recommend HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Here are some thoughts about the EQ.
Please report your findings, positive or negative!

Notes about the EQ design:

• The average L/R is used to calculate the score.
• The resolution is 12 points per octave interpolated from the raw data (provided by @amirm)
• A Genetic Algorithm is used to optimize the EQ.
• The EQ Score is designed to MAXIMIZE the Score WHILE fitting the Harman target curve (and other constrains) with a fixed complexity.
  This will avoid weird results if one only optimizes for the Score, start your journey here or there.
  There is a presentation by S. Olive here.
  It will probably flatten the Error regression doing so, the tonal balance should be therefore more neutral.
• The EQs are starting point and may require tuning (certainly at LF and maybe at HF).
• The range around and above 10kHz is usually not EQed unless smooth enough to do so.
• I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves.
• With some HP/amp combo, the boosts and preamp gain (loss of Dynamic range) need to be carefully considered to avoid issues with, amongst other things, too low a Max SPL or damaging your device. You have beed warned.
• Not all units of the same product are made equal. The EQ is based on the measurements of a single unit. YMMV with regard to the very unit you are trying this EQ on.
• I sometimes use variations of the Harman curve for some reasons. See rational here and here
• NOTE: the score then calculated is not comparable to the scores derived from the default Harman target curve if not otherwise noted.

OK L/R match.
I have generated one EQ, the APO config file is attached.

Score no EQ: 59.0
Score Amirm: 79.6
Score with EQ: 92.7

HiFiMan HE-R10P Stealth APO EQ Flat@HF 96000Hz
December192024-114617

Preamp: -4.30 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 204.5 Hz Gain -3.50 dB Q 0.68
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 429.1 Hz Gain 2.83 dB Q 2.23
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1175.7 Hz Gain -8.90 dB Q 0.85
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 2255.1 Hz Gain 4.94 dB Q 2.18
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 4524.0 Hz Gain 4.45 dB Q 0.47
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 5394.9 Hz Gain -6.83 dB Q 5.99
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 8396.7 Hz Gain -8.80 dB Q 5.99

 

[beeface]

When I think "stealth", bright orange certainly isn't the first thing that springs to mind

 

[bequietjk]

Ouch!! Hope the owner can return them for a refund.

but i mean they will look GREAT on a shelf

 

[amirm]

Do they like the sound and do not care about the test results?

They owner already correctly identified the headphones sounding bad and why. He wanted verification and sharing of the information with others.

 

[Aperiodic]

Thanks very much, but when I hit the lottery, I’ll walk right past these to the Dan Clarks

 

[phoenixdogfan]

I guess curious to see what they are thinking, can or do they want to return the item? Do they like the piece regardless of the testing? I have had a few items, both vintage and new that tested really badly. I sold them.

Look at it this way: Whenever you send $5499 to Dr. Fang Bian's "Help Me Get A New Maybach" Go Fund Me, he sends you those headphones as a lovely thank you gift.

 

[renaudrenaud]

Look at it this way: Whenever you send $5499 to Dr. Fang Bian's "Help Me Get A New Maybach" Go Fund Me, he sends you those headphones as a lovely thank you gift.

I invite you to come in China, even paying for the flights you will save some money, because it is 50% less expansive here.

And if you are lucky you will be able to meet Dr. Fang Bian, who knows.

 

[HYQID]

It looks like HIFIMAN engineers develope their products only with human ears.

 

[KenA]

FIVE
POINT
FIVE
THOUSAND
US
DOLLARS

Oh, why, just why.

 

[Leeken]

Half the time I look at the comments on here and think way over the top,you’ll probably never hear the difference anyway but holy shit these are really bad,maybe pound for pound one of the worst ever‍ kudos to the owner for realising something wasn’t right,look forward to having a laugh at glowing reviews on headfi etc!

 

[kemmler3D]

,look forward to having a laugh at glowing reviews on headfi etc!

I checked there first... the most recent review is a bad one that comports with these measurements, the rest are extremely long 4/5 star affairs.

 

[NoteMakoti]

Didn't have to look far.

HIFIMAN HE-R10P Review

Hifiman recently launched their first closed back high end headphones, named the Hifiman HE-R10P. Find out now just how good it is!

www.headfonia.com

Meanwhile the LCD-XC:

View attachment 414952
View attachment 414953

If we assume this Headphonia review is genuine and not incentive-driven somehow, we can conclude 2 things:

-Preference for headphone tuning can vary quite a bit
-Some people really do enjoy more distortion

:shrug:

Gonna give him the slightest benefit of the doubt after looking at both of these response graphs, getting back all that bass would feel like a cold glass of water in the Atacama Desert.

Thanks for the review by the way, Amir. I have a ton of patience for """fun""" designs and sound signatures like these, but you can have your fill of them for under 500 bucks nowadays. Under $100 even, if you count IEMs.