Prices can vary greatly. Some headphones are designed with passion and attention to detail, while others are more functional and simple.

Many people approach buying headphones much like they would buying a car. They research thoroughly, read reviews, take a test drive, discuss it with friends, and maybe take another test drive before deciding to buy. You ask yourself: Do I want open or closed headphones? Do I need 6.35 mm or 3.5 mm connectors? Do I listen to music for work or pleasure? Why would you buy headphones without first finding out the basics when you wouldn't buy a car without doing so?

The HEDDphone® TWO GT, the first "hi-fi" headphone from HEDD, has secured its place among the biggest names in the luxury audio industry. We sat down with Dmitry Grigoriev, HEDD's head of research and development, to find out what's under the hood of the GT, what it's made of, how it was developed, and why we think it's one of the best audiophile headphones on the market.

Dmitry Grigoriev, the head of research and development at HEDD, explains the innovations that went into the HEDDphone® TWO GT. Photo credits: Felix Zimmerman

At the heart of every HEDD loudspeaker and headphone is the company's unique Air Motion Transformer (AMT) driver. The HEDDphone® uses a special version of this driver that cannot be found in any other headphones. HEDD calls this technology the Variable Velocity Transform (VVT). The AMT in the GT is coated with a new type of multilayer Kapton polyimide film that pushes sound out of multiple folds. This is different from the conventional single-membrane design found in many headphones.

This gives the HEDD Air Motion Transformer four times the membrane area of a planar design. Using VVT to vary the fold width and depth enables the HEDDphone® TWO GT to accurately reproduce frequencies across the entire audio spectrum, from 10 Hz to 40 kHz. The open, over-ear headphones have a carbon fiber and magnesium frame that allows the AMT driver to "breathe" and deliver clear, powerful sound.

Thanks to decades of improvements, the latest version of the HEDDphone® AMT is the most robust yet. The new coating on the folds offers two advantages: it stabilizes the construction, reducing distortion by 10%, and it minimizes audible "crackling" and handling noise.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "We asked ourselves, 'How can we process the membrane differently so that it can be manufactured and controlled industrially?' We discovered how to stiffen the folds through a multi-step coating process. This allows the membrane to move better as a whole while remaining lightweight. With most other headphones, the rest of the headphone is tuned rather than the membrane. The GT was the next step where we had the opportunity to adjust the tuning within the headphone and speaker housings.”

The further development of the AMT driver, along with its reduced distortion, provides a new clarity that highlights details across a wide range of music genres.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "You want as little distortion as possible because it masks other frequencies, even if they aren't present in the original material. For example, if you have a fundamental frequency at 1 kHz, the distortion could be at 2 kHz, then 2.5 kHz, and so on. Without this distortion, the entire range is clear and all the other musical content comes through. You can hear all the tiny details in the recording or the sound of a musical instrument.”

The effect was immediately noticeable.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "Of course, everything sounded better!"

When you invest in a high-quality hearing aid, you expect to be able to wear it for hours without experiencing neck or ear fatigue. The HEDDphone® TWO GT builds on the design and component improvements of its predecessor, the HEDDphone® TWO, offering even greater listening comfort over longer periods of time.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "In terms of weight, performance, and efficiency, we haven't changed the driver of the HEDDphone® TWO GT. We wanted it to stay in the family, like the TWO, just with different tuning and an improved driver."

The HEDDband technology in the HEDDphone® TWO and GT is patent-pending and distributes weight evenly, creating a system that adapts to the wearer's individual head shape and preferences. The HEDDband separates the function of holding the headphones together from the shape that ensures a comfortable fit. This eliminates elastic bands that lose tension over time, leading to loose-fitting ear pads. With the ingenious strap system, parameters such as height, width, curvature, and contact pressure can be adjusted to personal needs and preferences. These settings can be saved for later use, eliminating the need for readjustment.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "Headphones are very personal — you wear them on your head, you touch them, and they touch you — so it's important to like them. You want to enjoy the music coming out of them, but if the material feels uncomfortable or presses too hard, it affects your enjoyment of the music."

The HEDDband has been improved for the HEDDphone® TWO GT. The standard clamping force, or the tension with which the ear pads press against the ears, has been reduced to minimize pressure on the head and improve comfort during extended use. This development posed one of the biggest challenges for GT because pressure on the ear pads significantly impacts the volume and quality of the audio signal reaching the ear.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "You have to find a balance. Reducing the contact pressure improves the listening experience during prolonged wear, but you can't reduce it too much; otherwise, the frequency response changes, and you lose bass. We reduced the clamping force to the point where you need to use the tension strap for a snug fit.”

After optimizing the weight and tension for comfort, the team moved on to improving the HEDDphone® TWO GT's feel by trying out different fabrics and materials for the ear pad covers. Two contrasting options were selected: lambskin leather and velour. The team ensured that, despite the different materials, both options are acoustically nearly identical so that wearers can choose based on tactile preference rather than acoustic performance.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "We changed the material of the ear pads for comfort, not tuning. I set out to find a way to tune these ear pads so that they would sound the same, but have a different cover material. I wanted to give users a choice without compromising sound quality.”

Every element of the GT design has been examined to maximize comfort. The foam in the ear pads was tested with different contact pressures, and feedback was collected on possible pressure points around the ears of the wearer. These points were then considered when adjusting the final tension so that every moment can be enjoyed.

We know how it works and how it feels. The question, of course, is: How does it sound? More and more HEDD users around the world confirm that there is such a thing as a "HEDD sound": a unique sound that does justice to an artist's work and creative intentions.

Legendary recording studios, such as Hansa in Germany and Miraval in France; groundbreaking artists, such as Q-Tip and DJ Jazzy Jeff; Grammy-nominated producers, such as Alissia and Tokimonsta; and successful media composers, such as Hauschka and Hildur Guðnadóttir, all rely on HEDD loudspeakers, headphones, and AMT drivers for their creative work. Decades of experience in the studio world have shaped a sound that is ideal for crafting songs, rendering both the nuances to be appreciated and the issues to be addressed clearly audible.

With the HEDDphone® TWO GT, HEDD recognized that many nonprofessional users also want to benefit from the speed and precision of the "HEDD sound," but in a slightly less analytical way with a sound that focuses more on listening pleasure than sonic linearity.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "Analytical headphones reveal all the flaws in a song. But when you want to relax and enjoy music, you don't want to hear those flaws. You know they're there, but you don't want to be constantly reminded of them."

With this in mind, the research and development team began investigating how to develop a new tuning that would remain true to the HEDD ethos while allowing listeners to lose themselves completely in their favorite music. They introduced a comprehensive quality control process with internal and external feedback to find the sweet spot for tuning HEDD's first hi-fi headphones.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "We conducted numerous listening tests and A-B comparisons between different tunings with a focus group within the company. We all work in different areas of the audio world. One of our employees from the QC team is a live mixer. Freddy Knop has a Ph.D. I design loudspeakers and headphones. But we also sought input from outside, which helped us break out of tunnel vision. You have to be able to accept feedback from others and not just decide for yourself because you 'know better'; you have to think beyond your own preferences."

The HEDDphone® TWO GT's new AMT coating, materials, and ear pad density, combined with relaxed contact pressure, produce a sound that emphasizes bass and treble more than midrange.

However, when you have a choice, you have to make decisions, and the team didn't want to go overboard with the sound quality.

Dmitry Grigoriev: "Why distort the content? HEDD's goal is natural sound. 'True to the original' should be the goal. However, you can interpret things differently, look at the musical content from a different perspective, and adjust the tuning accordingly without distorting anything."