Disclaimer: The R7DX was sent to me by Drop, they did not do anything to influence my opinion.
Introduction & Overview
While Hifiman is no stranger to Dynamic driver headphones such as the HE350 and both of the Drop collab versions being around for a while now they are no doubt known for their Open-Back Planar headphones. But Hifiman seems to be branching out into Dynamic drivers more and more and starting to dive into Closed-Backs as well. The R7DX is one of these products and it takes design notes from there R10D which uses the housing of the Deva line.
Hifiman keeps releasing price point redefining headphones like Sundara, HE400se/HE-X4, Edition XS and more, can Hifiman do the same in 2 categories that they have less experience in?
Headphone Specs:
- Headphone Type: Closed-Back
- Drivers: 50mm Dynamic
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz
- Sensitivity: 101 dB
- Impedance: 16 ohms
- Cable: 4.9 ft (1.5 m), Removable
- Plug: ¼ in (3.5mm)
- Weight: (338g)
- Price: $150USD MSRP
- Referral Link (Backup)
What's In The Box:
- The R7DX
- 1.5m Rubber Detachable Cable
- 6.35mm to 3.5mm TRS Adapter
The overall build is pretty average, which isn't a bad thing. I don't see this falling apart anytime soon. The QC issues with this "old" style headband seems mostly fixed for a while now so I have no concerns about its durability for normal use.
The material used on the cups is all plastic with honestly not a great finish. The finish attracts finger-prints like crazy. Expect this to look not like new quickly because of this.
Comfort is great. The old-style headband I find extremely comfortable on lighter headphones. On the HE-X4 it wasn't the most comfortable for me but on the HE5xx and these, they are ultra-comfortable on my head. The pads use cloth for the face of the pad that touches your head keeping it from getting too hot and the outside of the pad is pleather to help get somewhat of a seal. For a closed-back I wish the pleather wrapped around to the front more to help with a better seal. I actually think slightly higher clamp and a slightly pad redesign would actually help the Deva line as well. From experience playing with seal, the bass extension of the Deva is pretty good with some added clamp and some pad alterations. But like on the Deva, you don't get a great seal here which affects bass extension and dynamics.
These are a rather large headphone and are not going to be very portable. More so a home use closed back.
The housing is very much the Deva series housing with a closed cup added on it (with I assume some dampening inside). This housing works great for open-back design because it's so large, comfortable and has lower clamp. Both of those aspects carry over here. But sadly this design, along with the very low clamping headband leads to a very poor seal. Which are pretty important for a closed-back. Don't expect amazing noise isolation.
I think the overall design needs to be reworked for acoustic reasons. But in terms of build and comfort these are built fine and super comfortable. They just don't offer a great seal.
Cable: Standard black rubber Drop rubber cable. I like this cable aside that it's a bit to short. I also want too note I have been using one of these cables for a while now on a different headphone and after about 1 year of use a weird thing happened where the part of the cable that touched me while in use, as gotten super stiff and ridge. Normally it's a very flexible nice cable but now from what I can assume is body heat it has turned glossy and stiff. Super weird. Not sure if anyone else has had this happen.
Sound
Graphs
Disclaimer: My
measurement rig is an industry standard clone. So it's accurate up to 3k
compared to most GRAS rigs. Over 3k it's fairly off so ignore that tell
I get a better calibration. When I talk about tonality and tuning it's
based mostly on what I hear. Try not to get hung up on having the
measurement matching the target perfectly. DO NOT USE THESE GRAPHS WITH AUTO EQ.
As
you can see here the tuning is kind of overall neutral=ish I guess, but it's
mostly W-Shaped. The biggest artifact on the graph is the 3k dip which
doesn't sound like it appears and while I did fill it in in the EQ you
may not want to include that part of the EQ.
The 3rd graph just shows a few different seals.
This is just to show the difference between the fully RAW graph vs with the upper-mid calibration I apply. This Calibration works very well for open back headphones but for closed backs it can be more off because acoustic impedance issues.
Here is an On-Head measurement showing a better representation of the bass on my head.
I see a lot of people saying to bend the headband and try to force a better seal. With a very strong forced seal this is what happens. Personally I can't recommend bending the headband as the results could be anywhere between these 2 measurements. The measurements I'm showing in general will offer a good insight into what an average good seal and fit will sound like but that will vary.
Here it is with a Quick EQ I made. This was first done by ear then tweaked with On-Head measurements and measurements made with my RIG. Below will include the spreadsheet for this and you may want to not include the 3200 Band and you may want one around the 4k peak.
Here is a quick graph showing the effect of glasses with a medium thickness plastic frame. Not to bad.
Tonality/Frequency Response
Bass-Mids: Bass is very much your average dynamic driver hump. It lacks sub-bass extension for the most part and mid bass is far too bloated. The mids are very wonky. The 900hz resonance hump makes it sound fairly honky.
Upper-Mids: Overall upper-mids have a good amount of presence coming up through the ear-gain region. But there is an annoying 4k peak.
Treble: Treble sounds mostly even aside from a couple small peaks (4k, 6.2k, 9kish). But nothing ultra bright. But the over 10k air region has fantastic presence for a dynamic in this price point. Very impressed there.
EQ Info:
Bass-Mids: Bass is very much your average dynamic driver hump. It lacks sub-bass extension for the most part and mid bass is far too bloated. The mids are very wonky. The 900hz resonance hump makes it sound fairly honky.
Upper-Mids: Overall upper-mids have a good amount of presence coming up through the ear-gain region. But there is an annoying 4k peak.
Treble: Treble sounds mostly even aside from a couple small peaks (4k, 6.2k, 9kish). But nothing ultra bright. But the over 10k air region has fantastic presence for a dynamic in this price point. Very impressed there.
EQ Info:
Tonality Grade: C- (Maybe D+)
Technical Performance
Staging/Imaging/Separation: Staging is well above average for a Closed-Back. But in terms of shape and depth it is pretty linear. It's very stereo left and right and doesn't project as forward as I would hope. Separation and imaging are pretty good laterally, but just okay overall. It's doesn't position that well but still above average for the price point. Overall the stage sound decently spacious but lacks some detail within it.
Dynamics/Speed: Not much to talk about here. Dynamics are lacking because of the poor seal. It doesn't sound too soft or limp. But it doesn't have that impact and punch that you would hope for. Even with a forced seal it does lack a bit of punch.
Timbre: Nothing much to say here, not the most natural but no weird metallic or tinny quality to it.
Staging/Imaging/Separation: Staging is well above average for a Closed-Back. But in terms of shape and depth it is pretty linear. It's very stereo left and right and doesn't project as forward as I would hope. Separation and imaging are pretty good laterally, but just okay overall. It's doesn't position that well but still above average for the price point. Overall the stage sound decently spacious but lacks some detail within it.
Dynamics/Speed: Not much to talk about here. Dynamics are lacking because of the poor seal. It doesn't sound too soft or limp. But it doesn't have that impact and punch that you would hope for. Even with a forced seal it does lack a bit of punch.
Timbre: Nothing much to say here, not the most natural but no weird metallic or tinny quality to it.
Detail/Resolution: It is on the duller side and lacks some detail overall. Especially in the mids. But treble over 10k sounds pretty darn nice for the price. It has that sort of sparkle that many people love without coming off sharp or grainy.
Technical Grade: C (Low C+)
Sound Conclusion
So while the overall stock tuning is very messy and uneven it still sounds overall Warm-neutral adjacent. It's not half bad and all of the little quirks actually make it sound wider than it is. It gives it almost a fake reverb effect. For me stock its not very listenable. But thankfully since all the big issues are under 4k that means it's very easy to EQ and post EQ this thing sound tonally pretty nice. But how well it seals on your head will determine how well the EQ will work for you.
Technical performance is a bit lite for $150USD but at $100 it performs very well. With treble extension being fantastic for a closed-back in general. Detail is on the better side, dynamics hit average (not bad given the poor seal). But it really shines in terms of staging. While it's not the most full it is more spacious than average.
At $100 or less sound wise I think it offers a good balance compared to the market. An it will really come down to if your ok with the more uneven tuning or willing to use EQ and if it goes on sale when your buying.
In terms of gaming I wouldn't pick it for competitive fps, the staging is a good size but it's not the most accurate or full. An sounds like footsteps and positional queues tend to be dampened. But in terms of a fun experience its pretty nice an I had a lot of fun playing games with it.
I think the best way to describe the R7DX is its one of the few good fun closed backs under $150 that are not super coloured. It overall sounds mostly correct. I think its biggest competition is the DT770 which is a lot brighter.
This is a fun headphone to listen to once its EQed, and comfort alone makes it a great option. The biggest competition for it will be the DT770 80ohm, MH751/Shade/Pro 82 Gen 2, and the K361. I'll compare these against it below. But the fact that the only things really better than it is the stuff that is best in close shows that while the R7DX doesn't redefine the price point and isn't the ultra value that I was hoping for, It's a very solid offering and a great start to what could lead to a fantastic Hifiman Dynamic at some point in the future and I would put this in my top 5 closed backs under $150. It just might be Number 5.
I would love to see a redesign with some cup design changes to fix the 900hz resonance hump and a new headband and pad design that will lead to a better seal. I actually think this may have been better in a smaller HE400 series housing vs the Deva housing. The smaller pad design would help with a better seal.
But as a whole when on sale I think the R7DX is an overall nice package that offers average built quality, fantastic comfort, and good technical performance only hindered by the less than ideal design and odd tuning.
Since drop uses stars to rate I will be giving it 3 Stars stock and 4 Stars post EQ.
Pros:
Pros:
- Great Comfort
- Above Average Closed-Back Staging
- Solid technical performance for the price.
Cons:
- Uneven tuning
- Design that doesn't lead to a good seal.
- MSRP is a bit high
Comparisons
Coming later as I wanted to get this out by Drops Prime Day sale of it.
DT770 80ohm:
K371/361:
MH751/Shade:
Discussion Links: