KLIPSCH HP-3 AND HERITAGE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER NOW AVAILABLE

Klipsch founder, Paul W. Klipsch, first tried his hand with audio experimentation way back in 1919 with a pair of headphones. So, to honour this fact, Sr. Manager of Product Development for Klipsch Group Inc., Vlad Grodzinskiy, set to work on “a headphone worthy of the Heritage name”.

Grodzinskiy enthuses about the new HP-3 telling StereoNET:

Acoustically, mechanically and physically this is the most impressive headphone Klipsch has ever created.

The Klipsch HP-3 headphones are hand-assembled using die-cast steel, milled wood, premium-grade leathers, and machined aluminium.

The solid-wood, triple-vented ear cups add natural warmth and character whereas the angled sheepskin ear pads provide perfect depth.  Furthermore, just like a loved leather jacket, they will distress naturally with age. A genuine hand-stitched cowhide headband adds quality, strength, and becomes more pliable over time. The craftsmanship is even further showcased by the visible nuts and bolts construction that is built to stand the test of time.

The acoustics of the Heritage HP-3 headphones are what you would expect from Klipsch. We are told to expect its semi-open design to deliver an accurate, natural sound and refined bass with reduced sound pressure for a seamless musical experience. The HP-3 also features a recessed pair of free-edge KG-520 drivers that mimic the imaging characteristics and ease of drive found in Klipsch’s Heritage speakers.

Driven by a pair of 52mm biodynamic drivers with more than one tesla of magnetic flux density, the Heritage HP-3 is said to decreas distortion and provide superb dynamic range to expand the soundstage further. Using a proprietary mixture of bio-cellulose and inorganic fibre, the biodynamic drivers “achieve incredible levels of balance and control throughout the full frequency  spectrum” according to the company.

The Klipsch Heritage HP-3 headphone is packaged with a custom solid-steel rod headphone stand, short (1.37m) and long (2.5m) detachable braided nylon cables, and a custom-fit ¼” adapter.

They are available in three solid-wood finishes – walnut, ebony, and oak, and sell for £1,300.

Though the HP-3 has been designed to run with almost any audio source, Klipsch believes that it has made its perfect mate. Of course, the Heritage Headphone Amplifier is designed to get the best out of the HP-3.

Encased in formed aluminium with a genuine walnut veneer finish, the amp also features weighted, anodized aluminium switches and knobs.

Driven at the core by a high-resolution ES90128K2M ESS Sabre32 Reference digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) capable of handling up-to 192kHz/24-bit PCM sample rates and 11.2MHz DSD, the Heritage Headphone Amplifier has up-to-date tech beneath that classic casement.

The Heritage Headphone Amplifier also gives you the option to output via the two headphone sockets, or it can function as a compact DAC or a pre-amp for a traditional stereo setup thanks to switchable RCA outputs.

With additional inputs for Optical, Coaxial and Line-level sources, switchable output gain for headphones and an internal architecture, the Heritage Headphone Amplifier certainly looks to be a truly versatile piece of stylish audio hardware.

Available now in Walnut finish the Heritage Headphone Amplifier sells for £520.00.

For more information visit Klipsch.

Further reading: Headphones Discussion Forum