HIFIMAN HE-R9 Dynamic Closed-Back Over-Ear Headphones with Topology Diaphragm, Wired/Wireless, W/WO Bluemini R2R (Wired)

Bought these as an impulse buy when I found out they originally retailed at $599 and were discounted to just over $100. Figured it was a neat look and a novelty if all else failed.Out-of-the-box sound is all over the place and shouty. Earcups are cheap plastic and reverberate badly at louder volumes. Bass is good and is pretty darn clean behind that, though.After EQ to harman target, it sounds a lot better. Big bass and clean mids/treble. Sounds much more expensive than it is after EQ.Build quality feels pretty cheap. Not sure if it actually is or just feels that way. Is very lightweight and comfortable so may be intentional.Biggest bass headphones I've ever tried. I've tried the Ultrasone Signature X, V-Moda m100, and Fostex THX00. Bass is bigger than the Fostex, even. EQ's very high as well. The earcups reverberate and make it much less clean than the Fostex although would be clean otherwise. Gives it that subwoofer-in-a-car effect.For a certain audience I'd recommend these. Fans of big bass hip hop and EDM will get a kick out of these. They can sound HiFi if you want them to but turning down the bass and EQing them to harman.I actually really, really like these. They're a fun headphone for bassheads that still want some resolution. Great imaging/soundstage with the huge cup design, as well.Oddly enough one of my favorite headphones to listen to.So for $109, it's a no-brainer for bassheads. Get these. Hopefully they won't break on you but hey, they weren't expensive.Best value for dollar headphone out right now.

This headphone sounds incredible. I connected it to my Asgard 3 with multibit dac module and it powers them fine. I plugged them into my Lyr+ with a 4.4mm to rca cable connection from my fiio m11 pro, so that I can take advantage of the balanced output and convert it into rca. Plenty of power. Even plugged it into an old school Schiit Modi 2/Magni 2 that I have laying around and it sounds great.The sound is great to my ears. I listen to hip-hop, rap, dubstep, VTubers (such as Calliope Mori), and podcasts (FuwaMoco Morning). These headphones sound very detailed but not too much. Kinda reminds me of ATH-m50x after you install a piece of damping to calm the treble. The best word I can use to describe the HE-R9 is smooth. Similar to what my Lyr+ does to sound when I have the tube installed (I take the tube off over night when I'm sleeping and place it on when I use my PC). I can't comment on other genres of music that I don't listen to.To compare to my headphones, I'd say they sound similar to a pair ath-m50x with treble damping installed. Clear and accurate bass with detailed vocals and high notes that are present. My other headphones include ATH-M50X, HD660S, HD598SE, ATH-AD900X,ATH-A990 (closed back version of ad-900x), sennheiser momentum 3, fostex t50rp mk3 (with personal mod), Fiio FF5, Fiio FT3, ATH-IE40, and Mrspeakers Alpha Prime. For connections I use Fiio Q5s and Fiio Q11 for portable, Fiio M11 pro connected to Schiit Lyr+ with tube using 4.4mm to rca cable, Schiit Asgard 3 with multibit module, and a Schiit Magni 2/Modi 2 stack.For sale for $200, these cans were a great value considering my Fiio FT3 were $300. And to top it off, these cans are comfortable. Feels like soft pillows hugging your head.I hope this review helps someone.

This one has me scratching my head. There are a ton of great reviews on this set of cans from graph purists, popular YouTube reviewers, and long-time Head-Fi users. I don't get it. The bass is strong with this one, but it's mostly mid-bass (sub-bass is subpar) while the mids/treble are so far back in the mix that you need to blowout your eardrums with volume to get a balance between bass/vocals. I tried them on an AKM, ESS, Burr Brown, and a Cirrus Logic DAC to try to find what reviewers were praising and I could not find it on any of them. This set sounds best on DACs with authoritative bass (IFI in particular), but that's really only on tracks with no vocals. The initial $600 MSRP is one of the biggest ripoffs in audio and I stared in disbelief at the $180 I paid for them. They are worth $60-$100 and only if you like somewhat niche genres of just straight bass. There are so many other IEMs and full-size cans for the same or less that have better bass and decent balance in the mids/treble. I am fully in the "bass head" community, which is why I wanted to try these out, but do yourself a favor and buy any of these instead: Fostex T50RP ($160), Meze 99 Noir ($200), Rinko IEM ($100), QKZ x HBB IEM ($20!), any of the Monolith Planars ($100-500), Hifiman's own Sundara, 4XX, or 400SE ($100-300), V-Moda Crossfade, or even something mainstream like some Skullcrushers or Beats ($50-150). I will say that they are insanely light (they feel like a Fisher-Price toy) and have a ton of height adjustment for those with giant heads, so comfort is great, but unless you want expensive space earmuffs for the winter, that's about all they have going for them. I want to assume I received a busted pair, but these are just not good. Even just bass boosting whatever cans you have near you will likely give you a better listening experience. Hard pass.

The mids and highs are laughably bad with these headphones. I cannot believe this ever retailed for $600. Avoid these no matter what discount they're offering.