HIFIMAN HE-R10D Dynamic Headphone Review

The company started in 2007 and is mainly known for open-back planar headphones in a wide range of prices and capabilities. The company has also produced some headphone amps and some fine portable music players.

Always innovating, the company is now offering two closed-back headphones which is a surprise. One of these new products, the HE-R10D, is a dynamic headphone, while the other, the HE-R10P is a planar design. Surprise # 2, the headphones support a Bluetooth plug-in, allowing wireless listening. Yet, the headphone under review, the HE-R10D can be used as a wired headphone without sonic compromise.

I’ve owned a few HIFIMAN planars, and found them to be excellent, and competitive at their price. The company always offers first-class packaging and documentation. In a variety of listening tests, I found the HE-R10D headphones to be quite good musically although I have some reservations about the midrange frequencies. Their closed-back design has a different on-head experience to the planars the company makes, but it’s comfortable and lightweight. The optional Bluetooth module, which HIFIMAN calls a Bluemini, has the best sound quality I’ve heard in a Bluetooth headphone, which is usually wrapped in sonic compromises. It’s not quite as good as listening to the headphone wired, but it comes really, really, close, and many listeners will not notice any difference without rapidly switching back and forth.

My headphone listening goes way back to my days as a classical announcer on an FM station in Iowa. Way back then, as I detailed in another review, we listened to Sennheiser HD-414s. At the time, they were a revelation, giving us details in recordings our high-end monitor speakers didn’t reveal. Ever since I’ve been a headphone advocate for at-home listening. As my collection of music grew, I bought new headphones as their audio quality evolved. It’s a rare week that I don’t listen to music through headphones, either one we’re auditioning for review or from my existing collection.

This new offering from HIFIMAN will have an impact on the market, not only due to the innovative design and materials but because it sounds so good at a non-stratospheric price for an audiophile transducer, especially with the Bluetooth module.

I hear so many headphones with subtle differences, it’s sometimes hard to express what I am perceiving, but here goes.

The R10D has a similar sound to the other HIFIMAN headphones I’ve heard. That includes the Ananda and the Sundara. Still, I thought the R10D headphones had a slightly superior sound to both, but they clearly have similar DNA. That’s not a surprise, it’s a house sound that HIFIMAN tunes for. Still, these R10D are dynamic phones, while all the other HIFIMAN products have been planar designs.

The bass is quite deep. Not as deep as some of the more uber-expensive headphones I’ve auditioned, but it’s solid and listened to by itself does not feel lacking. Midrange is slightly hollow, or depressed to my ears on some program material, mostly live acoustic instruments, while the high frequencies are sparkling and extended. The highs may be a bit much for some listeners who like a laid-back treble, but others will cheer the smooth highs. I listened briefly to these headphones on a tube amp, and I thought it gave the best presentation overall by balancing the frequency response and smoothing out the high frequencies.

The HIFIMAN R10D headphones have a beautiful yet functional design. The ear cups are striking and are created with CNC carving of the wood. The rest of the headphones, the band, and holders for the ear cups, are aviation-grade aluminum.

The drivers are a real departure from the planar headphones HIFIMAN is most known for. HIFIMAN offers in the R10D what they call a “Topology Diaphragm” into the design of these headphones. There is a special nanoparticle coating applied to the surface of the driver, which is claimed to offer a more natural and detailed sound compared to other dynamic headphones. The idea behind the new design was inspired by company founder Dr. Fang Bian’s belief that “different nanomaterials have differing structures and each of those materials has its own properties.” The company asserts that by closely controlling the diaphragm structure you can get better acoustic results.

The headphone also houses a 50mm dynamic driver using rare earth magnets. As mentioned, three cords come with the headphones, allowing you to use them with almost any component. The optional Bluetooth module recharges with a USB C cord and lights up to let you know its state of charge. In my testing, I got 7-8 hours of life out of the module over multiple sessions. It’s easy to pair with any device, and I was able to pair it with my FiiO M15 and a MacBook Pro laptop.

While I find the wooden ear cups striking and attractive, some will find it a bit showy or even gaudy. It wasn’t my impression, but I do think the headset is just too big with those prominent ear cups for use out of the home.

I thought the R10D headphones were generally comfortable, and lightweight. Even though the headphones are physically large, they only weigh 350 grams, making them the lightest headphones I have on hand. The plush ear pads don’t clamp onto my head, and there is minimal pressure. On the other hand, the Apple AirPods Max that I’ve reviewed previously, were more comfortable because they had a better seal, and the Apple Headphones are priced much lower. They don’t extend as far out on the low or high end, but they are competitive.

Unlike most of the closed-back headphones I’ve auditioned, there is a bit of sound leakage from the R10D. I wouldn’t use them on an airplane or public setting. The sound doesn’t blast out of the headphones, but anyone close to you will hear them if you are listening at loud levels.

HIFIMAN always is at its best when making a first impression when you open the box. Like other HIFIMAN products, the R10D headphones just look like the class product that they are. The headphones are surrounded by a black felt cloth, and there’s a small section that houses the three cables included. In my review sample, the Bluemini Bluetooth adaptor was included separately.

Most of my listening was done on a FiiO M15 DAP. It will play just about all formats of music, including DSD.

I went back over the same selections listening wirelessly over Bluetooth. I used the same FiiO DAP as a source. I was hard-pressed to hear much difference, a decided improvement over most Bluetooth headphones. Whatever the electronics in this little plugin device, they are doing the job. The adapter includes all the high-quality codecs including LDAC, AAC, SBC, aptX & aptX HD. It’s just a matter of using the best codec your device can supply. On the FiiO I listened to the LDAC Priority Quality Mode.

The main difference I heard over Bluetooth was on the John Williams Across the Stars tracks. The violins were not quite as extended in high-frequency response, but without a comparison to the direct playback, I would not have noticed any issues.

The HIFIMAN HE-R10D dynamic closed-back headphones sound as good or better than other competing headphones in this price range, which is not faint praise.

HIFIMAN has done well with the R10D headphones. It’s clear the company is going to make more dynamic drivers for a variety of price points, but they have not sacrificed audio quality with the R10D. I continue to have some reservations about the smoothness of the middle frequencies, which do not sound as smooth as comparably priced headphones from the same company. It may be the response curves of dynamic drivers versus planars, but whatever it is to my ears, especially on acoustic instruments, the mid-range needs some tweaking. The Bluetooth connectivity is most welcome, freeing listeners from the headphone cord while giving away little of ultimate sound quality.

The R10D headphones sound as good or better than other headphones in this price range, which is not faint praise. Some other headphones in this price range sound different, especially other HIFIMAN planars that I have listened to, but that’s going to be a matter of philosophy and what the listener wants. Some won’t want headphones with any audio leakage.

I have heard deeper bass from some ultra-expensive headphones, and a slightly better soundstage, especially depth, in those higher price ranges, but these headphones will please audiophiles in build quality comfort, and sheer musicality. They are a good value, especially with the optional Bluemini module, which again, should not be optional, but rather included with the headphones.