Tecsun HP-300: measurement and short impressions

~ sai

High-impedance dynamic cans are not so common nowadays. Even beyerdynamic is moving consumer-friendly with their flagship line, the 32-ohm T1 and T5 3rd Gen (which BTW I don’t really like… the T5 is the better one of the two though). And who’s heard of Tecsun anyway… according to google it seems they make radios and AM/FM receivers for the most part.

Now, I won’t buy a set of headphones just because they are 300 ohms, even they are so nicely made with walnut wood… what got me intrigued was the FR posted by Woodenears.com (on B&K 4128, IIRC), attached below:

Wah, is this a wooden version of the HD600 with more bass and treble? Sign me up.

Today, I finally got them.

Tecsun HP-300 frequency response measurement

This is perhaps the closest to the target I’ve measured so far. I am still not sure how they managed to get this amount of bass in an open-back design. You can see from the pic that the back side of the driver is covered with some sort of woven fabric material, but sound does leak a lot.

My impressions so far:

Sound Profile: Warmish neutral while open and airy.

Tonality: Neutral with sub-bass boost. Treble is ever-so-slightly elevated around 8khz, but that’s a fairly common spot with this kind of elevation so it doesn’t really stick out. Other than this, tonality is pretty spot on. I went through tracks and tracks but still can’t seem to fault its tonality. Vocals are slightly forward, but again in very natural timbre. Bass is basically flat, as you can see the boosted area is centered around 50hz which is basically subbass, so it gives you a bit extra oomph to the sound.

Technicality: Flat 1khz-4khz means good spatial qualities. Stage isn’t particularly impresive, certainly not artifically wide or narrow though. Imaging is decent with no three-blob effect. Resolution and layering are fair. Midrange is articulate and highs are smooth, but bass feels a little ‘loose’, perhaps due to the extra subbass. Dynamics are good but attack isn’t particularly sharp. On the plus side it also means wooly and warm bass, so it kinda depends on how you look at it. Overall better than the average Grado, sitting about on par with mid-fi cans like K612pro/HD6XX. Maybe not as good as a ‘well-driven’ HD6XX, but I haven’t tried enough to put my foot down.

Measuring/hearing a product like this sometimes makes me wonder, if we headphone addicts are just looking for (and paying for) some kind of exoticism?

6 thoughts on “Tecsun HP-300: measurement and short impressions”

  1. Hello
    Do you try enough to give me advise about this headphone. I alreade have 6xx. This is an upgrade for this? Thank you

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    1. Hi Loc,

      I would say the HP-300 is a small upgrade from the HD6XX given the better sub-bass and treble clarity. Mids on the HP300 is slightly less forward. Treble are more crispy and clear, but you may or may not prefer more treble than the 6XX.

      So if you can acquire these at a reasonable cost I won’t be against that. But an easier choice would perhaps be the Sundara or the Edition XS, although these planars typically have a lot more uppre treble so be careful if you’re sensitive to that. The HP-300 is mostly fine in this regard.

      Hope that helps.

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  3. I have the OG Grassroots version, (low ohm) and these are the most amazing cans I own for the balance and neutrality. They are VASTLY improved by changing the pads to the 100mm Brainwavz perforated soft foam (not memory! too dense, bass will be out of control) circular pads (dark red). They eliminate the upper mid peaks by raising the drivers off your ears. The sound is still great with the stock pads but the occasional resonant peak can be punishing. Your pinna literally touches the foam screen. These are mind-blowingly great for the money. I nabbed a pair in 2019 for $150 and reviewed them on Amzn. They have been out of stock forever. Just by chance, yesterday I saw they had one pair left so I snatched them up for $89. If you can get them, by all means, do it! You won’t be disappointed. Hopefully the HP300 are the same besides the ear cup slider doohickie. Mine are with a sort of thin spring wire and the HP300 use a straight antenna-like pin. Cheap ass build but I don’t give a rodent’s bottom. Put a zip cover on the headband because it is almost unbearably thin and it flakes quickly. But they are super light, and the sound! For the money, hands down the best deal ever under $150. For the record, I own HD600, Shure SRH1840, Neumann NDH30 and ATH-M40x. But the Tecsuns (y’all) are my favorite for most music. I even mix in in them or use them as a reference. Change the pads!

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    1. Ah yeah, they are totally awesome value for the money. They are fun and engaging while still sounding very well balanced and natural.

      I know about the Grassroots too. The main difference seems to be the lower impedance and a few of the build changes you mentioned. I’ve never seen one for sale where I am. Just checked, and they seem to have released an MKII version for the Grassroots. Maybe I should look into that.

      I haven’t really done much pad swapping on the HP300, so thanks for the detailed suggestion. Do you happen to have a link to those specific Brainwavz pads? I wasn’t able to find the exact ones you described, or maybe they’ve discontinued that particular pad

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