The world’s first Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm headphones are here from an audio icon – and I need to try them

• HEDD's D1 is the first-ever dynamic, open-back consumer headphone
• D1 features a world-first Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm (TPCD)
• Priced $799 / £599 / €699 (so, around AU$1,226)

If you've yet to be introduced, allow me: HEDD (which, perhaps unusually, I'll continue to stylize thus) is the German audio specialist that brought us the Air Motion Transformer – not to be confused with HED Technologies, the Swiss firm that brought us the first Wi-Fi enabled headphones (called the HED Unity).

Back to the (ahem) double-D company, because HEDD has just launched D1 (yes, a single D in the product moniker – do keep up), which is not only HEDD's first dynamic driver headphone but also the first-ever dynamic, open-back consumer headphone. As a pitch to become some of the best headphones on the market, it's pretty strong.

The star of the show here is the world-first Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm (TPCD) dynamic driver, boasting super-fast transients and low distortion. There's a lot to get through in terms of key technology, so let's get granular.

HEDDphone D1: what you need to know

Becoming the world’s first dynamic-driver headphone to feature Thin-Ply Carbon Diaphragm (TPCD) technology is no mean feat – the company tells me it's been eight long years in the making.

HEDD tells me that aside from this (and the 40-year acoustic legacy of HEDD's founder, Klaus Heinz), the D1 has been developed in collaboration with Composite Sound of Sweden, specialists in advanced diaphragm design and manufacture.

Thin-Ply Carbon (TPC) is not your average carbon fiber. It's composed of ultra-thin layers of carbon precisely aligned and bonded, as you might expect. However, it is its exceptional stiffness-to-density ratio, low mass, and resilience that have made it the material of choice for NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, alongside various F1 chassis.

HEDD is calling its use here a "revolution in dynamic drivers," and while I can't vouch for it just yet, I've absolutely got to hear it.

Every D1 headphone is made in Germany, with its custom TPCD diaphragm produced exclusively by Composite Sound in Sweden – and in a lovely nod to sustainability, HEDD assures me that all components are fully serviceable and an impressive five-year warranty accompanies your purchase.

How much are we looking at? HEDD's HEDDphone D1 is available from today, (November 6) priced at $799 / £599 / €699 (so, around AU$1,226), which is pricey in that it's more expensive than Neurable's new brain-health monitoring, daily cognitive snapshot-offering cans or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) which will knock your socks off for ANC – and that's just for starters.

Then again, some of the best wired headphones similarly aimed at audiophile-grade clarity can sell for thousands, so in the wired space, it's actually not bad…

There's no active noise cancellation because this is an open-back design that is also wired, so no Bluetooth codec support to contend with either. Since these types of solutions are praised for their detailed, vivid audio performance, I can't wait to get my hands on a pair. Watch this space…

The best noise cancelling headphones for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best noise cancelling headphones
1. Best overall:
Sony WH-1000XM6
2. Best mid-range:
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
3. Best under $100/£100:
1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
4. Best under $60/£50:
Soundcore Q30

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