In doing so it does sound relatively unique to my planar trained ears. It tuning gels really well with modern pop and most R'n'B mixes that tend to look for a punchy low-end, a sparser midrange, and female vocals just floating above.

It’s a very musical and easy to listen to headphone and it really lets you enjoy your music in a fun kind of way. The HE-R10D does have the typical closed headphone sound (which the planar version doesn’t have) and a strong bass presence. But if that is your thing (and it is to many people), the Hifiman HE-R10D will please your ears.

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 build is awkward and not exactly up to the standard quality of a thousand-dollar headphone, even if the fit is still relatively comfy. I’m still interested in checking out the R10P, but as far as the R10D goes I would seek out better options around this price range.