ESS 422H Headphones Review; High-End Sound at an Entry-Level Price

I continue to be impressed with the ESS headphone line. The 422H model is enclosed and uses Heil AIR Motion Technology. It is also one of only two headphones manufactured today that use this technology. They are the top headphones in the ESS line up. The 422Hs offer stunning details, balance, and a fun, natural sound. And the $199 price point makes them easily recommended for anyone wanting high-end audio at an entry-level price point. And, you can buy them from their online store.

If you happen not to have heard of ESS before this review, they have been making speakers and headphones for the pro-audio and home audiophile markets since 1972, and they are well respected in these industries. I recently reviewed their 252s, and now we’re stepping up with the 422Hs. If you have not heard of an Air Motion Transformer before (AMT), Wikipedia has a good description of it and of how it is different from planar and ribbon transducers.

The Wikipedia definition says the Air Motion Transformer (AMT) is a type of electroacoustic transducer invented by Dr. Oskar Heil. It operates on a different transduction principle than other loudspeaker designs, … the diaphragm of the AMT is of a pleated shape similar to a bellows. The AMT moves air in an augmented, semi-perpendicular motion using a folded sheet … in a high-intensity magnetic field. You can read the complete entry for AMT transducers here.

Before I get into what the 422H headphones sound like, I’d like to speak to their fit and finish. The 422Hs are a bit less flashy, or, nostalgic inspiring than the ESS 252 headphones, but I actually find them to be more comfortable in that they seem lighter and they are not quite as tight on the ears. Like the 252s, they do use real wood enclosures, so each pair is unique, and the earpieces are soft and comfortable and fully enclosed my ears. Even with several hours of listening, I never once felt the 422Hs were uncomfortable or were weighing down my head.s.

The specs are Hybrid Driver Unit: 40mm moving coil driver, 20*30mm multi-fold AMT Air Motion Technology, an impedance of 32 Ω +/- 15% at 1KHz, 179Mv with a sensitivity of 110 +/- 3dB at 1KHZ w/Vrms input=179Mv. They will handle up to a max of 100mW and require 50mW, (I used the headphones on my iPhone, laptop earphone jack, a geek out 1000, Burson HA-1 and Pass Labs HA-1 and had no power issues throughout that range). The 422Hs have a frequency response of 20~20kHz at 1mW, and like the 252s, the cable is a ¼-inch male-to-male that comes with the headphones, along with a portable case. The headphonesphones fold up nicely for traveling. Over the period of this review, I used the stock headphone cable that comes with the 422Hs.

Listening Experience

Slipping the 422H headphones over my ears, I first plugged them into my geek out 1000 USB headphone DAC and class A amplifier. I started off here because the price points for these two pieces of equipment are about the same, and I really enjoyed the fun and energetic sound of the ESS 252 headphones paired with this DAC/amp. My source for all music in this review was my Mac PowerBook Pro with Vox for lossless high def audio and other streaming lossy audio services. Right from the get-go, I could tell the 422Hs offer a completely different sound than the ESS 252 headphones. This is to be expected based on the transducer differences, but I find it interesting that the 422Hs and 252s seem to be targeting different audiophile needs. This targeting is unlike say the Shure in-ear earphones, which basically sound the same with better slightly more or less bass, details, and staging, as you go up the price line.

The 422Hs sound open, airy, detailed and relaxed. With the geek out 1000 driving them, there was only a hint of the forwardness of this amplifier’s sound coming through. Instead, the 422Hs played to some of the geek out 1000’s other characteristics, its speed, detail, and dynamic sound.

From the geek out 1000, I moved over to the Burson HA-1 with the PS Audio Digital Link DAC, and the sound of the 422Hs only got better. Details shined through a bit more, and dynamics and bass solidified and became more dynamic and retained their speed. I found myself switching between songs, how does this sound, oh how about this, what will this sound like? Massive Attack to Dethklok, then to Miles Davis and then to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, next Santana and then to Jennifer Warnes and then to Daft Punk. I had to hear it all! Which may be one of the problems with digital audio at the fingertips, it is so easy to jump around and hit the highlights.

Finally, I moved on to the Pass Labs HA-1 which offers excellent detail and staging, and the 422Hs continued to reveal the quality of the recordings, to the point that some start to expose their flaws. For example, for all the metalheads reading this review (wink wink), the drums on Dethklok’s second album Dethalbum II are not recorded as well as on Dethalbum III, but you’d be hard-pressed to know that when listening from the geek out 1000 or Burson HA-1. But from the Pass Labs, the muddy and unfocused recording of the rumbling and driving drums is revealed, and while this is an audiophile plus, this actually made the album less enjoyable to listen to. It’s kind of like when TV news anchors were shown in HD quality, and we could see more of what they really look like.

But the ESS 422H headphones continued to surprise me in their ability to perform at such levels at this a $199 price. I’ve heard nothing else that compares at the same price point.

Conclusion

The actual sound of the 422Hs is closer to planar style headphones, say the Audeze LCD line or Magneplanar and similar speakers. They offer a coherent soundstage from left to right that sometimes seemed to reach out beyond the enclosures themselves, similar to how open headphones sound. And the highs were crystal clear, maybe a little more forward than the rest of the spectrum, but they were not sharp, or cutting unless they needed to be. For instance, when Miles Davis cuts in on John McLaughlin’s guitar, Billy Cobham on drums and Michael Henderson on bass, it priced and soared as it should and called attention to anyone able to hear, Miles is here, and now you will listen whether you want to or not! But of course, you were listening before because the warm-up jam is from headliners themselves.

If you have been on the fence, looking over the 422Hs as an option for headphones, I say get them now while you can. You’ll be able to upgrade a lot of backing equipment over time before these start to become outclassed. I’m going to be holding on to my review pair!