Massdrop Announces HE-35X Collaboration with HiFiMAN

If you’re familiar with Massdrop then you’ll likely be well aware of their numerous collaborations with audio companies such as Sennheiser, MEE Audio, Foxtex, AKG, and HiFiMAN.
Speaking of the latter, Massdrop have just announced a new product that is in the works which is yet another result of a collaboration between themselves and HiFiMAN, and it’s called the HE-35X.

Meet the HE-35X

In much the same way that the HD6XX is based on Sennheiser’s HD650, the HE-35X is based on HiFiMAN’s HE-350 in typical “Massdrop Made” fashion.
In the case of the HE-35X, it incorporates the exact same 50mm dynamic drivers which were used in the original HE-350, but have undergone some slight retuning.
According to Massdrop, by utilising a specially-designed high-pass filtering-circuit in each earcup (electronics) they’ve managed to smooth out the overall signature, mainly by bringing more balance to the treble response.But, the improvements don’t just stop there as the comfort of the HE-35X has been taken care of by using the same angled hybrid-earpads found on the HE-400i. More importantly, however, is the fact that they’ve addressed some robustness issues too.
The yokes have been reinforced with internal metal structures to add some much-needed strength to a particular weak-spot. Moreover, the removable cable now uses the considerably more durable 3.5mm connector size. 

 

Pricing and Availability

So, how much do you think an improved version of the HE-350 should cost? the original had an MSRP of $100, so surely an improved version would cost somewhere along the $150 – $200 mark, right?Well, since the HE-35X is technically still in the manufacturing phase, Massdrop have reduced the price as a launch special for just $90 (excluding shipping and applicable taxes) which will last until either the 18th of April 2019, or until the first 750 units have been sold. The regular price will be $120. Just click here to go straight to the drop page.
However, the wait is probably what might turn many people off as the earliest estimated shipping date would be the 28th of August 2019.