A Pair of Kalis You Can Take Anywhere.
The HP-1 is a professional over-ear studio headphone for music production, mixing, gaming, and everyday listening. With 3 selectable voicings, the HP-1 gives you a neutral, accurate view of your mix, and also allows you to check how your work will sound on the most popular headphones in use today. Quality-of-life features like Bluetooth, noise cancelling, and 40 hours of battery life make the HP-1 a fantastic all-around headphone.
Starting at $199
Selectable Tuning Modes
The HP-1 is made to help you check how your work will sound on the headphones and other systems that people are ultimately listening on. With the press of a button, you can switch between:
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Studio is a transparent, accurate tuning that will translate faithfully. |
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Bass Heavy is a fun voicing similar to headphones that are popular with hip-hop fans and producers. |
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Consumer mimics headphones sold alongside smartphones and tablets. The tuning is natural, balanced, and unobtrusive. |
“Why is the curve so lumpy?” Great question. Headphones and loudspeakers measure very differently. Loudspeaker measurements make intuitive sense: a straight line more or less correlates to better performance. With headphones, the interaction between the headphones and the listener’s body complicates the measurement data. Simply put: a headphone that measures “flat” or “linear” will not sound very good, nor will the sound in the headphone translate well to other systems.
This has caused some vexation for headphone designers. If the goal is not linear response, what is the goal? Fortunately, a lot of research has been conducted in this field, and there is wide agreement[1]as to the general shape [2] the frequency response curve should take[3]. Although different sources provide additional nuance, the broad consensus is this:
Headphones should have some boost in the LF, rolling off around the low mids (~200 Hz.)
There should be another broad boost in the high mids, centered around ~3500 Hz.
The high frequencies should roll off sharply from about 10kHz to 20 kHz
To put this another way, if your headphones measure flat, you will hear:
Anemic bass
Overly pronounced midrange
Dull upper mids into the HF region
A shrill, piercing upper octave
The goal of the HP-1, as with all of Kali’s products, is to present a neutral reference that you can trust for translation of your mixes. Critical reception of these headphones reinforces our point: these headphones sound great and are an excellent tool for anyone who is mixing.
To see the difference between studio mode and the other two tunings, use the drop-down menu in the above graph (where it says “raw measurement data”) and select “Normalized to Studio Mode.” This will show you where the other two tunings are boosting and cutting certain frequencies relative to the neutral sound of Kali’s studio mode tuning.
Quality Of Life
The HP-1 isn’t just a studio headphone. Because of the DSP chip processing the different tunings, the HP-1 also has quality of life features to make it a great headphone for casual listening and when you’re on the go!
Wired or Wireless Connection
Connect the included headphone cable for higher fidelity or use Bluetooth for on-the-go convenience. As your everyday headphone, getting used to the sound of the HP-1 will help you make better, more confident mixing decisions.
Active Noise Cancelling
When it’s loud out, engage ANC to block out the outside world.
Bluetooth Controls
Buttons on the headphone allow you to adjust level, go forward and back, and even pick up calls!
40+ Hour Battery Life
Get at least 40 hours of playback out of a single charge, then recharge with the included USB-C cable.
Premium Experience
With a comfortable vegan leather headband, replaceable vegan leather earcups, and an included carrying case, the HP-1 looks and feels as good as it sounds.
Specifications
Type | Wireless/Wired |
Open/Closed | Closed |
Fit Style | Circumnaural (Around the Ear) |
Driver Size | 40mm |
Noise Attenuation | Active Noise Cancelling |
Frequency Response | 18 Hz - 22 kHz |
DSP Latency | 17 ms |
DSP Bypassable | No |
Connectivity | Bluetooth (AAC, SBC) 3.5mm stereo plug USB-C for charging |
Controls | Button Controls |
Built-in Mic | Yes |
Features | Reference tunings for popular headphones Wireless Calling Play/Pause/Next/Previous Controls |
Power | Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery |
Battery Life | 40+ Hours |
Foldable | Yes |
Color | Black |
Carrying Case | Yes |
Replaceable Earpads | Yes |
In the Box | HP-1 Headphone USB-C Charging Cable 3.5 mm cable 3.5 mm to ¼-inch headphone adapter |
Weight | .4 lbs (150g) |
Height | 7.75 Inches (19.7 cm), Adjustable |