The HEDD brand is currently hitting the studio monitor market hard. With a bold design and high-precision technology in both speaker acoustics and DSP, the manufacturer is launching a new, highly promising version of the Type 20.
The origins of HEDD: a Berlin parentage expert in transducers
Earlier this year, I discovered and reviewed the HEDD Type 7 MK2 monitor. This time around, I’m looking at their big brother and star of the series, the HEDD Type 20 MK2.
The HEDD brand, far from being one of the best-known on this market, comes to us from Berlin, which could reasonably be called the “European city of monitoring.” In Germany, fabulous microphones have been manufactured for many decades, and this know-how naturally extends to loudspeakers and speakers.
HEDD, a relatively new company (founded in 2015), is closely linked to another Berlin-based monitor brand, Adam Audio, because they share the same creator, M.Heinz, who gives his initial H to the name HEDD. The Type series also includes two smaller models, the 05 and 07, and a larger one, the 30. The first incarnation of the series, including the Type 20, was released in 2017 in the early days of the brand. The Type 20 MK2, which I’m testing here, has been modified and optimized compared to the original (which I haven’t tried).
Tweeters AMT: the technological legacy of Klaus Heinz
The new Type 20 monitor features a three-way in design, including a 7-inch driver, a 4-inch midrange driver, and an AMT (Air Motion Transformer) ribbon tweeter. The latter is a technology first developed by Klaus Heinz at Adam and later adopted by other brands. 
The Type 20 MK2 thus consists of the left and right units, which are non-interchangeable. With a depth of 338 mm (13.3 inches) and a weight of 15 kg (33.1 lbs) each, they are rather imposing physically. The front panel is sober and elegant, featuring the three speakers, a small brand logo on top of LEDs indicating operation or standby, and a bass reflex port. The corners are slightly rounded. The monitors we received were black, but they also come in white.
Loudspeakers closed or open: sound adaptability à la carte
Each monitor is equipped with a SHARC DSP, which enables several parameters to be fine-tuned. For example, a suitable preset exists for each speaker use, Ported or Closed.
The Linearizer is another DSP-specific feature that enables the different frequencies to be aligned over time, based on measurements taken on each unit, to avoid phase shifts and related problems. These and other settings are accessible on the rear panel. There’s also a volume control, notched from –12 dB to +12 dB, and step filters for bass and treble, again notched from –4 dB to +4 dB. An LF Range selector offers the option to extend or restrict low frequencies from 80 Hz for use with a subwoofer. 
You can also choose between a classic analog XLR input or a digital AES input, set the input sensitivity to –10dB or +4dB, or use the Desk Filter. The latter is designed to limit lower-midrange frequencies that may be amplified by the surface on which the speakers rest, and offers three positions: Small, Medium, and Large. A SHARC is a particularly powerful digital processor, and it’s rare for monitor brands to communicate so much about their DSP technology.
Listening test: detailed analysis of Type 20 MK2 sound
After listening to some music on these monitors, I was immediately under their spell. Since I received them unopened, and my experience with the Type 07s in their default configuration was particularly pleasing, I’ll start there. The precision of the spatialization particularly struck me, as did the dissociation of instruments and the perception of different planes in the arrangement and mix, which were all truly admirable. With the speakers placed on the studio console, I activated the Desk crossover in the Small position, and that was enough to rid the spectrum of a slight resonance. I also increased the sensitivity to make the level comparable with our reference listening, the Genelec three-way 1037c.
Audio analysis: Radiohead’s “15 Step”
On the track’s intro, in which the mix wanders across the stereo spectrum from wide to narrow, the pair of Type 20s worked wonders. Providing precision in width and depth, the monitors impressively reproduced the finesse of this arrangement. Set to Closed (as opposed to Ported), the speakers also achieved this level of sharpness and dissociation of all the elements — and this track has many — that make up the recording. The transients were ultra-precise, and the arrival of the electric guitar and then the bass sounded round, sustaining, and just right, without overflowing onto the voice or the rest.
Bass extension tested on “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar
I used this track for testing the low-frequency extension. In the default LF version, bass reproduction is already excellent, and the bass line sounded very coherent, which is not always the case on this track when listening on other monitors. By activating the Extend position, I noticed a slight change on the lowest notes, but the difference remains quite subtle. Since I’m particularly interested in low frequencies, I decided to open the vents, which brought the bass extension into its own. Without being excessive, the deepest bass takes on an impressive breadth. Naturally, opening the speakers also entails a slight setback in terms of precision, transient sharpness, and spatialization, but it remains very convincing all the same.
Low-frequency test: Moderat’s “A New Error”
Our ultimate bass test. On this track, between the bass reflex opening and the downward extension, I found the balance between rhythmic energy and bass depth. I tried a new setting and added some treble with the step filter to open up the snare drums and gain a little air. I started radically, at a +4 dB setting, which was effective to the point of being excessive. Returning to +2 dB produced a very balanced result, with slightly more aggressive transients, which may suit some users.
Le Lineariser: an approach to linear sound via DSP Sharc
The Lineariser is, along with the open/closed duality, the great bold proposition of these monitors and, in particular, of their SHARC DSP. “Linearity" is a kind of utopia in sound, an ideal in which materials and spaces would not disturb or amplify frequencies on their way to our eardrums. It should be noted that this function necessarily entails latency, since to compensate for acoustic delays, the emission of certain frequencies must be delayed. When we listen to the same track — in this case, Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” — with and without linearization, I noticed clear differences, particularly in the transients. The relationship between sustains and transients, and the attacks and envelopes of the various musical events, became more clearly defined.
When the same comparison was made to the first test track, Radiohead’s “15 Step, ” the results became even clearer. The Lineariser, combined with the speaker closure, delivers impressive precision. The selector that allows you to do without it will obviously be useful in applications where latency needs to be kept to a minimum. We would have liked, perhaps, to be able to control the DSP from the computer, without having to go behind the speakers to test the various settings and options. But our discussions with the manufacturer have informed us that this aspect is still under development, and we can expect the digital control possibilities to be extended.