Time to get the ball rolling. Just came back from the mini meet (with Dr. Fang Bian, to whom I'd like to give a big thanks for hosting) at the SoHo Trump Hotel in Manhattan. Up for tryouts were these:
Source: HIFIMAN HM901S and HIFIMAN Dock-1
Amp: HIFIMAN EF1000
Headphone: HIFIMAN HE1000
I will mostly be doing impressions of the HE1000 as I barely listened to the source and my reviews of amps are hard for me to do once it gets so high end....
HE1000:
1. Warmer than the HD800, and much more involving as well. Soundstage and imaging were spot on (I mean
really, I was impressed) although as one head-fi'er wrote the HD800's maybe has a bit more separation, in my opinion its unnecessary as the HE1000 does the job very well and still manages to be a friendly headphone. Seems to be a class above the HD800's overall.
2. Was truly impressed with the synergy between the EF1000 and HE1000, most definitely a solid match to my ears. As the saying goes, it really opened up a whole new level of detail and clarity, and it really makes you rediscover your music collection again.
3. Like was said before, a truly comfortable headphone despite the tremendous size. Weight isn't specifically light or heavy, but all is forgotten once it's on your head.
4. Very fast, much more so than most headphones I've listened to. More like an electrostatic than a planar's speed, although this could be just me rambling. Edit: Credits go to
@rrahman for that one, if he's who I'm identifying him with.
5. As is expected from a flagship, supreme and excellent sound. Once again, very friendly without losing out on
any details, accuracy, soundstage, and most definitely is not what I would call "colored". Very enjoyable, like actually being at the concert instead of listening to a recording.
Very 3d, and you can easily tell where each instrument is without any hesitation. I do believe it's more of a "large room" feel than a hall, but with such 3d abilities over any other headphone I've tried, I'm not sure there is one that does the job better than this. Bass, mids, and highs seem balanced to a Tee as well. Definitely no unwelcome bumps of any frequency sort that I can think of.
6. Can't comment on comparison to any of the LCD's, don't have any. But I hope that others can fill in this slot.
7. And the most surprising of all, is that although you need an amp to get the most out of these headphones, it really doesn't sound half bad without one. Ohm rating I expect to be super low, as my Shozy Alien drove these power-wise without any problem (i.e. has enough power). The Shozy has power problems driving cans rated above 50-60 ohms, so I'm surprised these were driven so effortlessly. Of course, without an amp, some of the details
will be lost in a perfect recording, but you can definitely expect to enjoy your music until you muster the money to buy one, if you don't have one yet
Be warned: if you are using an amp, do yourself a favor a use a good one. I tried an O2 with these with quite unpleasant results. Not anywhere as picky as the HD800's to my knowledge, but use common sense.
That's it! Pictures and impressions welcome here!
