[CanadianMaestro]

Took a look at your profile and it looks like your musical tastes are all-encompassing.  From what I hear, the HE1000s would probably be THE HEADPHONES for your.  Now, as for me, I listen 99% of the time to classical (orchestral, chamber, solo piano, Opera) and it doesn't sound like the HE1000s are the ones for me.  I'm extremely happy with the HD800s and T1s for classical, so it does, indeed, seem like I will not be getting the HE1000s despite my obsessive-compulsive tendencies.  Now, if the classical-music lovers camp starts to rave about the HE1000s with classical, I may be forced to reconsider.

HE560 is excellent for classical incl large scale symph and chorals.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Money, fantastic review, thank you for the effort involved and your detailed analysis! Was going to try and hold off on the HE1k.....my resolve is fading .

 

[Music Alchemist]

Ad hype. Any HP that makes lousy recs sound great is way too colored for me.

 
Lousy recordings sound great to me in the first place.

 
(lol, but really, it depends on the music. Some black metal, for example, you want to sound raw and ugly, so it's to be expected. Whereas with acoustic genres like classical and jazz, you want it to sound like real life, and most of those recordings are high quality to begin with, so it's not as much of an issue.)
 

Money, fantastic review, thank you for the effort involved and your detailed analysis! Was going to try and hold off on the HE1k.....my resolve is fading .

 
#1: I feel the same way. I really want this headphone!
 
#2: Quoting an entire giant wall of text is generally considered discourteous.
 
#3: I had to go back and manually copy/paste what you said to quote you.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  The HD800 is the most uncolored headphone there is.  Anything warmer or brighter than the HD800 is colored (even if slightly colored). 

 
Have you heard the SR-009 and all other flagships? If not, how can you make such a claim?

 

[CanadianMaestro]

I'm with you.  By the way, who is that lovely lady you have as an avatar?

Vivien Leigh.

See my avatar album with photo captions.

 

[rgs9200m]

@money4me247  -- Amazing writing in your review; a great read. Thanks for all the work on that; 'loved it.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm not sure what the fervent defense of the HD800's sound sig is about. Its not a neutral headphone, out of the box. There's a 6k spike many know of and have heard that makes the treble edgy and sibilant. It really messes with cymbal rides and other dynamic musical phenomena in that frequency range.

In addition to that spike, the treble square wave has a nasty overshoot that, to many, creates a sense of quick transients. In practice, it means that sibilants (Fs, Ts, Ss) take a rampant bee line to the center of the image at times.

I think what we're confusing here is whether the HD800 is REVEALING, or if it's neutral. Its close, but it is definitely not neutral. It's resolving, spacious, and quick. Great for what people call "reference" music (although there is plenty of well-mastered modern music), but still flawed.

This isn't to say that the HE1000 is perfect. It isn't. But it fits a space that many audiophiles have yearned for. A true, reference all-rounder. Not a paragon in everything, but definitely a great option for most any genre. That, in and of itself, is the most important thing about the HE1000. Not syrupy, but not sibilant. Not punchy, but not flabby. At least with my beta unit, I've heard something new to the Flagship world. A veritable audio swiss army knife, and a pretty one at that.

Kojaku

 
I know I'm sounding like a broken record here...but can you list the ways the HE1000 sounds more accurate to you than the HD 800, and vice versa? Since I will probably wait until much later to get the SR-009, my buying decision is basically between the HE1000 and HD 800. (As mentioned earlier, I might be able to hear them side by side soon.)

 

[preproman]

 
Quote:

 

Hifiman HE1000 (beta) Review by money4me247

1.  

 
 
Good in-depth review.  Lots of information..
 
A few things?
 
I noticed you kept calling the 560s a flagship.  Did I miss something I thought the HE-6 was the flagship?
 
About the midrange.  If you didn't notice any midrange magic off the bat and you refer to the midrange as somewhat recessed on certain music - may not be a good thing for current HE-6 owners.  IMO the HE-6 midrange is a few levels up when compared to the 560.  If the HE1000 is not better than the 560 in that area, that may be of some concern. 
 
I know U-shape sound sigs are fun to listen to, I enjoy the TH900s and the HE-4 for their U-Shape sound sig.  I for one would hope this is not the case with the HE1000.  IMO this would make the HE1000 a fun headphone oppose to a reference headphone.  Or maybe it's a reference fun headphone. 
 

   
Since people are asking for SR009 comparisons, can I just chime in and say I agree with that impression (with the KGSSHV). I also find the HD800 (modded with rug liner, no dust cover) more transparent, in terms of absolutely realism. 
 
Some might not get it with lesser amps. I certainly think the HE1000 sounds better than my HD800 when driven with a cheap amp or, hmmm, out of my motherboard. The HE1000 is easy to drive but scales with better equipment. But it doesn't suck with lesser equipment like the HD800 does. Oh god, I dread thinking about how the HD800 sounded off my Little Dot MKIV.....

 
 
lo..
 
How can any headphone be considered transparent with a rug liner mod on it?  Logically speaking it seems that would muffle the sound and the windows becomes not as clear.    Just asking...

 

[Cotnijoe]

 
 
I noticed you kept calling the 560s a flagship.  Did I miss something I thought the HE-6 was the flagship?
 

 
I wont comment on the other questions since they were directed at other individuals. But the HE560 was the flagship of HIFIMAN in terms of their new line of incoming headphones until the HE1000. The HE6 was due to be discontinued and, of course, has since been discontinued.
 
EDIT: Also lets try to keep the HD800 discussions to a minimum unless when directly comparing it to the HE1000, as this is the official HE1000 impression thread that HIFIMAN does not want cluttered up. We should respect that.

 

[Music Alchemist]

 

About the midrange.  If you didn't notice any midrange magic off the bat and you refer to the midrange as somewhat recessed on certain music - may not be a good thing for current HE-6 owners.  IMO the HE-6 midrange is a few levels up when compared to the 560.  If the HE1000 is not better than the 560 in that area, that may be of some concern.   
I know U-shape sound sigs are fun to listen to, I enjoy the TH900s and the HE-4 for their U-Shape sound sig.  I for one would hope this is not the case with the HE1000.  IMO this would make the HE1000 a fun headphone oppose to a reference headphone.  Or maybe it's a reference fun headphone. 

 
What I got from his review is that the bass and treble are just so special that the mids seem to be recessed even if they're not, most of the time. I could be wrong, though...but I would not want to spend thousands of dollars on a headphone with significant colorations.
 

How can any headphone be considered transparent with a rug liner mod on it?  Logically speaking it seems that would muffle the sound and the windows becomes not as clear.    Just asking...

 
The rug liner mod is a popular option for HD 800 owners to tame the treble and make it sound more accurate -- at least to those who use it.

 

[Kojaku]

I know I'm sounding like a broken record here...but can you list the ways the HE1000 sounds more accurate to you than the HD 800, and vice versa? Since I will probably wait until much later to get the SR-009, my buying decision is basically between the HE1000 and HD 800. (As mentioned earlier, I might be able to hear them side by side soon.)

It'll be a bit for me personally.I'm a working man and since starting writing articles for Tyll again, I have even less time for head-fi impressions.

I'll say that the most readily apparent difference in favor of the HE1000, relative to the HD800, is the bass character and extension. It isn't nearly so punchy as the HD800, but that's largely because the roll-off on the 800s leads to a slight mid-bass accentuation that makes the headphone push a bit more air instead of filling the tone out with sub-bass. The HE1000 definitely pushes further down and presents a more "enveloping" bass image than the HD800's comparatively more centralized bass presentation.

The treble is more of an issue of character rather than resolution. Both are extremely resolving, though the treble peaks on the 800s may deceive a number of folks into thinking it's got better treble resolution. The difference is that the HD800 has a more energetic treble presentation. It's slightly accentuated. The HE1000 has a very natural treble quality, with a bit less decay than would be desired, but still close. I take my stand on treble here by reminding people that a natural treble presentation never HURT anyone. Peaky treble has legitimately hurt my ears physically.

As far as mids go, that's an entirely different animal. Mids don't get the nuance of reviewer commentary that the more polar frequencies get. Liquid, smooth, and recessed are the three words that get tossed around in abundance when talking about mids. I'll save this section for my full impressions. As of right now, I am primarily hearing a difference in presentation rather than actual tonality. More time needed for this section, though.

Not comprehensive impressions, by any means, but that'll come soon.

Kojaku

 

[Music Alchemist]

It'll be a bit for me personally.I'm a working man and since starting writing articles for Tyll again, I have even less time for head-fi impressions.

I'll say that the most readily apparent difference in favor of the HE1000, relative to the HD800, is the bass character and extension. It isn't nearly so punchy as the HD800, but that's largely because the roll-off on the 800s leads to a slight mid-bass accentuation that makes the headphone push a bit more air instead of filling the tone out with sub-bass. The HE1000 definitely pushes further down and presents a more "enveloping" bass image than the HD800's comparatively more centralized bass presentation.

The treble is more of an issue of character rather than resolution. Both are extremely resolving, though the treble peaks on the 800s may deceive a number of folks into thinking it's got better treble resolution. The difference is that the HD800 has a more energetic treble presentation. It's slightly accentuated. The HE1000 has a very natural treble quality, with a bit less decay than would be desired, but still close. I take my stand on treble here by reminding people that a natural treble presentation never HURT anyone. Peaky treble has legitimately hurt my ears physically.

As far as mids go, that's an entirely different animal. Mids don't get the nuance of reviewer commentary that the more polar frequencies get. Liquid, smooth, and recessed are the three words that get tossed around in abundance when talking about mids. I'll save this section for my full impressions. As of right now, I am primarily hearing a difference in presentation rather than actual tonality. More time needed for this section, though.

Not comprehensive impressions, by any means, but that'll come soon.

Kojaku

 
Very informative! But...not the type of info that could help me choose one over the other.

 

[preproman]

   
I wont comment on the other questions since they were directed at other individuals. But the HE560 was the flagship of HIFIMAN in terms of their new line of incoming headphones until the HE1000. The HE6 was due to be discontinued and, of course, has since been discontinued.
 
EDIT: Also lets try to keep the HD800 discussions to a minimum unless when directly comparing it to the HE1000, as this is the official HE1000 impression thread that HIFIMAN does not want cluttered up. We should respect that.

That's not correct.  When the 560 came out the HE-6 was still in production and was still the flagship.  This is something the 560 owners made up. 
 
Edit:  With all due respect - Please don't police me.  That's what the moderators are for.

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Guys, just saying...money4me247 is literally the only person who has made any meaningful contribution to this impressions thread for the past 6 pages.
 
Please, PLEASE keep the comments on-topic. I don't want to have to ban anyone from this thread.

 

[rawrster]

That's not correct.  When the 560 came out the HE-6 was still in production and was still the flagship.  This is something the 560 owners made up. 

Edit:  With all due respect - Please don't police me.  That's what the moderators are for.

I never saw that when I was doing research on the he560. Anyway I bought the he560 some months ago so pretty recent and don't think the he6 was discontinued then yet.