Official HIFIMAN HE1000 Impressions Thread

[zeissiez]

 

  Anyone try the he1000 with a Woo Audio WA22?

 
I'm a HUGE fan of the HE1000s (you can refer to my review in my sig. to see how big 

 a fan I am), but I would suggest that there might be problematic synergy with the softer sounding WA22 (used to own for a while). It's great at rounding off the harsher edges of say the T1s or HD800s, but the HE1000s need no such rounding.

 
Agreed, I found the HE1000 to match better with solid state amps with good soundstage depth and layering, and a more forward and dynamic sound. Among the amps I had tried, EF-6 and FP030 which were solid state amps, and the AT-HA5050 which was a tube hybrid, I liked the FP030 best. The AT-HA5050 was too warm, even though it didn't sound too warm on my HD800. I think solid state is generally better for the HE1000, but I am looking for a tube-amp with solid state punch and transient edges, and take advantage of soundstage depth and air that only good tube amps can provide. Any suggestions?

 

[goldendarko]

   
Agreed, I found the HE1000 to match better with solid state amps with good soundstage depth and layering, and a more forward and dynamic sound. Among the amps I had tried, EF-6 and FP030 which were solid state amps, and the AT-HA5050 which was a tube hybrid, I liked the FP030 best. The AT-HA5050 was too warm, even though it didn't sound too warm on my HD800. I think solid state is generally better for the HE1000, but I am looking for a tube-amp with solid state punch and transient edges, and take advantage of soundstage depth and air that only good tube amps can provide. Any suggestions?

Studio Six is one tube amp that is generally regarding as not "tubey" sounding but rather closer to top end SS amps.

 

[doctorjazz]

I'd say the MicroZOTL2 would fit the bill, solid state bass and detail minus a certain solid state haze, open, clear. Great HEK match imo (love it with my acs Encores as well).

 

[Alessandro1]

English version of the the original italian review:
 
http://www.stereo-head.it/2015/09/hifiman-he1000-we-are-in-the-theater-english-review/
 
 

 
 

 

 
compared to HD800, HE6, LCDX, LCD2.2...

 

[zeissiez]

 

   
Agreed, I found the HE1000 to match better with solid state amps with good soundstage depth and layering, and a more forward and dynamic sound. Among the amps I had tried, EF-6 and FP030 which were solid state amps, and the AT-HA5050 which was a tube hybrid, I liked the FP030 best. The AT-HA5050 was too warm, even though it didn't sound too warm on my HD800. I think solid state is generally better for the HE1000, but I am looking for a tube-amp with solid state punch and transient edges, and take advantage of soundstage depth and air that only good tube amps can provide. Any suggestions?

Studio Six is one tube amp that is generally regarding as not "tubey" sounding but rather closer to top end SS amps.

 
I heard the Studio Six once with a HUGO as DAC and with a pair of HD800. It's has solid state kind of control, and it doesn't sound lush or tubey like many other tubeamps, but it's has a full body/meaty sound. But somehow I felt the soundstage wasn't as big as some other tubeamps, I wonder if it's due to the amp or the DAC. 
 

I'd say the MicroZOTL2 would fit the bill, solid state bass and detail minus a certain solid state haze, open, clear. Great HEK match imo (love it with my acs Encores as well).

 
Hmmm..... I gotta to try that.

 

[jhljhl]

   
I'm a HUGE fan of the HE1000s (you can refer to my review in my sig. to see how big 

 a fan I am), but I would suggest that there might be problematic synergy with the softer sounding WA22 (used to own for a while). It's great at rounding off the harsher edges of say the T1s or HD800s, but the HE1000s need no such rounding.

Thanks. 
 
It's probably been discussed... But how does the HE1000 compare to the LCD3f and HD800?

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
Thanks. 
 
It's probably been discussed... But how does the HE1000 compare to the LCD3f and HD800?

 
I still haven't heard the -3F, sorry so I can't comment. But I do prefer the HE1000s to the HD800s.

 

[jhljhl]

   
I still haven't heard the -3F, sorry so I can't comment. But I do prefer the HE1000s to the HD800s.

I read your nice review so I have a ballpark.  Surprised you haven't heard the 3f yet -you seemed to listened to quite a lot of the best stuff.

 

[MacedonianHero]

 
I read your nice review so I have a ballpark.  Surprised you haven't heard the 3f yet -you seemed to listened to quite a lot of the best stuff.

 
Lol, go figure...that's the only Audeze I haven't heard/owned. 

 

[money4me247]

  Thanks. It's probably been discussed... But how does the HE1000 compare to the LCD3f and HD800?

I prefer the HE-1k over the LCD-3F from a side-by-side comparison. The HE-1k has a larger soundstage, more precise imaging, better note separation, sense of faster speed, better bass extension, tighter bass notes, and more well-balanced sound signature imo. The LCD-3 has a subtle increase in midrange smoothness, a bit more mid-centric sound signature, a tad bit more decay/reverb to its bass response, and a more organic presentation.
 
I do feel like the HE-1k is the better technical performer, but the LCD-3 has specific sound signature and very liquid sensation that some people may prefer.
 
hope this is helpful.

 

[Sorrodje]

 
Thanks. 
 
It's probably been discussed... But how does the HE1000 compare to the LCD3f and HD800?

 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/a/list-of-major-hifiman-he1000-reviews-impressions-and-videos  You'll probably find some insightful inputs there. 

 

[phaeton70]

  So I did a side by side comparison of the HE-1000 and the HE-6, and I now feel what the soft bass of the HE-1000 meant. I really enjoyed the hard hitting bass on the HE-6, although the bass on the HE-1000 was deeper. Not sure how to get over this or if this can be fixed with a different source..

well, sorry, I have to respectfully disagree here.... my HE1000 is driven by a Taurus MKII (around 6W at the HE1000 load), and my HE6 is driven by a Pass X150.5 (directly connected to the loudspeaker taps, around 20W at the H6 load), and I do find that the bass of the HE1000 is superior under any circumstances. by far more extended (sub-bass, HE1000 really seems to be a good big bold subwoofer sometimes), much better texture/resolution, similar to slighlty better speed (here it is where HE6 is closer), much better impact if you consider the overall musical message (i.e.including sub-bass). last point I think could be a little misleading... sometimes when you don't have sub-bass, the reproduction seems to be more impactful, but it's just a false perception due to a lack of sub-bass.... of course, everything above IMVVHO
 
I primarly listen to jazz, fusion, blues and some rock PF-like, altough almost never listen to electronic/dance and similar

 

[jerg]

 Finally got around to wrapping up my review / modding write-up for these cans. Whoo! 

 
 
 
 
 
HIFIMAN HE1000 Review & Modification Notes
Head Gear Review link
 

 
 
 
Allow me to preface this write-up by saying, this review has taken a while to materialize largely due to personal reasons (busy time in my life with graduate school deadlines).
 
I decided to embed my notes about potential modifications within the review rather than make a separate post or thread about it, as they are in my opinion fairly straight-forward mods that don’t need their own personal spotlight.
 
Hope everyone has an enjoyable read.
 
 
 
Durability, Design, & Ergonomics
 
HE1K is made from a premium set of materials. Its headband assembly is fully brushed steel and aluminum. The headband strap is genuine leather, while the headphone cups are a combination of aluminum and relatively thick shaped wood veneer. The pads are either lambskin or premium grade pleather, it feels very good either way. The finish on these cans is commendable especially when looking back at older Hifiman cans. Everything on HE1K lines up in symmetry, all gimbals and pivots are smooth, the brushed finish on all the aluminum parts are nice and even, the wood is 99% seamless to the adjacent metal on the cups, with the veneer edge being only a bit frayed near where they shear off at the connectors; I do contemplate getting some wood wax to help preserve the wood in the long term though, as that is not included. Personally, I am quite satisfied with these earpads, they are impeccable, and certainly a lot nicer-finished than the Focus pads that go with HE400i/560.
 
As far as I can tell, I don’t see any weakpoint in the physical build of these headphones, it’s a very robust design from top to bottom. Even the connectors are 2.5mm plug-n-play stereo jacks rather than the old SMC screw-on connectors favoured in the past by Hifiman; meaning if you accidentally yank the cables hard, they should give way before damaging the connectors. As long as the drivers with nm-thin diaphragms themselves hold up the test of time, I think these headphones will last a good long while.
 
With regards to ergonomics and comfort, I am for the most part, floored. Beta testers including myself raised the issue with headband not accommodating smaller sized heads, and that was remedied in production units. Other than that, these are share the top spot for most comfortable full-sized cans I’ve ever tried, alongside HD800s (the HE1K headband is more comfortable than HD800’s, on my head) and HE-audio Jades. HE560s are already quite comfortable, but HE1000s improve the comfort on 2 fronts: 1. The headband is full of perforations which keep the head cooler over long sessions, 2. The sheer size and reverse-teardrop-shape of the cups mean my ears have plenty of space.
 
Now let’s get on the sound…
 
 
 
Sound Quality Analysis
 
Treble
 
HE1K’s treble is ultra-detailed, tonally neutral with moderate smoothness. It possesses great treble texture, which is shown through the ability for me to discern the physical nuances of vocals (the rasp, the smack of the tongue and lips, the wheeze of the airway and lungs, etc) and instruments (crunch and ribbed texture of guitar strings, crystalline twang of the piano keys, metallic sounds, etc) in critical listening on these headphones.
 
However, I do think HE1000 sometimes shows a slight loss of treble cohesion, especially apparent with some vocal tracks at loud volumes. This lack of constant treble coherency is the only tangible gripe I can come up with HE1K’s sound.
 
Modding angle
 
A way I found even tracing back to HE560 modding, was that the spashiness / incohesion of treble in the case of that headphone (and homologously, of HE1K) is at least partly due to some form of chamber resonance. The shelf-liner mod works quite well here also, to dampen the treble “splashiness” without attenuating or filtering out treble detail.
 
Simply trace out the driver onto a template, and trim out a shelf-liner disc using this template, be sure to trim the disc ½-inch smaller around the circumference, to compensate for the baffles (you want to tuck the shelf liner disc under the baffles, so that the earpad clips will lock down the disc).
The type of shelf liner? Check my HE560 mod details (signature).
 
This modification readily reduces the splashiness that is sometimes present in HE1K’s treble, enough so that it’s no longer a point of contention to my ears.  At the same time, the tonal balance stays exactly as is, the shelf-liner does not seem to be reducing or boosting specific frequency ranges.
 
 
Midrange
 
The midrange on HE1Ks retains the classical Hifiman house sound (flat in the low mids, dips somewhat in the low~mid midrange (at 2kHz), and increases again at the upper mids and beyond) in midrange tone, but stays fairly close to neutral. Subjectively, HE1K’s midrange tuning strikes a balance between being full-sounding and spacious/ethereal, which to my ears is a very likeable tonal compromise.
 
Now this ties into the Imaging/layer separation section, but the sheer ability for HE1K drivers to effortlessly discern layering in music grants the midrange great presence and realism
 
 
Bass
 
The driver/earpad enclosure is able to produce large-sounding bass that succeeds in extending out of the headstage, almost subwoofer-like in projection, has its own presence independent of the rest of the frequency range.
 
HE1Ks have fantastic control in bass / sub-bass tautness. It presents really superb physicality, and is able to play its own part cleanly in complex layered tracks, while still seamlessly blending into lower midrange in more cohesive music. Personally this is the most enjoyable bass response I have heard from any headphones; simply put, these cans do bass great justice in all genres of music.
 
Modding angle
 
By modifying the earpads so that they are more angled (described in detail in the next segment – Imaging & Headstaging), it does in part allow the drivers to be distanced slightly further from the ears; as well as increase the firmness of the earpads to a small extent which improves the fit and seal. The first factor contributes to a slightly punchier bass (more mid-bass grunt). The second factor adds a tad more control and groundedness to the lowest frequencies (more sub-bass conduction and better seal).
 
 
Imaging & Headstaging
 
HE1K’s 3D imaging is spectacular in some aspects, interesting in others. It possesses a very clean diagonal and lateral imaging, but frontal imaging is slightly fuzzy.
 
These drivers boast one of the most competent layer separations I’ve heard from headphones, accentuated by the physicality of HE1K’s sound signature.
 
The headstaging is convincingly out-of-the-head, but biases toward stronger lateral than frontal projection of audio cues.
 
Modding angle
 
A simple modification to increase the angling of the earpads is to trace the outer- and inner-edges of the undersides of the earpads onto 1/16-inch creatology foam, and trim out the back-facing half of the foam. This foam insert can further be tweaked in terms of its thickness (you could trim out another foam crescent and glue to this, for instance) as well as coverage (whether you want more or less of the earpad circumference elevated by this foam insert).
 
This earpad-angling mod allows for a more natural angling of the HE1k drivers facing toward the user’s ears, which I find helps with centre-staging, and makes lateral imaging more natural – rather than audio cues biasing toward the far left and right, now they have more dimensionality panning diagonally to the ears.
 
 
Dynamic Range, Transient Speed, & Misc. Capabilities
 
Synergistic with its exquisite layering capability, HE1K has a very respectable dynamic range, observed both from tracks with quiet / loud segments, and complex tracks with simultaneous low/high volume information.
 
Their drivers are extremely fast in terms of speed, sounds and cues simply materialize and disappear on a dime; this trait contributes greatly to the naturalness and believability to HE1K’s presentation.
 
It has a well-rounded transient edge (stronger ‘attack’ than most headphones I’ve owned or tried), but retains a sense of sweetness to the sound that allows for comfortably long listening sessions as well. Midrange transients feel stronger than treble transients. The end result is a somewhat relaxed but technically top-tier sound
 
I Find HE1K’s drivers to have good power-handling, and largely holds its beans together when I crank the volume way up. Bass and mids simply ramp up in volume without much strain in the SQ, as does the treble though maybe with a slight loss of treble cohesion.
 
 
 
Summary & Conclusions
 
What do I feel about HE1Ks after several months of listening and tweaking? Simply put, it is the most “safe” and “assuring” flagship headphone in my personal experience to date.
 
These headphones in stock form do not possess attributes, sonic or physical, that beckon doubt from me. Every aspect and trait of the headphone ranges from at worst exceptional, to at best unmatched. With some relatively low-effort mods, the headphones are further pushed up the chain to a degree of sonic finesse that I no longer need to listen to the headphones and analyze and admire the sound quality, instead, I can actually enjoy the music with zero insecurities about the performance of the transducers.
 
My mods are performance-driven, and I have a hyper-critical ear for sonic performance, and it’s rare that I can put on a pair of headphones and go, “I’m utterly okay with these now!” HE1Ks with a few simple tweaks are actually that.
 
 
 
Jerg
Sept. '15

 

[saidentary]

Excellent review.  I took the liberty of posting its link in the "List of major HiFiMan HE1000 reviews, impressions and videos" wiki.

 

[richard51]

its all praise for the hifiman he 1000...( jerg is no newby in this field ) certainly a wonderful headphone... i am curious about a comparison with the Odin kennerton... On some french forum its all praise for the Odin ( no comparison with the HEK they said )... I am curious of a future match... i dont have the money to buy one or the other, certainly not these two...i only want to give a try and read the opinion of mature audiophile ...