I'd get the (new-er) Hifiman HE1000 Stealth and never look back. I am almost exclusively (let's say 97%) a classical listener and it's one of the best I've heard at any price... And it can be had for less than your budget.
Second that, I recently got the HEK Stealth for $1399 and the stage, clarity, spacing, depth is truly great for large halls and music with a lot going on like classical. Im a rock and jazz guy but have sampled some classical and they put everything in its right place. Won’t need to upgrade for many years unless I hit the lottery!
HE1000V2 non-stealth is an end-game classical & movie score headphone. The HE1000V3 Stealth just added more 12K, shrunk the soundstage, made it more efficient but also a lot brighter.
HE1000 SE if you can swing the extra money and are okay with applying some EQ to tame it's ridiculous highs. I've seen some crazy recommends in this thread so I'm hoping you're steered in the right direction.
HE1000V2 non-stealth is an end-game classical & movie score headphone. The HE1000V3 Stealth just added more 12K, shrunk the soundstage, made it more efficient but also a lot brighter.
HE1000 SE if you can swing the extra money and are okay with applying some EQ to tame it's ridiculous highs. I've seen some crazy recommends in this thread so I'm hoping you're steered in the right direction.
Recently I got the HE1000V2 Stealth and althought it is a good headphone, It sounded a bit harsh and with artificial timbre when compared side by side with the HD800s.
Overall I think that the HE1k V2 stealth could be a better all rounder with some EQ, but I think that the HD800s is better suited as a specialist for classical.
Recently I got the HE1000V2 Stealth and althought it is a good headphone, It sounded a bit harsh and with artificial timbre when compared side by side with the HD800s.
Overall I think that the HE1k V2 stealth could be a better all rounder with some EQ, but I think that the HD800s is better suited as a specialist for classical.
Thanks @chesebert. Can you explain why you added Focal Clear OG to your list?
How would you comapre them with ATH-AWKT? I am thinking about buying ATH, but I read that they suffer from microphony.
AWKT is an acquired taste. AWAS is more approachable. I have both and prefer the AWKT. I wouldn't mess with these two if you're not familiar with AT's house sound.
Fair. I never heard the HE1K V2 but It has a lot of followers, that's why I was expecting the Stealth one to be amazing, but it only ended being good for me, which it isn't enough for me at this point, so I didn't keep it.
I also disliked the HD800s the first time that I heard on a store, but later I bought one and it became on of my reference HPs. It has It flaws and it's not the best for modern music (does ok with EQ). But it really shines with other genres.
Anyways, I would try to get my hands on an OG V2 in the future.
HE1000 Stealth delivers an accurate,natural stage. When you listen to great opera recordings the stage is huge, if you listen to classic jazz the stage is big, if you listen to pop/rock the stage is spherical but with good dimensions.
Also the HEKstealth is better with vocals that the SE version . Its superior dynamics,base and sub base make it better for big , powerful,dark orchestral recordings.
I do take the high treble down a bit with eq on mine but i have eq presets for all my headphones and iem's. For me the treble extension on the HEK Stealth is a like a very nice feature that i tend to turn off with eq when listening to classical music .
for the past few years the HEK v2 was my favorite choice of the Oval HFM under the Susvara. It is softer in the treble than the Stealth, but on my Gumby it’s too soft, and won’t be nasty when the music is. It also has an unnaturally huge panoramic stage. It’s not a problem for most music I listen too but it doesn’t do intimate.
The Stealth has a smaller more natural stage that gets close to intimate, but make no mistake it is still big. It has better bass under 70 Hz than the v2. More sub bass, better impact, and better timbre. It is bright around 6k, and a small dip of the parametric will do away with it. Also like many HFM it tends to get a little bright above 12k. Many/most men over 45 probably won’t have a problem with the over 12k thing.
The newer 800S are supposed to have better bass than the original 800 or earlier S. There is a precision/exact placement to them that is unique and all planars that I have heard are not as specific.
On the outer rim of cost there are estats and ribbons that IMO exceed any planar or dynamic for classical.
Hi pompal, great choice IMO! I love my HEK Stealths but note to give them a healthy break in period. Yes they sound good off the bat but after 40 hours you will appreciate the improvement and over 100 hours you will have difficulty parting with them when it’s bed time!
Given that this thread is focused on classical music, I was surprised to find no closed-back and/or ANC headphone recommendations (and only one mention). Given the large dynamic range of classical music, I feel that lowering external noise is even more important than for other genres.
So, with that in mind, does anyone here have closed-back and/or ANC headphone recommendations specifically for classical music, especially orchestral works?
These are very popular phones - and very decent on any view. However, if like me, you ultimately find them a little 'synthetic' in their presentation of acoustic music, I would suggest you try any of the Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica or Focal dynamic phones at a price you can live with. They're readily available - and will give you an idea whether you prefer the presentation of dynamic phones. I listen to classical music - and much prefer dynamic phones - to my ear they better capture the timbre of acoustic instruments.
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