[complin]

 
Not sure if that's sarcasm, but it's hilarious !

 
No No its the head-fi hype train getting up a head of steam and is about to leave the station, so book your ticket or get on board   

 

[Jalo]

I've been reading up on gossamer membrane and find some interesting read. This comes from a thesis:

"Gossamer membranes are large, ultra light weight, highly flexible thin films. They have been proposed for use as elements in systems such as solar sails and optical apertures, whose large areas require a low-mass material that can be launched in a compact package and then deployed to operational configuration upon reaching orbit. Many of the proposed applications require that the film possess a flat, wrinkle-free surface. Surface wrinkle configuration is determined, in part, by the method used to support the film."

"Gossamer space structures, considered as the next generation space structures, use films made of materials like Kapton and Mylar to greatly decrease the amount of mass that must be placed into earthís orbit. Their flexibility also enables structures to be deployed to a fully operational configuration from a small launch package, without requiring the need to assemble many parts (such as the procedure currently used to assemble the parts of the International Space Station). Gossamer films have thickness in the order of μm and are extremely light weight and flexible. Their inherent flexibility makes developing predictive models of their mechanical behavior a daunting task"

From another study published by Stanford researchers: "Electrostatic actuators implemented on compliant plastic substrates, represent a highly attractive proposition thanks to their very low areal density". Could this be one reason why the HE1000 has a electrostatic flavor?

 

[customcoco]

No No its the head-fi hype train getting up a head of steam and is about to leave the station, so book your ticket or get on board   :evil:

Hmmm, I think I'll pass. I'd rather ride my bicycle than die in a trainwreck

 

[zbeazer]

It has such timeless styling!

 

[Stillhart]

   
No No its the head-fi hype train getting up a head of steam and is about to leave the station, so book your ticket or get on board   

 
As I mentioned int he HE-1000 thread, there are two big hype trains going right now:  the EL-8 and the HE-1000.  One of them has been unanimously praised and the other has seem both praise and criticism.  
 
If you dig through the hype for the meat, you'll see that there's a difference between the two "hype trains".  Sure, more people need to hear it before there's a consensus; after all, nobody is going to believe how good the HE-1000 is without hearing it for themselves.  But once they do, I predict that you'll find that this hype has some merit.
 
For the record, I heard it at CES and it's phenomenal.  I'm already plotting to decide what I have to sell to be able to afford one (and an amp that will do it justice).

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Oh I was serious lol, this is the new legendary headphone I can sense it. The next question is if the headphone going to be sold separately from the amp.. I have a hunch it will but fingers crossed!

No No its the head-fi hype train getting up a head of steam and is about to leave the station, so book your ticket or get on board   :evil:

 

[jude]

In the likelihood that Dr. Bian picks up the question, I wonder if he has put the membrane through its paces. I also want to know how long is the warranty for the HE1000 and how much it will cost to replace the nanometer membrane. After all a nanometer is a billionth of a meter. It hardly has any weight as can be seen in the video.

 
@Jalo, HiFiMAN is going to have to clarify this--so I may be wrong--but I don't think the HE1000's diaphragm is only one nanometer thick. I think they're using the term "nanometer" to suggest that it's sub-micron, and so its thickness (without getting into decimals or fractions) will be expressed in nanometers (as opposed to microns).
 
I'll let Fang clarify this, though.
 
NOTE: I just spoke with Fang, and he said my above explanation is correct.

 

[pearljam50000]

If its 5000$ , I'm not excited at all/:
I wish it would cost like HD800 , or less.

 

[Jalo]

@Jalo
, HiFiMAN is going to have to clarify this--so I may be wrong--but I don't think the HE1000's diaphragm is only one nanometer thick. I think they're using the term "nanometer" to suggest that it's sub-micron, and so its thickness (without getting into decimals or fractions) will be expressed in nanometers (as opposed to microns).

I'll let Fang clarify this, though.

NOTE: I just spoke with Fang, and he said my above explanation is correct.

Jude, many thanks for the clarification. In my earlier post I also did some reading, yes, the nanometer is just a unit of measurement. Some materials they use in space telescope is something around 41um. If the membrane is able to hold up heavy use and if it has both planar and electrostatic characteristics, this will be a game changer or game ender. It might mean I'll never have to read the full size headphone forum anymore

 

[mikemercer]

Can we share other highlights from CES here (hence the Thread title)?
Or is this Thread just for Hifiman impressions from CES?

 

[Gilly87]

Stillhart and I have had our disagreements, but, even not being a huge fan of Hifiman's lesser offerings, I have to concur that the HE1000 is a new category of high end headphone. I definitely haven't heard anything on that level that shares the overall sound of the HE1K, or even anything close to it. HD800 is king of the ultra-analytical category, electrostat cans have their airy naturalness, the LCD-3 is pretty close to dead neutral with ultra deep bass, and now the HE1000 is the grandiose-sounding flagship; I could see it being really good for harpsichords, organs... more dramatic classical music. I don't know if anyone will out-jazz the LCDs, or play the sh** out of a violin, piano, or electric guitar solo like an HD800, but I can definitely see a lot of people favoring the HE1K for a really big and brawny type of sound. Maybe even for EDM...though I think its a bit overkill unless you're listening to crazy **** like Among Tobin or stuff that's very dependent on layering/dimensionality like Shpongle.

As I mentioned int he HE-1000 thread, there are two big hype trains going right now:  the EL-8 and the HE-1000.  One of them has been unanimously praised and the other has seem both praise and criticism.  

If you dig through the hype for the meat, you'll see that there's a difference between the two "hype trains".  Sure, more people need to hear it before there's a consensus; after all, nobody is going to believe how good the HE-1000 is without hearing it for themselves.  But once they do, I predict that you'll find that this hype has some merit.

For the record, I heard it at CES and it's phenomenal.  I'm already plotting to decide what I have to sell to be able to afford one (and an amp that will do it justice).

 

[bmichels]

  Can we share other highlights from CES here (hence the Thread title)?
Or is this Thread just for Hifiman impressions from CES?

 
OK mike

so, did you had a chance to see and hear the Asten&Kell  AK500N desktop music server ?
 
 I am very intrigued by it : It cost 4 times the AK240, but does it sound really marginaly better ? 

 

[mikemercer]

   
OK mike

so, did you had a chance to see and hear the Asten&Kell  AK500N desktop music server ?
 
 I am very intrigued by it : It cost 4 times the AK240, but does it sound really marginaly better ? 

yes I got to hear the 500N!
An exceptional piece of hardware - from its interface to its sonic performance.
 
I'm working on doing a review of the unit
- just have to nail down where the review will be!!
 
I didn't consider the 500N vs. AK240 - as they are VERY different components - but, if you're lookin' for a server (I just use my MacBooks + Amarra + Sonicweld Diverter and SSDs) and you can afford it - the 500N is the server I would buy!
 
Sexy, easy-to-use, and built like a bricks___house!! 
Plus: It's one of those components that I can imagine on-display at the Guggenheim Museum in a show about the evolution of home audio - yeah, may sound silly, but it's how I felt when I was playing around with it...

OH: because I didn't get a chance to snap a shot of it there,
this is a pic I took while auditioning the unit at T.H.E Show Newport last year

 

[bmichels]

  yes I got to hear the 500N!
An exceptional piece of hardware - from its interface to its sonic performance.
 
I'm working on doing a review of the unit
- just have to nail down where the review will be!!
 
I didn't consider the 500N vs. AK240 - as they are VERY different components - but, if you're lookin' for a server (I just use my MacBooks + Amarra + Sonicweld Diverter and SSDs) and you can afford it - the 500N is the server I would buy!
 
Sexy, easy-to-use, and built like a bricks___house!! 
Plus: It's one of those components that I can imagine on-display at the Guggenheim Museum in a show about the evolution of home audio - yeah, may sound silly, but it's how I felt when I was playing around with it...

OH: because I didn't get a chance to snap a shot of it there,
this is a pic I took while auditioning the unit at T.H.E Show Newport last year

 
Thank you for this feed back which is encouraging.  Please let us know when your review is published.
 
I have no real doubt about the server part of the device. It seems that they did everything right on this side. My main question is about the DAC and headphone part: it is on those 2 parts than I was wondering if they are any better than the AK240 DAC and headphone amp: the AK500N is using the 2 same DAC chips and "may be" the same Amp ?
 
Will the AK500N DAC/AMP able to recreate the "saoul" that you are so much found of ? or will you need to use one of your prefered DAC/AMP behind the AK500N to create this atmosphere... ? 

 
Also, did you find the interface convenient and taking full advantage of the large screen ? is it easy to navigate, find, and manadge/create playlists.
 
anyway... thanks for this first impression.

 

[mikemercer]

   
Thank you for this feed back which is encouraging.  Please let us know when your review is published.
 
I have no real doubt about the server part of the device. It seems that they did everything right on this side. My main question is about the DAC and headphone part: it is on those 2 parts than I was wondering if they are any better than the AK240 DAC and headphone amp: the AK500N is using the 2 same DAC chips and "may be" the same Amp ?
 
Will the AK500N DAC/AMP able to recreate the "saoul" that you are so much found of ? or will you need to use one of your prefered DAC/AMP behind the AK500N to create this atmosphere... ? 

 
Also, did you find the interface convenient and taking full advantage of the large screen ? is it easy to navigate, find, and manadge/create playlists.
 
anyway... thanks for this first impression.

Ah: I gotcha...
 
YES  - the UI was very clean and a sincere pleasure to navigate! I didn't need any help or explanations from the A&K guys to find some tunes I liked and start listening!
I didn't have my Audeze LCD-XCs with me that time in the A&K room at the Venetian (of course - just my luck, I had em every other time I was in that room!! -

) - when I got to play w/ the 500N. I had my Beyerdynamic T51is with me - VERY easy to drive. Though, even though they don't need alot of juice to drive em, they are happier with a fair amount of headroom (as with most Beyers I find) and the 500Ns musical performance was surprisingly addictive! When I played with this component at T.H.E Show Newport last year, it was part of an in-room, two-channel system (with a fantastic 300B tube amp as well - VERY COOL) so if there was a headphone output at that stage they weren't focusing on it!

THIS is how I experienced the 500N the FIRST time at Newport!
 
So that was a nice feature to mess with. As for it's sonics in comparison to the AK240 - I'll have to get back to you on that to give you an honest account - but I will say that I enjoyed its sound very much. The highs were crisp and extended, the mids were lush and colorful/vivid (NOT colored) while the bass was tight and controlled - but not so linear that it didn't excite me. I was drawn-in. When I say this was a surprise - I don't mean to imply that being impressed by the sound surprised me - after all, I'm an A&K fan! 
 
I just meant that I was pleasantly surprised to see how much attention they paid to the headphone amp section. With the 500N being a server, the last time I experienced it I thought it was aimed more at the two-channel audiophile demographic - so when I heard my Beyers sing it was nice to see that A&K chose NOT to limit themselves! I was admittedly a lil' concerned about that at Newport when I first experienced it.
 
I don't think I would need to add anything to it in order to enjoy its sound. MAYBE a headphone amp for harder-to-drive cans - but, again, I can't be sure as I didn't have any power-hungry headphones with me! And: The 500N dripped with soul - as I played back everything from Adele to Earth Wind & Fire without a hiccup!