Also check out https://www.tortech.com.au/ Their step-down transformer can also be ordered as isolating which I thought did impact the sound.

I have an SPL Phonitor 2, P750u, Ican Pro. I use a Qutest and Focal Clear OG. I think the Luxman definitely tilts to the warmer side, but is tastefully done and not obviously colored. Bass extension and soundstage size is definitely the first thing you notice with the Luxman in comparison to...

Hey sounds like you've got it all covered! I honestly did not hear any differences over a period of weeks, particularly not a lack of focus or drive. It does get a bit more resolving with a little warmup. I think also at this level of performance, the differences might not be as dramatic as...

I really, really liked the 3000GT. Enough that it made me purchase the 5000 without a demo. In my experience, I found no significant differences with burn-in. If you are not hearing differences between your old amp, based on my own experience I think it's likely that: (1) your previous amps...

I think the iCan Pro is a great, fun amp but falls just a hair shy of being TOTL. While I much prefer it to the leaner, more "matter of fact" sounding solid state amps like Jotunheim or GS-X, the Pro is too obviously colored (mid-centric) to be considered a reference product. In comparison to...

Adorama has the hek v2 + ican pro for $2,999 + free ship. You guys can do the math on that one :0 https://www.adorama.com/hmhe1000v2a.html?sdtid=10614812&emailprice=t&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_source=rflaid62905

Completely agree. The Utopias are quite clearly more dynamic, faster, and "alive." The HEK to my ears, have far greater tonal density, richness, and front row presence.

Have not heard the V2's. No mods to my HE-1000. DAC is straight from my computer's ESI Juli@. The Juli@ is an amazing source for the money... obviously doesn't better the Lampi or PS Audio DAC's I've run in my loudspeaker setup, but dollar for dollar it is more than good enough for an already...

I think one point which bears mentioning is that if you are a big fan of OTL or SE tube amps, the HE-1000 with its purely resistive load is a clear winner IMO. Mated to the Allnic HPA-5000XL, this is easily my favorite combination in over 15 years of buying and selling. This setup has a...

  It's not atypical for companies to try to recoup their R&D costs with an initial product offering, and the HE-1000 v1 could very well be an example of that.  I am surprised however at the relatively poor QC and build quality given the price.

4 areas I find HEK to far surpass any dynamic driver:   1. lack of driver coloration - soft diaphragms like HD800 tend to sound less vivid and tonally washed out, while stiff diaphragms like Focal tend to have a cool presentation; HEK does not impart noticeable coloration to my ears in that...

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.  I like the HE-1000 sound quite a bit, as it reminds me very much of the Magnepan 3.6R with much better bass extension.  Just curious what else is out there before making the leap.

Curious if anyone's had a chance to compare them to the new Focal Elears or Ether flows yet?

  The headphone presents a reactive, not resistive load to the amplifier... looking at the phase angles will tell you that the load at resonance is mostly inductive (if it wasn't you could imagine how terrible it would sound with the driver being completely undamped at resonance).  Most solid...

  There's a very simple answer.  The distortion is exceptionally low where it makes the biggest difference (upper midrange/lower treble where the ear is most sensitive), and I guess "relatively" high with respect to other headphones where it doesn't matter nearly as much (bass/lower midrange)...