I took some pictures of the HE1000 v2 the other day. I wanted to share them with the Headfi community, so I thought why not write a little review for it because I absolutely love them; even though, I have some issues with Dr. Bian Fang. I think he’s socially awkward, but you cannot undermine his intelligence. He is a smart dude given how popular Hifiman is in the audio world. If the Lakers can overlook Lavar Ball and draft Lonzo, we should be able to enjoy the HeK v2 purely for its sound. Lonzo may bust, but if HeK busts, you can simply return it or resell it. A little background about me. I’m a 37 year-old Bay Area father of two who suffers from serious gear acquisition syndrome (GAS). I suffer from headphone GAS and photography GAS. I find myself at time spending more time researching and purchasing gear than using them. I need help…

All pictures in the review was shot with Sony a7Rii with 16-35mm G Master f2.8 lens. Now onto the actual review…

Cost:

The HeK v2 retails for $3000, and if you are an astute deal seeker, the going price on the used market is around $1800-$2000 depends on the condition. They are very popular and don’t seem to come up in the classifieds that much.

Design and Comfort:



Coming in at 420g, the HeK v2 is very comfortable and light. My head circumference is on the larger side, and I have not experience any discomfort during extended listening sessions. The wide, fenestrated leather headband provides extra stability and grip, so it doesn’t move around. Even though the HeK v2 is not built with the perfect craftsmanship comparing to some other TOTL headphones, the combination of silver metal and wood cups makes it one of the most visually striking and unique headphone. It really is a work of art. I have never tried v1; but I did have the Edition X v1 at one point which has similar earpads as the HeK v1. From pure physical appearance the thinner v1 earpads look more harmonious with the rest of the headphone, but the tip of my ear would touch the inner diaphragm, so the thicker v2 earpads is a pleasant upgrade. The pads are also slightly wedged.



In terms of cables, the v2 comes with two 3m cables terminated unbalanced 6.25mm single end and balanced 4 pin XLR. The 3rd cable is 1m long and is terminated unbalanced right angled 3.5mm single end. As with all of the new Hifiman cans, they accept 2.5mm stereo/mono plugs for attaching to the cups. All of the cables are constructed with crystalline copper/silver conductor array with a smooth rubbery outer sheathing.





Sound:
I tested the HeK V2 with AK380, Woo Audio WA8 Eclipse, Centrance Hifi M8, and McIntosh MHA100. The HeK V2 does require more power than most headphones. It takes more power to drive it to a satisfying level and further scales with better amplification. Straight out of the AK380 and WA8, the HeK V2 sounded very anemic and flat. To my surprise, the good-old Hifi M8 actually drove it to very satisfying level at high gain. You began to notice its capabilities. MHA100 took it to another level. I’m actually using the Hek v2 out of the speaker tabs of the MHA100 with banana plugs to XLR adapter following the recommendations of other McIntosh owners. My sound impression is based on the MHA100 out of the speaker tabs set up.

The HeK V2 has excellent clarity and separation with very wide soundstage. There is a laidback and non-fatiguing quality to them. I feels it’s like a balance between Audeze sound signature and Utopia, but probably more close to Utopia than Audeze. The highs are clear without bothersome peaks. The mids and vocals are present without overexposure or underexposure in relationship to the instruments. The HeK has the best bass out of all the open headphones I have tried. It extends deep with excellent volume.

Cables:
I also have the Moon Audio Silver Dragon v3 and another pure copper after market cable from Edition X. I do not feel that different cables have made a significant impact on sound. The silver cable did add a hint of clarity, but it's very subtle. I would stick with the stock cables.



Comparisons:

HeK v2 vs HD800 SDR mod/HD800s: Overall I feel the HD800 series are slightly better built even though it’s mostly plastic. I prefer the HD800 connecters because they feel more robust. The HD800 is also the most comfortable headphone I have tried beating the HeK v2 by a slim margin. I wouldn’t based my decision on these 2 headphones based on comfort. They are both great. For me, the soundstage of the HD800 is wider than the HeK v2 by about 15%-20%. It's clearly noticeable. One striking difference between the HD800 and the HeK v2 is the HD800 has a very natural presentation compared to the HeK even though it lacks the technical achievements of the HeK v2 in terms of clarity, separation and bass. The HD800 particularly has the most natural vocals where as the HeK v2 presents the vocal and instruments without bias. I love them both and this is why HD800s and HeK v2 are my only two pairs of cans right now.




HeK v2 vs Focal Utopia: I had some issues with the fit and comfort of the Utopia. One it slips of my head easily with the narrow headband. The cups are also too tight for my head. After 30 minutes, I would feel excessive compression. That being said the Utopia is the best looking headphone I have ever owned. I just want to look at it. I sold the Utopia before I got the McIntosh, so perhaps I never enjoyed the Utopia to it’s fullest. However, the Utopia suppose to be easy to drive, and Focal even used Woo Audio WA8 at shows to demo them, so I feel I had an accurate sonic experience with the Utopia. The Utopia is technical better than HeK in terms of dynamics, punchiness and clarity. However, it suffered from a very narrow soundstage for a pair of open cans. That for me led to listening fatigue. The pressure from the headbands further added to the discomfort. Have you ever dated a girl who is just so hot, but you know the personality just don’t match? Every time you want to break up with her, her beauty somehow allures you back. Similarly I struggled with the Utopia for a long time. She looks so damn good on my desk. Eventually I had to let her go so I can have both HeK v2 and HD800s .

HeK v2 vs Edition X v1: I really liked the HeX. Sonic wise, I think they are good enough to be my only pair of headphones. They are easy to drive and sound great even out of portable devices. The reason I sold them is the plastic parts and generally lesser built quality.

Conclusion:

The HeK v2 is visually striking and sounds fantastic. It should be on the short list of TOTL headphones if you are in the market for a pair. If I had to pick one between HD800 series vs HeK, I may lean slightly towards the HD800 because it’s half the cost. If they are priced similarly, then it’s HeK no doubt.

NOTE: This review was originally posted on HiFiGuides Forum on 19 April, 2021. https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/hifiman-he1000v2/17440/25

INTRODUCTION

If you’ve followed my writing on this forum, you know it’s no secret that I adored the HiFiMan Edition X V2 (HexV2). It was my go-to headphone for most of the Fall of 2020 and early 2021. Then, I heard the HiFiMan Arya. While I didn’t love the Ayra’s signature, its spatial abilities and detail retrieval were another step up from the HexV2 and got me longing for a headphone that could combine the warmth and smoothness of the HexV2 with the staging, imaging, detail, and texturing of the Arya. Well, from what I was told that was the HE1000V2 (HekV2). When a deal for a used model came along, I sold my favorite son (lol) HexV2 and made the jump the HekV2. Was it worth it? Read on to find out…

TL;DR

The HE1000V2 is an accomplishment. Its sound is BIG, but also can be intimate. The sound is detailed, but also smooth and relaxed. The signature is warm but also airy and sparkly. The timbre is wonderful. It’s comfortable. It looks good. It has become the first headphone I reach for. Is it perfect? No. It’s not the last word in detail retrieval in its tier, the treble can be a bit hot with poor recordings, and it can be a little amp picky. Some will object to a slight dip in the 1KHz range of its frequency response. The stock cables also are an embarrassment to cable-kind…and it’s not cheap to find replacements. Nonetheless, the HekV2 lists for $2999 from most retailers, it’s worth it. But, it also can be found new in the $2200-2300 range, and can go used for as low as $1300. At those prices, it’s a no-brainer if you’re looking for a headphone in this performance tier.

KNOW YOUR REVIEWER

My preferred genres are rock/metal and classical/orchestral music. I’m getting to know jazz more and enjoying quite a bit. I also listen to some EDM and hip-hop. My hearing quirks include a high sensitivity to midrange frequencies from just under 1KHz to around 3Khz, give or take. My ears are thus quick to perceive “shoutiness” in headphones in particular. I describe “shoutiness” as an emphasis on the ‘ou’ sound of ‘shout.’ It’s a forwardness in the neighborhood of 1KHz and/or on the first one or two harmonics above it (when I make the sound ‘ooooowwwww’ into a spectrum analyzer the dominant frequency on the vowel sound is around 930Hz, which also means harmonic spikes occur again at around 1860Hz and 2790Hz). In the extreme, it can have the tonal effect of sounding like a vocalist is speaking or singing through a toilet paper tube or cupping their hands over their mouth. It can also give instruments like piano, but especially brass instruments, an added ‘honk’ to their sound. I also get distracted by sibilance, or sharp ‘s’ and ‘t’ sounds that can make ssssingers sssssound like they’re forssssssing esssss ssssssounds aggresssssssively. Sibilance does not physically hurt my ears nearly as quickly as shout, though. It’s distracting because it’s annoying and unnatural. Finally, in a new clause in this section, I’m discovering that I have a preference for more subtle detail. I like good detail retrieval and hearing what a recording has to offer, but I prefer that presentation to what many would consider relaxed and subtle rather than aggressive of detail-forward. To my ear, more subtle detail-retrieval sounds more realistic and natural than aggressive, detail-forwardness. There is a balance here, though, because detail retrieval can get too relaxed and that can sound unnatural, as well. Readers should keep these hearing quirks and preferences in mind as they read my descriptions of sound.

FEATURES & BUILD

The Patriarch of its Line

The HE1000 was launched by HiFiMan in 2015. It’s a little unclear when the V2 was launched. The HE1000se was launched in 2018, so I’m guessing the V2 was somewhere in between 2015 and 2018. Regardless, the HE1000 is a critical model in HiFiMan’s line of headphones with egg-shaped ear cups (https://hifiman.com/evo-fhp/tree.html). The HE1000 technology served as the base tech for my beloved Edition X V2, Arya, Ananda, HE1000se, and the current planar-magnetic flagship Susvara. I won’t go into a lot of detail about the magnet structure and all of the features of the HE1000 that make it special. But, if you’re interested, you can read about it on HiFiMan’s website (https://hifiman.com/products/detail/267).

The HekV2 is a large, open-back planar-magnetic heaphone. It has a rated impedance of 35Ω and sensitivity of 90dB/mW. That makes it fairly power hungry. It drives more like Arya than HexV2. It’s not going to be a mobile solution.

Aesthetics & Comfort

The HekV2, being a part of HiFiMan’s egg-shaped line, is large and comfortable. The earcups have room for very large ears. The suspension-strap headband system is very comfortable and the metal tension bend has enough clamp to keep the headphone firmly on the head but not become uncomfortable. The headstrap is leather, and becomes a bit floppy with age and use:



The aesthetic is really nice. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in IMO these are nice looking cans. The metal chassis has a matte silver finish and there is a nice wood veneer around the outside of the earcups. Yes, it is just a veneer on top of the metal chassis:



The ear pads are big and comfortable with a slight forward angle. The part of the pad that makes contact with the head is a soft polyester. Most of the time it’s comfortable, but sometimes the hair of my sideburns gets caught in the threading and pulls…first world problems.

As Open Back as They Come

Yeah, these egg-shaped HiFiMan cans – all of them – are completely open back. To say the ‘leak’ sound isn’t accurate because they make absolutely no attempt to hold sound in…or out. They are not good cubicle cans or walking around cans. Everyone else will hear your music and you’ll hear the world around you just as much (unless the music is rockin’ enough).

Cables Matter

Most HE1000 models floating around out there use dual 2.5mm cable entry. The cable jacks on the cups are mounted flush so that pretty much any 2.5mm terminations will fit. Recently produced models of HekV2 (and HE1000se?) have moved to 3.5mm jacks on the cups. That’s probably a good move seeing as how 3.5mm are a bit more durable and a bit more common. My unit has 2.5mm connections.

HiFiMan takes a lot of heat for the ridiculous ergonomics of their stock cables. I’m not going to be any different. From an ergonomic perspective, they suck. I think they use medical tubing around the conductors. They look and feel like catheter tubes. The plastic outer tubing is stiff, noisy, and keeps the cable from ever lying the way you want it to. The conductive wires inside it aren’t braided together either. They’re just run parallel to each other through the tubing. This pic is not the greatest, but it shows two conductive wires next to each other inside the tubing:



Now that wouldn’t be such a big deal if those individual wires – which I think are also covered in plastic tubing themselves – didn’t slide past and rub on each other. When they start rubbing on and sliding past one another it just feels squicky. It’s a hard feeling to convey unless you’ve experienced it, but it’s just nasty.

That returns us to the fact that it’s good news that the cable entry system uses flush mounted 2.5mm or 3.5mm jacks. You can buy whatever kind of aftermarket cable you want and it will fit. But, it’s gonna cost you. As ergonomically terrible as the stock cables are, whatever conductive material the wiring itself is made of is top-notch stuff; they sound great. When I first got my HekV2, I used the Hart Audio Cable that I had been using with me HexV2 – same cabling system. Hart Cables are ergonomic gold with their modular system. But with HekV2, I kept having issues with the sonic center image being slightly to one side or the other and also drifting slightly side-to-side as a singer changed pitch. It was weird, unsettling, and I was worried I’d gotten burned by buying used. The seller I got my set from bundled a Plussound Poetic GPH cable as part of the deal. I switched to that cable and WOW. The center image locked and stabilized. The soundstage opened up even more with better separation to go with it. And the sound smoothed out in general; cymbal crashes sounded more natural and less harsh, vocals sounded more natural, and a host of other things. If you read my Abyss Diana Phi review, you read I had to use HiFiMan stock cables on the Diana because I was having the same sonic issue with Hart cables on that one too, and the Plussound cable didn’t fit the Diana’s recessed jacks. The stock HiFiMan cables solved the issue there and would on the HekV2 if they weren’t so gross to use that I only touch them when I absolutely have to. This cabling situation is one of the biggest cons of the HekV2. The stock cables are terrible but of high sonic quality. HiFiMan sells replacement cables in the $350-500 range. The Plussound cable that came bundled with my set costs $500 new. If you’re looking to pick up an HE1000 model, you should plan on sinking multiple 100s of dollars into quality cables.

[for the skeptics, here is some recent measurement data showing how different speaker cables can affect sound https://www.lifewire.com/speaker-cables-make-a-difference-3134902. Headphone cables are basically speaker cables for smaller speakers…]

SOUND

Test Gear

I used the HekV2 with an assortment of amps and dacs. Amps included Cayin HA-1AMK2 tube amp, Monolith Liquid Platinum, Vioelectric HPA-V200 and HPA-V281, and HeadAmp GS-X Mini. DACs included Schiit Bifrost 2, Soekris dac1321, Holo Audio Spring 2 Level 2, and Chord Hugo 2 (as DAC only).

Signature

The HekV2 is both warm and bright – ie ‘v’ in signature. There is a subbass boost that sounds like its centered around 40 Hz that gently rolls back into the ‘flat’ range somewhere in the 120-140Hz range. The upper bass and midrange stays relatively constant through much of the vocal region. Then, there is another upward trend in frequency response somewhere in the 1.5-1.7KHz range up to some noticeably above-neutral energy in the treble.

The bass is extended and plentiful but also detailed, textured, and never bloated. Individual plucks of a electric bass guitar strings are resolved well. The HekV2 showed me Jason Newsted’s bass work on Metallica’s Enter Sandman was far more galloping and active than I had ever realized, for example. The HekV2’s bass is also well balanced between impact and weight. It doesn’t slam hard, but it slams enough to be fun most of the time, and then there’s lots of rumble and weight to go with the slam. Coincidently, I was writing this very point as the drum intro to Aerosmith’s Walk This Way was playing and Joey Kramer’s kick drum was punching pretty good and then the texture of Tom Hamilton’s bass guitar was resolved beautifully (Hugo 2 and V281 as the source chain in this instance). The most impressive aspect to me of the bass is that many headphones – even planar-magnetics – tend to roll off quickly below 50 or 60 Hz. The HekV2 remarkably goes UP in frequency response until somewhere around 40 Hz and doesn’t return to neutral until below the audible range. The HekV2’s bass presentation would likely be technically the overall best had I not heard the Diana Phi recently. More on this in the comparison section.

The midrange is detailed and has wonderful timbre. To my ear this headphone nails most instrument sounds and vocals the best I’ve heard to date. The ability to hold it together in the mids as music gets very busy is also remarkable. My midrange acid tests are The Poet and the Pendulum by Nightwish and the 1812 Overture by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Both recordings just flood the mid-range frequencies with information with huge numbers of vocals, instruments, and effects. The HekV2 sailed through these tests unlike any other headphone I’ve heard before, rendering each voice and instrument sound with seemingly no interference from the rest of the sounds. I think I’ve only heard these tracks separated better by one other headphone (Diana Phi) but the HekV2 maintained that wonderfully natural mid timbre in the process moreso. Some listeners may object to a perceived lack of presence in the treble, though. Since the subbass and treble are both elevated some the mids come across as less forward. HekV2 matches my hearing quite well because I can’t remember a single incidence of shoutiness or honkiness in the mids – and those are things I’m sensitive too. If mid-forward sound is your jam, this may not be the best way to spend your $3K.

The treble is bright, prominent, and sparkly. There is lots of detail and excellent timbre up top. Cymbals and their room reverb are resolved beautifully. However, the treble can be a bit too hot with some lesser quality recordings. This part of the frequency response is the most amp/dac sensitive, too. I recommend warmer, smoother electronics (amps especially). Amps that are aggressive, bright, or analytical can cause the HekV2’s treble to wander into sharp and shrill territory. When the HekV2 does go sharp and shrill, it’s less strident and piercing than when less expensive models do so, but it’s still not particularly enjoyable.

Detail Retrieval

The HekV2 is very resolving and detailed but takes a more subtle approach to detail retrieval than the other hi-end headphones I’ve listened to of late. This gives it an overall more relaxed and smooth presentation. However, it’s not at all lacking in detail. Room reverb, instrument key clicks, the sound of drumstick-to-metal that happens on the attack of a cymbal crash, are all presented naturally and effectively. The texture in the bass is such that it’s possible to hear the pluck of a bass guitar string and the string noise that happens on top of the bass tone. I know some listeners who prefer aggressive detail. If that’s you, this headphone probably isn’t your jam. But, if you’re like me and think that subtle detail sounds more lifelike, than this headphone might be for you.

Timbre

I really can’t complain here. We’re talking about a true high-end headphone hear and timbre – the ability for things to sound like what they really sound like; ie voices sound like voices, pianos sound like pianos, drums sound like drums, horns sound like horns, etc. – is outstanding. To my ear, things sound very right. I have heard the timbre bettered by Audeze LCD-24 for individual instruments. The LCD-24 has an amazing ability to squeeze seemingly every last drop of detail and timbre of an individual instrument played by itself. But, the HekV2’s already excellent timbre does not fall off as the 24’s does as more and more information is added to the music. When things get busy, the HekV2’s timbre is better and seems remarkably musical-complexity invariant.

Spatial Presentation

One thing I loved most about the HexV2 when I had it was how BIG it sounded. The soundstage was wide, tall, and deep. Everything sounded like I was sitting in the first row of a concert – just immense. Then along came the Arya, which said “hold my beer” and took it to another level. Both of those headphones also had pinpoint imaging and excellent separation and layering within that immense soundstage. Well, they got those abilities handed down to them from their big brother HekV2. The HekV2 can sound just as big and grand as either HexV2 or Arya, and it takes their already excellent imaging, separation, and layering to another level…maybe even 2 or 3 levels better. But HekV2 has another spatial trick up its sleeve. Where everything is grandiose through HexV2 or Arya, HekV2 can bring it in and sound more intimate when it needs to. It’s not going to be a Sennheiser HD600 series kind of intimate, but with a string quartet it has the ability to put the performers right in front of the listener and create an intimate, for-you-alone presentation. I found this Deutsche Grammophon record of Mozart’s string quintets to be intimate in presentation but still present the size of the performance hall surrounding the players.

The soundstage of the HekV2 is more out in front, not pulling off the wrap-around effect that some higher-end Audezes and Focals can. This is a matter of preference. By-in-large most music is performed in front of the listener so this approach sounds more natural to me. But, I can’t deny that being in the performance can be fun at times.

SINGAL CHAINS

I’ve dropped a couple hints here and there that HekV2 gets a little sensitive to amps in the treble. My Violectric amps did a much better job with HekV2 than the HeadAmp GS-X Mini. The Monolith Liquid Platinum also drove it pretty well too, but didn’t have the detail that the V281 could deliver (nor should it be expected to). My Cayin tube amp is transformer-coupled and can sound ok with the HekV2. The detail takes a slight hit and the soundstage flattens, maintaining the height and width but losing much of the depth. Plan on spending a good chunk if you want to use the HekV2 with a tube amp.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER HEADPHONES

The 2 headphones I’ve heard that make the most sense to compare to from a cost standpoint, Audeze LCD-24 and Abyss Diana Phi, I’ve already done at some length in those respective reviews. The points I wish to reiterate here involve the bass and midrange. The HekV2 has more bass quantity than LCD-24 and not as much as the Diana Phi is capable of (depending on pad position). The LCD-24 might slam slightly harder, and the Diana Phi definitely slams harder in the right pad position. For the mids, to my ear, it’s no competition. The HekV2 has the best overall midrange presentation of the three. The LCD-24 can wring more out of an individual instrument – the resinous sound of bows being dragged across strings, for example – until there are more than just a handful of instruments and voices happening at once. When that occurs, the LCD-24 loses its ability to resolve as well and timbre and separation suffers. The Diana Phi has more resolution than either 24 or HekV2 across the entire frequency spectrum but is so mid-forward that it gets shouty or cupped sounding often, whereupon the HekV2 pulls ahead of it in timbre. With the HekV2, it doesn’t seem to matter how much is going on in the signal, it stays calm and delivers.

What happens if you’re sitting with an Arya – a popular headphone right now – and are considering moving up? What do you gain? More bass quantity for sure, but overall more resolution and more natural timbre. Plus, you gain the ability to have a more intimate presentation when you want it, while still sounding huge when you want that too. The Arya might be right there with HekV2, maybe just a hair ahead, on dynamics and punch, but it’s noticeably behind on everything else.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The HekV2 is my headphone for the time being. I bought this one and I’m keeping it for awhile. The shallow v-signature suits my hearing and preferences well. The timbre, detail, and spatial presentation are all very impressive and enjoyable. The bass slam is arguably the only thing ‘lacking’ and that’s more in that it’s just not quite as impressive as the rest of the sonic package. The HekV2 is also quite physically comfortable and can be worn for long periods of time. The stock cables are horrendous. If you’re shopping for the HekV2 plan to sink some considerable money into high quality aftermarket cables, you’ll be glad you did.

That’s it. Thanks for reading all! Enjoy the music!

I was an early adopter of the original hifiman he-1000 (part of the original beta group). At the end of the beta period I elected to keep the product and it was replaced with the newest and latest version. I personally enjoyed this headphone very much. It needed a clean and powerful amp to really get the best from it. But when amped properly, you had a special experience.
 
Now enter hifiman he-1000 v2. Upon visual inspection, it looks very much like its predecessor with the edition of new cables. As you look more closely you notice the new pads. Now by all counts, these pads are just lovely. The materials and craftsmanship are top notch. Also, the pads are noticeably “chunkier” than the previous version.
 
With the headphones in hand, they continue to impress. The manufacturing process has certainly improved here. The suspension headband clicks firmly in place and feels very nicely crafted. In fact, the machining tolerances appear to be tighter and the headphone quality is showing some nice maturity with version two.
 
The cables are a nice upgrade over the original. Both in term of form and function, the cables now are more representative of a flagship product. Although they are slightly “springy” I have no qualms or issues with these new cables. Hifiman has even managed to trim down the weight of the new headphone to a very manageable 420 grams (thank you for this).
 
So how does the new version sound? If you've ever heard top of the line speakers in a well-treated room, you'll have an idea of just how good these headphones sound. There is an air of naturalness and ease in the presentation of sound across the spectrum. The bass extends hard and deep, always in control but never shy about delivering those deep notes in a dynamic manner. Treble is natural with tons of detail, but never harsh or strident. And then there's the midrange, where the music lives. Vocals are carried out with a delicacy and lushness that is rather addictive. 
 
Compared to the original, version two is an upgrade across the board. Better build quality, better sonics and just a wonderful experience. These seemingly small improvements collectively add up quickly and result in what many, including myself, will call an end game headphone. My hat is off to Fang and the team at hifiman.  
 
Misc: I amped the he-1000 v2 with Jotenheim and Questyle cma800r with Gumby as my source. Both amps drove the he-1000 v2 well. The Jot needed hi gain to get the most from the pairing. Overall the Questyle gave the best synergy providing better layering and allowing me to hear deeper into the sound stage. Both amps works well though and I could be happy pairing this headphone with either one. 

 

Back when I owned a modified Denon D5000, I went to a local hi-fi store and demoed a Stax system. I almost bought it on the spot, only hesitating because it would have been the most expensive audio purchase I'd ever made. Later on I ended up using a vintage Stax rig as my primary system which I've since regretted selling. It consisted of the Lambda Nova Signature, but with newer, thicker ear-pads and a borrowed SRM 717. The thicker ear-pads increased the bass, resulting in very entertaining listening. I don’t know what made me decide to sell them, as given all the experiences I’ve had since, it would have been simpler to just stick to what I had and upgraded my digital source instead.
 
Until now at least. The market value of Stax ear-speakers and amps, along with the US dollar both have increased quite a bit in the last few years (the latter more recently) and I could have got quite a bit back for them and put it towards new gear, specifically the headphones I’m listening with right now, the Hifiman HE1000 V2. 
 
While it may not have been apparent when Audeze released the LCD-2 and Hifiman the HE-5, the popularity of planar headphones has caused half a dozen more manufacturers to join the fray with their own models and put the inevitable writing on the wall. Eventually planar headphones would catch up with that local deity, housed in a small factory outside Tokyo in Saitama and makers of what is probably one of, if not the greatest pairs of headphones ever made, and one that they bet the whole company on to design and manufacture: The SR-009.
 
There’s one thing I don’t like about the HE1000: given its cost is so much closer to that of the SR-009s, material-wise it isn’t anywhere near as beautifully made. Roughly-finished and poorly fitting aluminium and visible flaws in the drivers did not befit a $3000 pair of headphones. I had hoped to chalk this one up to my pair being a beta test model and not final production, but prior to the V2 the only change I know of that was made was to the headpad size to make it smaller. If you look up close at an SR-009 long enough, just like how that first experience I had with a Stax system made regular dynamic headphones seem like a pretentious effort at reproducing music, so do does the fit and finish of the 009s make most everything else look poor in comparison, especially the HE1000s.
 
 
With the V2, the quality has gone up a notch in a couple of critical areas. The first, obviously, is the earpads, the inner material lining of which looks classier than before. The second is the attachment point of the gimballs and headband. On the original, the gimbals almost flopped around with a slight gap in the hinge. However the V2 has a teflon insert on the gimball side and the fit is tight, leaving the gimballs to smoothly rotate. Even if the new cable's rubber sheath feels a bit lower class than the older, nylon-coated one, the headphoens themselves feel like they are put together a bit better than before.
 
 
Material quality stops mattering when you put them on your head and start listening through a good system. They sit there with a lightness that makes the already light-and-comfortable -- MrSpeakers’ Ether feels heavy in comparison. The huge soft cushions envelope your head and it is easy to forget that they are there. Hitting play one does very much notice, and on a top-notch system the music is presented with tight and detailed bass and a sparkly treble more in line with an electrostat. It reminds me a lot of that old pair of Lambdas I owned, excepting possibly the greater precision and detail coming through. The treble on the V1 was a bit uncomfortable at first, something that settles with use. It is unlike the more upper-mid-forward SR-009s -- Mr. Speakers’ Ethers are closer in tone to those. The HE1000s deliver the full delay of cymbals as their sound fades for seconds after the hit and deliver a good thump of bass with the music, neither betraying the mids. They differ to the Ethers, which are more in-your-head, the bass punch fooling you into thinking you’ve left speakers on and your body is feeling it, while the sound from the HE1000 is all around it, giving a big wide space to instruments whose sounds float in to your ears.
 
To get this punch requires a good amp. Straight out of my Hugo and Mojo the HE1000 sounded some what flat dynamically. It was only using my Studio Six that they came alive. This was true down to simple drum hits in something like Diana Krall singing Temptation and all the way up to complex music of any kind. They had my AK240 at full volume using the balanced output, even if it did an admirable job. It would be interesting to try the same trick with Vinnie Rossi’s mod as it is supposed to help with the power delivery. Where the Ethers can be driven by portable amps to a satisfying degree, the HE1000s sound more muddy even out of the best portable amps, even Chord's Hugo and Mojo which are capable in their own right. Like other planar headphones when under-driven, detail is lost, transients are smeared and the bass becomes muddy. 
 
If you’ve not experienced electrostatic headphones then descriptions of the sound are going to be all that more difficult. For those that have, Hifiman has made, in essence, a planar that sounds like an electrostat. If I put my hands even a few inches from the back grill the sound immediately changes, just like it does with the Stax models. Music itself comes through as light and airy, almost floating out of the air. Instead of being hammered into your ear, it is delicately and sharply placed there. However, the imagining feels somewhat akin to a video screen having been placed at either ear for the view of left and right, leaving an impression of the music coming from immediately around your ears. Contrast that to the Mr Speakers’ Ethers, where the soundstage seems distinctly in-your-head if you listen to them afterwards, but their incredible detail accuracy makes this disappear into an effect of the sound coming from everywhere it actually did when it was recorded.
 
However, despite the light and airy touch of the treble, deep bass is freakish. There is no other word I can find for it. At the beginning of Song of the Stars by Dead Can Dance is a didgeridoo playing. The deep guttural notes are so convincing that I could have sworn that the headphones themselves were vibrating with the sound, but touching the outside of the cups proved this wasn’t so.  The mid-range leaves no questions unanswered except in intimacy, neither being too forward or too distant. C.C. Colletti is out there singing on the binaral Bring It On Home album, but she isn’t right up there in front of me like she is with the Ethers. The treble initially has a bit too much bite and is a bit unnaturally bright. I am not entirely convinced it has the ‘stat magic, to the degree that Stax's earspeakers do. 
 
If there is one downside to this presentation, it is the same one that electrostats have, in that the music doesn’t have as much impact as it seems to with a regular dynamic pair of headphones. I keep wanting to the turn volume up when I should really turn it down. The over-detailed mid-range and treble reveal too much of the recording quality of many tracks I like, including very much where they might have benefitted from a bit more bass in the mix. 
 
All the same, when I managed to get them dialled in right, the marginally warmer Mojo taking the place of the Hugo as the source, ever so slightly taking more of an edge off the treble, the HE1000 gave me musical entertainment in spaces. I felt, however, that the review wouldn't be complete without at least Schiit Audio's Yggdrasil as my main DAC, impressed as I had been by the level of detail retrieval it is capable of. 
 
All that was left was to compare it with the HD800. I have replaced the plastic inner liner on my pair with perforated non-slip matting, leaving the driver un-covered, and also use aftermarket cables. This leaves them with a sound signature that is more precise without harming their spaciousness or treble, only removing the slight smear in the headstage that gives a false feeling of their being more space than there is.  Despite this, and the slightly stronger bass from this modification, the HE1000 versions have more of a lush and warm presentation with more intimacy.  The HD800 gives the more technically competent presentation, each pluck on Timeless (Three Guitars) revealing the guitar's position more precisely on the stage, and the notes themselves sounding more three-dimensional. Possibly partly because the different treble response, the HE1000 V1 presents each note more vaguely, but more gently, unlike the HD800's stronger but sharper delivery. 
 
It was apparent that the HD800 are better when it comes to detail retrieval and less of that is clear with the HE1000 V1. The fine nuances of various tracks, from the hammers hitting the piano strings through to aspects of the voice of the guitar player as he hums in Three Guitars, which I spent so much time on perfecting the delivery of through a careful choice of digital components (see my Yggdrasil review) are not quite so clear as they are with the HD800.  It isn't a matter of frequency response, or one pair of headphones being brighter, as these things are apparent at a variety of frequencies. 
 
The V1 also seems to have a bit of distortion in the mid-range. This lead me to experimentally add surgical tape just under the cups to the reflective surfaces there. That seemed to improve things, while keeping the slightly vague, but pleasant presentation. Alongside a cable upgrade to a Moon Audio Silver Dragon, the level of detail seemed to increase, and the bass was fleshed out better.
 
 
With the arrival of the HE1000 V2, the distortions and vagueness are gone, and the sound is more precise, with noticeably better imaging, the removal of the gap between the pads and the driver likely having removed the source of the issues. The stock cable, now with 6 wires instead of 4, gives them something of a forward presentation. I compared it to the Silver Dragon which presents the sound in a more relaxed and less intimate manner. Unlike with the V1, the Silver Dragon is not a distinct improvement, but merely has a different effect. I don't feel one is better than the other. 
 
 
Compared to the more punchy-sounding, if less detailed Edition X, the HE1000 V2 sounds more relaxed, very much needing a good amp to wake it up, yet more detailed where the music is. I could get good listening from ALO Audio's latest Continental V5 portable amp or HeadAmp's Pico Power, but it didn't deliver the spacious detail my Studio Six could. Even the good value, but quite competent Audio-gd NFB-1AMP, which was a good match with the Edition X, seemed to lack a bit of liveliness and detail retrieval capability ideally needed for the HE1000.
 
Music that is most ideal with the HE1000 V2 is that which is well-recorded and has a strong bass line, as one of the reasonable criticisms of the HE1000 is that, while the bass quality is excellent, it could do with a bit more quantity. I found myself reaching for MrSpeakers Ether Flow when I wanted more intimacy and punch, or my Sony Z7 when I was listening to modern music where detail didn't matter as all, but bass did.
 
When well-recorded vocals and instruments were the order of the day's listening, the HE1000 was magical, allowing me to feel the emotion of each note.  One of my recent favourite finds on TIDAL has been Sarah Jarosz's Undercurrent. Both her voice and the guitars are wonderful through my system, the echo of her voice off the surrounding studio coming through clearly. This is something that doesn't come through the Edition X nearly as well.
 
Listening once again to Three Guitars, the presentation is now deliciously and effortlessly precise, the efforts of both Mike Moffat to get a natural sound from the Yggdrasil as well as mine to nix any digital gremlins bringing much pleasure through the Studio Six and HE1000 V2. 
 
Jonathan Wilson's gentle voice singing Desert Raven as electric and acoustic guitars are gently plucked in the background is an absolute pleasure. Now I feel like I'm listening to music.
 
When a manufacturer comes out with a new flagship, it attracts a lot of negative comments, especially at the $3000 mark. While there was most reasonable concern with the original HE1000, I feel that the V2 performs at the kind of level expected of headphones at its price.
 
Thanks to Fang Bian of HiFiMan and HiFiMan Japan for lending us a pair of HE1000 V2s for review.
 

Standard boring details you should skip…

I usually listen at low to moderate volumes (about 57 dB casual listening, maybe 67 dB rocking out). Preferred music genres are 70s rock & progressive, electronica, female vocals.   The main setup for this review was a Questyle CAS192D DAC feeding a Violectric V281 amp, no-name balanced cables running through goldpoint passive switches\attenuators.  I used the stock cables and earpads on all cans.  Playback was through JRiver 22 on PC, no plug-ins, everything got level matched before & during listening sessions.
 
I purchased all hardware used in this review. The HE-1000 Version 2 is production and was bought new by me. I have no relationship with any manufacturer or vendor of equipment used in producing this review.
 

The actual intro you should read

HiFiMan’s flagship headphone the HE-1000 (‘HEKv1’) popped into view just last year and was an immediate show stopper.  With its ‘nanometer thickness’ planar magnetic diaphragm, unique looks, stunning sound and perhaps even more stunning price tag, the headphones were certainly the focus of all attention in the meets I attended. The forward-thinking technology involved (and that price tag) made a lot of us wonder what would come next in the world of head-fi. 
 
 

 
A few months back HiFiMan announced their answer that question: The HE-1000 Version 2 (HEKv2). At first glance it looks like the original HE-1000 (now monikered by HiFiMan as the HE-1000 Version1) but it actually sports multiple changes.  From their web page (my paraphrasing):

•    Improved headband design to accommodate a wider range of heads
•    Reduced weight
•    Trimmed-down ear cups
•    Asymmetrical ear pads, faced with polyester instead of velour to increase sound transparency
•    Different cables with ‘improved materials’ 
•    More user friendly when paring with non-high power amplifiers

I wanted to do two things with this review: 

1) Review the HEKv2 cans on their own merits.  Are they a great headphone? Are they worth the price tag? Should you immediately sell all your kidneys to go out and buy one of these things? 
 
2)  Detail differences between the HEKv2 and HEKv1.   Are they important? Has the sound improved?  Should current owners sell at least one kidney to get the upgrade, like, right now?
 
The stand-alone review is in the section directly below; the comparison has its own section further down.
 
 

Overview of the cans

 
The HEKv2 is the current top of the line, open-ear headphone from HiFiMan and features their bestest technology, presented to us on their website with nice graphics but few actual technical details:

•    A 'Nanometer Thickness' planar diaphragm.  Making a planar diaphragm yet thinner yields “faster response and lower distortion” and lets you use the word ‘nanometer’ in your advertising.
 
•    An “Advanced Asymmetrical Magnetic Circuit” meaning they decreased the size of the magnets on the side of the planar diaphragm closest to the listener. (Remember that, unlike dynamic drivers,  planar magnetic drivers require magnets on both sides of the diaphragm).   Per HiFiMan "Insufficient construction of sound apertures from classical planer magnetic driver creates reflections, deflections and refraction of sound waves, resulting in audible distortion."   Meaning if you put a bunch of obstacles (the magnets) and apertures (the openings between those magnets) between the speaker and your ear you get diffraction of sound, which, yeah, could be audible.
 
Since an aperture which is large in terms of the sound wavelength allows that wavefront to go through with little disturbance, increasing the size of the apertures here would have the most benefit for (i.e., reduce disturbances in) bigger wavefronts. That translates to cleaner bass and midrange, right?  Somebody correct me on this.  I wonder about the exact range of wavelengths that would be affected in something the size of this diaphragm. I see that MrSpeakers seems to be thinking the same thing with their design of the Ether Flow so this must be the next actual thing in the planar magnetic race.
 
•    Patented “Window Shade System”, by which they mean using the least material as possible on the back of the earpiece to reduce reflections back towards the ear.  Practically they worked this out as a convex steel (alloy?) grill over a metal-meshed.
 
The web page for the HEKv2 actually removed even the vague technical details they had posted about these technologies when the HEKv1 was around.  They now go with pure marketing hyperbole and several pages of accolades from magazine and trade shows.  Can’t say I blame them but I’m always interested in the details.  Speaking of which, the reported specs:
 
Frequency Response : 8Hz-65kHz
 
I got discernable bass (meaning I could hear anything down there at less than ear bleed levels of volume) down to about 15 Hz on balanced power.

As usual the reported top number means nothing as you can’t hear anything at 65kHz. (Super-tweeter fans, take that!)  In testing the top end of the can tracked a little hot above 5kHz before starting to drop off at 16kHz.
 
Sensitivity: 90dB
 
The cans are very efficient. I heard no real differences between feeding them balanced or SE power from my desktop amp.  I ran them from my phone a less powerful desktop amp with little decline in sound quality so I buy HiFiMan’s claims that they are compatible with large range of sources. I would never use these portables though, aside from the looks you’d get I’d be afraid of laying them down and scratching up the metal cups. 
 
Impedance: 35 ohm
 
These are going to work well on any decent desktop amp.  Rule of thumb says an amp should have an output impedance under 3 ohms to be a good match with these, and that is going to be pretty much any SS amp you would use with a $3000 set of headphones.  These being planar technology you can probably get away with an even bigger impedance so don’t stress
 
Weight: 420g (14.08 Oz) (reported), 429 Measured
 
Without the cable I weighed the HEKv2 at 429g on a calibrated scale, not sure where the mismatch is between my weight and HiFiMan’s reported one. 
 
For comparison:

Senn HD600\HD650       256 (grams)
HiFiMan HE400S           358
Senn HD 800                 366
Mr. Speakers Ether        374
Fostex TH-900              389
OPPO PM1                  401
HiFiMan HE 1000 v2     429
HiFiMan HE 1000 v1     489 
HiFiMan HE6                549
Audeze LCD-X              600
 
 
At 429 the weight is in the upper half the flagship scale but the head suspension rig makes the weight very manageable. I’m a light weight when it comes to comfort with heavier cans, I didn’t have a problem with these.  
The HEKv2 comes with three cables (discussed in more detail below):
 
1.5 Meter cable with 3.5mm jack, weight is 31g
3 Meter cable with a ‘Neutrik’ branded ¼ SE jack, 78g
3 Meter cable with a ‘Yongsheng’ branded 4-pin XLR, 85g
 
 

Build Quality \ Design \ Comfort

The ear cups are elongated and easily encircle large ears while barely touching them.  The pads are sharply asymmetrical in depth, thicker in the back (27mm) than the front (15mm), making the cans feel slightly different on your head depending how far you pull them forward or back. The pads are pleather on the sides with polyester material on the top.  I didn’t look inside the pads but from the feel and weight expect open-cell foam on the inside.  Cutting and stitching on the pads isn’t what I’d call ‘precision’ but no real complaints on that front, HiFiMan has gamed up from their lower end models. Removing the pads is a bit scary the first time as it’s accompanied by some nasty little cracking noises but I’ve done it several times with no problems.
 
 

 
 
The grills and other metal parts are precision cut, a mixture of steel (head band frame and slides) and alloys (cup grills, cup surrounds, yokes). The grills have a slightly convex bow and are quite sturdy.  The rolled steel frame and leather suspension strap is functional and comfortable, providing a good weight distribution over a large area with no pressure points.  The height adjustment is good.
 

 

 
The oversized cups manage to come off as light and attractive but, even when properly fitted, the bottom of the pads may rest on the top of your jaw.  This isn’t a problem for me and I found the cans are quite comfortable after I got used to it.  Other listeners remarked on feeling uncomfortable with it however so YMMV.   Once adjusted they don’t move around too much on your head.  I’m a wuss when it comes to headphone weight but these have worked just fine over the time I’ve worn them.
 
I’m not a huge fan of the frame and suspension at this price point.  It works. It’s comfortable and adjustable, and the sliding height mechanism using detents in the frame has turned out to be a solid performer.  No strikes on technical performance.  However, the style and utilitarian feel puts it in the lowest-end of the flagship range for me.  It feels like a rushed port-over from their lower end cans, gussied up with a steel finish.  I’m concerned that the ‘raw’ leather suspension strap could become soiled over time especially if you use hair products that might be absorbed into the material. I wouldn’t be comfortable passing these around at a meet. (It does appear the strap could be removed with a very small Philips head screwdriver but HiFiMan doesn’t seem to sell replacements).

For a flagship the build quality is acceptable but nothing more.  Comfort is very good; design is just good. At this price point and given the current competition in the market I would expect a little more style in a flagship. The elongated ear cups that we so shocking last year aren’t going to carry it just on style anymore.
 

Accessories

The headphones arrive in pleather-covered cardboard display box with a top metal plaque.  The foam insert inside is nicely customized to protect the phones and cables. No carry case is included.  This is pretty much the standard at the flagship level (with a few notable exceptions) so I give this a ‘nothing special’ verdict.
 

 
 
 
 
HEKv2 comes with three stock cables:

•    1.5 meter cable with 3.5mm right angle jack for portables
•    3 meter cable to a Neutrik branded ¼ SE jack
•    3 meter balanced cable to a Yongsheng branded 4-pin XLR connector

The cables are covered with a rubberized, see-through, grippy sheathing that reminds me of the cord from my grandmothers 1960s’ sweeper.  It’s interesting.  The tactile grippy-ness prevents it from sliding around like a lot of heavier cables do (slide off your desk, off your lap, etc.) but it’s harder to un-tangle when it gets wrapped around itself or something else. It should easy to clean but I wonder about its durability if it meets up with children or something dropped on it.  The cables terminate into 2.5 mm stereo plugs into each earpiece.  I’m not sure why as the headphones work just fine using cables with mono input jacks.  This was the same with the HEKv1 and the HEX so I presume HiFiMan got a price break for using on the stereo connectors.  Not really an issue.
 

 
HiFiMan indicates the v2 cables have an “enhanced emphasis on the low end.”  I couldn’t hear this in testing.  Swapping it out with cables for the v1 or the OPPO PM1/2 (those mono ends) didn’t result an anything I could hear.

The inclusion of the balanced and portable cables by default is good thing, again I expect it at this price point.  The change in cable materials is interesting, I’m willing to use these for a while and see how they wear.  I expect there will be haters.
 

Sound

This is a great sounding headphone.

The higher end is a bit forward above 5K and brings in lots of air, maintaining the openness of the cans with most material.  It has great presence in the top end without getting too bright, brittle or analytical for my taste. They don’t approach the high end of the HD800, however if you find that can too ‘peaky’ you may feel the same way about these. (Full disclosure: I love me some unmodified HD800 all day long.)  

Bass is balanced in the music, this can is not for the bass heads. Its tight and controlled all the way down to about 15 kHz. Impact and heft is acceptable but not exceptional.   Best description I can think of for it is polite and slightly restrained. The mid-range is in line the bass levels, slightly leaner than full, not particularly forward or warm.  Overall the profile of the can is flat and balanced with that slight lift between 8 and 12 kHz.

The soundstage is huge, presenting like an orchestra hall versus a small or medium room.  Imaging is very good. It can be affected by can placement on your head, which I attribute to the angle of the earpads. Transients, dynamic range, detail\timbre are good while not the absolute best compared to some dynamic cans.   The sound is very open, very light without becoming bright.

Summarizing all this is a bit difficult. I want to just type that the can does nothing wrong in the bass and mids while it brings a superb top end into play.  No particular area stands out enough to overly praised (except perhaps the openness).  But while I could leave it at that and be technically correct it doesn’t capture the quality of musical experience I get from the cans.  Everything coheres together into more than a sum of its parts and it’s a great listening experience.  In the range of flagship cans the HEKv2 stakes its place as one of the best for overall sound performance.
 

Conclusions

Don’t buy these.

At least for a while, and not without thinking about it long and hard. These headphones are crazy expensive, even for that sound quality.  There’s a resale market for HiFiMan headphones but the release of a new flagship version every few months will send it down the toilet.  HiFiMan recognizes this (or got the message after reading the thousands of nasty notes left around the web to this effect) and offered a discounted upgrade to original owners of the HEKv1 for a while.  Good on HiFiMan.  It’s not enough to stop HEKv1 prices from quickly and drastically dropping on aftermarket however, especially as HiFiMan themselves are now selling remaindered v1s in competition with the used market. More important to potential new buyers: The residual value of a new HEKv2 purchase is also put into question serious question as another round of upgrades and close-outs could conceivably appear at any time.

Any potential purchasers of the HEKv2 (or any of the other flagship cans with nosebleed pricing these days) should listen to the can first and explore the used market before plunking down that much cash.  Loaner programs are available, use them. There are hundreds of great headphones with new technologies being released these days, along with a bunch of **** headphones, all at much lower price points.  HiFiMan makes some of them.  Point is you can try a lot of stuff and find some new favorites out there without sinking this much cash into a single headphone.
 
 

Comparison to HE-1000 v1

Accessories \ Build Quality \ Design \ Comfort

 

I’ve brain dumped all the miniscule physical differences I can find below.  If nitpicking details don’t interest you skip to the sound quality section.  If I don’t mention some aspect of the headphones below it means I see no change between the versions.

Packaging materials and the display boxes are identical with no indication of ‘V2’ on the box, only on the included marketing literature user guide. Quality level of the headphone build is the same (some rough edges on wood banding, etc.) I consider it the low-end of the top-end if you get that. The driver diaphragm appears physically the same gets seated in a slightly smaller cavity.  The weight is less, I measured 429 grams versus 489 grams without cables.  That’s a good reduction in weight which I did feel when switching between them after longer listening sessions.  Weight on the v1 is very manageable though so YMMV.
 

 
 
Which is which?

The rolled steel headband frame has numerous small changes. It’s about ½ inch wider across in length (ear-to-ear I guess you would describe it). There are now 9 detents for the sliding-height adjusters where the HEKv1 has 7 and the detents are closer together. Roughly 3 millimeters of height adjustment range is added.
 

 
 
HEKv2 on the right

The sliding adjusters have cosmetic changes to the imprinted logo, the height of the slider itself is decreased by 2 mm, and the screws holding the suspension strap have shrunk a bit.  The leather where the suspension strap attaches to the frame is now much more pliable, you can see and feel where the stiff insert between the pieces of leather ends before it attaches. This allows the strap to twist around in the frame and makes me a little concerned about long term durability.   The yokes now have a slippery plastic surface where they meet the steel headband frame, so no more grinding and squeaking when you turn the cups.
 

 
HEKv2 on the right

The height of the wood band around the earpiece is slightly reduced (though I would be very hesitant to call it ‘slimmer and sleeker’ as the marketing material does).  The ear pads are thicker and more asymmetrical.  Material on the face of the pads changes from the standard HiFiMan velour to a patterned polyester material with less nap, which means none of the initial scratchiness I’ve felt with other HiFiMan cans. (That scratchiness always went away with a few hours of wear anyway).  The polyester doesn’t seem to ‘increase sound transparency’ per marketing material but it does look slightly classier. The sharper angle on the pads makes the fit change slightly when pushing the cans backward and forward on my head, something I didn’t get with HEKv1.  Overall the cans retain the same depth of each earpiece, with just the proportions of cup to earpad changing between the v1 and v2. The backwards-tilt-range of the HEKv1 within the yokes is reduced in the HEKv2 because of the deeper earpads but that that doesn’t affect anything when wearing them. The new earpads are interchangeable with the HEKv1 pads (more notes on that below).
 

 
The cables differ significantly from the v1.   Although you get three cables of the same length and terminations, the HEKv2 cables have a ‘rubberized’ clear exterior allowing you to see three internal cores.  Texture is quite grippy to the touch and because of the stickiness the cables get and stay tangled up a bit more than cloth covered ones on par.  Per HiFiMan the cables are “newly upgraded … with stronger, further improved materials (of crystalline copper and crystalline silver wire)” with “enhanced emphasis on the low end.”  This fancy new wire is still connected via the same ‘Yongsheng’ branded pot metal XLR connector from the HEKv1 cable, however.   While they could be considered an upgrade from the HEKv1 stock I think whether you like them will be a personal preference thing.
 

 

Sound Quality:  HE-1000 V2 versus HE-1000 V1

Listening and measurements were done with the stock pads and cables (SE and balanced) on the same set up.  Again, if I don’t mention something it means I heard no discernable differences.
 
Sensitivity is reported the same (90dB) and acted that way in practice pretty much up and down the board.  Impedance on the v1 was reported as “35±3 Ω”, now it’s listed as “35 ohm” on the v2 web page, we might infer it’s still the same and someone just cleaned the text in the name of marketing.  Be green, save those pixels.

Overall the sound signatures were very, very similar but there were a couple of differences to be found.  While sub-bass extension was about the same on both cans (usable bass down to about 15Hz) the v1 was fatter and rougher below 55Hz or so.  For instance, on the bass sweep in Yello’s ‘Junior B’ the v1 was rougher and rumblier in that lower range while the v2 was very smooth and polite all the way down.  The kick drum beats in Shelby Lynne ‘Just a Little Lovin’ come off as slightly more forceful on v1, and the drum kit tracks on Dr. Chesky’s demonstration disk sound tighter on the v2.  The effect may have been slightly exaggerated on balanced power but it was also noticeable in SE listening. While it was plain to hear on those bass sweeps and drums I only picked up whiffs of this in the midrange of most tracks, even those with plentiful sub-bass.  Male tenor vocals weren’t affected for instance. On tracks without sub-bass I didn’t hear any tonal change in the bass and mids at all.
 
Attack and transients were slightly faster on the v2.  This was immediately discernable on techno and synth tracks. On more complicated orchestral pieces the speed allowed more detail and texture to emerge from the music. The v2 behaved better (or at least differently) in the high end on those orchestral pieces as well, presenting slightly more air, harmonics, and shimmer than the v1.  On less complicated tracks (sound of a lone cymbal for instance) the high end didn’t change much: it was excellent on both cans.
 
Openness, female vocals, dynamics and imaging remain the same between both cans, although imaging was a bit more dependent on headphone placement with the v2.  I presume this has to do with the new angled ear pads although placement of the driver in a shallower pan could conceivably affect this.
 
I noted that HiFiMan markets the v2 cables as modified with “enhanced emphasis on the low end” so I swapped cables to test this out.  If the changes I heard really were due to the cables this would be a non-brainer upgrade for the v1.  No such luck.  I didn’t hear the sub-bass profiles swap with the cables, in fact I heard no relative changes at all. Ditto for swapping out the ear pads.  Changing them out made no discernable difference to sound quality, either in that bass issue or anything else.  I expect some hopeful owners of the v1 who purchase the new earpads will try to shout me down on this one though.  
 

Conclusions in comparison with the HEKv1

 
Physical changes boil down to ‘different cables, different earpads’.  We might also throw in ‘doesn’t squeak’.  Yes, the v2 is slightly lighter but v1 already wears the weight well due to the suspension strap system.  Everything else just feels cosmetic, including the expanded (by 3 millimeters!) height adjustments and the ‘sleeker’ earcups.  If someone bought the new earpads and the new cable and I didn’t look to closely…  I note that the price of the balanced cable has been ‘upgraded’ quite a bit at the HiFiMan online shop these days, so they may be thinking the same thing.
 
Unsurprisingly the sound signatures between the cans are almost identical.  On tracks with sub bass the v2 is slightly politer with improved control, a fact I attribute to the can itself and not to the cables. HEKv2 comes off as a slight upgrade to v1 in transients and attack, possibly due to that same improved sub bass control but I doubt that’s the entire reason.   I suspect the change was very intentional to counter reports of slow transients from the v1.    The changes I heard in top end performance were slight at best, and could be reasonably ascribed to the sub-bass and transient changes alone. When I was listening to music for pleasure the changes were much less important than the similarities that were retained.
 
Finally, I can’t state that the changes I heard aren’t specific to my personal cans.  I would love for anyone else out there to provide any additional listening feedback and tell me if they’re hearing this.
 
 

Should you upgrade?

You get 99.5% the same performance from v1 as v2 so as a dollar value proposition I don’t recommend upgrading.  First time HEK buyers should consider a used HEKv1 to get close to the same performance level at a much lower cost.  If original owners upgraded via the upgrade program that’s awesome, although that’s still a lot of money that could have gone towards other head phones (Hear that ringing?  No, it’s not your tinnitus, that’s three sets of HD-6XX’s calling you…). If you missed the upgrade program, upgrading to the HEKv2 by purchasing at full price would be a shameful waste of your headphone budget, IMHO. Your need to upgrade may vary but I wouldn’t do so based strictly on sound performance.
 
 
Edit: Painfully manually fixing the table so you can read it.
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Video review here:

Build:
The Hifiman HE1000V2 is a beautiful headphone. It looks fantastic, feels fantastic, and is hands down the most comfortable headphone i've tried with the potential exception of the Arya. However this is due to the Arya having a plastic build and therefore being slightly lighter. Many will prefer to have a touch more weight in exchange for the metal construction of the HE1000v2.

The pads are angled and just the right balance of firm/soft. Absolutely cannot fault the comfort in any way at all.
The build looks and feels premium. It isn't what i'd call massively sturdy, but I'm more than happy to have a headphone that is more comfortable even if it means I cannot safely run it over with my car.

The one thing about the build I really do not like is the cable. The cable is quite frankly not what i'd call acceptable for a headphone of this price. Much less the $6000 susvara (which uses the same cable).
Its basically a rubber tube with the core materials through it, which crinkle and rattle when you turn your head. If you get these, plan on getting a custom cable.
It is nice that they just use normal 3.5mm though (older units were 2.5mm), so getting a custom cable is easy and no need to fuss with proprietary connectors.

Overall tonality:
These are a headphone that leans ever so slightly warm of neutral. Its a departure from the lower cost hifiman offerings, but not at all overdone, and I very much enjoyed it.
Its a sound signature that offers plenty of detail, technicalities, forgiveness, and doesn't at all feel overdone or as though it's trying to impress with party tricks. It simply does just about everything some level of good to great.

Soundstage and spatial presentation:
The spatial presentation of the Arya was likely my favourite thing about them, and its just as good here.
Staging is tall, wide, and layered beautifully. The combination of excellent and precise imaging alongside the very impressive layering within the stage leads to a very convincing overall presentation of space.
The one area where I perhaps wanted a little more was frontal staging. Vocals were noticeably closer on the he1000v2 than the arya, however not overly so. And I didn't find it distracting.
Additionally what I really like about the he1000 line overall is the ability to stage lowend elements properly.
Many other headphones even if they have excellent air and overall staging, can often still have lowend be 'in your head' or not quite properly distanced. That is not the case here. Listening to "contact" by daft punk, the distancing, imaging and timbre of the drums was fantastic, and not many other headphones can do it in quite the same way. Its distracting to listen on another headphone once you've heard it on something like this (or the Susvara, which does it even better).

Treble:
Treble is overall very good. Its slightly 'smoother' than hifiman's cheaper headphones, and smoother than the Arya as well. Though not so far as to call it "smoothed over".
Its excellently resolving, BUT, I have to say I did encounter a few times where I was listening and thought to myself:
"This sounds great, but I know there's a little bit more that i'm not quite getting".
It seemed that whilst the Aryas offer fantastic air, resolution and overall performance, which is a blessing on a good chain, but often too much and unforgiving on a poor chain or poor track, the HE1000V2 favours the slightly more 'polite' route.
Taking a step back from squeezing every last bit of detail it can from the driver, and instead focusing on an overall more enjoyable presentation.
This is great in many situations and I never found these harsh or fatiguing, but it came with the tradeoff that sometimes I felt as if it were holding back.

These are not the most ideal headphones for ultra-critical listening. But for sitting down in the evening with a glass of whiskey and just relaxing to music. They are stellar.

Midrange:
The midrange here there is not all that much I can say. Because it is in a word: Beautiful.
Timbre of vocals is excellent, warm and full bodied without being forced or veiled, delicate and nimble when needed, thick and encompassing when demanded.

Midrange is indeed simply excellent and at this price there is not much more I could ask of it.
Certain headphones like a ZMF Verite might give a perhaps more "vivid" sound which many might prefer. As though someone had taken a photo and turned up the saturation. Beautiful, vivid, but not necessarily "true to source".

But in terms of going for a natural presentation without colouration, this is fantastic.

Bass:
Bass is the only part of these headphones where I felt a little mixed.
Planars usually need a fair bit of power, and scale nicely when more is offered. Even the Arya, which isn't too difficult to get loud, becomes quite a different animal on a powerful amp. And the flagship Susvara I honestly wouldn't even consider the same headphone on a speaker amp vs headphone amp.

The HE1000V2 doesn't need that. The response doesn't change so long as it has 'enough'. And moreso, the signature of the amp itself plays less of a part than on some other headphones.

Headphones like the HD800, Susvara, Arya, all change massively depending on the power and sound signature of the amp they are run off. However the HE1000V2 only changed subtly when I swapped between the Asgard 3, Magnius, AHB2, Cavalli Tube Hybrid and RME ADI-2 Pro headphone amps.

This was nice as I often found myself fussing with amps too much on other headphones.
BUT, this was also in part because whilst a can like the Susvara can knock your socks off with fast, thunderous, impactful lowend when powered by the AHB2, the HE1000V2 was again a little more 'polite'.
With quite present and well extended lowend, but not massively fast or snappy.
Once again referring back to "Contact" by daft punk. On the HE1000V2 the timbre, presence and 'thunder' of the drums was plentiful, the initial snap and impact was definitely better on the Arya.

If you are a basshead or EDM fan these may not be the best choice.
But for those who prioritise timbre, these shine. Drums really do sound phenomenal on these even if at times I'd like a little more slam. The realism makes up for it.

Conclusion:
I think the HE1000V2 are truly excellent headphones. Had I evaluated these entirely on their own, I would have absolutely no issue whatsoever saying 'buy these asap'.
But what gives me pause is that Hifiman's own Arya is incredibly similar. And I would consider it an equal, but slightly different headphone. Which for half the price.....makes it a very compelling choice.

The HE1000V2 is for those seeking a natural, realistic presentation. And at that....it does wonderfully.