nice review! i'm glad you enjoyed he1000se
reading makes me feel a little curious though as your review is actually the first formal (?) review on head-fi, considering how high profile1000se is haha.

I was as surprised not to have seen a review on these. I searched a few times before I started this entry. Thanks for the kind words.

You can add Arctic Cables to the list of options for a custom cable. I use my HEKSE with a Signum+ and I also have the Forza Noir Hybrid HPC. Both outstanding cables...

What you didn't tell us is how you rate the HEKSE against the Utopia's

@Jon773 overall I preferred the HE1000se to the Utopia but it may be more a matter of preference. The Utopia has less bass but the bass is tighter and slightly faster while the 1000se is fatter sounding and just slightly behind the speed of the utopia in the bass. On the treble side the 1000se is more detailed and has a slightly more realistic timbre.

I guessed was close between the two. My friend just picked up some Utopia's so I am hoping to have a listen at some point soon. Great review, thanks

How does HE1000se compare to the Arya?

@szore i haven't heard the Arya

do u not find vocals very distant sounding?

Not at all listening to steely dan Dr Wu vocals are very present and upfront in the mix

Nicely written, I agree the cables do need some work when I tried them. The SE was a bit too airy sounding for my taste although. By the way, what camera did you use for the pictures?

@Miru i used my new iPad pro to take the photos

compared to Raal Sr1A which one do you prefer , if you had a choice to keep one of the two? I already have 1000se and utopia and love them both. Is it worth spending on Raal? or Susvara ?

I have a slight preference for the RAAL based on increased transparency and speed noting that the he1kse is the best I've heard in standard format headphones. The he1kse does have more bass quantity with a slightly fuller sound

thanks ... I have heard nothing but praise for Raal, I can imagine how it sounds, but what is keeping me from getting it is tthree things, it has a reputation for weak bass (no matter how some people like to claim about the quality of its bass), even the most die-hard fans fans of raal agree that bass is not its strong point .. second, the fact that given it needs an expensive speaker amp I question if the cheaper option of jotunheim R can drive it to its optimal performance? and last but not the least i like my utopia, he1kse and have just bought susvara (not arrived yet) and I don't want to give them up as i like to keep what I love... and then again, i like bass, most of the music I listen to sounds good with decent amount of bass

the heikse is by far the easier to get great sound out of multiple sources and amps and is the best of the normal format headphones I have tried. I could easily live with these and be immersed in the music as my end game headphones

thanks

I just ordered the Forza Noir Hybrid HPC cable for my Hekse and I agree it's a great headphone.

@jp11801 Was the Sony also used as the source connected to the GSX-mini? I have a mini and am strongly considering these as an upgrade to the Arya, and I was just curious.

No I have a Lumin T2 as my main rig source

I currently own Focal Utopias and Hifiman Aryas. I love the Utopias for their realism, detail, nuance and full-bodiedness. I bought the Aryas when I had Focal Clears and even though they sounded brighter and less realistic, it's their space (soundstage) and separation that made me keep them. Now that I've got the Utopias the gap between them is too substantial for me to be able to enjoy the Aryas without noticing all the shortcomings, and most of all the unnatural brightness. Do the HE1000SEs address that issue fully? Would they be a worthy complement to my Utopias, or perhaps they're even a better headphone? I'm worried that I will once again get what I find so mesmerising - expansive soundstage - but it will come at the cost of bright/plasticky tonality/timbre.