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Hifiman Edition X
Dec 24, 2015 at 1:03 PM Post #901 of 4,030
prot said:
Been in the room with heK, 560 and 400i and came back with *very* different opinions/conclusions than yours. Yes they sound different but that's pretty much all. Havent heard any of that 'better' that you guys keep talking about. Havent heard new sounds in familiar songs, the sound wasnt obviously clarer/cleaner, no particular cohesion/consistency over the whole freq band, no extra comfort .. yeah (arguably) bigger soundstage, yes some extra bass and a diff coloration .. but most of those things are an EQ away with almost any other HE model.
And I'm also not sure what exactly do you mean with that 'better build'. The heX seems to be built from exactly the same materials as 400i .. my 400i is also pretty much flawless in the BQ dept .. the headband & cables are same for all 2015 models ... so what exactly does 'better build' mean for you?
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No doubt the 400i offer great value, but the HE-X and HE-K are both on a different plain of existence with regards to sound to my ears. I would classify the 400i as great mid-fi headphones, but the Ed. X run with the big dogs and do so very admirably. The HE-1000s are in the top 2 or 3 headphones I've heard of all-time. Big differences to my ears.
 
Bass quality is a good step up in terms of tightness and detail, the mids are quite a bit more real and and the sound staging is quite a bit deeper and wider. Again, for the price, the 400i are hard to beat...and if you're happy, then great. But if you're referring to the HE1000s, they are (when powered properly and given a source that is up to the task) an incredibly better experience! On my AK240SS, they run neck and neck with my HE-X, but on my Hugo TT / GS-X Mk2, the imaging, detail retrieval, clarity, "you name it" kicks it up several notches and competes with my SR-009s very admirably. Something no other headphone I've come across could ever hope of this.
 
I don't want to make this a 400i is just as good as the HE1000 or HEX thread...if you think so, then great!!!...I hope you enjoy them as they are great headphones...oh, and I'd suggest you look into an O2 amp to go with it. 
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Plus by your post here very recently, it appears you haven't heard the HE-X?
 
prot said:
I surely hope that you are right and they improved on those ugly production issues that are plaguing hfman since the beginning. .
However, my heX vs. he560 comment only refered to the build in terms of production costs. Looks to me that he560 is using more expensive/premium materials, the heX is just a plane-jane build. Judging by the pics & reviews the heX seems to be the build equivalent of he400i .. i.e. same materials are used. And btw, my he400i is also very well built & pretty much spotless. In a side-by-side heX to he400i comparison, the only major diffs I can see are the oval cups .. and IMHO, the fact that such 'differences' are priced at ~ $1500 is a pretty disgraceful pricing stunt. And I am quite amazed about how good it works.
Simply repeating "much better" sounds like a useless prayer/mantra to me .. could you go into some details about what exactly 'much better' means?!
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Sorry, maybe I'm misunderstood your comments here...but by referring to "pics & reviews" it seemed that you haven't experienced the HE-X personally. I'm not a fan of conjecture without first hand experiences.
 
Dec 24, 2015 at 1:49 PM Post #902 of 4,030
macedonianhero said:
   
 
Bass quality is a good step up in terms of tightness and detail, the mids are quite a bit more real and and the sound staging is quite a bit deeper and wider. Again, for the price, the 400i are hard to beat...and if you're happy, then great. But if you're referring to the HE1000s, they are (when powered properly and given a source that is up to the task) an incredibly better experience! On my AK240SS, they run neck and neck with my HE-X, but on my Hugo TT / GS-X Mk2, the imaging, detail retrieval, clarity, "you name it" kicks it up several notches and competes with my SR-009s very admirably. Something no other headphone I've come across could ever hope of this.
 
 
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Agreed. You could go TOTL headphones and be missing the full experience if everything before it isn't up to the task.
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Dec 24, 2015 at 2:09 PM Post #903 of 4,030
vanquisher said:
   
Agreed. You could go TOTL headphones and be missing the full experience if everything before it isn't up to the task.
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How are you enjoying your O2 amplifier? 
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 Many TOTL headphones can be enjoyed with mid-fi amps/dacs/sources, no doubt....but you ARE leaving cards on the table.
 
Dec 24, 2015 at 2:22 PM Post #909 of 4,030
vanquisher said:
   
Woo Audio WA6-SE w/ some tube upgrades.
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I see it now...2 separate units. Very nice amp the WA6-SE and really gets the most of our most headphones (maybe not the HE-6s, but what really does that isn't a speaker amp).
 
Dec 24, 2015 at 2:31 PM Post #910 of 4,030
macedonianhero said:
   
I see it now...2 separate units. Very nice amp the WA6-SE and really gets the most of our most headphones (maybe not the HE-6s, but what really does that isn't a speaker amp).
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Agreed. Hard to say if I want to get a WA5-LE or not. Probably pickup a GSX MK2 instead. Next move is a Pavane though. I want to get one more tube for this one and I think i'll be happy with it, tracking it down is the tough part. Have not heard HE-6 but not interested in playing with speaker amps to power a headphone. Hopefully when my local shop gets the HEX in i'll be able take their loaner for a spin for a few weeks. Maybe my thoughts will change. HEK loaner should be here after the holidays.
 
Dec 24, 2015 at 2:58 PM Post #912 of 4,030
raybone0566 said:
Nice combo, how's that metrum sound?
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I like it a lot. Its still fairly new and breaking in I assume it'll settle on its true colors in a weeks time or so. Decide to pull the trigger on it to see how I liked Metrum's NOS Signature. So I'll be using this for awhile, then I'll be ordering a Pavane that is how much I like it. Musette will come to work with me. Had a choice of Yggy or this Metrum and I'd pick this 10/10. To my ears its what I like.
 
Dec 24, 2015 at 6:56 PM Post #914 of 4,030
Four words.  Wow these are amazing!
 
I honestly prefer the HEX black color over the HEK look, has some sort of classy style to it. 
Plugged these straight into the PC and when I was going through my Spotify/TIDAL/Personal Playlist list it's dominating every song I throw at it! Bass impact is sweet, instrumental separation, vocals, and overall presentation is outstanding.  These are still like new so I can only imagine after continually burning in.
 
What makes these headphones in my opinion worth the money is that you don't need an expensive DAC or amp in order to have music presented beautifully, just plug it in and you are good to go.    Whether you use your phone, your PC, or DAP, or even a high-end setup you will not be disappointed :)
 
Merry Xmas & Happy Holidays everyone
 
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