[mbyrnes]

Thanks guys!...am pretty close to pulling the trigger, just trying to find one used at a good price.
(even new i'm seeing them go on sale for $899, however).

now i know this is not thread related, but is the massdrop hifiman he4xx offering pretty good sounding too
(as a back up pair)?
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones

I would imagine the Massdrop HE-4XX will be a VERY solid planar for $169. I cannot in anyway imagine it will sound anything like the HE-X. I have the Monoprice M1060 with Audeze Vegan pads, and while they are bass monsters, they lack the clarity and openness of the HE-X. totally different sound really, even though they both use large Planar drivers. The HE-X and HE-4XX should sound different enough to own both, and you may prefer the HE-4XX for certain things. The added plus is that they cost so little that they are easier to travel with and not worry about damaging them. If I didn't already own the M1060, I would have definitely jumped on the HE-4XX the second it launched. I just have too many headphones as is, and really don't need anymore. My M1060s are my cheap and "disposable" headphones, the Vegan Audeze pads being the more valuable part as they are now unobtainium.

The HE-X at $899 new, maybe the older V1 version which features straight, not angled pads. Also the ring that holds the cup to the headphone (forgetting the name), was plastic on the V1, and changed to Metal for the V2. I have seen the V1 for $899. I have not seen the V2 selling for less than $1299. Used they go for $900 roughly. Depends on condition and usage. The angled pads changed the sound for the better, and they should be available on Hifiman's website by now I would hope (haven't checked in a while, but they only had the V1 pads the last time I checked a few months back).

 

[JNOISE JA]

Hello friends
Please guide me about buying one of these two models
HD800S VS HEX V2
For me, the price of both models in the country I am the same
My players
DX200 and QP1R

 

[Maelob]

Hd-800 very neutral, detailed and hard to drive- Edition X V2 easy to drive and with more bass and fuller sound and detailed but relaxed highs.
I prefer the HEX sound-

 

[casper3127]

I have both. I consider them as complementary. It depends on what type of music you listen at. The Senns are more on the bright side with a 3D Scene. The Hifimans more focused on vocals. Scene more intimate.

You won't have any problems at all moving the Senns preferably balanced and the HEX in SE mode with those daps.

 

[westermac]

Hey all, I've been enjoying the heck out of my LCD-X (w/Sonarworks) but need to free up some funds so I bought a HEX v1 that I'm hoping will be an acceptable "downgrade".

For those of you who have owned/heard both the v1 and v2, do you think the $80 v2 pads are a worthwhile upgrade? How do they affect the overall SQ/FR? Thanks in advance.

 

[elwappo99]

I think the HEX better than that LCD-X. I've never heard a pair of Audezes that I thought were worth more than $1000, but of the lot, I always thought the LCDX sounded best.

 

[Lavakugel]

I have both. I consider them as complementary. It depends on what type of music you listen at. The Senns are more on the bright side with a 3D Scene. The Hifimans more focused on vocals. Scene more intimate.

You won't have any problems at all moving the Senns preferably balanced and the HEX in SE mode with those daps.

How would you compare HEX vs Grados?

 

[Darren G]

HEX V2's are very comfortable to wear, and the sound, though not technically the most accurate, is just a pleasure. I can listen for hours with no fatigue, or sense of boredom. Definitely a HP I'll be using for a long time to come.

 

[doraymon]

HEX V2's are very comfortable to wear, and the sound, though not technically the most accurate, is just a pleasure. I can listen for hours with no fatigue, or sense of boredom. Definitely a HP I'll be using for a long time to come.

I fully agree with your description!

 

[westermac]

HEX V2's are very comfortable to wear, and the sound, though not technically the most accurate, is just a pleasure. I can listen for hours with no fatigue, or sense of boredom. Definitely a HP I'll be using for a long time to come.

That's good to hear, thanks! I've finally gotten past the notion of everything having to be "accurate", as long as it's reasonably natural sounding and enjoyable then who really cares I'll probably see what I think of the v1 pads first, and if I think they could use some livening up I'll get the v2 pads

 

[Darren G]

That's good to hear, thanks! I've finally gotten past the notion of everything having to be "accurate", as long as it's reasonably natural sounding and enjoyable then who really cares I'll probably see what I think of the v1 pads first, and if I think they could use some livening up I'll get the v2 pads

Yea, I think most of us go through that pursuit of 'accurate', but I also spend more time listening to music since switching my mental gears toward the pursuit of 'enjoyable'. The X V2's do a lot well. There is plenty of that planar magnetic delicacy and attack, but I think what they do best is blend the lows, mids, and highs. Nothing in particular stands out, nothing screams 'listen to me', and though initially that can come across as boring, I find myself forgetting about these headphones, and listening to music vs listening to gear.

My only gripe with them is they do feel cheap for the price, but on the positive side, they are very light, and that contributes to the comfort.

 

[casper3127]

How would you compare HEX vs Grados?

Well, from my experience I could say that they're more or less in opposite poles of how you can feel the music with headphones. We have to distinguish what we understand about Grados first... Up to the GH1//GH2 or RS1 they are those headphones one thinks about when one wants to rock with them. From that point and above, let's say the PS1000 and so on, they have a much more educated way of showing their "savoire faire"...The, so to say, lower class Grados, "spit" the music in your face, with a lot of attack, the bass area is not their strongest point either, guitars and cymbals shine to their very best and if we talk about comfort, simply night and day with the Hifimans... The HEX V2 are very, very comfy with a polite way to show you the music you're listening at, nothing outstands from the rest, but you feel a very cohesive sound that embraces you and makes you want to listen more and more.

 

[vidzegg]

I posted this in Sony MA 900 thread but I think I should share my experience here too.


I was looking for a genuine upgrade from Sony MA 900 ( my criteria were comfort, quality bass, nice mids, decent amount of detail and wide sound stage), my music source is poor quality mp3 and youtube videos and so headphone has to be forgiving as well as not veiled... quite a difficult combination. Also, my budget was up to $3000 as I had some disposable money.

Here is short version of the my odyssey where i bought and tried various headphones before stumbling on to the perfect headphone for me.

1. HD800S (detailed but lean,still not enough bass, no fun)
2. Sony MDR Z1R (Tyll is spot on, its not worth the money, veiled,congested, poor clarity, mids recessed, very disappointing from Sony)
3. Ether Flows (good bass and clarity but start hurting after 30 minutes due to treble, cant listen for more than hour, also feel heavy at times)
4. Koss ESP 950 ( great mids, lack bass, cumbersome set up and minor issues)

I even bought a powerful Marantz HD DAC1 amp from local crutchfield to power these headphones.

But the winner is Hifiman Edition X V2.

I was about the give up this hobby as I was fed up with reading hundreds of pages about too detailed,treble heavy high end headphones that are simply harsh for low quality music files and need extra amp. I love music but I am not an audiophile and I dont listen to high quality audio. I like to watch music videos on youtube which at best have audio quality of 128 kHz. I dont have walkman or other MP3 players and my set up is very simple, laptop with Fiio E17 as DAC/Amp ( it was good enough for MA900). Basically, I just wanted a better MA900 and was surprised to find that meeting all these criteria was not that easy despite how much cash i was willing to shell out.

Hifiman Edition X V2 was last ditch effort as i read about it on a related forum.

I have been trying it now for more than a week and I can confidently say that it improves on all aspect of MA900 (clear natural sound, much much more detail, nice bass, smooth mids and highs, wide soundstage, musical, not harsh). Biggest surprise was that despite being 400 gm, it is more comfortable for me than MA900 because, first, weight is very well distributed but more importantly, V2 has deeper ear pads and my ear does not touch the driver like in MA900. I can keep it on for hours and it just disappears on my head lying down. I am amazed as I was not a fan of heavy headphones.

Few other points.

1. using a powerful amp may be counterproductive. Hifiman means it when they say that It is made for portable devices and is very easy to drive with resistance of 25 ohm. My Marantz HD DAC1 expanded the soundstage and sound was clean but distant and lacked impact. Luckily, I plugged it straight into my laptop and suddenly, It was magic. sound became a little intimate and tickled my ears pleasantly. It got even better with E17 which is a small portable amp.
2. Good for movies due to bass and soundstage, just like MA900
3. So balanced that i did not even need EQ

This is it for now. I can write a lot but you get the idea. This hobby can be insane with endless search amid so much confusion. I am glad that I am out, for now.

UPDATE :

Been using it for more than a month now. Its only getting better. All above impressions confirmed . Thank you Jesus

 

[mbyrnes]

The HE-X V2 are such a great Headphone. Just the right amount of detail, where older recordings are enjoyable (wasn't the case with the HE-1000, too detailed). They just do so much right, at least for me. It's the perfect balance of bass, mids, and highs. They're gaming monsters with virtual surround sound (sooooooooo excited to get my Smyth Research Realizer A16).

Comfort is also extremely high, which is important for long listening sessions. One of the top 5 best audio purchases I've ever made (including surround sound systems and dedicated 2 channel systems).

 

[xLoud]

Can anyone share thoughts on Audeze LCD 2 vs HE-X V1 vs Focal Elear. I have HE-400i, looking for an upgrade and I am sensitive to harsh treble.