[nioh]

I am searching a headphone with high sensitivity as I Will use with Fiio M11 DAP in a portable mode (not Desktop)

In my short experience with headphones I have tested following headphones:
-Audeze LCD-XC & LCD-X: both are very heavy for me (more than 600 gr)
-Focal Stellia: not my cup of tea
-Verum one mk2: satisfied with but looking an upgrade

I read good reviews from Hifiman Arya & Hifiman HE1K, but all says this headphones require a good amount amplification, with my DAP imposible.
What high sensitivity open back headphones do you recomend below 1500$?

Thanks

Hifiman's open backs are all planars with low sensitivity, not so easy to drive.
Their closed backs on the other hand like the HE-R10P or Audivina are quite easy to drive and sound as good or even better than some of their open backs.

 

[carbonF1]

Your analysis is on point and these arguments are all valid. However, I would say the one thing you didn't mention and that changes the math is the closed back nature of this headphone. I have tried a ton of closed back planars and at the current price, nothing comes close. So while I agree that in this price range, some open backs are def better, the only closed back that comes close to this is the DCA Stealth (still more expensive though) and I still preferred the R10P over it. So, as a headphone in general, I agree it's not the best value. But for peeps like me who already have great open backs and want a really good closed back alongside them, I don't think anything else compares...

Good point. I knew I was forgetting something and was thinking the same thing, it's worth a serious listen if you want to try something different (and by serious, an in home audition, not at a trade show/canjam lol). I didn't want to get into the whole "well, for a closed back..." perspective, but R10P being a closed back headphone is what made me curious in the first place. The R10P was my first closed back so that's good to know there's really only a handful of options that come close. If money were no object and rules didn't matter I'd keep both R10P and Susvara but decisions had to be made haha.

 

[Spawn300Z]

I know I plan on keeping both the HE-R10P and Susvaras for the foreseeable future.

 

[nioh]

Well there’s a new hybrid on the block - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-isvarna-closed-back-hybrid.974667/

 

[Alu2025]

Your analysis is on point and these arguments are all valid. However, I would say the one thing you didn't mention and that changes the math is the closed back nature of this headphone. I have tried a ton of closed back planars and at the current price, nothing comes close. So while I agree that in this price range, some open backs are def better, the only closed back that comes close to this is the DCA Stealth (still more expensive though) and I still preferred the R10P over it. So, as a headphone in general, I agree it's not the best value. But for peeps like me who already have great open backs and want a really good closed back alongside them, I don't think anything else compares...

How dca stealth compares to he-r10p?

 

[tdx]

How dca stealth compares to he-r10p?

I admire the stealth for its technical performance and form factor but it never did it for me musically. The R10P is much more to my liking tuning wise. And I feel the soundstage on the R10P is a lot better than the Stealth

 

[Dalmonegrig]

How Sony MDR Z1R compares to HiFiMAN HE-R10P?

 

[nioh]

New balanced cable for the HE-R10P - OFC, 4.4mm with Furutech termination and Furutech connectors.
https://arachne.audio/products/custom-replacement-cable-for-hifiman-ariadne-series (Color scheme: Monarch (limited) )

High quality cable.
Cable is lighter than the stock cable and quite flexible.
Zero microphonics.
A lot of customization options.
Left and Right markings on the connectors making it easier to identify.
Great value for money.

Sound-wise they slightly elevate the bass (especially mid-bass) and vocals without sacrificing the other frequencies.
Overall quite happy with the cable.

Arachne Audio's communication was also excellent, answering all my questions and keeping me up to date with the progress and shipping which was quite fast by the way and free !
It's my first cable from them but now I know where to get good quality, reasonably priced cables

 

[Gintaras]

Your analysis is on point and these arguments are all valid. However, I would say the one thing you didn't mention and that changes the math is the closed back nature of this headphone. I have tried a ton of closed back planars and at the current price, nothing comes close. So while I agree that in this price range, some open backs are def better, the only closed back that comes close to this is the DCA Stealth (still more expensive though) and I still preferred the R10P over it. So, as a headphone in general, I agree it's not the best value. But for peeps like me who already have great open backs and want a really good closed back alongside them, I don't think anything else compares...

if i may ask, had you a chance to compare them to Audivina?

 

[nioh]

if i may ask, had you a chance to compare them to Audivina?

I see you are still thinking if you should get an HE-R10P. I would suggest to wait for the new Isvarna to go on sale. It seems more promising than either of the former models.

 

[Gintaras]

I've had the R10P for about nine days now, but decided to return them to Hifiman this afternoon. After 50 hours of listening or so I just didn't think it was a good fit for my listening preferences, and decided to get the Susvara instead. Some impressions below:

This is not surprising since Susvara have become the benchmark for high-end headphones. And which version are you getting, the old or the unveiled?

As for the HE-R10P, I don't understand your comments. Similar to the Audivina, these headphones have a relaxed sound signature. Moreover, a huge soundstage comes at the expense of channel balance (you feel sometimes missing a sweet spot, but not that much imo), which some people like, others don't. I bought the Audivina's and fell in love with them despite my D8000 Pro, which is a highly regarded open-back that competes directly with the older version Susvara.

Also, I tried the albums you mentioned, sorry, the ones you didn't like on the HE-R10P are actually, in my humble opinion, low-fi albums. Some metal thrash and Wham? You're kidding, Wham sounds dull and dreary even on my 20k front-end, I call it great music, poorly recorded. I see you also got the HE6SE v2's, which I had too before the right driver died, and all I can say is that Audivina are better headphones overall, my daughter (young ears hear better) told me my HE6SE v2's were lean and thin sounding in comparison. Mind this, HE6SE v2 are damn the fastest sounding headphones I heard, the pace & rhytm are only second to Susvara. Anyway, assuming the HE-R10P's are better than the Audivina's, I don't see how they can be inferior to the HE6SE v2's or be so bad generally?

PS: Susvara is a completely different league, so I would not compare it to anything. Still, Susvara isn't as versatile (in terms of genres) as some others, so I settled on the D8000 Pro, which does 85% of what Susvara does, but is overall a more versatile headphone. That being said I love Susvara a lot and to-date I did not hear another headphone which could beat Susvara.
So, if you like the Susvara sound, just buy it, because there is no other headphone like Susvara imo.

 

[Gintaras]

I see you are still thinking if you should get an HE-R10P. I would suggest to wait for the new Isvarna to go on sale. It seems more promising than either of the former models.

look, i am totally lost since I like T+A Solitare P-SE, then ZMF Atrium, then HE-R10P but i have only one pair of ears, which limits me as i cannot jump from one to another, while finding a universal "do it all" looks like mission impossible.
so perhaps i will focus on upgrading my front end to DartZEEL or Soulution instead of wasting another 2-3k for nothing. alternatively can sell my D8000 Pro, but then again i am not sure if i find good replacement, since i liked them over ZMF and Susvara, but since having the Audivina i feel like i am starting to hate midcentric headphone tuning in general and i want just one can that can reproduce as close as possible an ultra-high-end speaker system.

 

[nioh]

look, i am totally lost since I like T+A Solitare P-SE, then ZMF Atrium, then HE-R10P but i have only one pair of ears, which limits me as i cannot jump from one to another, while finding a universal "do it all" looks like mission impossible.
so perhaps i will focus on upgrading my front end to DartZEEL or Soulution instead of wasting another 2-3k for nothing. alternatively can sell my D8000 Pro, but then again i am not sure if i find good replacement, since i liked them over ZMF and Susvara, but since having the Audivina i feel like i am starting to hate midcentric headphone tuning in general and i want just one can that can reproduce as close as possible an ultra-high-end speaker system.

At least wait until January for CES. There was a rumour that Sony might announce the Z1R successor. There might be other new stuff too.

 

[Gintaras]

I see you are still thinking if you should get an HE-R10P...

look, if you do not mind, i got one idea. since you got both HE-R10P and Audivina, i wanted to suggest a few songs/compositions from some albums for testing both headphones and you then would share your impressions with me here? i am very curious to see how these two compare )))

 

[Gintaras]

At least wait until January for CES. There was a rumour that Sony might announce the Z1R successor. There might be other new stuff too.

I've heard conflicting opinions about the Sony Z1R, but never once have I heard it outperformed the top-of-the-line headphones. Even one Z1R owner wrote on Audivina page that the Sony's are inferior to Audivina. So I'm not expecting much from their reincarnation.