[goldendarko]

Did hifiman say they were just adjusting headband length? I don't want to divulge any info I'm not supposed to but from my PMs with them it sounds like there are quite possibly a few more changes in store.

 

[reddog]

Did hifiman say they were just adjusting headband length? I don't want to divulge any info I'm not supposed to but from my PMs with them it sounds like there are quite possibly a few more changes in store.

Sweet thanks for the information sir.

 

[mowglycdb]

Nah my production pair is going to arrive on tuesday.

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

So I was going to take a couple months of listening with various setups & settings before posting my opinion on these, but they arrived today and well... Keep in mind when looking at the image below that these were ordered as NEW through Amazon, from HifiMan, and as per DHL tracking, shipped directly from their factory, straight out of the box:
 

 
So it's covered in stains and fingerprints, scuffs and scratches... is this how they all are NEW? This is my first HifiMan product (and one way or the other my last) It doesn't even particularly matter if this is really their fabrication & "hand-checked" QA, or a used one (demo/beta) that they shipped intentionally or not.
 
How can they let something like this slip by, keeping in mind the pricepoint of this, and the fact that it is a FLAGSHIP product, i.e supposed to show a company in their best possible light... I find this beyond the pale.
 
I'm contacting them about this, but:
1) I'd like to know if this is the kind of state everyone who has received their NON-beta HE-1000s are in
2) Give a heads-up to anyone who thinks about taking the early-adopter gamble I did: Caveat Emptor!
 
But since they actually work properly, as far as first impressions go (at least burn-in should not be an issue with these): they are exceptionally comfortable given that the weight is close to that of my LCD-3s, the first thing that I really noticed soundsignature-wise: the spaciousness (within the constraints of a headphone) and clarity (I heard hiss in records that I barely noticed before and even very, very slight scratching of my HA-1's pot :/ I never noticed those with the other headphones I regularly use it with)
 
Yes, they are a touch bright (for my taste anyway) but it is refined (more so than the TH-900 for example), some records prone to sibilance suffer for it, and the the bass is flat (I wouldn't say shy, but these ain't no TH-900 or even LCD-3s) I'm absolutely confident though that these aspects can be managed & fine-tuned with the right tubes (sorry, I just like 'em) and it will indeed sound truly great.
 
P.S.: re: fit: I have a medium-largish head (as per hats & other headphones) and I still have the headband at the smallest setting... even then just a fraction lower and it would be sagging against my ears.
 
Assuming this doesn't turn out to be a loaner with a 3k deposit...

 

[pedalhead]

That's very poor.  Surely must be a demo/beta set that have been re-purposed as new? Charging $3k and shipping something in that condition is completely unacceptable and doesn't help to reduce the existing impression that new Hifiman products tend to suffer from initial release issues. I hope this is an accidental one-off.  It would be very interesting to get feedback from other people with retail units in their hands.

 

[headwhacker]

ouch, look at the bright side you don't need to break them in. 

 But seriuosly, If that's me I will send it back right away. 

 

[Decoy]

That is very disappointing to hear that they did not arrive in pristine condition.  

 You are absolutely correct that a $3000 flagship pair of headphones should arrive absolutely glowing.  Even a non-flagship set of cans wouldn't go out looking like that from, for example, Sennheiser.  Their QC standards for this should accept nothing short of perfection.  Dirty, you can clean it up, although you shouldn't have to, but scratches and chips in the wood?  Scuffed metal?  Mine better arrive in pristine condition or it's going straight back.
 
I hope they take care of this immediately, and at their own expense.  Let's hope this is a mix-up, otherwise HiFiMAN has a lot to learn about the ultra-premium market.

 

[reddog]

That is very disappointing to hear that they did not arrive in pristine condition.    You are absolutely correct that a $3000 flagship pair of headphones should arrive absolutely glowing.  Even a non-flagship set of cans wouldn't go out looking like that from, for example, Sennheiser.  Their QC standards for this should accept nothing short of perfection.  Dirty, you can clean it up, although you shouldn't have to, but scratches and chips in the wood?  Scuffed metal?  Mine better arrive in pristine condition or it's going straight back.

I hope they take care of this immediately, and at their own expense.  Let's hope this is a mix-up, otherwise HiFiMAN has a lot to learn about the ultra-premium market.

Well said, there is no need for the headphones, to be delivered in such condition.

 

[seeteeyou]

Running an environmentally friendly business ain't easy, come on.

 

[lukeap69]

Running an environmentally friendly business ain't easy, come on.

What???

 

[alinto]

Is there an easy way to identify whether they sent you a beta unit or is their quality control that bad. Either way , it is unacceptable. I was thinking of buying he1000 but now i am having 2nd thoughts.

 

[Decoy]

  Is there an easy way to identify whether they sent you a beta unit or is their quality control that bad. Either way , it is unacceptable. I was thinking of buying he1000 but now i am having 2nd thoughts.

Only time will tell.  I have ordered one, so I will be a guinea pig for community.  I will certainly post the results as soon as I get my mitts on it.

 

[up late]

that's gotta be some kind of mistake - i hope. not a good look for hifiman's new statement can tho.

 

[rgs9200m]

Well, the good news is you like the sonics. At least physical flaws can be corrected. 

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Well, you can be sure that none of the beta units are being re-purposed.
 
Now, I'm sure many of you are wondering "how can you be so sure?"
 
Well...none of the beta units have been returned yet.
 
In any case, apologies for the unfortunate situation. Please work with Amazon's excellent return policies for the time being, but feel free to shoot this account a PM if you would like further assistance.
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quote:

  So I was going to take a couple months of listening with various setups & settings before posting my opinion on these, but they arrived today and well... Keep in mind when looking at the image below that these were ordered as NEW through Amazon, from HifiMan, and as per DHL tracking, shipped directly from their factory, straight out of the box:
 

 
So it's covered in stains and fingerprints, scuffs and scratches... is this how they all are NEW? This is my first HifiMan product (and one way or the other my last) It doesn't even particularly matter if this is really their fabrication & "hand-checked" QA, or a used one (demo/beta) that they shipped intentionally or not.
 
How can they let something like this slip by, keeping in mind the pricepoint of this, and the fact that it is a FLAGSHIP product, i.e supposed to show a company in their best possible light... I find this beyond the pale.
 
I'm contacting them about this, but:
1) I'd like to know if this is the kind of state everyone who has received their NON-beta HE-1000s are in
2) Give a heads-up to anyone who thinks about taking the early-adopter gamble I did: Caveat Emptor!
 
But since they actually work properly, as far as first impressions go (at least burn-in should not be an issue with these): they are exceptionally comfortable given that the weight is close to that of my LCD-3s, the first thing that I really noticed soundsignature-wise: the spaciousness (within the constraints of a headphone) and clarity (I heard hiss in records that I barely noticed before and even very, very slight scratching of my HA-1's pot :/ I never noticed those with the other headphones I regularly use it with)
 
Yes, they are a touch bright (for my taste anyway) but it is refined (more so than the TH-900 for example), some records prone to sibilance suffer for it, and the the bass is flat (I wouldn't say shy, but these ain't no TH-900 or even LCD-3s) I'm absolutely confident though that these aspects can be managed & fine-tuned with the right tubes (sorry, I just like 'em) and it will indeed sound truly great.
 
P.S.: re: fit: I have a medium-largish head (as per hats & other headphones) and I still have the headband at the smallest setting... even then just a fraction lower and it would be sagging against my ears.
 
Assuming this doesn't turn out to be a loaner with a 3k deposit...