[jibzilla]

Shoot, why an I bothering with portable amps, dacs, DAPs, all the Head-Fi Chazerei! Have a fine high end set up in the living room, Preamp duties handled by the Peachtree GrandPre, which also has a well reviewed dac, and a headphone amp which, according to the Moon Audio review, is capable of driving the HE-6 (don't have one to confirm this). Analog is handled by a Linn LP12/Ittok/Lyra cartridge, with all the suspension and power supply upgrades. Phono pram is rubbed Pro-ject Tube Box S. My headphone conversion was basically about freedom from the tyranny of the "sweet spot", the ability to lie in bed, go for a walk, BE ANYWHERE ELSE and listen to high fidelity music. Well, I broke down, plugged the HEK into the Peachtree and put on some LPs. Pulled out an album I found in London by Omer Avital, then a Mosaic reissue of Jim Hall/Paul Desmond recordings, then Lee Morgan's The Procrastinator. Man, o man, o man, these freaking headphones are absolutely awesome sounding, more awesome sounding than I thought they were, by a lot, and I ALREADY thought they were awesome sounding. Scaling up,indeed!
going to be hard to go back to the regular headphone gear...but, fight tyranny we must!!!!!

 
I was really impressed the first time I listened to vinyl on the he1k. It's less brutally honest presentation than the hd800 made me feel like I washed my records a second time on my rcm. Pops and ticks were not so loud like on the hd800. After a while though I ended up missing the realism of the hd800.

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Sounds nice - let me connect my LP12 with Aro, Keel and Lingo (to be upgraded to Radikal soon) to my Liquid Fire tonight and see how that fairs with my Esoteric player.

 

[isquirrel]

I am loving my HEK's they are now over 250 hours and they continue to improve, albeit at a slower rate of change than the 1st 100 hours. I posted quite a lengthy review over on the Abyss thread. I should probably re-post it here?
 
I am finding to my surprise that I am using them much more than the Abyss. They scale superbly.

 

[jibzilla]

Doctor jazz and Louis Armstrong, you guys have some really nice TT setups. The he1k should sound heavenly on them. I'm thinking about going belt drive myself but if I do I think it will be with a vintage micro.
 
Might be sooner rather than latter if the amps do not work out. I have always been a driver first sort of guy but decided to go the amp route this time. If that does not pan out prob. a vintage micro and burmester dac.

 

[doctorjazz]

Vinyl is a Royal Pain, but, man, have the Linn on a Machina Dynamica isolation stand (a strange contraption of springs, weights, wood, and a shock absorber that works incredibly. Couldn't use the turntable without it, springy wood floor send the arm flying with the slightest tip toe. Don't think they're around any more, though), pulled out some audiophile vinyl (not the Omer Avital, that was just an album I hadn't listened to yet...nice, actually, he's a great bassist, out of a Mingus type school, writes fine music as well (recommended hi rez download: Omer A Avital Live at Smalls)...I just moved my MicroZOTL out of the bedroom (SOB) connected to PC/Vaunix Lab Brick/Geek Out Special Edition, great sounds, maybe I now have to move it downstairs and connect it to the Pro-Ject phono preamp and see how it compares to the Peachtree, though, I have to say, the Peachtree really impressed on my first listen. (nice preamp the Peachtree GrandPre, btw...replaced my old Krell KSL, whose potentiometer went and would have cost a ridiculous amount to replace. I think the Peachtree is MUCH better sounding than the Krell was...discontinued, but may still be found for half its list price...). OK, enough digression, off to work, check in later.

 

[doctorjazz]

Shoot, why an I bothering with portable amps, dacs, DAPs, all the Head-Fi Chazerei! Have a fine high end set up in the living room, Preamp duties handled by the Peachtree GrandPre, which also has a well reviewed dac, and a headphone amp which, according to the Moon Audio review, is capable of driving the HE-6 (don't have one to confirm this). Analog is handled by a Linn LP12/Ittok/Lyra cartridge, with all the suspension and power supply upgrades. Phono pram is rubbed Pro-ject Tube Box S. My headphone conversion was basically about freedom from the tyranny of the "sweet spot", the ability to lie in bed, go for a walk, BE ANYWHERE ELSE and listen to high fidelity music. Well, I broke down, plugged the HEK into the Peachtree and put on some LPs. Pulled out an album I found in London by Omer Avital, then a Mosaic reissue of Jim Hall/Paul Desmond recordings, then Lee Morgan's The Procrastinator. Man, o man, o man, these freaking headphones are absolutely awesome sounding, more awesome sounding than I thought they were, by a lot, and I ALREADY thought they were awesome sounding. Scaling up,indeed!

going to be hard to go back to the regular headphone gear...but, fight tyranny we must!!!!!

I was really impressed the first time I listened to vinyl on the he1k. It's less brutally honest presentation than the hd800 made me feel like I washed my records a second time on my rcm. Pops and ticks were not so loud like on the hd800. After a while though I ended up missing the realism of the hd800.

Well, have only heard the hd800 once at a meet, so I can't comment on it, but if thinks sounded a while lot more realistic, I'd probably start calling to my wife to order drinks, which would get me in a whole lotta trouble

 

[Frank I]

OK a update the Draft are all in, The Trifecta is in the hands now of Warren Chi to edit and make it one. We will be running  this in Mid August for all you who are patiently waiting.

 

[Fririce0003]

  Just received the HE1000 off isquirrel for a trial. Very Different from the Abyss in terms of tonality, fit and presentation. I must say I'm really liking it so far, it will take a while to get used to since they are so different so I'll save any in depth comments for a week or so. But initial impressions are that they extend deeper, are more transparent and texture incredibly well. Comfort is also a big plus, I didn't realise how much I had adapted and compromised in terms of listening position for the Abyss. The Abyss does have the HE1000 beat so far in overall impact and it also seems slightly more dynamic, that may be due to the HEK being more on the neutral side or due to the cable though, I'm currently using the stock cable which isn't much to write home about.
 
  Though one thing that did stand out to me was the bass, the Abyss bass really hits you, but does so on almost all tracks. While the HEK has a seemingly more natural bass response, it's kind of like speakers producing the bass for the HEK vs a sub producing the bass for the Abyss. There's going to be tracks which suit each one more and people who simply prefer one over the other.
 
  I look forward to how all the other companies are going to respond to the newest additions to the TOTL headphone lineup. After all progress breeds more progress, which is never a bad thing in my books as everyone strives to reclaim the crown in their own ways. Which all inevitably brings trickle down tech to the rest of their products, so everyone benefits. Though I will end in saying I will still certainly be keeping my Abyss, there are still a decent amount of tracks that go hand in hand with that added bass kick and sometimes the mood simply calls for it
 
For now I'll continue evaluating the HEK. For reference my system is very similar to isquirrels; Shunyata Triton/Typhon with Alpha HC cables, Antipodes Server, DaVinci DAC (on loan from isquirrel since he's got the Kalliope to burn in) and WA234 amps with Takatsuki 300B's and 274B's.

 

[ohhgourami]

Took some measurements on my new measurement rig:
 

 

[isquirrel]

  Took some measurements on my new measurement rig:
 

What mods have you done to the HE-1000? 

 

[isquirrel]

My DHC cables for the HEK are on their way 

 On my system the HEK is King
 

 

[doyouknowSBmean]

  My DHC cables for the HEK are on their way 

 On my system the HEK is King
 

Better than your abyss?

 

[isquirrel]

For me, yes, haven't listened to the Abyss much at all since the HEK's turned up. They are IMHO a more balanced & nuanced headphone. They go deeper and have superb texture, focus, clarity is all up on the Abyss, The Abyss is still the King of the bass, but increasingly I have thought how much to imprints its bass heavy signature onto everything. It can be fun but it gets boring after a while not to mention its uncomfortable. The HEK is a delight to wear after the Abyss. Currently using Spore 4 fusion cables for the Abyss but with adapters for the HEK, lifts the performance substantially. 

 

[matthewhypolite]

  For me, yes, haven't listened to the Abyss much at all since the HEK's turned up. They are IMHO a more balanced & nuanced headphone. They go deeper and have superb texture, focus, clarity is all up on the Abyss, The Abyss is still the King of the bass, but increasingly I have thought how much to imprints its bass heavy signature onto everything. It can be fun but it gets boring after a while not to mention its uncomfortable. The HEK is a delight to wear after the Abyss. Currently using Spore 4 fusion cables for the Abyss but with adapters for the HEK, lifts the performance substantially. 

​
Just when I was convinced the Abyss is the way to go, I read this....lol.

 

[isquirrel]

  ​
Just when I was convinced the Abyss is the way to go, I read this....lol.

Only way to know is to audition both. I would never recommend buying either without a good audition between the two. Let your ears decide