[up late]

There are no neutral headphones. Such a characterization must always be read as «relatively neutral».

yup and totally subjective from what i'm seeing

 

[FredrikT92]

   
You mean this?
 
http://cl.ly/2h1i1p230m2Y
 
 
What your dealer really said was: "Buy the stock I have" ;¬)

I don't find them uncomfortable at all. In fact due to not clamping my head never gets the 'earpad' heat buildup of any other can. I wear them for 8+ hours without issue. Couldn't do that with my LCD or even the HEK. 
 
Bass is easy to fine control with the Abyss. VERY easy. If it's too much, clamp them a bit tighter and there you go. Not enough? Open them up. I listen to Trentmoller a lot, and trust me, it's better on the Abyss than the HEK, X or 3F (to me). Hence I bought them :¬)

You should hear Dorest Perception (Shpongle) on these things!

 
Yeah I think the 3F is pretty good overall with EDM, but it could play kick drums better, hit harder. Alot of bass is 1 thing, but having them able to really hit hard with kick drums is another thing, it seems like Abyss are way to expensive for me tho, unfortunaly. Looks like I will trade my LCD-3Fs for HEK cause the dealer could do a pretty good deal! So then I just heff to deal with it... 

 

[Yoga]

   
Yeah I think the 3F is pretty good overall with EDM, but it could play kick drums better, hit harder. Alot of bass is 1 thing, but having them able to really hit hard with kick drums is another thing, it seems like Abyss are way to expensive for me tho, unfortunaly. Looks like I will trade my LCD-3Fs for HEK cause the dealer could do a pretty good deal! So then I just heff to deal with it... 

The Abyss has that kick, really great on MJ tracks too (he often employed a muted snare with the kick drum (by electronic design)). Leave Me Alone being an example, the drum beat has a delicious 'twwwack!' to it.
 
The HEK has great bass, deep and accurate. I wish I had the 3F here to compare with the HEK! Would be a close call. By memory the HEK has better extension and clarity and both ends. 
 
Two of my 'bass test' tracks are Lorde, Royals (of course) and You Can Dance (Richard Sen Dub remix), Bryan Ferry. The latter has  a great kick to the bassline that I'm sure you'll enjoy :¬)
 
The HEK goes deep, great extension with accuracy. The Abyss is another level but as isquirrel also quite rightly said, it's akin to adding a  sub to your setup. A different kind of listening experience.

 

[SpherE22]

Im a 100% solid state guy. Out of all these amps( MHA-100, lAu, ragnarok, and bakoon), which sounds the best with these cans?

 

[Yoga]

They sound great with the Moon 430 :¬)
 
It's more 'musical' than some though, if you prefer neutrality perhaps try the LAu.

 

[doctorjazz]

And, as has been stayed elsewhere, the Liquid Carbon is said to capture most of that Cavalli magic at a much lower price. Of course, it is pre-order, supposed to be limited to 500 units. Haven't heard it, but reports have been so good that I ordered one.

 

[jamato8]

I ordered the Whiplash TWau modular in 8 plait. Not inexpensive but with what I am hearing, I think it is well worth it. I have the TWau on my TH900 and there is no question as to the sound improvement. Whiplash also got in some teflon insulated TRS 2.5mm plugs with high quality plating which is exciting to me because for a long time TRS plugs have been pretty much the same. What I have realized is that the HE1000 really reveal everything upstream so investments in power supplies, amps and cables for me, pays off. 
 
What I do like about the modular design is I can have the main cable and all I need is to send in my phones to have the Y changed out, which is a lot less expensive and I really want to get my Ultrasone Ed. 9 done so this will save a lot of money. 

 

[SpherE22]

Well i just pulled the trigger on the MHA-100. Thats 4.5k ill never see again. Lets just hope it sounds as good for the hek as it looks!

 

[purk]

Im a 100% solid state guy. Out of all these amps( MHA-100, lAu, ragnarok, and bakoon), which sounds the best with these cans?

Buy the Super Symmetry Dynahi and you will be very pleased with the purchase.  18W into class A will do wonder with the HE1000. 

 

[negura]

  Buy the Super Symmetry Dynahi and you will be very pleased with the purchase.  18W into class A will do wonder with the HE1000. 

 
This. For the HEK, I would go with either of:
- SuSy Dynahi
- GS-X MK2
- Master 9
 
Tubes:
- perhaps EC 445
 
Or a very good neutral/clear/energetic speaker amp.
 
*Side note: Pretty much the same for Audeze LCD-3s.

 

[doctorjazz]

Got my Norne cable (Zoetic), balanced, with single ended connector adapter and a Pono balanced adapter. So far, only had a chance to listen with the balanced Pono, which, y'know, sounds pretty good driving the HEK with the Norne cables. Going to do a bit of listening to LP's through Pro-Ject phono section and MicroZOTL, which has been my preferred way to listen for a while...got a 45 RPM Coltrane Jazz LP and Neil Young's Harvest reissue in the mail, that'll be a good start. Later...

 

[matthewhypolite]

Every time I've decided on a headphone, I read another post that makes me start thinking again... Yoda I blame you! Lolol

HEK Vs Abyss... What a choice.

I listen to mostly edm, dubstep, metal, etc.

 

[Yoga]

Every time I've decided on a headphone, I read another post that makes me start thinking again... Yoda I blame you! Lolol

HEK Vs Abyss... What a choice.

I listen to mostly edm, dubstep, metal, etc.

Haha! I've been listening to the HEK all day, a great, great HP.
 
Switched back to the Abyss a few hours ago though and boom, that sound! The biggest difference (bar the bass) is the spaciousness of the sound. The HEK is a wall of sound, and within that wall you can pick out placement and whatnot. The Abyss is an arena of sound. More akin to an environment you sit within.
 
An analogue would be that with the HEK (and any other can), you sit in front of the stage. With the Abyss, you sit in it :¬)
 
Some don't like that, I adore it. I was A/B comparing some details in music today (peripheral sounds and whatnot in the soundscape) and the Abyss showcases them much clearer, both in terms of separation and clarity. Tracks like Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel or Englishman in New York - Sting also take on a completely different sound, it's not just for electronic.
 
The HEK is smoother, like watching a game of sport on TV with a glass of wine. The Abyss is more visceral, akin to jumping in and participating and munching on oranges at half time.

If I had to choose one it would be the Abyss. I wouldn't miss the HEK sound. I'd miss the Abyss sound. It's been said before but I'll say it again; it's different to all other cans, more akin to speakers. Your music genres match the genres often linked with the Abyss, by the way :¬)
 
YMMV etc :¬)
 
It really does depend on the sound signature and experience you prefer, and I can see why some keep both. I'll keep both for now and continue to burn in the HEK as I'm pretty sure they're only going to improve. Which is awesome :¬)

 

[preproman]

The best SS amp I've heard wait....  The best amp of any kind I've heard thus far with any planar magnetic headphone is the Pass Labs INT-30A / INT-150, and I happen to really like the GS-X mk2.  

 

[alabrand]

Would you say the HEK are suitable to all genres of music or only to a couple? I'm looking for a very good daily driver and since I have a ton of money saved up, I can afford to spend it.
 
Also, would a Schiit Mjolnir/Gungnir combination work with the HEK? Those are the only DAC and AMP I have at the moment since everything else is loaned out.