[jamato8]

 
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 :¬)

Interesting as I get the opposite impression, that being that most headphones have that in head and around me sound, like being on or very near the soundstage but with the HE1000 I get more of a natural perspective. I don't really enjoy the all around me sound. I don't get the wall of sound with the HE1000 but it may be my choice of dac and amp, as I get a nice layered and detailed presentation that is out in front of me. 

 

[matthewhypolite]

 
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 :¬)

 
Very interesting feedback, thanks.
I’ve heard similar feedback from a lot of guys on headfi. Isquirrel even mentioned that he more listened to classical music, movie scores, etc with his HEK and prefers them over the Abyss for that type. He also mentioned that the Abyss is a more dynamic Headphone.

I had started leaning towards getting the HEK due to the better comfort and what seemed like to be a better overall headphone. But it also seems like the Abyss is a better “rock” headphone.
From the moment I got into this hobby I was always on the hunt for the ultimate rock headphone. I dabbled in grados for a while in the earlies, and they had excellent clarity and quality, and revealed instruments in my tracks I didn’t even know was there. The bass was severely lacking though. Which led me to Denon. The D5000 had a nice kick to it, and ran that for a while, I then upgraded to the D7000, which was basically a more refined D5000, tightened up the base, got closer to neutral/reference sound, whiles still retaining the bass slam.
I then found my way to the LCD3…and wow….i loved that headphone from day 1. The nice lush juice sound signature and stellar bass. At this point I thought to myself, I’ve finally found the ultimate “rock” headphone. And have been happy with the sound since, my only gripe is the reliability issues, which lead me to start shopping around again.

Everything I’ve read said the Abyss was the one for me, until Hifiman had to come and release the HEK and make this whole process painstaking, …what a problem to have, choosing between a $3000 and $45000 headphone..i know…lol.

Anyways, that’s my history. Some of my fav artists are : Disturbed, System Of A down, Delain, Within Temptation, Killswitch, ill nino etc. That’s the type of music I mostly listen too. With EDM/Techno/Dubstep mixed in. On occasion ill go softer like Cranberries, Delores, etc.

Do I get the better all round headphone with better comfort?
Or do I get the headphone that appears to be better and more suited to my specific taste of music?
(I’m tempted to just buy both…)

This buying process is part of the hobby though, can’t complain too much
 
BTW, ill be pairing whatever I buy with Schiit Yggdrasil +  LAu.

 

[Clemmaster]

  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.  

Interested to know why you chose the 30A over the 150 

.
 
I have the First Watt F6 myself since recently. Digging it!

 

[Yoga]

 
Interesting as I get the opposite impression, that being that most headphones have that in head and around me sound, like being on or very near the soundstage but with the HE1000 I get more of a natural perspective. I don't really enjoy the all around me sound. I don't get the wall of sound with the HE1000 but it may be my choice of dac and amp, as I get a nice layered and detailed presentation that is out in front of me. 

 
I'm comparing the HEK to he Abyss here. Ignoring the Abyss - which excels at sound space (rather than stage) - the HEK are nicely layered and whatnot compared to competitors.
 

   
Very interesting feedback, thanks.
I’ve heard similar feedback from a lot of guys on headfi. Isquirrel even mentioned that he more listened to classical music, movie scores, etc with his HEK and prefers them over the Abyss for that type. He also mentioned that the Abyss is a more dynamic Headphone.

I had started leaning towards getting the HEK due to the better comfort and what seemed like to be a better overall headphone. But it also seems like the Abyss is a better “rock” headphone.
From the moment I got into this hobby I was always on the hunt for the ultimate rock headphone. I dabbled in grados for a while in the earlies, and they had excellent clarity and quality, and revealed instruments in my tracks I didn’t even know was there. The bass was severely lacking though. Which led me to Denon. The D5000 had a nice kick to it, and ran that for a while, I then upgraded to the D7000, which was basically a more refined D5000, tightened up the base, got closer to neutral/reference sound, whiles still retaining the bass slam.
I then found my way to the LCD3…and wow….i loved that headphone from day 1. The nice lush juice sound signature and stellar bass. At this point I thought to myself, I’ve finally found the ultimate “rock” headphone. And have been happy with the sound since, my only gripe is the reliability issues, which lead me to start shopping around again.

Everything I’ve read said the Abyss was the one for me, until Hifiman had to come and release the HEK and make this whole process painstaking, …what a problem to have, choosing between a $3000 and $45000 headphone..i know…lol.

Anyways, that’s my history. Some of my fav artists are : Disturbed, System Of A down, Delain, Within Temptation, Killswitch, ill nino etc. That’s the type of music I mostly listen too. With EDM/Techno/Dubstep mixed in. On occasion ill go softer like Cranberries, Delores, etc.

Do I get the better all round headphone with better comfort?
Or do I get the headphone that appears to be better and more suited to my specific taste of music?
(I’m tempted to just buy both…)

This buying process is part of the hobby though, can’t complain too much
 
BTW, ill be pairing whatever I buy with Schiit Yggdrasil +  LAu.

 
Nice setup!
 
I'm going to go against the grain here - the Abyss aren't uncomfortable. At all. Yes, they balance on your head, but they don't flap about. The band feels light on my head. Bear in mind that some people found the LCD heavy (!), so it's a personal thing. The HEK are much lighter of course, but I find them less comfortable as clamping cans make my ears and head hot. Plus the inner fabric touches my ears which only adds to the feeling of being compressed.
 
Listen to both and see which takes your fancy :¬)

 

[matthewhypolite]

Can't listen to both, not in the US, unless I buy them both.
​
The fabric touching your ear thing is not nice..had that with previous headphones and I didn't like it.


Also, @ LCD 3 being heavy, it may be, but it never bothered me at all, I actually find the LCD3 comfortable lol. The most comfortable I've worn is probably the Senn HD650 though.

 

[up late]

I'm comparing the HEK to he Abyss here. Ignoring the Abyss - which excels at sound space (rather than stage) - the HEK are nicely layered and whatnot compared to competitors.


Nice setup!

I'm going to go against the grain here - the Abyss aren't uncomfortable. At all. Yes, they balance on your head, but they don't flap about. The band feels light on my head. Bear in mind that some people found the LCD heavy (!), so it's a personal thing. The HEK are much lighter of course, but I find them less comfortable as clamping cans make my ears and head hot. Plus the inner fabric touches my ears which only adds to the feeling of being compressed.

Listen to both and see which takes your fancy :¬)

not uncomfortable but cumbersome. the he1000 is significantly lighter and more comfortable imo - making it better suited for longer listening sessions

 

[jibzilla]

   
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.

 
I would add peak/volcano to the tube amp list. Mine is for sale. I sent my he1k back but it had much more to do with the build quality than sound quality. That and it has never been a better time to buy an 009 half price from PJ and the kgsshv carbon is available without a wait.
 
I used to keep a planar in my stable for the longest time now. The main reason I held on to and tried so many now is that I really enjoyed the bass over hd800's and stats. Anymore though I just listen to speakers when I want a bass kick. No headphone is keeping up with my adam sub8. 

 

[SpherE22]

Now what i need to decide is if i should return my unit and get an abyss instead.... Usually when a new product hits the market we all expect hype everywhere, but these cans have taken quite a bashing by the head-fi community

 

[Asr]

Some of my fav artists are : Disturbed, System Of A down, Delain, Within Temptation, Killswitch, ill nino etc. That’s the type of music I mostly listen too. With EDM/Techno/Dubstep mixed in. On occasion ill go softer like Cranberries, Delores, etc.

 
As someone who also listens a lot to metal, and I own a lot of albums from Disturbed, SOAD, Within Temptation, and Killswitch Engage too, I can't help but feel that you're potentially barking up the wrong tree with the HE-1000. Now admittedly I haven't heard the HE-1000 yet, but generally metal music does not sound good on hi-fi/high-end headphones because the recording quality tends to be very bad. The vast majority of metal albums tend to have tons of dynamic compression applied to them so they effectively become completely "brickwalled," and I've never heard a single brickwalled album that sounded good on flagship headphones. Plus, some metal albums/genres also have an intentional "lo-fi" sound to them (particularly black metal, if you listen to that) that just sounds terrible on any decent headphones.
 
In fact, on my previous Stax OII MKI w/ BHSE high-end system, which I'd guess would be at least somewhat comparable to the HE-1000, it was totally unforgiving-sounding and there were extremely few metal albums that I could tolerate it with—pretty much only the MFSL-mastered version of Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction, In Flames' early albums like The Jester Race and Lunar Strain, and Machine Head's Through The Ashes Of Empires.
 
You need forgiving-sounding headphones for metal music, which the Audeze headphones are great examples of, in my opinion, and I honestly can't think of any better headphones other than the LCD models for that kind of music (I previously owned the LCD-2 and LCD-3, and briefly had the LCD-X too).

 

[SpherE22]

As someone who also listens a lot to metal, and I own a lot of albums from Disturbed, SOAD, Within Temptation, and Killswitch Engage too, I can't help but feel that you're potentially barking up the wrong tree with the HE-1000. Now admittedly I haven't heard the HE-1000 yet, but generally metal music does not sound good on hi-fi/high-end headphones because the recording quality tends to be very bad. The vast majority of metal albums tend to have tons of dynamic compression applied to them so they effectively become completely "brickwalled," and I've never heard a single brickwalled album that sounded good on flagship headphones. Plus, some metal albums/genres also have an intentional "lo-fi" sound to them (particularly black metal, if you listen to that) that just sounds terrible on any decent headphones.

In fact, on my previous Stax OII MKI w/ BHSE high-end system, which I'd guess would be at least somewhat comparable to the HE-1000, it was totally unforgiving-sounding and there were extremely few metal albums that I could tolerate it with—pretty much only the MFSL-mastered version of Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction, In Flames' early albums like The Jester Race and Lunar Strain, and Machine Head's Through The Ashes Of Empires.

You need forgiving-sounding headphones for metal music, which the Audeze headphones are great examples of, in my opinion, and I honestly can't think of any better headphones other than the LCD models for that kind of music (I previously owned the LCD-2 and LCD-3, and briefly had the LCD-X too).

The hek is the most forgiving pair of cans out there imo.

 

[money4me247]

a lot of interesting perspectives & thoughts posted here. enjoying reading about everyone's different preferences for each headphone and thoughts on genre suitability.

 

[Sorrodje]

The hek is the most forgiving pair of cans out there imo.

 
Definitely. But for Metal, I'd probably choose a LCD3. more impactful & thick/dense.  I'd probably choose the HEK for pop music where the forgiving nature of the HE1000 really does wonder in my experience. 

 

[money4me247]

 
Definitely. But for Metal, I'd probably choose a LCD3. more impactful & thick/dense.  I'd probably choose the HEK for pop music where the forgiving nature of the HE1000 really does wonder in my experience. 

I found the LCD-X to be more 'impactful' than the LCD-3. I personally also think the differences in sound signature will contribute more to enjoyment of particular genres, so LCD-3 if you like a more mid-centric approach.

 

[Sorrodje]

Never heard the LCD-X  

 

[money4me247]

  Never heard the LCD-X  

hope you get a chance to try it! I don't think it is as suitable for classical or acoustic, but for rock, metal, and jazz I think it is a very good choice.