[hifimanrookie]

If the material outside the veneer, and the grills, is not metal, that's just flame.  I doubt they're flame.  Also, that burr (or scuff mark) and the pit I highlighted are more likely to be found in metal than plastic.  Metal burrs, sure, but plastic burrs?  I'd like to see an example of that.

I know what u mean buddy..
But this is a prototype...i can imagine that the final model will get veneer (just like the he560) cups...u saw it on the he560 and why they killed the wonderful HE5 in the past.. they still have problems with wood for their cups..so i can imagine they will change that..and change the 'metal' for something else..as those metal parts looks VERY expensive to make..

.its gonna be all about how they will market the phone...towards high end (lcd3/hd800 etc.) or the ultra high end (sr009/abbyss/ new upgraded carbonfibre-rized lcd3)..

We have to see in the near future what they decide..will they choose for their very loyal budget-oriented customers (around max 1500usd budget) or do they want to get into a new market with new kind of customers where money is no concern and where image sometimes is more important then performance. Only future will tell...

 

[ThurstonX]

I know what u mean buddy..
But this is a prototype...i can imagine that the final model will get veneer (just like the he560) cups...u saw it on the he560 and why they killed the wonderful HE5 in the past.. they still have problems with wood for their cups..so i can imagine they will change that..and change the 'metal' for something else..as those metal parts looks VERY expensive to make..

.its gonna be all about how they will market the phone...towards high end (lcd3/hd800 etc.) or the ultra high end (sr009/abbyss/ new upgraded carbonfibre-rized lcd3)..

We have to see in the near future what they decide..will they choose for their very loyal budget-oriented customers (around max 1500usd budget) or do they want to get into a new market with new kind of customers where money is no concern and where image sometimes is more important then performance. Only future will tell...

 
Yes, this is a prototype, but yes, this prototype already has veneers.  Not sure I understand your first statement.  I don't mind the veneers on the HE-560s.  They seem to be attached solidly, and they won't experience the splitting that the solid teak first version did (someone posted a pic back then).  But those teak cups were prototypes, weren't they?  Not many produced, anyway.
 
Back to the metal: changing that on TOTL/statement cans would be totally flame.  Seriously.  Doubt they'd be that expensive to produce, and maybe only moderately more so from a company that can make them to exacting standards.  Schiit gets their brushed metal cases produced, and the cost of their gear is very reasonable.
 
re: price, while I hope for under $2K, I very much doubt it will land there.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Yes, this is a prototype, but yes, this prototype already has veneers.  Not sure I understand your first statement.  I don't mind the veneers on the HE-560s.  They seem to be attached solidly, and they won't experience the splitting that the solid teak first version did (someone posted a pic back then).  But those teak cups were prototypes, weren't they?  Not many produced, anyway.

Back to the metal: changing that on TOTL/statement cans would be totally flame.  Seriously.  Doubt they'd be that expensive to produce, and maybe only moderately more so from a company that can make them to exacting standards.  Schiit gets their brushed metal cases produced, and the cost of their gear is very reasonable.

re: price, while I hope for under $2K, I very much doubt it will land there.

My first statement was about that i thought the cups being wood...and honestly i dont know they quality issues with wood for hifiman....i have a code-x (extensive modded he5 by Luis Flores) for a year now with real wood cups...and not one single scratch or crack in them..and i use them for hrs daily! So i dont understand their issues with wood...maybe they use lower quality wood to keep costs down? I dont know....but as i said...the hinches will probably be metal of some sort..just like all he series have....but the leather (if its leather) will maybe be pleather....but as i said before..it all depends how,they will market their product....if its geared towards sr009 etc then they probably will have another model up their sleeve to replace the he6... Thats my guess anyway..

 

[bmichels]

I want one also, but.... I hope that it will pair well with my Eddie Current 445, and that therefore I will not need to get the HifiMan EF1000 Amp to make it sing 

 

 

[up late]

Well if you go back a few pages, You will see Fang is inviting anyone who is interested in listening to the HE1000 this weekend (1/17-1/18) in New York for an audition and there is a list of audio reviewers, for instance, Steve Guttenberg, plus other headfiers has already signed up for the audition. So just be patience and we should have additional impressions in the next couple of days from that meet.

This part is my response to the comments of the hype train and not to you isquirel. As for hype train, if anyone reading this entire thread and the other thread (about 69 pages altogether) you will notice as I have that there has only been a hand full of initial impressions since CES from people and some of them we are all familiar with (Jude, Tyll, Scot Hull) etc. You can accuse all of them as hypers as all of the impressions were all extremely positive from them as for sq wise. I do not remember if there was even a negative observation from these initial impressions. These are the ones who have first hand experience with the HE1000 and as most of us here including myself haven't heard the phone, we really cannot invalidate their observations. We are only dealing with what we have at the moment until more impressions come in. But what we have so far and if they hold up in future impressions is very exciting. As headphone is our passion there is a natural tendency to be excited about such a product. There is really no need to be critical of those who are hoping to see a product with such potential and isn't that is the reason why we are here? Just to self disclose in the case I am thought of as a Hifiman fan boy. I listened to the first HE5 when it first came out in 2008 or 9, and I opted to buy the Audeze Lcd2 at that time and to this date I haven't owned a single Hifiman phone even though I have heard of them.

if there were more posts like this then i wouldn't be using the term. i'm excited by this can too and looking forward to more first hand impressions as they roll in. could do without the baseless speculation that fills these new release threads tho.

 

[Stillhart]

if there were more posts like this then i wouldn't be using the term.

i'm excited by this can too and looking forward to more first hand impressions as they roll in. could do without the baseless speculation that fills these new release threads tho.

 
Comparing this thread to the EL-8 one is interesting.  I've seen nothing but praise from the people who have first-hand experience with the HE-1000 (including myself).  The EL-8, on the other hand, has gotten a mixed reception from the folks who have actually heard them (including myself).  I didn't particularly like them and Tyll seems to agree with me.  Both cans are super over-hyped right now, but if you look beyond the hype, you can see that there seems to be more of a concensus with these than with the EL-8.
 
So hype aside, I think there's definitely something going on with these.  I know people find it hard to believe that these can be as good as people are saying, but IMHO they are.  I'm really excited to find out the pricing because I *really* want one.

 

[SilentFrequency]

Comparing this thread to the EL-8 one is interesting.  I've seen nothing but praise from the people who have first-hand experience with the HE-1000 (including myself).  The EL-8, on the other hand, has gotten a mixed reception from the folks who have actually heard them (including myself).  I didn't particularly like them and Tyll seems to agree with me.  Both cans are super over-hyped right now, but if you look beyond the hype, you can see that there seems to be more of a concensus with these than with the EL-8.

So hype aside, I think there's definitely something going on with these.  I know people find it hard to believe that these can be as good as people are saying, but IMHO they are.  I'm really excited to find out the pricing because I *really* want one.

Well....how much do you think the HE-1000 are worth actually paying for?

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

   
Comparing this thread to the EL-8 one is interesting.  I've seen nothing but praise from the people who have first-hand experience with the HE-1000 (including myself).  The EL-8, on the other hand, has gotten a mixed reception from the folks who have actually heard them (including myself).  I didn't particularly like them and Tyll seems to agree with me.  Both cans are super over-hyped right now, but if you look beyond the hype, you can see that there seems to be more of a concensus with these than with the EL-8.
 
So hype aside, I think there's definitely something going on with these.  I know people find it hard to believe that these can be as good as people are saying, but IMHO they are.  I'm really excited to find out the pricing because I *really* want one.

That's Hifiman, hype - backed. Seriously these guys created the HE560 for $899 and HE400i for $499. If they're going to make a statement headphone I would think the hype train would be as big as it is but at the same time the hype is backed. I wonder what the other manufacturers who have similar headphones are thinking... I bet it's somewhere along the line that they're limited edition with limited quantities made and not a production. That is until the tech trickles down to an HE6 successor, now that would be interesting. Which then brings up, would the HE6 successor be the old school round shape or would it take on the HE1K's shape? Hmm...

Everyone jump on!!

 

[Jalo]

if there were more posts like this then i wouldn't be using the term. i'm excited by this can too and looking forward to more first hand impressions as they roll in. could do without the baseless speculation that fills these new release threads tho.

Thanks for being reasonable. Hee hee, however I cannot help but point out your use of the term "Baseless Speculation " Isn't any speculation by definition is baseless? It is an oxymoron.

 

[Stillhart]

Well....how much do you think the HE-1000 are worth actually paying for?

 
That's a tough question.  The most expensive headphone I've heard besides the HE-1000 is the LCD-3.  I think if they priced them at the same level ($2000), they'd sell extremely well.  Price it lower and it's a no-brainer.  Price it higher and... well, worth the price, but not many people are willing to spend that much, no matter the sound.

 

[cradon]

 
Tuesday afternoon I packed up the modded HE-6, modded HE-560, Audio gd Master 7, AMR DP-777, and F1J and eagerly drove an hour and a half to the Trump Soho hotel to hear the HE1000. A Head-Fi buddy of mine (thegunner100) met me outside, and as we entered the room the faces of Fang and two other Head-fiers with him seemed to say, what is all this you have here? After setting up we began listening. 
 
I gotta say, I was very disappointed with the HE1000 for two reasons. First, Fang seems to be leaning towards pricing these at around $3000 with a pimped out limited edition run priced at around $5000. Second, I couldn't leave with one that very night. I would have loved the opportunity to take one home with me where I could explore their capabilities for a few weeks.
 
Impression: I have no problem with their look or size. They didn't seem as big as they looked in the photos I've seen and to be honest once I started listening I didn't care about their appearance (Fang mentioned that there was an error in the production, and the metal was supposed to be Satin rather than glossy). They are quite light and very comfortable. On my F1J amp I was surprised that the HE1000 barely played any louder than my HE-6, however it played much louder on the EF1000 than the HE-6 at the same volume setting. The thing that stood out to me the most was the bass. It was noticeably fuller and had more impact than the HE-6. It did have a more HD800 like out of your head sound. On top it seemed a bit more extended and resolving. I really can't comment on the mids as I feel I would need more time to decipher the difference.  Recently I told a buddy I wish they made a headphone with the resolving power of the HD800, the great organic mids of the HE-6 and the full bodied deep and impactful bass of the Abyss. Somehow it seems Fang was listening in on our conversation because the HE1000 appears to fit the bill perfectly. The HE-6 came the closest to my ideal headphone (which is why I have three and made it my soul headphone) but the HE1000 has me convinced they're about to be replaced. As for the EF1000, I would need more time to compare it to my F1J but it does seem like its more than capable of driving these two headphones to marvelous heights. 

 

[Beagle]

Well, I'm out....not that I was ever in.

 

[Stillhart]

Worth $3k?  Yup.  Would I buy it for $3k.  Ehhhh... the LCD-X is half the price...

 

[YtseJamer]

  Fang seems to be leaning towards pricing these at around $3000

 
Crazy!  I'm also out...

 

[dxanex]

   
That's a tough question.  The most expensive headphone I've heard besides the HE-1000 is the LCD-3.  I think if they priced them at the same level ($2000), they'd sell extremely well.  Price it lower and it's a no-brainer.  Price it higher and... well, worth the price, but not many people are willing to spend that much, no matter the sound.

Agreed. $2,000 is already a clear threshold for me personally but if these are as good as you and others have said, I'd probably make it happen...anything much more than that, and it will need to sound like the voice of God whispering in my ears to consider it. Or I'll have to wait a year or two for the used ones to come down in price.