[ubs28]

The he1k sucks. Boom $1000 off lol

Hype hype hype! Frank going to say it's the best headphone he's ever heard and the hype train will officially kick on the afterburn. Although I wouldn't be surprised if it truly were the best headphone he's tried. Hype hype hype! Boom another $1500 on the price tag

If the HE-1000 is better than headphones like the Sennheiser HD800, it's probably only marginally better in some area's and worse in other area's. So you'll end up paying $3000+ for a marginally better headphone than the Sennheiser HD800 which costs a fraction of the price. But audiophiles are willing to pay top dollar for those marginal improvements considering the expensive cables some people buy. 

 

[fastphones]

lol what other flagship type headphone is coming out? i havent rly heard of much anything else in this $1k+ region.

What and start another feeding frenzy! OK I'll give you one no ones mentioned, Pioneer ($1000-$1500) But there are a good number of serious cans coming this year.

 

[Frank I]

  Frank - which headphone(s) is this most akin to an upgrade of, in terms of sound signature?

i need to finish my listening over the next week or two and really do more side by side comparison. I think every headphone has strong points  and weakness . This is a prototype and not  finished product but I can say it does not have the Abyss  bass or the LCD X bass but it does do well with bass and has a more live sound. The music just plays and it disappears. The comfort level for me is off the charts. I can say honestly when the minor kinks Headband tolerance) are worked out this will a major contender. I do like them better than the other open headphones I own.  I am looking forward to the production models for a formal review but this is vey impressive.  I think these will be well received  depending on their price levels and what ever else hit the market in 2015 . their are some other interesting design an dI have not heard them yet -all I can say this year should be a very special year for  headphone Geeks.

 

[Dopaminer]

  What and start another feeding frenzy! OK I'll give you one no ones mentioned, Pioneer ($1000-$1500) But there are a good number of serious cans coming this year.

Yeah, they have to come out with something that is up to the level of the pretty amazing headphone dac/amp they released last year....
 

 

[Sonic Defender]

I can't help but wonder how such a big headphone will fit on smaller heads? For instance, with the 560 there was a problem with diaphragm extrusion when the seal wasn't tight.

 

[epzy]

I'm intrigued. :3

 

[Clemmaster]

If the HE-1000 is better than headphones like the Sennheiser HD800, it's probably only marginally better in some area's and worse in other area's. So you'll end up paying $3000+ for a marginally better headphone than the Sennheiser HD800 which costs a fraction of the price. But audiophiles are willing to pay top dollar for those marginal improvements considering the expensive cables some people buy. 

That does not make much sense.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I dont want to sound endgame stuff/call it quits here but aside from changing interfaces and keeping up with file formats, its to my understanding DACs have reached a level of transparency where all there's left is to trickle totl tech to cheaper models. How much advancements can DACs make in sq?

Rumored, and vaguely, maybe, sort of, not really, confirmed through some people who claim they're in the know. 


I think I agree. 

It seems like Amps and DACs aren't  changing as rapidly as the headphone technology. Hifiman reintroduced planars like 5 years ago and since then there's been some big improvements, but in that time amplifiers and high end DACs really haven't changed much. Seems like every 2 years or so the "hi-fi" headphones trickle down into the "mid-fi". I think I'll wait it out with you. Maybe I'll take that saved money and put a little more into speakers   . Speaking of, why hasn't anyone bought that C10? That's such a good deal sitting there. 

 

[money4me247]

I can't help but wonder how such a big headphone will fit on smaller heads? For instance, with the 560 there was a problem with diaphragm extrusion when the seal wasn't tight.

i have a small head, he400 on small setting, he560 on 2nd smallest setting. the he1000 seems like it would fit fine, but the earpad did cover the entire side of my head i think hahah

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

On your older he phones, getting a comfort pad on the headband will allow you to move the headband a few clicks more. Adds comfort too and can be had om amazon for $15-$20

 

[Yoga]

  i need to finish my listening over the next week or two and really do more side by side comparison. I think every headphone has strong points  and weakness . This is a prototype and not  finished product but I can say it does not have the Abyss  bass or the LCD X bass but it does do well with bass and has a more live sound. The music just plays and it disappears. The comfort level for me is off the charts. I can say honestly when the minor kinks Headband tolerance) are worked out this will a major contender. I do like them better than the other open headphones I own.  I am looking forward to the production models for a formal review but this is vey impressive.  I think these will be well received  depending on their price levels and what ever else hit the market in 2015 . their are some other interesting design an dI have not heard them yet -all I can say this year should be a very special year for  headphone Geeks.

 
Thanks Frank. With that diaphragm, and your comments thus far, I would guess it’s a very resolving/fast headphone, and hence guess it is to the HD800 what the Abyss is to the LCD-3F (next level). Sounds like having the Abyss and the HE1K would be a dream combo.

 

[ubs28]

That does not make much sense.

After hearing various mid-fi headphones like the $300 Sennheiser HD600, I'm of the opinion that the extra performance you get in the high-end segment is very little compared to the amount of dollars spent. But I'm happy to be proven wrong if I get the chance to listen to the HE-1000. 

 

[Yoga]

 
After hearing various mid-fi headphones like the $300 Sennheiser HD600, I'm of the opinion that the extra performance you get in the high-end segment is very little compared to the amount of dollars spent. But I'm happy to be proven wrong if I get the chance to listen to the HE-1000. 

 
There are existing setups that can already prove that statement 'slightly' inaccurate, dear fellow.

 

[lojay]

After hearing various mid-fi headphones like the $300 Sennheiser HD600, I'm of the opinion that the extra performance you get in the high-end segment is very little compared to the amount of dollars spent. But I'm happy to be proven wrong if I get the chance to listen to the HE-1000. 

 
Sorry, will have to disagree here. Having had some top of the line headphones for a while, I found the HD600 and DT880 pretty much unlistenable when I was shopping around for my second setup at home. Guess what? I brought my entire HE-6 setup home and never looked back.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

After hearing various mid-fi headphones like the $300 Sennheiser HD600, I'm of the opinion that the extra performance you get in the high-end segment is very little compared to the amount of dollars spent. But I'm happy to be proven wrong if I get the chance to listen to the HE-1000. 

You are free to be content anywhere in this hobby. If $300-500 is your budget for end game on hp, that's fine. I suggest you look into offerings like he400i, he500, and HE4 (if you have the amp capable of 1.5-2 wpc). Those phones will give you A LOT for the money and in many ways offer you a good stepping stone...err taste of the high end.