[paulchiu]

It's the Yin and Yang.....you spend $X on headphones, she spends $Y on Jewlrey, etc., be forewarned

 
I recently upgraded the copper pipes under the sink and felt the urge to get the HE1000.  Yin and Yang. Yeah.

 

[diamondears]

It's the Yin and Yang.....you spend $X on headphones, she spends $Y on Jewlrey, etc., be forewarned

Lol

 

[Wildcatsare1]

I recently upgraded the copper pipes under the sink and felt the urge to get the HE1000.  Yin and Yang. Yeah.

If it made your Wife happy and cost around $2,999.00, then yes my Friend you have reached a level of spiritual enlightenment worthy of an HEK

 

[oneguy]

   
Thanks for joining and sharing.
What amps and DACs were used for the HE1000?
Any chance crazy DACs like Nagra HD DAC, Berkeley Reference or somewhat crazy like Chord Hugo TT were used?
 
Please also compare the imaging of the HE1000 versus the SR-009, LCD3 and HD800.

 
The HD800 won as far as sound stage width was concerned. It was wide but compared to the HE1000 seemed a little unnaturally wide. The LCD-3 was the about the same imagingwise as the HE1000 (the was the first of 6 headphones that I listened to that day so I could be transposing a memory here). For the SR-009 They were very precise but lacked the low end body that the the LCD-3 and HE1000 had. I can't remember where they stacked imaging wise because I was rather put off by the lack of low end so I had already relegated them to the "not for me" pile.
 
Below is a list of what I wrote up on the LH Labs forums about my demo day:
*************
Monday I had the pleasure of going to HiFi Trader in Newtown (near Sydney, Aus) and it was phenomenal. Great service and a great selection of headphones to listen to. Originally went in to demo some LCD-3s to see if they were worth the upgrade from my LCD-2s but then the demo bug hit me. I went on to try the HE-1000, Abyss, SR-009, and the Ether. I liked the HE-1000 best of all including the HD800 and LCD-2 that I brought with me. It felt like the best parts of the HD800 and the LCD-3 (with the Cardas Clear cable) had been combined. The body of the LCD-3 was present in the HE-1000 (with the Cardas Clear cable) as well as a sound stage nearly as wide as the HD800. I will say that the sound stage being nearly as wide wasn't a detractor and was actually a plus because it felt more natural. I guess the best analogy i can come up with with is the HD800 put you in the conductor's position where as the HE-1000 put you in the front row which seemed more natural.
 
Other quick notes:
 
The SR-009 seemed to not be as engaging because they lacked body due to less on the lower end of the frequency scale.
 
The Abyss were the first and so far the only headphones I have listened to that were able to make sounds seem like they were coming from slightly behind me. The Abyss headphones bass reproduction seems a little to heavy and "boomy" for my tastes but it was very interesting that the bass production was HIGHLY dependent on the headphone orientation. I guess it is possible that with enough tweaking I could have attenuated the bass to my liking but not probable.
 
I only listened the Ethers (with the DUM cable) briefly since they were the second to last headphones to try and I had a pretty good idea they wouldn't stack up to the others. What I did note is that the sound stage was severely lacking compared to the rest of the field. Detail retrieval wasn't bad though.
So in conclusion, I am selling my LCD-2, HD800 and Alpha Primes to finance a move to the HE-1000 once I get back from deployment. I plan on making one more trip out to HiFi trader on Sunday to get another taste of the HE-1000!
 
Equipment used:
2013 Macbook Air
Resonessence Labs Invicta DAC
Violectric Audio HPA V281
The Blue Hawaii was used for the SR-009
 
I highly recommend checking HiFi Trader out if you are in the area.

 

[doctorjazz]

From what I understand, the Audeze cans tend to be dark, so saying the HEK is bright compared to them is like saying I'm brilliant compared to Donald Trump!

 

[oneguy]

Touché

 

[paulchiu]

   
The HD800 won as far as sound stage width was concerned............
 
Equipment used:
2013 Macbook Air
Resonessence Labs Invicta DAC
Violectric Audio HPA V281
The Blue Hawaii was used for the SR-009
 
I highly recommend checking HiFi Trader out if you are in the area.

 
Thanks for this.
I suspected the HD800 had the wider soundstage.  It really needs a potent tube amp to yank the positioning further out into the audience while also enhancing the low end.
Of course, such an amp may do magic for the HE1000 as well.
 
I am not familiar with the Invicta DAC but have the BHSE for my SR-009.
 
I actually have better low end performance matching the BHSE with a Chord Hugo for the SR-009.  For me, the SR-009 is my go to headphone for anything jazz and baroque ensembles.  I love how the SR-009 handles strings and winds.
Organs and full orchestra are for the LCD3.  I just cannot wear the Audeze for longer than 30 minutes without constantly knowing that they are on my head.
 
I hope that the HE1000 can be worn for hours at a time.

 

[oneguy]

I actually preferred the HE1000 on the Violectric V281 vise the Woo Audio WA5. The Violectric sounded cleaner while the WA5 sounded a little grainy. The WA5 had stock tubes.
 
The HE1000 seemed like they could be worn for hours but I also have no problem wearing the LCD for hours with so take that for what its worth. Wearing the HE1000 reminded me weight wise of wearing the HD650.

 

[doctorjazz]

HD650 is SOOOO much more comfortable (for me) than the HEK.

 

[Ultrainferno]

They're both comfortable

 

[doctorjazz]

Comfort is an individual thing...I had to but a cushioning pad in the inner band to be even able to wear them. It helps quite a bit (have a small, smooth cranium), but I wouldn't consider, on my head, that they are even CLOSE to the Senn 650, which are one of the most comfortable cans I've ever worn. YMMV, of course!

 

[Ultrainferno]

Well if I had to choose, the Senns would win, that's true. They just disappear. The DT990 (which we weren't talking about) is pretty comfortable as well, except for the headband

 

[doctorjazz]

I wouldn't TRADE the 650 for the HEK, mind you, but what's true is true...

 

[TonyNewman]

  ... The Violectric sounded cleaner while the WA5 sounded a little grainy. The WA5 had stock tubes....

 
A WA5 with good glass is a very different beast. Those stock tubes are all kinds of suck.

 

[doctorjazz]

A good glass would go very nicely around now!