[MrHaelscheir]

You must really love the sound of it. I kinda like the sound too but i am not comfortable with QC issue with expensive gear.

Funny enough, with all I've gone through with EQ to measuring my own HRTF with in-ear mics to simulate neutral speakers in an anechoic chamber, it is not so much about the "sound" of the headphones so much as the sheer size combined with the comfort afforded by custom pads like in https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he1000-se.886228/page-330#post-17959252 (post #4,937). I already EQ the Meze Elite with hybrid pads to a free-field response with bass shelf which it takes like a champ, and as wonderfully comfortable as those headphones can be, they can on some days get sore after a point, whereby it is nice to be able to switch to a different comfort profile and presentation (having yet more space around my ears) for two headphones literally EQed to the same frequency response (except where there are nulls). HiFiMan has so far been the main producer of "gigantic" sonic presentations whose pad shape is almost perfect for my head, just that I would hope for them to achieve more competitive distortion performance at that size without having to dish out on a Shangri-La Sr. I would like to imagine that a 13 cm diameter circle (as tall as a HiFiMan egg and about 2 cm wider than the Susvara or X9000) with specially contoured pads would be the absolute largest practical headphone (at least for my head) before one might as well use speakers (but not everyone is in a living space where they can play such to the desired loudness when they want to), but the HiFiMan eggs make it feel like the original HE1000 had already hit a sweet spot for shape and maximum size.

 

[Pelilin]

Im quite dissapointed with Hifiman right now, my HEKSE was having channel imbalance and distortion on the left driver. It takes a long time for replacement and it seems they are not willing to refund my purchases. I just purchased my HEKSE last week and already got this issue with my unit. I should have done my research with this brand and i should have known this is coming because i also have Golden Serenade with chanel imbalance output and they have tested it really have imbalance. It has been more than a month i have not received my Serenade replacement. I should have known better , i am dissapointed with this brand they should put more effort in giving us products that last . It is a pity Serenade and HEKSE sound was very very resolving and good. I dont think i will purchase anymore product from this brand im sorry.

Edit: After negotiating somehow they are willing to refund if this new replacement is still is not right QC wise. Hope for the best then.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Im quite dissapointed with Hifiman right now, my HEKSE was having channel imbalance and distortion on the left driver. It takes a long time for replacement and it seems they are not willing to refund my purchases. I just purchased my HEKSE last week and already got this issue with my unit. I should have done my research with this brand and i should have known this is coming because i also have Golden Serenade with chanel imbalance output and they have tested it really have imbalance. It has been more than a month i have not received my Serenade replacement. I should have known better , i am dissapointed with this brand they should put more effort in giving us products that last . It is a pity Serenade and HEKSE sound was very very resolving and good. I dont think i will purchase anymore product from this brand im sorry.

That is unfortunate. I am not sure about where things are shipped to in Southeast Asia; I suppose the Japanese office? At least here in Toronto Canada, it fortunately takes no more than a week to send something out to Bellmore, New York, whereby I can receive the replacement as soon as two days after the Monday on which they processed the received RMA unit. netParcel shipping prices here also make returns much less of a headache.

 

[Rolandmangrove]

Yesterday I received my HE1000SE and I purchased it with a 30 day money back guarantee. My other headphones are a Denon 9200. Amplifier is the Aune pro 17. DAC Bricasti M1. The HE was immediately connected after unpacking for a first impression and that was okay, but no more than that. Spaciousness and 3D was less than I expected. But I know this can change after burn in. Warmed up for 24 hours since yesterday and today ready for the second impression. That was already very different. The high sounds much calmer and very detailed and the low sounds much tighter. Spaciousness and layers are also much better. I now heard reverberations dying out that I had not noticed before. And very precise and fast attack. I always use music from Yello for burning in. I listen for half an hour every day until the SE has run for 150 hours and then I really start listening to music. Classical music and various (symphonic) rock. I am currently also using the standard cable, but I have several to try out. It seems that these headphones are a nice addition to my Denon. The Denon sounds warmer and more organic, but lacks the openness and detail of the Hifiman. I will do an update in a week when the Hifman has settled in better and I have been able to listen to more music.

 

[joseph69]

I just purchased my HEKSE last week and already got this issue with my unit.

I understand you came to some agreement with HIFiMAN--but did you purchase direct from HiFiMAN or an Authorized Dealer?
If you purchased direct--the return policy is 30 days so I don't understand why they wouldn't refund you? I also don't see why you wouldn't have received a refund from an AD as well if the unit was purchased last week?

 

[Pelilin]

That is unfortunate. I am not sure about where things are shipped to in Southeast Asia; I suppose the Japanese office? At least here in Toronto Canada, it fortunately takes no more than a week to send something out to Bellmore, New York, whereby I can receive the replacement as soon as two days after the Monday on which they processed the received RMA unit. netParcel shipping prices here also make returns much less of a headache.

I understand you came to some agreement with HIFiMAN--but did you purchase direct from HiFiMAN or an Authorized Dealer?
If you purchased direct--the return policy is 30 days so I don't understand why they wouldn't refund you? I also don't see why you wouldn't have received a refund from an AD as well if the unit was purchased last week?

No official hifiman dealer here only authorized . Today it is another dissapointment the authorized dealer wont admit there is imbalance issue. They said their "expert" have check everything and everything is perfect. They wont give me replacement and their only solution is i should send to Hifiman HK to ask them for replacement or check. A big dissapointment . This is my 2nd case with hifiman QC after the golden serenade issue. Both are not cheap and their quality control is below their asking price now i am getting headache because of this another experience. Sorry for ranting.

Edit: The authorized store took measurement using their device and said nothing is wrong with the unit. *facepalm*

 

[MrHaelscheir]

No official hifiman dealer here only authorized . Today it is another dissapointment the authorized dealer wont admit there is imbalance issue. They said their "expert" have check everything and everything is perfect. They wont give me replacement and their only solution is i should send to Hifiman HK to ask them for replacement or check. A big dissapointment . This is my 2nd case with hifiman QC after the golden serenade issue. Both are not cheap and their quality control is below their asking price now i am getting headache because of this another experience. I have to wait 2 months again for a unit i have not used for more than a day. Sorry for ranting.

Edit: The authorized store took measurement using their device and said nothing is wrong with the unit. *facepalm*

I'd vie that's within the realm of error for a test fixture, and that even with ideal placement, there is a limit to what we can ask of a manufacturer for a given design. As for channel imbalances heard through sine sweeps, I can't say the Meze Elite was absolutely perfect either, and I wouldn't discount the possibility of treble imbalances caused by actual physiological asymmetry between one's ears. I would be more interested in what the "Distortion" tab shows (that data should be available from the same measurement file) since they appear to be using REW like I do with my own measurements.

 

[Pelilin]

I'd vie that's within the realm of error for a test fixture, and that even with ideal placement, there is a limit to what we can ask of a manufacturer for a given design. As for channel imbalances heard through sine sweeps, I can't say the Meze Elite was absolutely perfect either, and I wouldn't discount the possibility of treble imbalances caused by actual physiological asymmetry between one's ears. I would be more interested in what the "Distortion" tab shows (that data should be available from the same measurement file) since they appear to be using REW like I do with my own measurements.

So you are saying this graph in the treble area is normal? Gosh i was hoping that for the price of TOTL it should be at least doesnt show that much difference in the treble area. Distortion tab? Interesting. Let me ask them for it to show you.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

So you are saying this graph in the treble area is normal? Gosh i was hoping that for the price of TOTL it should be at least doesnt show that much difference in the treble area. Distortion tab? Interesting. Let me ask them for it to show you.

The distortion graphs for the drivers would be good to see. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dan-clark-e3-headphone-review.50062/ is an example of some around 2 to 3 dB variation between drivers on a $2k DCA E3. Those variations could be a combination of engineering constraints as well as asymmetries of the headphone placement on the test fixture. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...alth-review-state-of-the-art-headphone.25920/ at double the price seems to show improvement if not simply a better fit on the test fixture. For https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/focal/utopia/, I believe they use a flat measurement coupler, though the general tracking between channels seems reasonable. Things were interestingly worse with https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/focal/clear/. https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/hifiman/12890-2/ was considered "excellent"; likewise https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd800s/. The yield rates for certain driver designs such as huge planar magnetics may also vary, though I suppose even https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/hifiman/edition-xs-2023/ had rather good channel matching. So your shown measurement below 5 kHz is probably acceptable while beyond that may require averaging between multiple headphone positions to be certain, though yes, 5 dB variation doesn't look ideal.

 

[dl95]

One of the pads on my HEKSE fell off. The mounting ring cracked in 3 separate areas.. I see replacement pads on Hifiman's site the V2 but not sure if it is the same pads used in the SE. Anyone have any other pad suggestions?

 

[Pelilin]

The distortion graphs for the drivers would be good to see. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/dan-clark-e3-headphone-review.50062/ is an example of some around 2 to 3 dB variation between drivers on a $2k DCA E3. Those variations could be a combination of engineering constraints as well as asymmetries of the headphone placement on the test fixture. https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...alth-review-state-of-the-art-headphone.25920/ at double the price seems to show improvement if not simply a better fit on the test fixture. For https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/focal/utopia/, I believe they use a flat measurement coupler, though the general tracking between channels seems reasonable. Things were interestingly worse with https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/focal/clear/. https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/hifiman/12890-2/ was considered "excellent"; likewise https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd800s/. The yield rates for certain driver designs such as huge planar magnetics may also vary, though I suppose even https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/hifiman/edition-xs-2023/ had rather good channel matching. So your shown measurement below 5 kHz is probably acceptable while beyond that may require averaging between multiple headphone positions to be certain, though yes, 5 dB variation doesn't look ideal.

Nah sorry the store wont give me the graph data. I dont know why this is the first time this dealer actually act like this. Either it is new employee or something else. It has never been hard claiming for warranty. They keep saying from their data there is no imbalance or issue and have test it with the other expert. Bad experience so far.

 

[andrewchoppa]

One of the pads on my HEKSE fell off. The mounting ring cracked in 3 separate areas.. I see replacement pads on Hifiman's site the V2 but not sure if it is the same pads used in the SE. Anyone have any other pad suggestions?

Yep-dekoni fenestrated sheepskin for Arya (all egg Hifimans are interchangeable). Just got mine. Sonic upgrade as well as comfort. Excellent pads!!!!

 

[joseph69]

Hifimans are interchangeable). Just got mine. Sonic upgrade as well as comfort. Excellent pads!!!!

Which HiFiMAN pads did you get for the 1000se?
I'm asking because although all the 1000 models are shaped the same--HiFiMAN makes 2 different pads--Serenity Pads (without the mesh) and the UltraPad (with the mesh).

 

[andrewchoppa]

Which HiFiMAN pads did you get for the 1000se?
I'm asking because although all the 1000 models are shaped the same--HiFiMAN makes 2 different pads--Serenity Pads (without the mesh) and the UltraPad (with the mesh).

Dekoni make pads for Hifiman (and every HP under the sun). I got the Fenestrated sheepskin for Arya - they fit V2, Stealth ans SE.
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dek...epskin-replacement-ear-pads-for-hifiman-arya/
Sonic and comfort upgrade from Hifiman stock pads. I wouldn't put Hifiman pads back on when compared to Dekoni. The Aryas don't have mesh, as the originals don't have either.

 

[joseph69]

Dekoni make pads for Hifiman (and every HP under the sun). I got the Fenestrated sheepskin for Arya - they fit V2, Stealth ans SE.
https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dek...epskin-replacement-ear-pads-for-hifiman-arya/
Sonic and comfort upgrade from Hifiman stock pads. I wouldn't put Hifiman pads back on when compared to Dekoni. The Aryas don't have mesh, as the originals don't have either.

My mistake--I thought you bought HiFiMAN pads for your SE.