[TheAttorney]

Once I'd got past his rather mickey-mouse voice, and some rather naive observations on the HEK SE, I do partly agree with him about the tonal qualities (based on my HEK V2). He didn't say it, but I think he's talking about the peak approximately arounf 8khz that lends a thinness to, for eample, some female vocals. I use a touch of EQ on my HEK V2's to tone that down.

What is desperately missing, in such a long review, is any comparison to rival headphones, or to hifiman's own HEK V1/V2/Susvara. Because all headphones have tonal anomolies, many being worse than HEK's. For example, I find Utopia's or HD800's lower-treble peaks more obtrusive than HEK V2's.

 

[onlychild]

My V1s and V2s needed about 200 hours to settle in and I think the SEs will be no different. Any impression of them straight out of the box should be taken with a grain of salt.

I’m eyeing these to run straight out of my DAVE, but they have to bring something to the table my V2s don’t have.

 

[ufospls2]

My V1s and V2s needed about 200 hours to settle in and I think the SEs will be no different. Any impression of them straight out of the box should be taken with a grain of salt.

I’m eyeing these to run straight out of my DAVE, but they have to bring something to the table my V2s don’t have.

I'm just guessing, and I could definitely be wrong, but I think they might do really well off the DAVE, to the point where it might be worth considering the upgrade from the V2's. After owning the Susvara, it became clear to me that the stealth magnets do contribute....something? However, with the Susvara, you are looking at very low sensitivity, and it won't play well direct from the DAVE. The HE1000SE's sensitivity has increased to the point where I would guess the DAVE will drive them with aplomb, much better than the V1 or V2's. Its a combo I would love to hear for myself.

 

[rgs9200m]

The best solution I found for peakiness in the HEKv2 (or Utopia) is a Lazuli Ref cable.

 

[onlychild]

Hands down!! The same cable I used for both my Utopia and V2 and the peakiness is gone.

 

[Sound Eq]

Bright and unrealistic sound ? really confusing review.

i am sure hifiman are not happy about this review. man this guy just makes everything confusing , with this review I think he just smashed the SE version to the dam floor

 

[EndGameSearch]

I'm not one for long impressions so bare with me. I received the HE1000se on Thursday the 20th of September. They should be burned in by now from listening to music and running pink noise for 72+ hours. I've owned all of the usual TOTL HP's, Sr-009, HD800, HD800s, LCD-4, LCD-4Z, LCD-XC, LCD-i4, Utopia, Abyss Phi CC, and of course Susvara and HE1000v2. Excluding the Phi, which I just received a month ago, v2 was my favorite HP. Susvara was a step up in areas but it wasn't for me due to it's power requirements. At the time I had a Wells Milo Reference amp. It had plenty of power but I found I preferred v2 direct from Blu/DAVE vs Susvara off Milo. Milo is a great amp, but it's a little too warm and the loss of transparency and resolution was not worth the gains Susvara brought to the table. I sold Susvara and Milo right after the SE was announced and placed a deposit on SE. I sold v2's soon after.

The SE's take all that I liked about v2 and improve upon it. It's not a night and day difference, but they are definitely different. They really seem to be a more efficient Susvara. The bass is better controlled with more detail than v2. The sound stage width is reduced from the v2 a bit, but this is a good thing. With the v2 I felt the sound stage was a little too wide at times and imaging suffered. It was hard panned left, hard panned right, or dead center, but it wasn't always a realistic blend from left to right. The SE's image wonderfully. They still have that nice relaxed delivery but the detail is still their in spades. They are very efficient and do well direct from DAVE or Hugo 2 for hotel use (the primary reason I bought them). I ran v2 around -15db direct from DAVE and the SE's around -23db, so ~8db more efficient. I demo gear with various genres but I really only listen to classical/acoustic. Tonally they're very close to v2. I tweak the signature of all of my HP's with Roon's DSP and have found the same settings I used for v2 work well for SE.

I am 100% satisfied with these and can not see parting with them any time soon. Out of the HP's listed I've kept Phi as my primary HP, the SE's and LCDi4. For my needs this list covers all of the bases.

 

[Sound Eq]

I'm not one for long impressions so bare with me. I received the HE1000se on Thursday the 20th of September. They should be burned in by now from listening to music and running pink noise for 72+ hours. I've owned all of the usual TOTL HP's, Sr-009, HD800, HD800s, LCD-4, LCD-4Z, LCD-XC, LCD-i4, Utopia, Abyss Phi CC, and of course Susvara and HE1000v2. Excluding the Phi, which I just received a month ago, v2 was my favorite HP. Susvara was a step up in areas but it wasn't for me due to it's power requirements. At the time I had a Wells Milo Reference amp. It had plenty of power but I found I preferred v2 direct from Blu/DAVE vs Susvara off Milo. Milo is a great amp, but it's a little too warm and the loss of transparency and resolution was not worth the gains Susvara brought to the table. I sold Susvara and Milo right after the SE was announced and placed a deposit on SE. I sold v2's soon after.

The SE's take all that I liked about v2 and improve upon it. It's not a night and day difference, but they are definitely different. They really seem to be a more efficient Susvara. The bass is better controlled with more detail than v2. The sound stage width is reduced from the v2 a bit, but this is a good thing. With the v2 I felt the sound stage was a little too wide at times and imaging suffered. It was hard panned left, hard panned right, or dead center, but it wasn't always a realistic blend from left to right. The SE's image wonderfully. They still have that nice relaxed delivery but the detail is still their in spades. They are very efficient and do well direct from DAVE or Hugo 2 for hotel use (the primary reason I bought them). I ran v2 around -15db direct from DAVE and the SE's around -23db, so ~8db more efficient. I demo gear with various genres but I really only listen to classical/acoustic. Tonally they're very close to v2. I tweak the signature of all of my HP's with Roon's DSP and have found the same settings I used for v2 work well for SE.

I am 100% satisfied with these and can not see parting with them any time soon. Out of the HP's listed I've kept Phi as my primary HP, the SE's and LCDi4. For my needs this list covers all of the bases.

can you compare it more in the mids, are the vocals push more back or more forward than V2
how bout fullness of sound which one would you consider to be more full bodied
Can you inform me which one would be more smooth and natural sounding
Any harshness in the mids or highs with SE

Finally if you could choose one of the 3 headphones : SE, V2 or LCD4z which would you choose

I really wish to know more how LCD4Z compares to SE and V2

 

[EndGameSearch]

can you compare it more in the mids, are the vocals push more back or more forward than V2
how bout fullness of sound which one would you consider to be more full bodied
Can you inform me which one would be more smooth and natural sounding
Any harshness in the mids or highs with SE

Finally if you could choose one of the 3 headphones : SE, V2 or LCD4z which would you choose

I really wish to know more how LCD4Z compares to SE and V2

I can't offer much in response beyond what I already stated. There was really nothing I did not like about v2. As I said, I've owned a long list of HP's and v2 easily won me over. They are open, airy and extremely transparent. Transparency is understood in different ways by different people. I'm not really referring to lack of color. For me transparency means the HP's disappear and the sound just appears. Each instrument stands on it's own and floats on a black background. These seem a bit more transparent than v2. From memory they are probably a little thinner sounding, but I'd rather characterize it as cleaner. The v2 had very nice bass but it could be a little sloppy or bloated at times. Being tighter and better controlled keeps the bass where it should be and the mids and treble seem a little better defined. Again, these are not night and day differences. Tonally they are fairly close. You still have the HFM treble, which I like. I do smooth it out a bit with DSP though. Compared to the LCD-4Z there is a night and day difference. The 4Z is a great HP but where v2/se focus more attention on the higher frequencies, 4Z is more focused on lower. 4Z is actually fairly transparent but I prefer the openness of v2/SE. I owned both at the same time and found they both excelled in their own unique ways. 4Z is very rich, organic, smooth and powerful.

I primarily listen to instrumental music and can not accurately comment on vocals when comparing SE and V2.

Finally if you could choose one of the 3 headphones : SE, V2 or LCD4z which would you choose

Exactly what I chose, SE...... For what I like, it's checks all of the boxes and is more efficient than v2 with no noticeable downside. That's not to say it's better than 4Z. Although I personally happen to prefer the SE.

 

[JeffMann]

I'm not one for long impressions so bare with me. I received the HE1000se on Thursday the 20th of September. They should be burned in by now from listening to music and running pink noise for 72+ hours. I've owned all of the usual TOTL HP's, Sr-009, HD800, HD800s, LCD-4, LCD-4Z, LCD-XC, LCD-i4, Utopia, Abyss Phi CC, and of course Susvara and HE1000v2. Excluding the Phi, which I just received a month ago, v2 was my favorite HP. Susvara was a step up in areas but it wasn't for me due to it's power requirements. At the time I had a Wells Milo Reference amp. It had plenty of power but I found I preferred v2 direct from Blu/DAVE vs Susvara off Milo. Milo is a great amp, but it's a little too warm and the loss of transparency and resolution was not worth the gains Susvara brought to the table. I sold Susvara and Milo right after the SE was announced and placed a deposit on SE. I sold v2's soon after.

The SE's take all that I liked about v2 and improve upon it. It's not a night and day difference, but they are definitely different. They really seem to be a more efficient Susvara. The bass is better controlled with more detail than v2. The sound stage width is reduced from the v2 a bit, but this is a good thing. With the v2 I felt the sound stage was a little too wide at times and imaging suffered. It was hard panned left, hard panned right, or dead center, but it wasn't always a realistic blend from left to right. The SE's image wonderfully. They still have that nice relaxed delivery but the detail is still their in spades. They are very efficient and do well direct from DAVE or Hugo 2 for hotel use (the primary reason I bought them). I ran v2 around -15db direct from DAVE and the SE's around -23db, so ~8db more efficient. I demo gear with various genres but I really only listen to classical/acoustic. Tonally they're very close to v2. I tweak the signature of all of my HP's with Roon's DSP and have found the same settings I used for v2 work well for SE.

I am 100% satisfied with these and can not see parting with them any time soon. Out of the HP's listed I've kept Phi as my primary HP, the SE's and LCDi4. For my needs this list covers all of the bases.

I have both the Susvara and the HE1000v2 and I much prefer the Susvara headphone by a large amount. I wonder whether the low sensitivity of the Susvara and the use of a sub-optimal driving amplifier prevented you from realizing how much better it is than the HE1000v2.

Jeff.

 

[weasel1979]

He isn't the first one to prefer the V2. (And now the SE)

 

[EndGameSearch]

I have both the Susvara and the HE1000v2 and I much prefer the Susvara headphone by a large amount. I wonder whether the low sensitivity of the Susvara and the use of a sub-optimal driving amplifier prevented you from realizing how much better it is than the HE1000v2.

Jeff.

Absolutely. There were things I liked about Susvara over v2. Milo had plenty of power, but I didn't consider it a good fit for what I enjoy. With the right amp Susvara should best v2. However, I prefer running straight from DAVE. Any amp after DAVE leads to a loss in transparency. Some times it's worth it, some times it's not. I'll be driving Phi w/ a WA5 LE and SE from DAVE. This is based on a desire for variety, not necessity. Phi sounds great direct from DAVE. Susvara did not. I also preferred the more rounded ear cups on the Susvara. V2 is very comfortable, but Susvara was even more so. SE worked out exactly as I hoped it would. A step up from v2 but it does not require an amp.

 

[Sound Eq]

can i ask which has richer vocals lcd 4z, v2 or SE
i like more organic full body sound signatures and no fatigue in upper mids or highs

 

[EndGameSearch]

can i ask which has richer vocals lcd 4z, v2 or SE
i like more organic full body sound signatures and no fatigue in upper mids or highs

I'm surely not the authority on the topic, but 4z might work better for you. To say 4Z is full does not imply that v2/se are thin, but in comparison 4z has a warmer rich tone. It's exceptionally efficient as well. Even more so than SE.

 

[Sound Eq]

I'm surely not the authority on the topic, but 4z might work better for you. To say 4Z is full does not imply that v2/se are thin, but in comparison 4z has a warmer rich tone. It's exceptionally efficient as well. Even more so than SE.

its so difficult to make decisions based on impressions from others, especially when there is no store to audition such expensive headphones locally.

can i take it from your words thar SE is not a thin sounding headphones and is close to v2, as the last thing I would like is a headphone with thin mids or vocals