Hifiman HE1000-SE

[chiba87]

is anyone compare with 560 gen1?

 

[Smoothstereo]

Of course the great thing is that you can try a pair for 30 days if you purchase directly from HifiMan, and I saved even more by purchasing a refurbushed pair, which includes the same warranty and return policy as new.

Just curious, how was the condition of your refurbished HEKSE from Hifiman? Did it looked and operated like close to brand new or did it showed signs of usage (any wear and tear)and was fully burned in ?

 

[Darksoul]

The SE then

I've had the HEKse and the Organic. They are both nice headphones. First impressions with the Organic was that it had very good bass and weight to the midtones with excellent high end, however, after a while I found the timbre not working for me, as in not representing instruments quite as naturally as I like. First impressions with the HEKse was that it did everything just right, excellent sub bass with depth and texture, but without midbass boom. Very natural (I'm a bass player, both acoustic and electric). The mid range vocals and instruments are spot on faithful, and the top end is open and airy. I kept the HEKse.

Is it perfect, no, but straight out of the box, with no EQ, it comes very close, and with only minor EQ (a small + bass shelf to taste along with minor tweaking of treble) and it is one of the most satisfying and easy to listen to headphones I've heard. I will occasionally still listen to my Audeze LCD-4 headphones, which have a warmer, thicker signature, but they also require heavy EQ and a more powerful amp, and they just don't have the light and airy top end of the Hifiman.

I listen to all kinds of music, jazz, classical, rock, bluegrass, etc, and I think the HEKse is by far one of the best values in headphones today. Easy to drive and they sound almost perfect right out of the box. Of course the great thing is that you can try a pair for 30 days if you purchase directly from HifiMan, and I saved even more by purchasing a refurbushed pair, which includes the same warranty and return policy as new.

Thank you for your replies. I'll start the process with the distributor.

 

[longestsprout]

Just curious, how was the condition of your refurbished HEKSE from Hifiman? Did it looked and operated like close to brand new or did it showed signs of usage (any wear and tear)and was fully burned in ?

If you're interested.
My experienced with my refurbished pair was that it was like new.

Was a bit loose on my head. Not as much as my previous refurbished Aryas where they slid around, but enough that I was compelled to bend the headband around a little to get some clamp into it. Though, people here did speculate I just had a small head.

It took breaking in too. Though I think break in is a bit equipment specific. If your source gear has a bigger and deeper stage for example than what it was previously running on it's just going to take some adjustment to achieve that and get the full benefits. Like being a bit less harsh by extension and things like that. In my experience.

I traded in my Aryas too and put in the coupon I got from those and it came to around 950. Very pleased with these considering.

I'm running mine out of a tt2 and don't feel compelled to eq though a lot of people do.

 

[sendler2112]

On paper, it seems I would like the Organic over the HEKSE.

You can't bench race audio equipment based on charts. There are still things that define the sound that are not pictured there. I owned the Nanos and brought them to CanJam NYC 2024 and compared them to the Arya Organic and the HE1000SE. I know some people seem to be satisfied with the Organics but to me in comparison, ... it's no comparison. The organics are so narrow they sounded like they were wired in mono compared to the immense soundstage of the HEKSEs.

In fact the HE100SE was the most impressive sound that I heard at the show including Audeze and Meze Elite and Sennheiser HD820 ( though I have never tried anything like a Focal Utopia)

 

[Darksoul]

You can't bench race audio equipment based on charts. There are still things that define the sound that are not pictured there. I owned the Nanos and brought them to CanJam NYC 2024 and compared them to the Ayia Organic and the HE1000SE. I know some people seem to be satisfied with the Organics but to me in comparison, ... it's no comparison. The organics are so narrow they sounded like they were wired in mono compared to the immense soundstage of the HEKSEs.

In face the HE100SE was the most impressive sound that I heard at the show including Audeze and Meze Elite and Sennheiser HD820 ( though I have never tried anything like a Focal Utopia)

Yeah...I kind of rounded off my point a little bit later saying something similar.

I like how you said that you also had the Nano. I feel like the Nano are like a "demo" headphone for the higher end Hifiman. I've already started talking with store to get the HEKSE into my hands, but I wanted to know if the HEKSE will be the full presentation of what that Nano...demoed or a significant departure.

Thank you in advance.

 

[SmartCheetah]

but I wanted to know if the HEKSE will be the full presentation of what that Nano...demoed or a significant departure.

I had the Nano and now own the HEKse. The HEKse is a MUCH better headphone in virtually every aspect. Both models sound a bit lean and ‘contourish,’ at least with their stock cables, but the HEKse is far more technically capable, smoother, and less clinical, with a much better stating. It’s impressive. It also has the most satisfying bass (sub-bass rumble!) I've heard in an open-back headphone, even though it's not a basshead can and doesn't have a lot of quantity.

 

[Darksoul]

I had the Nano and now own the HEKse. The HEKse is a MUCH better headphone in virtually every aspect. Both models sound a bit lean and ‘contourish,’ at least with their stock cables, but the HEKse is far more technically capable, smoother, and less clinical, with a much better stating. It’s impressive. It also has the most satisfying bass (sub-bass rumble!) I've heard in an open-back headphone, even though it's not a basshead can and doesn't have a lot of quantity.

Thank you for that reply, that description sounds exactly what I'm looking for. I've already placed the order, in 4 weeks from now I should have the HEKse and hopefully end the chase; and other lies I've told my self.

 

[etroze86]

Thank you for that reply, that description sounds exactly what I'm looking for. I've already placed the order, in 4 weeks from now I should have the HEKse and hopefully end the chase; and other lies I've told my self.

You are really going to enjoy it, treble is so much sweeter sounding than the "lower" end hifiman and if you decide to eq it takes it like a champ.

 

[Derek Dean]

Just curious, how was the condition of your refurbished HEKSE from Hifiman? Did it looked and operated like close to brand new or did it showed signs of usage (any wear and tear)and was fully burned in ?

It looked brand new, no signs of use on the pads, etc. Main difference is that it came in a plain brown box, not the nice case, and it had the older clear plastic cables, but I already had a nice cable for it, so that was not an issue. It sounded broken in from the first. Most new headphones I've had definitely needed many hours to "break-in", but these sounded great right out of the box. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase refurbished again, which is why I mentioned it in my previous post.

 

[Daorom]

Hello.
Please tell me what type of foam is inside the ear pads ZMF? Closed cell? Or open cell? They are not available for sale, so I will order an alternative.