Headphones.com is selling the new HEKV2 Stealth version on sale at $1,999, but it is “final sale”. I auditioned the original HEKV2 along side the Susvara and the HEKSE for several weeks earlier this year, and I chose the HEKSE for innumerable reasons, but with some degree of conflict with the V2 at the time.
I primarily listen to rock genres. For that reason (among others) the Susvara was a non-starter right out of the box. I was so relieved to finally get my FOMO behind me with that thing, as an owner at the time of the 2020 Utopia and Sony Z1Rs. Similar to the Utopia, the Susvara was incredibly resolving and impeccably detailed—but with a much wider soundstage and more precise imaging. But the tuning? Absolutely flat. Listening to these without EQing the bass would be unthinkable to me (same with the vastly overrated Utopia) and despite the fact that I have a formidably powered amp (an iFi Pro iCAN Signature with 14+ watts of balanced power), adding bass emphasis made them even more impossible to drive than they were without EQ. With my amp wide open I got into clipping at even modest volumes. To me they were way too much trouble for what they’re worth—all analytical, zero fun. My easiest choice to return.
The HEKV2s at 90 db/SPL were easier to drive immediately, and compared to my Utopias, their vast soundstage and powerful bass slam immediately demonstrated to me the merits of planars over my Utopia’s dynamic driver. The oval pad design of the HEK series is to me leaps and bounds ahead of the round pad Susvaras and Sundaras, with cups that completely enveloped my ears and created a proscenium arch of sound that was visibly vast and three dimensional (I have since grabbed up an Arya Stealth and Edition XS based on my love of this design). And the sub/low bass was so punchy and physical that I could feel the rumble in my jaw bones.
However, the most salient asset I found in the V2 was the incomparable tuning right out of the box—they did take the analog bass boost I have on my Pro iCAN extremely well, but there was zero fatigue with these cans. The highs and mids were velvet smooth and I could listen to these headphones forever—it’s no accident that Crinacle lists them third from the top, after a Stax flagship and the Susvaras. They’re simply that sublime.
But the minute I put on the HEKSE, I was bowled over by the most detailed, surgically precise sound I had ever heard from a headphone in my life. They are daringly fast and accurate—after a few minutes with these I knew there was no way I could ever listen to my limp Utopias the same way again. The bass physicality was on par with the V2, except with more emphasis on the mid bass this time, offering more warmth and fullness to the sound signature. I must invoke the cliche of hearing details in my music collection that I never knew existed before, and I set about rifling through my life-long favorite albums marveling at the opportunity to hear them fresh all over again. I was sold.
But the conflict arose with fatigue. The HEKSE are definitely a brighter headphone than the V2, and no doubt that brightness is part of what contributes to their transparent detail and precise instrument placement (I assume the Stealth magnet is responsible for a significant portion of their clarity as well—there seems to be nothing whatsoever standing in the way of the music and your ears). In terms of detail retrieval and accuracy, the HEKse clearly outperformed the V2–in fact I think that those who call the HEKse a 9.5 to the Susvara’s 10 are dead wrong. The HEKse does everything the Susvara does with equal perfection—they’re just designed for different genres. The Susvaras are the endgame headphone for classical and jazz enthusiasts, whereas the HEKse is the ultimate headphone for rock, electronica, Hip Hop and similar tastes where the goal is energy, excitement, and fun—with Susvara-level performance.
But there’s no doubt that on certain tracks, the HEKse brightness is going to tire you out. A little EQ can work wonders, but the loss of that shimmer in the high end will be at the detriment of detail. Burn-in may have tamed the highs for me to a modest extent (or my ears may simply have adjusted to them), but I still miss that smoothness the V2 offered, so much so that I almost wish that I had never tried the SE.
Which brings me to these new Stealth versions of the HEKV2. From what I have read, this version retains all the assets of the original, and the magnet is the only change HFM made to this flagship design. If this is indeed the case, and if the new Stealth magnet brings their detail retrieval anywhere close to the HEKse, then I have to assume that they would be the ultimate headphone for me on Earth. Every day I visit Headphones.com and contemplate grabbing them up at this price (given that the V2 Stealths are retailing at $2,399 in Europe, this $1,999 price point is quite a steal). My only hesitation is the fact that I already own the Arya Stealth, the Edition XS, the HEKse and most recently a set of Meze Elites. But damn it, that FOMO is back again. I keep returning here hoping that someone has gotten their hands on a pair and can offer an educated comparison between these and my HEKSEs—is anyone out there who could oblige?
is very important and sound stage changes with position. Best for me is to let Susvara as low hanging on my head (loose fit with earpads not compressed much) as possible and tilt it forward a bit. In this position is sound stage like that on HEkSE.
