[joseph69]

Seems to me HFM could really do a better job of clearing things up for the masses. I'm not sure they've ever put out a statement or clarification anywhere. I've gleaned everything I know about this new stealth magnet edition from the HE1000 thread. I'd go there to ask questions and get info.

Thank you.

 

[TheAttorney]

FYI you can tell the difference between the HEKSE and any of the other 1000 variants by the wood sides and headband. The HEKSE is darker wood and black headband like the Susvara. The other 1000s are lighter wood and tan headband.

The darker wood and headband do make the SE look classier than the other variants. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I was never keen on the "yellow" wood versions which to me looked plasticky even though they were probably real wood veneer.

Anyway, as well as hifiman's poor explanations/communications of the too-frequent variations of HEK and Arya, I also get frustrated by their inconsistent pricing structures which often do no favours to owners who have recently bought "yesterday's" model. If my HEK SE didn't sound so good, I'd have been long gone by now.

 

[Spawn300Z]

The darker wood and headband do make the SE look classier than the other variants. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I was never keen on the "yellow" wood versions which to me looked plasticky even though they were probably real wood veneer.

Anyway, as well as hifiman's poor explanations/communications of the too-frequent variations of HEK and Arya, I also get frustrated by their inconsistent pricing structures which often do no favours to owners who have recently bought "yesterday's" model. If my HEK SE didn't sound so good, I'd have been long gone by now.

Agreed, I still have the HEXSE still here although I have the Susvaras. I can’t enjoy the Susvara on the patio with a cup of coffee. But the HEXSE can.

 

[detoxguy]

The darker wood and headband do make the SE look classier than the other variants. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I was never keen on the "yellow" wood versions which to me looked plasticky even though they were probably real wood veneer.

Anyway, as well as hifiman's poor explanations/communications of the too-frequent variations of HEK and Arya, I also get frustrated by their inconsistent pricing structures which often do no favours to owners who have recently bought "yesterday's" model. If my HEK SE didn't sound so good, I'd have been long gone by now.

I’m not sure that several years between revisions is too frequent.

The naming convention is poorly executed for sure.

 

[SalemKotSabriny]

Hi,
I am going to buy HE1000v2 in the nearest future and would like to ask you for help with choosing desktop amplifier. I like neutral sound without artificial coloration. BRIGHT>DARK for me. I like the bass guitar sound so a little bit of warmth wouldn' t be bad I guess.
I am looking for something to pair with my IBASSO DX220 MAX and want to get the best synergy.
I don' t want to spend more than 1000GBP, thanks.

 

[srkbear]

Hey there, I was just revisiting this thread and s

I went the opposite way. I owned both the Susvara's and HEKse's at the same time. I traded the HEKse's for an LCD-5 and keep the Susvara's. I ended up selling the Susvara's after 4 years of ownership as I grew tired of amp chasing and went back to the HEKse's.The HEkse's give me enough of the Susvara's performance in an easier to drive package. With that said, a properly driven Susvara does edge out the HEKse's in overall performance, but you'll have to put in some effort to obtain system synergy with that headphone.

I've changed the pads on my HEKse's to sheepskin leather pads with amazing results. The sound is fuller, better balanced with a more pronounced sub bass that I find very enjoyable. All without losing any of the HEKse's amazing technicalities.

Hey there, I was just revisiting this thread and saw that I overlooked your comment about the pad roll. Did you get the Dekonis, and if so were they the Elite Sheepskin or the Hybrids? I’ve looked at these for awhile to help tame the highs a bit but I read a lot of stories of folks accidentally breaking the mounting ring on their stock pads trying to remove them—did you have any problems with that and what technique did you use? Thank you!

 

[Slim1970]

Hey there, I was just revisiting this thread and s

Hey there, I was just revisiting this thread and saw that I overlooked your comment about the pad roll. Did you get the Dekonis, and if so were they the Elite Sheepskin or the Hybrids? I’ve looked at these for awhile to help tame the highs a bit but I read a lot of stories of folks accidentally breaking the mounting ring on their stock pads trying to remove them—did you have any problems with that and what technique did you use? Thank you!

No, they are not dekoni pads. I actually got them for eBay here. These pads use sticky tape and they are very easy to apply. You also will have to remove the felt on these pad since the HEKse's drivers are already lined with felt. No need to have two layers.

To get the pads on and off easily, I use a credit card. It's takes a few seconds to get them on and off. Just locate the tab, insert credit card, and push down.

 

[tholt]

No, they are not dekoni pads. I actually got them for eBay here. These pads use sticky tape and they are very easy to apply. You also will have to remove the felt on these pad since the HEKse's drivers are already lined with felt. No need to have two layers.

To get the pads on and off easily, I use a credit card. It's takes a few seconds to get them on and off. Just locate the tab, insert credit card, and push down.

Intriguing! Do you still like those pads? Cheap enough to try. Any idea if the tape is such that you can remove them easily without much hassle or residue? Might give these a whirl.

That credit card trick sounds easy enough. I was always paranoid about breaking tabs based on my one experience attempting to remove a pad... seemed like I was gonna break every one of them.

 

[Slim1970]

Intriguing! Do you still like those pads? Cheap enough to try. Any idea if the tape is such that you can remove them easily without much hassle or residue? Might give these a whirl.

That credit card trick sounds easy enough. I was always paranoid about breaking tabs based on my one experience attempting to remove a pad... seemed like I was gonna break every one of them.

They have been on my HEKse's since I installed them. They are easy to remove, don't leave a mess and sound great!

The tabs are pretty flexible, but the credit card trick works like a charm.

 

[tholt]

They have been on my HEKse's since I installed them. They are easy to remove, don't leave a mess and sound great!

$25 shipped. Done!

 

[Slim1970]

$25 shipped. Done!

Sweet, remember to cut out the felt on the new pads before installing them. Otherwise, enjoy!

 

[tholt]

Sweet, remember to cut out the felt on the new pads before installing them. Otherwise, enjoy!

Do you mean the black cloth in the middle?

 

[Mista Lova Lova]

Have any of HEKse owners experienced the dilemma which I've had with my HEKse since day one, and I've had it for a good while now - because of the size of the earcups (which, on the face of it, is great as the ears never touch the inside padding), I can never really find a perfect fit, not in terms of comfort (although that as well, as when in the looser setting, the cups will be constantly fighting gravity due their weight) but mostly in terms of the sound signature which seems to change depending on how I wear the headphone. This must be due to the size of the driver.

If I'm on a tighter fit, with my ears closer to the bottom of the cups (but not touching the edges), I get the biggest soundstage, the best holography and the strongest bass. The holography/soundstage seems to come at the cost of things sounding a little hollow. The bass is sometimes actually a little annoying, too, as it seems to be presented closer to me than the rest of the frequency spectrum. This always makes me think that I'm not wearing the headphone properly (it does feel a little tight) so I go up a hole and then my ears land somewhere in the middle of the huge drivers. The fit feels a little less secure with me sometimes needing to adjust it slightly, and the sound signature does change significantly. Sounds are a little closer to me, they seem to have more body and texture (although soundstage collapses a little, or at least stops being HD800-like which is actually a good thing), bass is no longer so aggressive (not as pronounced as before but more "omnipresent", more similar to what I experienced with the Arya as opposed to subwoofer-like, coming from a particular spot within the soundstage), things are less "hollow" and there's more texture to everything.

So, it having experienced the above, I thought the answer was simple - my ears need to be somewhere around the centre of the driver; the wrong fit was responsible for things sounding "off".

But... when I listen to the same tracks on my Utopia, it is the first position of the headphone that more or less places sounds in the same way that the Utopia does. The second position, although more pleasant to me, brings things forward a little and some of the soundstage depth collapses.

Have any of you experienced the same issue? I'm wondering if this is an inherent quality of the headphone due to the size and shape of its drivers or if I'm simply unlucky in terms of not being able to get the right fit.

 

[Slim1970]

Do you mean the black cloth in the middle?

Yes, that has to come out. The HEKse’s already have cloth over their drivers. The extra cloth on the new pads is not needed. The stock HEKse ear pads are just that, ear pads. They don’t have any material in the middle.

 

[tholt]

Yes, that has to come out. The HEKse’s already have cloth over their drivers. The extra cloth on the new pads is not needed. The stock HEKse ear pads are just that, ear pads. They don’t have any material in the middle.

Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification