[kikouyou]

Anybody tried the ALO CDM with the HEK?

 

[kikouyou]

I received my HEK tonight. One word: Impressive

 

[Lan647]

Got to try it during a recent audio show. Less than ideal conditions of course with all that noise, but heck I thought they sounded pretty good. Definitely the best headphone Hifiman have made thus far. Smooth, open and refined with what seemed to be a very well balanced midrange. Treble seemed civilized as well. Definitely excited to hear more of them. 
 
Build though is nothing fancy. The ear pads in particular looked and felt cheap and there was not a hint of the luxury I expect from such an expensive headphone. 

 

[kikouyou]

  Got to try it during a recent audio show. Less than ideal conditions of course with all that noise, but heck I thought they sounded pretty good. Definitely the best headphone Hifiman have made thus far. Smooth, open and refined with what seemed to be a very well balanced midrange. Treble seemed civilized as well. Definitely excited to hear more of them. 
 
Build though is nothing fancy. The ear pads in particular looked and felt cheap and there was not a hint of the luxury I expect from such an expensive headphone. 

On the ear pads, despite the fact they look less comfortable than the LCD ones, they are very comfortable. In fact there is more space for the ears and my ears barely touch the cloth on the grille compare to a serious discomfort on the LCD (I am getting the spacers from Audeze to improve this and will report how well they work)
I did inquire to Hifiman for wider earpads but got the reply that this is it there is nothing more to expect here in term of improved earpads. May be a custom spacer would do the job here, but I have not found one yet.

 

[Lan647]

 
On the ear pads, despite the fact they look less comfortable than the LCD ones, they are very comfortable. In fact there is more space for the ears and my ears barely touch the cloth on the grille compare to a serious discomfort on the LCD (I am getting the spacers from Audeze to improve this and will report how well they work)
I did inquire to Hifiman for wider earpads but got the reply that this is it there is nothing more to expect here in term of improved earpads. May be a custom spacer would do the job here, but I have not found one yet.

Comfortable, yes. Luxurious? No...

 

[tuxbass]

Yesterday I got a chance to audition the HE1K and LCD4 side-by-side. Before I describe my experience let me preface it by saying that I currently own LCD-3F and recently picked up the ETHER for use at work. I'm a fan of the Audeze sound signature and never liked the way the HiFiMan that I've previously auditioned sounded (like HE400 & HE560).
 
When the HE1K was announced and when I heard how much they cost I never bothered to even check them out. But I couldn't pass on the opportunity to hear the LCD-4s and be able to compare them with the HE1K. 
 
Long story short the HE1Ks were so unbelievably musical and amazing soundstage that I ordered one today and the LCD-3s are ready to find a new home. So I am keeping the ETHER and HE1K.
 
If anyone is interested in a more detailed comparison between the HE1K vs LCD4 vs ETHER, I'll get off my lazy ass and write one

 

[doctorjazz]

OK, get off your tukhous and WRITE!!!!

 

[richard51]

yes no lazy write a cosy review

 

[sahmen]

+ 1 more vote for the detailed comparison.

 

[goldendarko]

  Yesterday I got a chance to audition the HE1K and LCD4 side-by-side. Before I describe my experience let me preface it by saying that I currently own LCD-3F and recently picked up the ETHER for use at work. I'm a fan of the Audeze sound signature and never liked the way the HiFiMan that I've previously auditioned sounded (like HE400 & HE560).
 
When the HE1K was announced and when I heard how much they cost I never bothered to even check them out. But I couldn't pass on the opportunity to hear the LCD-4s and be able to compare them with the HE1K. 
 
Long story short the HE1Ks were so unbelievably musical and amazing soundstage that I ordered one today and the LCD-3s are ready to find a new home. So I am keeping the ETHER and HE1K.
 
If anyone is interested in a more detailed comparison between the HE1K vs LCD4 vs ETHER, I'll get off my lazy ass and write one

Nice, would be interested in hearing more about the LCD-4 as another LCD-3 lover, though the HE1000 is now my #1 phone also. One thing I will say about your new HE1000 is they really benefit from some serious juice. They sound much better with a powerful amp, the LCD-3's do too but it's night and day with the HE1000 and my Studio Six vs. my HA-1.

 

[jlbrach]

i listen to my HEK with my yiggy/rago combo and it is the best headphone experience i have ever heard bar none

 

[goldendarko]

  i listen to my HEK with my yiggy/rago combo and it is the best headphone experience i have ever heard bar none

I would say the same for my HEK yggy/studio 6 combo, outstanding

 

[tuxbass]

Ok here we go ... damn I feel the pressure
 
HE1K: Right off the bat these headphones were amazingly musical no matter what genre I threw at it. The soundstage was very impressive, almost as good as the HD800s. But unlike the 800s the sound wasn't analytical but more on the musical/enjoyable side. In summary it sounded like I was listening to hifi speakers 10 times the price of these headphones. Soundstage, musicality, instrument separation are some of the keywords here.
 
LCD-4: In comparison, the soundstage on the LCD-4s was significantly narrow. Also the treble sounded a bit muffled, I guess that's the Audeze house sound in action. Which I used be a fan of, but after listening to the HE1K it opened my ears and muffled was the thought that came to me as I was listening. LCD-4s are surely a notch above the LCD-3 but I don't think I can justify the price difference.
 
The Obvious: HE1K was super comfortable, after few mins you don't even feel them in your head. On the other hand LCD-4s are as hefty as usual. The new headbands seems to help with the comfort. But I can't comment how much better they are because I didn't have them on for hours.
 
And finally, here is how I would rank them:
 
  1) HE1K
  2) LCD-4     
  2.5) MrSpeakers ETHER
  4) LCD-3
 
Note:
  1. I didn't include the HD-800 in that list, because I've not heard them with the any kind of mods. I've only heard them in their stock form.
  2. The LCD-4 and ETHER are pretty close. Maybe if I had compared them using another genre the order might have been different. Since my primary goal was to compare HE1K and LCD-4 I didn't spend too much time comparing LCD-4 vs ETHER.
 
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've already placed an order for the HE1K (a headphone that wasn't even on my radar - that's how good they sounded). I don't think I've ever been completely blown away listening to a headphone before (just in the first few minutes).
 
If you got this far congratulations and sorry I am not very articulate. If you've very specific questions please ask I'll try to answer them.

 

[tuxbass]

Thanks guys.
They will be driven by my MJ2. I hope they sounds close to how good they sound on your yiggy/rago or yiggy/studio 6 combos

 

[saidentary]

 
I would say the same for my HEK yggy/studio 6 combo, outstanding

You mean the ALO Studio 6, correct?  That plus the yggy driving HE-1000s.  That really must be phenomenal!  I haven't heard the ALO Studio 6 myself, but I suspect it must be among the very best headphone amps in existence.  Congrats to you!