[richard51]

  This is a critically important point.  The fact that a certain highly expensive product may be phenomenal doesn't mean that something more reasonably priced sounds bad.  In fact, you may well decide that a lower priced item is BETTER than a higher priced item, to your ears.  In other words, keep in mind that although there is a general correlation between increasing prices and improved sound quality, this correlation is not linear; sometimes the correlation doesn't even exist.

i know for me that if all in all, when  one of my piece of gear was a great upgrade with a very good  ratio/quality/price my upgraditis is semi-cured...when you touch audiophile sound, the question is how much  money, not necessarily  how much sound anymore....I know with my ears that my monsoon mm 2000 hybrid planars powered speakers  are so good that one of the real  upgrade possibility  is around 3000 thousands dollars...any other possibilities will be sidegrade... same thing with my hifiman he 400... they are so good with the sorbothane mod that the only interesting upgrade will be he 6 or hek... Hence your remark made perfect sense for me.... I had concluded after extensive reading of many threads here that  many people buy something for  making a change without knowing why exactly... its best to study , and wait, and made a move that drive you toward the end... The best system for the least price....

 

[immtbiker]

   
Instead of spending $3000+ on a pair of headphones, you could do much better by getting a pair of speakers like the KEF LS50 + sub + a good used amp. You also great active speakers under $2000 if you don't want to have a bunch of cables. Speakers will always beat headphones in terms of soundstage and bass impact, if not always in resolution.

Can't compare apples and oranges. How can one say that someone else would do better by getting speaker than headphones? People have different needs which call specifically for a headphone setup. And, they still want the best sound possible in their appropriated budget.
 
What you said is like saying, "Why buy a $23,000 motorcycle, when you can get a Honda Accord for that much money?". Different needs fulfilled by motorcycles and cars, headphones and speakers.
 
…and… saying that "speakers will always beat headphones in terms of soundstage and bass impact", as long as we are not talking about physical body visceral inpact, this is also an untrue statement.

 

[doctorjazz]

..I can't recall a time so much reasonably priced, good sounding gear was available (even while Summit Fi prices have fine through the roof..). JUST HAVE FUN!!!

This is a critically important point.  The fact that a certain highly expensive product may be phenomenal doesn't mean that something more reasonably priced sounds bad.  In fact, you may well decide that a lower priced item is BETTER than a higher priced item, to your ears.  In other words, keep in mind that although there is a general correlation between increasing prices and improved sound quality, this correlation is not linear; sometimes the correlation doesn't even exist.

To belabor the point (as is my wont...), I have heard systems with 100K loudspeakers, 50K amps and preamps, that did NOTHING for me! It should be about enjoying the music...if the gear gets your toes tapping and a smile on your face, you're there, man!
(feel like I should break out into song here, maybe "Wherever You Go..." or "Everything is Beautiful...")

 

[richard51]

 
Can't compare apples and oranges. How can one say that someone else would do better by getting speaker than headphones? People have different needs which call specifically for a headphone setup. And, they still want the best sound possible in their appropriated budget.
 
What you said is like saying, "Why buy a $23,000 motorcycle, when you can get a Honda Accord for that much money?". Different needs fulfilled by motorcycles and cars, headphones and speakers.
 
…and… saying that "speakers will always beat headphones in terms of soundstage and bass impact", as long as we are not talking about physical body visceral inpact, this is also an untrue statement.

you are right there is no relation between speakers and headphone.... speakers are Jet plane and headphones Ferrari.... i needed the two....the choice of one or the other is very personal.... Are you jet lover? or ferrari lover?

 

[richard51]

To belabor the point (as is my wont...), I have heard systems with 100K loudspeakers, 50K amps and preamps, that did NOTHING for me! It should be about enjoying the music...if the gear gets your toes tapping and a smile on your face, you're there, man!
(feel like I should break out into song here, maybe "Wherever You Go..." or "Everything is Beautiful...")

i think all people here, including me, needed to read regularly these wise words of yours....and memorize them in the heart....

 

 

[430633]

This is my first post ever, and this incredible pair of 'phones totally deserve it! Do tell me if I fail to adhere to Head-Fi's tradition haha 
 
Well, I was at the headphones store, checking out the treasures they have there, when my eyes were caught by these quietly perched on an omega stand. Their aesthetics certainly stand out; in my opinion, they looked like a mixture of vintage and futuristic. Raring to hear their sound, I set up my audioquest dragonfly v1.2 and graham slee novo which I had brought along with me. The tracks I used were across the genres, with classical, soft rock, pop and random soundtracks. Headphones used for a reference point were mainly the hd800 and gs1000e which I managed to acquire, courtesy of the friendly staff there who had lent them to me (my k553s sadly had to be placed aside- this was a different game altogether). These had been my two favourite headphones to date.
 
The first thing that struck me was how engaging these headphones were, aside from their surprising weight and comfort. These sounded really smooth- they were almost fluid in their presentation, unlike the eager punchiness from the dynamic drivers of the hd800 and gs1000e. Overall, they gave me the impression of maturity and intimacy as compared to the hd800. They were poised in their approach, and are able to handle just about anything thrown at them with astounding competency, adapting to the music when the situation calls for it. This is rather impressive for an otherwise neutral sounding pair of headphones.
 
They had no obvious flaws, and for this reason I find it hard to comment on their highs and mids. Highs are definitely sibilance-free, and have excellent extension, on top of sounding natural. Mids, according to my untrained ears and vague memory, sounded just a tad smoother than that from the hd800. For most songs, it makes me feel as though I am standing in a large recording studio with the vocalists, while the hd800 tend to make me think I'm in a cavernous concert hall looking down at the singers with rows and rows of seats between us. Hence I say it sounds more intimate than the hd800, although my preference is generally based on the music being played.
 
They have good speed; although both the dynamic hd800 and gs1000e are faster in this regard. Despite them sounding smooth and neutral, they still proved very capable in the bass department. Bass performance was well controlled and had great extension; it wasn't overwhelming on all but the most bass heavy tracks and at louder volumes. To sum it up, the balanced bass was just as good as the rest of the headphone, and roars to life only when it is called upon; doing so with great gusto at that.
 
To conclude, I will say that the he1000 is, to my ears, the best sounding planar magnetic headphones I have heard (I savour their extra clarity over audeze's headphones and I have yet to hear any from Stax). However, while it has claimed the spot of "favourite" in my list, it shares this title with my existing favourites, the hd800 and gs1000e as well. This boils down to their different sound signatures. The gs1000e, while not particularly accurate alongside all the flagships, has this lively and earnest personality which I find really hard to resist. The hd800 excel particularly when soaring orchestral pieces are being played (eg, the soundtrack from starwars). For anything else which is slightly slower paced, or of a slightly smaller scale (more intimate), I feel that the he1000 would be more than happy to fill the role, delivering a stunning performance for its fortunate beholder(s).

 

[moedawg140]

  This is my first post ever, and this incredible pair of 'phones totally deserve it! Do tell me if I fail to adhere to Head-Fi's tradition haha 
 
Well, I went to the headphone store to check out the treasures they have there, when my eyes were caught by these quietly perched on an omega stand. Their aesthetics certainly stand out; in my opinion, they look like a mixture of vintage and futuristic. Raring to hear their sound, I set up my audioquest dragonfly v1.2 and graham slee novo which I had brought along with me. The tracks I used were across the genres, with classical, soft rock, pop and random soundtracks. Headphones for a reference point were mainly the hd800 and gs1000e (my k553s sadly had to be placed aside- this was a different game altogether), my two favourite headphones to date.
 
The first thing that struck me was how engaging these headphones were, aside from their surprising weight and comfort. These sounded really smooth- they were almost fluid in their presentation, unlike the eager punchiness from the dynamic drivers of the hd800 and gs1000e. Overall, they gave me the impression of maturity and intimacy as compared to the hd800. They were poised in their approach, and are able to handle just about anything thrown at them with astounding competency, adapting to the music when the situation calls for it. This is rather impressive for an otherwise neutral sounding pair of headphones.
 
They had no obvious flaws, and for this reason I find it hard to comment on their highs and mids. Highs are definitely sibilance-free, and have excellent extension, on top of sounding natural. Mids, according to my untrained ears and vague memory, sounded just a tad smoother than that from the hd800. For most songs, it makes me feel as though I am standing in a large recording studio with the vocalists, while the hd800 tend to make me think I'm in a cavernous concert hall looking at the singers with rows and rows of seats between us. Hence I say it sounds more intimate than the hd800, although my preference is generally based on the music being played.
 
They have good speed; although both the dynamic hd800 and gs1000e are faster in this regard. Despite them sounding smooth and neutral, they still proved very capable in the bass department. Bass was well controlled and had great extension; it wasn't overwhelming on all but the most bass heavy tracks and at louder volumes. To sum it up, the balanced bass was just as good as the rest of the headphone, and roars to life only when it is called upon; doing so with great gusto at that.
 
To conclude, I will say that the he1000 is, to my ears, the best sounding planar magnetic headphones I have heard (I prefer their extra clarity over audeze's headphones and I have yet to hear any from Stax). However, while it has claimed the spot of "favourite" in my list, it shares this title with my existing favourites, the hd800 and gs1000e as well. This boils down to their different sound signatures. The gs1000e, while not particularly accurate alongside all the flagships, has this lively and earnest personality which I find really hard to reject. The hd800 excel particularly when soaring orchestral pieces are being played (eg, the soundtrack from starwars). For anything else which is slightly slower paced, or of a slightly smaller scale (more intimate), I feel that the he1000 would be more than happy to fill the role and deliver a great performance for its fortunate beholder.

 
Welcome to Head-Fi, PhoenixSong, and simply awesome first post! 

 (orange juice in my glass)

 

[sahmen]

  This is actually quite encouraging to hear.  I have found that a certain threshold of satisfaction, once met, can last a long time.  Your own post demonstrates that you're already "there" AND it may last longer than you think.  I'm guessing you're MUCH younger than I am (which is 52), and if that's the case, remember that you'll have PLENTY of time to upgrade later. 
 
I have absolutely no proof (or even any robust evidence) for what I'm about to suggest, but here's what I believe, based on my own experience:  Assuming you're young, your level of auditory/audiophile discernment will improve/increase over time.  Your hearing may actually deteriorate slightly BUT your "ear-brain" processing will nevertheless improve based on listening experience and refinement of your tastes.  You'll be able to pick apart and find weaknesses in things you previously thought sounded great.  You'll become increasingly "spoiled" by the excellence of the sound you listen to routinely.  The progression will occur in steps, and hopefully your income and finances will improve as you ascend in your occupation.  
 
This stepwise progression is an important concept.  A good scenario would be that you enjoy whatever system you have and listen to it over time, becoming thoroughly familiar with its strengths and weaknesses.  Gradually you'll feel like maybe it's time to move "up," but not until you've had sufficient time to enjoy and appreciate what you currently own.  In my opinion, the most credible driver for any upgrade would be PERSONAL LISTENING, even if doing so consumes some of your financial resources.  At this point, you'll be in a better position to decide whether you want to upgrade.  Then if you do upgrade, you'll also be in a better position to more fully appreciate this new level of sonic quality. 
 
The point is that an incremental journey may be more rewarding in the long run while also allowing you to have more fun along the way. 
 
You may also find a plausible end point at which you're truly satisfied, even blissful, and really not interested in pursuing any more upgrades, because what you have is (something you personally perceive as being) SO good that it's of marginal value to keep chasing something you already have.  Yes, there may be better, but at this point what you have is SO good that you really don't care that much.  Also, at this point you're well into the "diminishing returns" part of the upgrade spectrum, and significant improvements will be double or more the price of your current system, which is already quite expensive.
 
 
For what it's worth.

Saidentary: Thanks for your helpful input, but I think some clarifications would in order here.  First of all, I'm not as young as you think I am, or maybe I should say not as young as the content and tone of my earlier postings might have suggested.  Also, as an enthusiast of music and film, with a passion for A/V equipment, I have known more than two decades of "ignorance is bliss" enjoyment of gear, prior to the phase in which I am now...  Those were the days when all my listening/viewing were AVR-centric, so to speak.  Those were also the days when I thought the Sennheiser HD 555, the RS-180, or even sometimes the earbuds that came with the first Ipod I bought were "da bomb"!  Those were the days when I simply enjoyed my music and movies without fussing too much over the components that delivered them, as long as the components were decently serviceable.
 
Any upgrades I did in those days were mostly AVR-centric, i.e. meant to keep up with evolving AV codecs and formats (i.e. Dolby and DTS codecs, as well as Video formats such as 720p, 1080p etc etc)...
 
However, everything changed when I went into separates, about 3 to 4 years ago, and learnt about the type of differences in SQ that separate amplifiers, pre amps, pre pros,  DACs, and sometimes, Room correction programs or software can bring to the table.  Since then, I have put together some systems in my two places of residence that sound a lot better, cleaner, fuller, and richer than what I used to accept without much fuss during my "ignorance is bliss" years.  Hell, I have even started dabbling in REW and DIRAC room correction programs (not to mention video calibration programs from SpectraCal), and their endless measurements and graphs, whereas previously the farthest I went in that direction was run Audyssey (in one of its Multeq, or XT or XT32) once and be done with it...
 
If there is a downside to this more recent phase of my journey into AV components and related experiences, then it is the endangering or placing in utter jeopardy of my capacity for laid-back and relaxed "ignorance is bliss" enjoyment of my new components (however more sophisticated or improved they might be), without fussing too much about possibilities of improvement...  I have been wondering whether what doctorjazz likes to call my "audiophilia nervosa" is not a necessary by-product of this new phase of experimenting and tinkering with Room correction, calibration, and EQ programs, and other finicky operations they come with, such as, subwoofer crawls, Speaker toe-ins, room treatments, and other such related hassles. To be fair, I do not have any space for dedicated listening ht rooms, and have not had to deal with such "hassles" as room treatments (not too WAF-friendly, in my case), so I guess I am not a total "lost cause" yet

.  Still,  I think the need to perform all these operations in order to optimize what one is hearing, also generates a very obsessive pre-occupation with components and the conditions of listening that may detract from the enjoyment of the content itself (in the same way as an over-preoccupation with color accuracy, contrast, black-levels, and other fundamentals of Screen calibrations might detract from the enjoyment of viewing content) but I could be wrong about that...
 
With all that being said, I think I should note an important distinction: It is a lot easier for me to be satisfied with what I have in the area of Speaker-centric music than with what I have in the area of headphones...  But that may be because my experiences with headphones have not been as extensive and long-lasting as my experience with live speaker-centric listening... It may also have to do with the sheer number of phones that are available on the market, together with the relative scarcity of opportunities to audition them for oneself, before purchasing. But  I think I have rambled long enough...

 

[430633]

Thanks, moedawg140, it's my pleasure! (although I do feel rather sorry for my wallet)

 

[sahmen]

As a matter of general curiosity, are there any members or reviewers who have ended up preferring the sound of either the He-560, or the He-6 to the sound of the He-1000, after a careful audition of He-1000?  I suspect such persons would be either very rare or even non-existent, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask

 

 

[money4me247]

  As a matter of general curiosity, are there any members or reviewers who have ended up preferring the sound of either the He-560, or the He-6 to the sound of the He-1000, after a careful audition of He-1000?  I suspect such persons would be either very rare or even non-existent, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask

 

there are a few people who prefer the he-6. haven't heard anyone preferring the he-560, but the he-560 definitely offers much better performancerice ratio as it is quite competitive against the $1k+ flagships.

 

[moedawg140]

 
Thanks, moedawg140, it's my pleasure! (although I do feel rather sorry for my wallet)

 
Just audition at length before you buy anything to make sure you aren't making any hasty purchasing decisions.  Or maybe not... 

 

---

 
To keep this thread on topic, I am thoroughly adoring the euphoric synergy of the HE1000 and QP1R:
 

 

[moshen]

  As a matter of general curiosity, are there any members or reviewers who have ended up preferring the sound of either the He-560, or the He-6 to the sound of the He-1000, after a careful audition of He-1000?  I suspect such persons would be either very rare or even non-existent, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask

 

The HE-1000 is an all around upgrade to the HE-560 in all areas. In fact they are much closer to an upgraded HE-560 than anything else in the Hifiman lineup sound wise. Is it 3.5x the price better? I'd say not even close, even if it's an immediately clear upgrade - the HE-560 are a great value.
 
The HE-1000 is quite a different headphone than the HE-6 though. It does most things better than the HE-6 (openness, soundstage, sub-bass) except it's more polite sounding has less impact and less treble energy, as many have said. This can be either a huge deal or a nitpick, YMMV.
 
Either way in my opinion the HE-1000 really diverts from the reputation Hifiman built up as being excellent value for the sound. This is really unfortunate. The HE-1000 is a fantastic headphone but I feel $1.5k - $2k would be in line for the sound quality you get and not $3k.

 

[goldendarko]

The HE-1000 is an all around upgrade to the HE-560 in all areas. In fact they are much closer to an upgraded HE-560 than anything else in the Hifiman lineup sound wise. Is it 3.5x the price better? I'd say not even close, even if it's an immediately clear upgrade - the HE-560 are a great value.

The HE-1000 is quite a different headphone than the HE-6 though. It does most things better than the HE-6 (openness, soundstage, sub-bass) except it's more polite sounding has less impact and less treble energy, as many have said. This can be either a huge deal or a nitpick, YMMV.

Either way in my opinion the HE-1000 really diverts from the reputation Hifiman built up as being excellent value for the sound. This is really unfortunate. The HE-1000 is a fantastic headphone but I feel $1.5k - $2k would be in line for the sound quality you get and not $3k.

That's probably the best summary of the HE1000 I've read yet, well put.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah

doctorjazz with poetic theme
Waxed loving im-mt-biker's scheme
To make him obscene
A new name for his screen...
"Livin' the PoNorno Dream"