Before I start my 'review', I have to give kudos to all the other testers. I've enjoyed reading each and every review, and have agreed with just about
everything that has been written. Several observations have mirrored my own, which is reassuring.
These are my thoughts on the HE1000's as I listened, just as I jotted them down. Nothing technical, as that has been done by others here much
better than I could. I tried to list the music that was playing as I wrote the comments. Please be aware that my ears are 64+ years old, I have a
mild case of tinnitus, and some hi frequency hearing loss.
My equipment:
Wyred 4 Sound DAC 2
Eddie Current Balancing Act w/PX4 output tubes and a red base RCA 5692 input tube
Headphones compared: HD800 w/Anaxilus original mod, and LCD-3F. Both have DIY cables using Cardas #24 litz wire, two wires per pole,
terminated in four pin XLR plugs
Fourplay '4', Gerald Albright "Kickin' It Up', Tom Scott 'Smokin' Section':
Bass is fast and deep. Snare thwacks are hard and fast.
Chesky Binaural Headphone Demo Disc - 'Shake, Rattle and Roll':
Bass is solid down to 25Hz
Down To The Bone 'Best Of' - 'Staten Island Groove':
Deep, tight bass, not bloated
24 hours burn in, no noticeable change in sound
These 'phones are fast; excellent transients
The right side ear pad on mine is slightly misshapen, causing my ear to touch the mesh a bit
I could use a wider earhole in the pads
Non-fatiguing sound
Jesse Cook ('Rhumba Foundation') never sounded better. Transients on guitar plucks are clear and crisp
Bass deep without being muddy
Instruments sound like they're supposed to
Layering is exemplary
Not a 'Gee Whiz', 'Wowee' headphone, but one that is refined and reveals its charms the more you listen. Its excitement lies in the long-term
listening session. I would imagine that this headphone would appeal to the seasoned listener, not so much to the person looking for an
overly exciting sound.
Bob Baldwin 'Brazil Chill' - Tracks 4,5,7 (quite the sibilant recording):
Sibilant recordings are tamed. Deep bass isn't jumbled into a rumble; you can hear the separate pitches.
This is a headphone that one can live with long-term.
Pick one singer/instrument and concentrate on it. You can hear it distinctly; it doesn't get lost in the crowd. Sound isn't jumbled. You
can hear every line clearly.
96 hours and getting hints of out-of-head sound. Sometimes I jump 'cuz sumthin's in the room with me.
Y-split on the cable is too low.
Who decided to put black ear pads on a wood grain-with--a-brown-headband headphone? Weird! The ear pad guy must have been out of the loop.
HE1K can handle anything you send its way.
Low bass is there without having to crank the volume to bring it out.
Hard to become distracted with this headphone. It keeps pulling me back into the music.
Sound of Wood and Steel 'Liquid Amber':
Squeaks as fingers move on strings crisp and clean.
These do not get muddied on complex passages.
Andreas Vollenweider 'White Winds':
Clear, but not in a manner that assaults the ears. A good description might be the title of a Roberta Flack album: 'Quiet Fire'.
One doesn't need to sacrifice clear highs for thundering lows, a liquid, detailed midrange for .... yada yada. This headphone seems to cover
all the bases, giving the listener a very pleasurable, inoffensive musical experience. You get lost in the music and stop listening to the equipment.
The HE's can bring out the best in any amplifier, provided it can supply enough current. These are planars after all.
Some of my favorite musical sounds come from an acoustic guitar, and the HE's bring it out in a smooth, lush, and simultaneously detailed way.
Very inviting.
I would really like to hear this headphone with a good solid state amp. They sound good out of my BA, but I'm still curious about the synergy with
a good solid state unit.
Below is my take on how the HE1000's compare to LCD-3F's and HD800's:
LCD-3F's:
Although the HE's go slightly lower in the bass, the LCD's have a greater impact in the bass. The bass in the LCD's can also, at times be
overpowering, whereas the HE's keep it better under control. This is quite evident in the tune 'Between the Sheets' on the Fourplay album
of the same name.
The HE's midrange is much more even than the LCD's, which have noticeably boosted mid's, especially in the lower mid's. This is quite evident
on acoustic guitar. The sound on the LCD's sounds somewhat confused and bloated in the mid's, whereas the HE's sound clearer. I can follow
the separate lines better on the HE's. Of course, if you like a nice 'fat' midrange, then the LCD's are for you.
In the treble region, the HE's seem to have a tad more extension. They are also more clear, and less confused sounding. It's easier, for example,
to follow a fast right hand on piano on the HE's. The HE's, by the way, are harder to drive than the LCD's.
I find the HE's more comfortable to wear. They aren't as heavy as the LCD's, and don't stick out as much, so they're easier to move around
with, but they're not perfect.
For my style of listening, I would choose the HE over the LCD-3. If only the HE's had the bass impact of the LCD's.
HD800:
I know I'm preaching to the choir here comparing the bass on these two, but... .
In the aforementioned Fourplay song 'Between the Sheets', at the beginning there is a very low bass drum (sounds like a 40" concert bass).
It's definitely felt and heard on the HE's. On the HD's, it's pretty much MIA; only the upper harmonics are present. The HE's also seem
to have the edge in the bass impact department, although because of its deeper bass range, it may be only perceived. Not sure.
Listening to Earl Klugh's version of 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' from his Naked Guitar album, it didn't take long for me to realize that I
enjoyed it more on the HE's. The mid's on the HE are more lush and warm, and bring out the best in acoustic guitar. I notice the same
effect on Tom Scott's tenor sax ('Smokin' Section'). Now, that's not to say that, in the HE's case, lush and warm precludes detail. It's
just that the HE's have more body to the sound. The HD's in comparison, sound a bit thin and dry. Detailed for sure, but... yawn.
This may very well speak to the sound characteristics of planar versus dynamic drivers.
I'm sure my experiences with the treble range on both the HE's and HD's would be different on a solid state amp, as the Balancing Act
does a great job of taming aggressive highs. Still, there are noticeable differences between these two headphones.
So, everyone knows, or has heard about the treble on the HD's. The best way I can describe them is 'steely'. Very clear to be sure,
yet seemingly boosted to an uncomfortable point at times, and completely out of control on sibilant recordings. Even with the anax mod
on mine, it can still be just a tad overbearing. In the past, I have listened to them on a solid state amp. Too treble-centric for me.
Let's just say that that's what led me to tubes.
The HE's, on the other hand, bring out the details without beating the listener over the head with them. They present treble energy on a
more even keel than the HD's.
You know those recordings that you don't listen to much because the recording engineer treated the highs as a WAD (Weapon of Aural
Destruction)? They will be a lot more enjoyable with the HE's.
The one area in which the HD's are hard to beat is comfort. Nice, big, open earcups. Probably hard to duplicate on a planar.
I do have a couple of gripes. The headband, but I guess that's already been addressed. I feel that the pads could be a bit thicker, maybe
by two or three millimeters, and of better quality. The pads on mine aren't very evenly made.
If I had to describe both the style and the sound of the HE1000's in one word, I would say that they are a 'mature' headphone. I think
they have a great look (see previous comment about the black pads) that is at the same time retro and modern. The sound is not
something that impresses right away, but reveals itself more as you listen. To me, that is the mark of a great anything: car, motorcycle,
headphone, etc.. You never tire of it. It always has something new to show you. It's something that never offends, and always brings
you back again and again.