[Tsukuyomi]

Just as an update on my Planar adventures. Now in addition to my Sundara I now have a LCD X. Gotta admit I was never excited about the Sundara. It's sounds lifeless. It's a competent HP but doesn't excel at anything. The X is the opposite, more dynamic, better clarity, better bass definition. Here I thought I would actually more prefer the Hifiman sound, but actually prefer the Audeze sound. I know the comparison isn't quite fair in that the X is twice as much as the Sundara. Now, my main question is whether a move to the Ananda, HEX or Arya will give me the more lively, dynamic detailed sound I hear in the X or is the general Hifiman sound more laid back, no matter how far up the line you go? If that's the case I may just get a pair of LCD 2C and call it a day on the planars.

ive read the Arya is like a Shangrila Jr. so i would suggest trying thoes out among the others. also you may want to try the hifiman jade II, i hear they're also quite amazing.

 

[HBen]

for 1000$, you can nowadays easily get a used HE1000V1 ... (sad for the owners trying to sell , great for guys like you ) (honestly I'd just keep it ^^)

 

[mixman]

for 1000$, you can nowadays easily get a used HE1000V1 ... (sad for the owners trying to sell , great for guys like you ) (honestly I'd just keep it ^^)

I don't know, maybe in Switzerland you can get the HE1000V1 for $1,000 but not here. Maybe $1,800? I have not seen one close to $1K. Did you mean the HEX V1?

 

[HBen]

I don't know, maybe in Switzerland you can get the HE1000V1 for $1,000 but not here. Maybe $1,800? I have not seen one close to $1K. Did you mean the HEX V1?

I was curious if that statement would be correct so I shortly went looking through old sales ads on head-fi, audiogon and others I found a bunch of HE1000V1's that sold around 1000$ or a bit above in the US ...

For example this one https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sold-hifiman-he1000-v1.881741/ sold for 1000$
This one https://www.head-fi.org/threads/wts-hifiman-he-1000-v1.883698/ is up for 1075$
another one https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-hifiman-he1000-v1.854317/ for 1249$ ...

might take a bit of patience but certainly attainable

 

[mixman]

Yes you were right for mid last year, but it seems now the market has dried up for cheap HEM V1's. Even last year there were less than ten sold here. I did read some reviews and the V1 may not be the sound I am looking for anyway. It is supposed to have a smooth, relaxed, less detailed sound. That is the problem I have with the Sundara, which I consider too smooth and relaxed. I can get possibly get an Arya for not too much more. The problem is it is harder to drive.

 

[HBen]

Yes you were right for mid last year, but it seems now the market has dried up for cheap HEM V1's. Even last year there were less than ten sold here. I did read some reviews and the V1 may not be the sound I am looking for anyway. It is supposed to have a smooth, relaxed, less detailed sound. That is the problem I have with the Sundara, which I consider too smooth and relaxed. I can get possibly get an Arya for not too much more. The problem is it is harder to drive.

Really wonder where you got the idea from, that the HE1000V1 has a "relaxed and less detailed sound". It is way more neutral than most headphones out there if not slightly V-shaped - and certainly more neutral and bright than pretty much every Audeze LCD headphone.

My advice would be as always: whenever possible listen to the headphones yourself first before judging.
This goes also to others in this thread ... way too much quoting what other people heard from somebody who heard from another guy who guessed what a headphone might sound like etc. (I'm looking at you Tsukuyomi )

PS: you might wanna hear the Arya yourself first as well ... because "from what I heard", it is basically a cheaply made HE1000V1

 

[mixman]

I think the Arya is more like a cheaply made HEK V2, since it is considered a little brighter than neutral. Read a review about the V1 that described it as relaxed and smooth as opposed to the V2 which is a little brighter and more detailed. Just don't know how hard the Arya is to drive vs the HEK.

 

[HBen]

I think the Arya is more like a cheaply made HEK V2, since it is considered a little brighter than neutral. Read a review about the V1 that described it as relaxed and smooth as opposed to the V2 which is a little brighter and more detailed. Just don't know how hard the Arya is to drive vs the HEK.

Not sure if I managed to get my point across, but I generally prefer to listen to the headphones myself before making a judgement instead of reading reviews of other people - even more so when I have no idea what amplifiers, DAC's etc. were used for testing, what kind of music was used and so on ...

A HE1000V1 on a GS-X MK2 sounds brighter than a HE1000V2 on a Moon HA430 for example - and that even though both amps are solid state. In the end it's all about your preference, your hearing, your music style, and very much about the synergy with your existing gear.
That's why (at least in my humble opinion) there is really not much point in making buying decisions soely based on reviews and other people's opinions.
Just some words from someone who has been in this game for a while ^^

Cheers, good luck and lots of fun on your headphone journey

 

[mixman]

Well I do not use reviews to pass judgement on headphones only as a general guide and if the general consensus is that it has a characteristic that I don’t like, then I put that HP aside until I can get to hear it for myself. I am not closed minded at all. I generally like to buy any product I think I might like try it out and if I don’t like it either return or sell it. Now with these headphones since they are not cheap I have to be a bit more selective, so reviews and end users opinions help a lot to narrow down the field of even those that I will try out in a store.

As far as equipment is concerned, well every HP has a general characteristic, warm, bright, close to neutral and not even close to neutral. Some may get amps to tweek that sound but the basic sound is still there. I just prefer to get as neutral an amp as possible and get the HP’s that I generally like the sound of.

Now as far as HP’s you may have been around them longer than I, but I am probably older and have been an audiophile since the ‘80s, when I first imported a Linn Sondek from the UK, because they were less expensive there. Now, before I did that I spent many hours auditioning it to making sure that is what I wanted, not what a reviewer suggested I buy.

Thank you for contributing and general guidance!