The Sennheiser HE1 and how I came back after 16 years hiatus from Headfi (acquisition, unboxing, installation, and impressions over time)

[Zachik]

working on a successor to the HE1 and they will also be releasing a consumer estat version for around £10k

Take the HE1, get rid of the (gorgeous) marble, discard the tubes "elevators", and probably cut a few more corners - and you can have an amazing system for £10k.
Just saying.

I spoke to sennheiser when I was ordering mine (which then failed). They said they were no plans for a successor. And no plans for a consumer.

So I'll believe it when I see it.

Same here. And yeah, that can be 2-3 years away

 

[goldwerger]

they will also be releasing a consumer estat version for around £10k. It's probably still a few years away but very exciting to hear that they will finally release a cheaper version like they did with the HE60.

Wow that's exciting. I love my HE60 and always felt it was a shame that Sennheiser never followed through with an upgrade. It will be excited to see one in the future. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Joey_V]

I didn't speak with Sennheiser but my friends were at their booth and that's what they told them but expect it to be a few years until anything shows up.

Doubt.

They can’t even respond to current owners requests for customer service and you think they’ll make a new sub-halo system? Not a chance.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Doubt.

They can’t even respond to current owners requests for customer service and you think they’ll make a new sub-halo system? Not a chance.

I'm just speaking on what I was told at the show.

It was multiple people and one who works for as an audio reviewer so I had no reason to doubt what they told me.

I was just too busy at the show and forgot to speak to them myself before the show ended.

I guess if anyone is going to Canjam SoCal you can speak to Sennheiser about this.

 

[Joey_V]

I'm just speaking on what I was told at the show.

It was multiple people and one who works for as an audio reviewer so I had no reason to doubt what they told me.

I was just too busy at the show and forgot to speak to them myself before the show ended.

I guess if anyone is going to Canjam SoCal you can speak to Sennheiser.

I trust you that you got it from a source. I just think before Sennheiser starts thinking about building a sub-halo product, they need to invest in the infrastructure to take care of existing he1 customers. Otherwise, why bother.

I look forward to speaking to the Sennheiser team at Dallas Canjam. Believe me, I have some questions for that crew.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

On another note, I did try the Shang Sr at the show and found that the treble was very emphasised.

I did not mind the treble but my friends were really not into it.

It had a large stage and bigger than HE1. The Bass was light even compared to my CRBN which you can sort of see in the shot but the detail level and seperation was quite a jump above from what I remember hearing from the HE1.

The build quality did not impress me and if you didn't know the cost of this headphone you would never guess it would cost so much.

The Aperio was also at the show and I really did not like it's sound signature.

HE1 is truly the alpha halo.

 

[catscratch]

Sorry, but in what universe is 10k GBP considered "consumer?" Last I checked, that's the price of an X9000 with amp, and that's not exactly a consumer level system. If it's for headphones alone, Sennheiser needs to come back to reality. If it's for a full system, that makes more sense, but it better be one hell of a system. Or they should give us what we've been asking for, which is a Stax-terminated estat with Sennheiser tuning for $4k or so, and which fits into the extisting estat ecosystem.

On the plus side, Audeze and DCA now sell Sennheiser-tuned estats with a Stax plug, and they sure as hell don't cost $10k.

Edit: also, the HE60 system was something like $1600 in 1995 iirc, which is $3500 today. Granted, that amp was bad.

 

[TheAbyss2022]

Sorry, but in what universe is 10k GBP considered "consumer?" Last I checked, that's the price of an X9000 with amp, and that's not exactly a consumer level system. If it's for headphones alone, Sennheiser needs to come back to reality. If it's for a full system, that makes more sense, but it better be one hell of a system. Or they should give us what we've been asking for, which is a Stax-terminated estat with Sennheiser tuning for $4k or so, and which fits into the extisting estat ecosystem.

On the plus side, Audeze and DCA now sell Sennheiser-tuned estats with a Stax plug, and they sure as hell don't cost $10k.

Yeah but £10k is not so far out of reach especially compared to the price of the HE1 so you can try and save up for it.

Once I heard the Mass Kobo 465 I had to stop all my plans with other gear and focus on getting that for £13k and If I save up £1,100 per month for a year I will be able to purchase it.

I assume it will be a complete system like the HE60.

 

[paradoxper]

Sorry, but in what universe is 10k GBP considered "consumer?" Last I checked, that's the price of an X9000 with amp, and that's not exactly a consumer level system. If it's for headphones alone, Sennheiser needs to come back to reality. If it's for a full system, that makes more sense, but it better be one hell of a system. Or they should give us what we've been asking for, which is a Stax-terminated estat with Sennheiser tuning for $4k or so, and which fits into the extisting estat ecosystem.

On the plus side, Audeze and DCA now sell Sennheiser-tuned estats with a Stax plug, and they sure as hell don't cost $10k.

Edit: also, the HE60 system was something like $1600 in 1995 iirc, which is $3500 today. Granted, that amp was bad.

The headphone market is growing, with more competitors such as Warwick, HFM, DCA, Audeze, the standard high-end price is only increasing.

$5k (think SR-009) is the 10k today.

$10k for a closed-system is just as goofy as $50k.

The question is could Sennheiser even reliably manufacture a (standardized-STAX) electrostat at scale and why would they want to?

 

[goldwerger]

I assume it will be a complete system like the HE60.

The original accompanying amp was bad and best discarded.

I'm actually listening now to the HE60 (inspired by your update) and using the AIC10 + iFi iESL, which is the best I've ever heard this headphone, taking it to new heights.

As far as cable termination, I have the adapter to Stax from Birgir (Mjolnir) and never think about it. I do detest any proprietary terminations anywhere, always a bad idea..

 

[George Hincapie]

Yeah but £10k is not so far out of reach especially compared to the price of the HE1 so you can try and save up for it.

Once I heard the Mass Kobo 465 I had to stop all my plans with other gear and focus on getting that for £13k and If I save up £1,100 per month for a year I will be able to purchase it.

I assume it will be a complete system like the HE60.

And in what universe can anyone save £1100 a month in the UK? The current cost of living is crazy.

 

[Luckyleo]

Doubt.

They can’t even respond to current owners requests for customer service and you think they’ll make a new sub-halo system? Not a chance.

Based on your comments regarding customer service as well as others, I wouldn't think that new model is not a high priority for them. You'd think selling a $75K headphone system to someone who has the money in hand, and would take immediate delivery whenever it becomes available, would be a priority to at the least respond to request and open a dialog. Maybe it's just me, but the high-end Sennheiser guys really seem to lack any business sense.

 

[Joey_V]

Based on your comments regarding customer service as well as others, I wouldn't think that new model is not a high priority for them. You'd think selling a $75K headphone system to someone who has the money in hand, and would take immediate delivery whenever it becomes available, would be a priority to at the least respond to request and open a dialog. Maybe it's just me, but the high-end Sennheiser guys really seem to lack any business sense.

Exactly. Why build a $10,000 model when they seem content building $350 closed backs?

 

[TheAbyss2022]

And in what universe can anyone save £1100 a month in the UK? The current cost of living is crazy.

Everyone's situation is different and I am in a position to probably save more than this.

I just need to stop buying audio gear for 12 months and get an endgame amplifier which will be worth it in the end.

I just spent over £5k on the CRBN & Phantom so I am more than happy with all the headphones and gear I have at the moment.

 

[oneguy]

Probably not the most accurate predictor but the Original Orpheus system was $12k and the baby Orpheus system was $1690. Currently the HE 1 is $70k so that would make a baby HE 1 $9860 so it’s not unreasonable to assume $10k/£10k would be their price target in the US and in the UK.