[HiFiHawaii808]

It's less bright than the Arya.

Not to my ear. To me, the HE1000SE is significantly brighter than the Arya. I have to EQ the HE1000SE. I can listen to the Ayra without EQ.

 

[UntilThen]

Not to my ear. To me, the HE1000SE is significantly brighter than the Arya. I have to EQ the HE1000SE. I can listen to the Ayra without EQ.

I hear the same as you.

 

[UntilThen]

So, have any of your compared the Utopia and the Hifiman He1000SE , just regarding the details that each deliver?

Here is what i hear when i compare them for resolution, detail retrieval, and micro dynamics.

Now, if you want soundstage, then the HEKse, is much better.
If you are looking for Euphoric, then the HEKse, is better.
If you need, more bass punch, then that depends on what you prefer, as the Utopia is more mannered yet perfect, while the HEKSE, is deeper and fantastic.
Both have a nice low end.

The HEKSE is more comfortable, by about 15%.
Both are comfy.

If you are looking for midrange, then the Utopia has a more forward midrange, because it's soundstage is more intimate.
When listening to headphones, the soundstage can produce the effect of how the FR feels to you.
So, with an intimate soundstage, you perceive the mids as more.
Some who hear the HD800S, feel that the mids are lacking, but this is really the way the wide soundstage presents them, as the HD800S's mids are very good.
The Utopia provides more low midrange richness.

So, does the Utopia present more DETAIL or does the HEKSE present more detail. ???

A.) The Hifiman.

It presents more music revelation, all the way around. There is more treble detail, more midrange detail, and more bass detail.
This means you can hear more of the details in the music, using the HEKSE.

Now how does it achieve this?
Well, similar to the way Abyss uses strong midrange forwardness to present detail, the HEKSE uses "airy Treble" extension, to ramp up its detail retrieval.
Apparently Hifiman spent a lot of time dialing this in, as the the headphones capture and present so much detail, using High FR.
This does not cause the overall sound of the Hifiman to become annoyingly Bright., or "SSSSSSSSSSSS"
It's tonality definitely leans toward a more bright sound, but, that is the Hifiman House Sound.

Dont buy this gear hoping for a lush round honey tone, as you wont find it in the HEKSE's cups.. But its also not a treble etched ear burner.
What does it sound like? The HEKSE sounds like the HE1000 with a lot more detail and extended dynamics.
The HE1000 was usually described as being "soft sounding", but detailed. And the HEKSE isn't particularly soft sounding, and its sound is certainly much more detailed. It does not have better treble than the HE1000, tonally...... but it does have a lot more detailed treble, and it certainly sounds as good.

So, what about that Utopia?
Well, its detail retrieval is light years ahead of the LCD4. So, the reality is, the Utopia has a smaller more intimate soundstage than the HEKSE, and due to this, everything is more up front, and this is perceived as warmer, thicker, and more sweet.
Both the Utopia and the HEKSE are very good.
There is no "best" between these 2.
If you buy them both to compare, planning on selling the one that isn't as good, then you're stuck.

If you want the Hifiman Sound, and all the inner musical details revealed, and you dont want to spend $6000, then buy the HEKSE.
Your music collection will be REVEALED to you, like never before.
However, If you prefer to hear everything, and the sound be "FOCAL", and the best they've ever created, then you'll love the Utopia.
Both of these sound so good, that you'll get lost in the listening, and isn't that why we do it?
The Utopia's sound feels more dense in your headspace, while the Hifiman HE1000SE's sound feels more layered and "floating in the air"
=

That's a superb comparison between the 2 headphones. I went to the shop to audition the Utopia with the intention of buying it. I brought along my He1000se to compare.

After the audition, I much prefer my Hekse and did not buy the Utopia. It depends on individuals but this is me preferring the Hekse by a whole lot more. I agree with all you wrote there, except I haven't heard the HE1000 but I've heard the He1000v2 and Arya.

 

[UntilThen]

At this point in time, I could not have ask for more. My new tube amp has taken the He1000se to a level that I would not have expected. My LCD4 has much less airtime now. Perhaps the next step is the Susvara.

 

[FullBright1]

That's a superb comparison between the 2 headphones. I went to the shop to audition the Utopia with the intention of buying it. I brought along my He1000se to compare.

After the audition, I much prefer my Hekse and did not buy the Utopia. It depends on individuals but this is me preferring the Hekse by a whole lot more. I agree with all you wrote there, except I haven't heard the HE1000 but I've heard the He1000v2 and Arya.

Both are fine gear(s), but i also prefer the HEKSE.

 

[FullBright1]

At this point in time, I could not have ask for more. My new tube amp has taken the He1000se to a level that I would not have expected. My LCD4 has much less airtime now. Perhaps the next step is the Susvara.

Yes.
Thats a fine setup.
Tubes and the Hekse : = something special indeed.

 

[paradoxper]

At this point in time, I could not have ask for more. My new tube amp has taken the He1000se to a level that I would not have expected. My LCD4 has much less airtime now. Perhaps the next step is the Susvara.

TC is calling.

 

[UntilThen]

TC is calling.

tough choice isn't it. I've heard Susvara but still waiting on the demo TC.

 

[bagwell359]

I've owned the Susvara, HEKse (twice), HEK V1, HEK V2, Arya, Ananda, HEX V2, and HE560 V1. The HEKSE is definitely smoother and less bright than the Arya. It's also important to note that there is more to sound than just the amount of energy at a given frequency. A more refined treble can be simultaneously brighter and smoother. You have to watch out for unwanted resonances and ringing as well.

Also the Arya has less bass than the HEKSE. And at the end of the day, I actually prefer the HEKSE to the Susvara. YMMV.

I agree generally, but I think the HEX v2 is a bit softer in the treble than the rest of them.

Not your issue, but the tag of this thread says v2 not SE. SE is fairly bright/clear, HEK v2 seems a bit tamer.

HEK v2 or SE is 94% of the Susvara. The Arya is not in the class of any of the other 3.

Best way to fix HFM treble for being too bright? Check the waterfall plots of the can and drop the output at the 2 or 3 worse spots with a digital parametric EQ. My regular HFM's HE-500, HE-6se, and HEX v2 all retain clarity but lose a lot of metallic shimmer which is amusical.

 

[yolosauce]

The thing I miss the most about the SE is how big and grandiose everything sounded. The susvara is grounded in reality while the SE is ethereal and makes things sound larger than life. I'm guessing it's because of the larger egg shaped driver.

 

[FullBright1]

The thing I miss the most about the SE is how big and grandiose everything sounded.

The HEKse, has a very unique soundstage.
This HFM gear does not play well with low rez files because of the nature of its surgical detail retrieval.
However, if you give it a good sound file it will reward you greatly.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

That's a superb comparison between the 2 headphones. I went to the shop to audition the Utopia with the intention of buying it. I brought along my He1000se to compare.

After the audition, I much prefer my Hekse and did not buy the Utopia. It depends on individuals but this is me preferring the Hekse by a whole lot more. I agree with all you wrote there, except I haven't heard the HE1000 but I've heard the He1000v2 and Arya.

Very good review. I own both Utopia and HE1000SE. I prefer the HE1000SE when I EQ down the treble to take off the glare. One thing you didn't mention is that the Utopia sounds great with every source and it is easy to drive. So, even though I prefer the HE1000SE with EQ and paired with my Chord Hugo TT2, I love the Utopia because I can listen to it anywhere, without EQ and on any of my sources. It will always sound great. The HE1000SE sounds fantastic with a great tube amp.

 

[FullBright1]

Very good review. I own both Utopia and HE1000SE. I prefer the HE1000SE when I EQ down the treble to take off the glare. One thing you didn't mention is that the Utopia sounds great with every source and it is easy to drive. So, even though I prefer the HE1000SE with EQ and paired with my Chord Hugo TT2, I love the Utopia because I can listen to it anywhere, without EQ and on any of my sources. It will always sound great. The HE1000SE sounds fantastic with a great tube amp.

Both are special.

 

[UntilThen]

The HE1000SE sounds fantastic with a great tube amp.

Yes fully agree. So good it has put off my plans for a 3rd headphone, which will be an Abyss 1266 Phi TC or Susvara. That will happen later. He1000se has more head time than LCD4 now even though I also like LCD4 a lot.

I could even love the He1000v2 with this amp. Know the v2 pretty well after spending a week with it but this amp is built to drive Susvara and I'm waiting for the day to try it.

 

[FullBright1]

Yes fully agree. So good it has put off my plans for a 3rd headphone, which will be an Abyss 1266 Phi TC or Susvara. That will happen later. He1000se has more head time than LCD4 now even though I also like LCD4 a lot.

I could even love the He1000v2 with this amp. Know the v2 pretty well after spending a week with it but this amp is built to drive Susvara and I'm waiting for the day to try it.

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Lovely