HiFiMAN HE1000 v2 + HEX v2 release soon?

Oh and I forgot to mention the grey cement looking goop on the bars,
makes the bars more "rounded" instead of flat.
I suspect that helps with no more flat reflective surfaces

 

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Matched with O2+ODAC, I felt like the below (I've just listened to HE500 again):

• Subbass of HEX v2 was much deeper. But, I guess this is from the bad seal of HE500's stock velour pad. When changed to LCD2 leather pads, HE500 could also reproduce as deep subbass as hex v2
• Bass response is very similar between the two. Words like neutral, accurate, or flat might be very suitable here.
• Midrange is really good and balanced in both. But quite different presentations. HEX v2 sounds more lush, rich, and juicy. On the other hand, HE500 sounds cleaner and more transparent. For some recordings, I felt he500 leaned slightly toward analytical side while hex v2 toward musical pleasure. However, for electronic dance musics and trances, he500 sounds slightly better.
• HE500 has clearly more emphasis in high treble and top octaves. To my ears, HEX v2 sounds more neutral and honest here while he500 is in more brighter side. If I sort hd650, he500, and hex v2 by brightness, the result would be hd650 <= hexv2 < he500 (darker to brighter).
• HEX v2 seems to have much better cohesiveness and body, HE500 may have faster transient/decay characteristics

Before, I thought I was willing to pay for up to $1,000 or some more if he500 became lightweight (300-400g) and had better ergonomics/seals/cables without any sonic changes. Today what I confirmed is that I still think so.

 

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It's debatable whether or not that is enough to make a practical difference, IMO. Audeze showed that an aggressive cone-shaped fazor grid is needed to waveguide the sound waves around the magnets.

Would be cool to 3D print a custom-designed fazor system for HE1000...Hm...

 

I think that both Fazor and Flow technology show that there is real acoustic benefit from some form of waveguide. I have to think that Hifiman could benefit from a similar implementation. It would have been nice to see such an effort from HFM on the is v2 to justify the new model.

 

At those scales, I suspect the waveguides/fazors/funnels have more to do with acoustic/atmospheric impedance than acting as actual waveguides.

 

I also agree with this. Indeed flow acted more like 'semi-open' headphones (while the original ether didn't). Isolate relative well among open headphones. I guess most of the bass difference (both fr and distortion) between ether and ether flow might come from it.

Although somewhat arguable about the exact effect, such effort may enable headphone developers to tune their sound more easily IMO.

 

All this talk about the HEX v2 and it's mids and female vocals. Sounds like a good match for a 650 fan like myself.

@Ice-man

How is the HEX v2 compared to 800 besides the obvious upper mids and treble differences? I'm enjoying the 800 though more mids and a little less treble would make it perfect.

 

Hex v2 is a nice improvement over the original and I think that it would fit the bill for more mids and less treble. Even with EQ on the 800 I am still preferring the hex v2 for a richer but similar signature. Voices are more natural and have a warm tone that the 800 just can't do.

Is the hex v2 up for consideration for the loaner tour?

 

I only compared HEX v2 with HD800S (not the original):

• Deeper sub-bass extension, Slightly less mid-bass
• More midrange, particularly in presence regions - Vocal is clearly more present and forwarded (but not overly)
• Still a hint of brightness (brighter than Elear, darker than Utopia), but far from being sibilant or too bright. Needless to say, darker than 800S

In additions, I think wearing comfort is slighter better with 800/800S

 

Thanks guys, I will definitely be trying these out.

Would absolutely be interested in a loaner tour if one happens.

 

I think HFM has a relatively generous return policy. Considering hek v2's very low requirement of break-ins, using it might be a good choice, too.

 

Any direct comparisons of the HEXv2 to the Flow or original hex

 

Hex v2 has richer overall tone and better width and depth of sound stage. It lacks a bit of clarity and sparkle up top but for some that would be a good thing. Flow sounds leaner and has more fine detail. Much better build quality than hex.

 

Wearing comfort: hex v2 is lighter, and give more space around ears. flow has better plushy pads. Both are very comfortable.
Bass: Both extended very well below to 20hz. Flow has more midbass (around 100hz), and hexv2 has more accuracy (flatness).
Midrange: Hex v2 has very lush midrange and are richer and (relatively) more forward. Flow is a bit lean, distant and recessed. Particularly in vocal presentations.
Treble: Flow is brighter, and has a bit more top-end extension and glares. Also flow is a bit more sibilant than hex v2 in some recordings.
Staging: Hex v2 is wider and more open. But for some tracks, flow sounded more natural (slightly more closed THO). Flow gets along better with cross-feeders.
Dynamics: Flow has better micro-dynamics (when matched with Jotun), but hex v2 has better macro-dynamics and slams. But this is highly music-dependent (and prefererence-dependent perhaps) IMO.
Others: Hex v2 has a great cohesiveness. Flow has more clarity and transparency (but sometimes unnaturally so).

I like both of them so much.

 

I have both the v1 and v2 in hand, and spend about halfway time with the HD800 (Anax 1.0 and SDR)- just to give some context of what I'm used to. I actually won the lucky upgrade contest before they decided to give free v2 upgrades (for like, a week)

Going back and forth between v1 and v2 the differences are minimal and I think go back to pads. I'm probably regurgitating a bit from what's been said.

Physical notes
Head/face warmth: I'm a sweaty dude, like the HD800 makes me sweaty even with the additional space around my ears compared to smaller headphones. The v1 makes me pretty sweaty and warm. The v2 doesn't. My face feels warmer than with the HD800, but I can wear it for longer before I sweat.
Weight: I don't really notice the difference on my head, but in hand the v2 is noticeably lighter.
Adjustment Clicks: The additional few clicks that are on the v2 headband make a huge difference. v2 can fit snug on my girlfriend's smallish head. The v1 just sort of topped around.
Body: I like the look of the v1 from a distance, but that's totally killed by the fingerprints. v2's paint is much more low-key, but feels like it'd be tougher. Something I noticed with my old 400i's and my HEX v1 was how easy it was to scratch the arms connecting the ear cups to the headband. So far, the metal has stood up better. I actually leaned back and skid my HEX v2's into my bedroom wall while laying in bed. Nothing happened to the arms, which is good.
LOGO LOGO LOGO: I absolutely hated how the v1 Edition X logo on the adjustment sliders was so big and barely fit. I'm glad they used the same font size as they do on their other current generation headphones. Looks so much more professional.
Summary: Most of the upgrades are on this end, and most are good. But idk, every $700-$1k headphone is still built better.

Sound notes - I'm going in order of things I noticed
Bass: Sounds more even down to the lowest end - a little less falloff compared to the v1. I'm pretty sure it's the pads. They squish more evenly on my face and make a better seal. I think the thicker back end is the difference maker here.
Soundstage: Still pretty vertical, the angled pads do make a difference in the diagonals for me. They sound a bit less hard-panned left to right, which bothers me a lot in planars. v1 was already good in this regard, and v2 is better. Still isn't the HD800, but what is.
Treble: I'm not sure why, but it sounds like there's a little more energy. Not a lot where the signature changes, but cymbals have a slight bit more impact. Sounds like the falloff at the top happens slightly later, and in a slightly more even way. Could be the new pads and the slight change in driver distance, I really don't think it's the driver itself.
Balanced? I have an affordable silver balanced cable from a DIYer. Definitely lowers the noise floor, adding some impact. I mean, that goes for almost everything I've tried so far. This is via my Cavalli LC and Modi Multibit.

Summary: Initially decided to purchase HEX because of all the planars I've heard, it sounded the most even throughout the range - even moreso than my HD800 (of course). While it lacks the bottom line in resolution and speed, it makes up in sounding super even.

Disclosure: I'm on my 4th v1. There's a bit of variation in the ones I've had. One sounded darkish with more pronounced bass, and one sounded uneven in the upper mids making tracks with male and female vocals together sounding a tiny bit weird.

My v2 is off to Marvey later today for measurements!

 

Strange since V2 seems to be heavier (from V1 plastic to V2 metal)

Great! those are the changes I expected from V1 to V2. Now I want to try V2 for sure!
Thanks

 

They're not huge differences, but they're there. Metal seems to be light. I'm assuming its the new cup housing making it lighter as well.

 

My pair's in Marvey's hands now. His first impression was laughing at the new stock cable with me. I think it looks like a condom or a plastic hookah hose. Lol