HiFiMAN HE1000 v2 + HEX v2 release soon?

Also notes (particularly upper mids and treble) do hang just a big longer on the HEK and HEKv2, enough that the Utopia sound audibly a "faster" headphone with much quicker decay characteristics. On the other hand, it gives music a "live performance" filter, kind of like running your av receiver on classical music mode, albeit a sound mode you can't turn off. Comfort wise, HEK is miles ahead of the Utopia, it's 80g lighter, has a suspension system instead of a fixed band which distributes weight much more evenly.

 

Now that we're a fair few months on from release what's the word regarding reliability on the V2s vs the V1s? Did that new goop on the magnets start chipping off?

 

I bought my V2's upon release and, after several hundred hours, have not had any issues with them.

 

I just recently noticed that there is some type of plastic in between the metal joint that swivels together..
I believe it is there for smoother motion without any metal rub sound.

All seems decent quality, even if it very light.

 

My final impressions are that I prefer HEKV2 over :

HEKV1, (less resolve in tonality and a exaggerated distant soundstage )

HEKV1 modded, (less ambient resolution and less solidity of image)

HD800 modded: (not as neutral in frequency and forwardness with less overall resolve due to exaggerated soundstage resonance)

Utopia: (although amazing resolution in midrange, not as large sounding, more forward and less bass than HEKV2.)

HEKV2 Midrange resolution was on par,
but not exceed Utopia resolution.
HEKV2 treble actually did exceed Utopia in realism.
HEKV2 bass was less articulate but more powerful, large and scary over Utopia more delicate playful bass.

Those are my final observations.

 

I keep hearing a planar's weakness is in micro-dynamics, how do they do in comparison to other cans?

 

Are the new earpads & cables the deciding factor in the changes to the sound?
Like did you try switching the V2 & V1 earpads? Did the V2 headphone with V1 earpads sound like a V1 headphone?

 

I swapped out cables and pads & did measurements, no change. HiFiMan did claim a 'better bass response' with the new cable in the marketing, measurements and listening didn't show that.

 

From my own personal observations,
I believe it is more than pad and cable and slimmer housing.

I personally believe it has to do with a different tuning...
Why?
Because even when I damped the rear of my V1, there was just a different presentation where my modded V1 was still not as lucid or tonally vivid as the V2.

So they can change the tuning and not even see any difference, like in some pre-production units.

Also the variance of cement on the magnet bar strips, of V1 & v2 units does not play a factor either.
I remember observing from thin, to more cement,
and now less and just slightly more on the corners.

 

Agreed with above, I dont think changing parts on a V1 will make it act like a V2. Although sound signatures are largely identical, bass on V1 was fatter and rougher below 55Hz. Attack and transients are slightly faster on the v2, imaging is enhanced slightly but is more dependent on placement of the cans on your head. Improvements in top end performance are slight at best, and can reasonably ascribed to the sub-bass and transient changes. Swapping cables and pads don't affect these things.

That said I still think V1 gives you 97% of the performance of the V2.

 

For me, the overall sonic performance differences are larger,
due to the sum of the whole sonic image,
and how that image presents itself to your mental perception:

88% = V1 stock

90% = V1 foam coupling mod

93% = V1 full modded w/rear Organza silk.

100% V2 is just so clear and easy to grasp the whole performance,
and not focus on any specific sonic traits,
Which translate to everything being easier to identify to the brain.

Everything else you just posted I can concur.

 

I think after spending time with the HEK v2 There is no doubt its way better than V1

when I did a stock comparison between HD800S and HEK V1 i found positives and negatives in both and + the build quality of the HEK1 made me stay with the HD800's
but after hearing the HEK V2 its really got everything the HD800 plus warm bass plus no piercing treble XD

 

I haven't tried those mods so cant comment but I get where you are coming from. I love the experience of both cans but I kept the v2s.

I think the best value proposition for someone coming in on a budget would be V1 and the mods.

 

Also Cant rule out HE"X"V2 yet as I haven't tried it.
I owned the HEXV1 and knew it had same issues and a re-tune should have boosted it greatly

 

fwiw, I posted a brief thought on the HEX v2 a while back here.

"I also listened to HEX v2 versus HEK v2. HEX has a boosted bass, slight more forward mids (I didn't make a note of where in the mids) and more intimate still. Nice tonality again. If it had the wider stage of the HEK v2 I'd be tempted to go for it instead and bank the change. I certainly preferred HEX v2 to the Elear, mostly down to the latter's upper midrange "issues". For £300 extra I'd take the HEX v2 for sure."

 

Something tells me the V1 pads (if they fit) would fix that right up.
From the looks of it, the HEXV2 pads look thinner than the HEKV2 pads..

 

Interesting. The HEX v2 with a wider stage would probably do the job for me. Less detail retrieval than HEK v2, but more impact and half the price.

 

I've had my HEX V2s for several months now.

Like all headphones they have their own character, and some would say they are 'polite', but that is also the reason I keep coming back to using them.

What I notice the most is how often I forget about them, and get lost in the music because nothing stands out and screams 'hey listen to me'. The bass, mid-range, treble, all just blend seamlessly for me. There is no 'oh wow, these headphones have great bass', or 'great highs', but that's also why I forget about them, listen to the music vs listening to the gear. That they are comfortable and light helps too. They still have that planar magnetic sound; plenty of attack, delicacy, somewhat euphonic.

Oh and they distort at higher levels that the HE-500's can easily handle, but they play loud enough, and I rarely listen at potentially ear damaging levels anyway.

 

Where is the creativity when they named the lower model almost the same
with just one letter changed to "X"

HEX
HEK
HEXV2
HEKV2

Uggggghh!

At least they started with names instead of letters with the "Susvara"

 

I fear hearing the Susvara, I'd likely end up wanting them, or maybe those Focal Utopias.

HEX2 is a very pleasant headphone, easy to wear, easy to enjoy for hours, so long as you know what you are getting. So polite I often switch back to the HE-500's now and then when listening to hard hitting rock, but even the HE-500 is a gentle experience as compared with my speaker set up.

When I really want to indulge in a rock concert experience, I listen on a pair of these https://www.cnet.com/products/klipsch-legend-series-klf-20-speakers/specs/ backed by a 15" sub, that gets pretty close to a real rock concert experience (while the horn sound is colored, they are often used at rock concerts). Not so great for music in general though.

If only there was a headphone that did it all.