HiFiMan HE-1000

Does anyone have the HiFiMan HE-1000? If so, how does it sound? I currently have a HD600 and HE-500 as my nicer or higher end headphones. I have been debating about getting these, so if you can compare them to either the HD600 or the HE-500 that would be helpful for me.

 

I've had the HE500 for a few years and have the HE1000 now. I don't have the HE500 now, so I have to go by memory. The HE500 is one of my favorite headphones, especially for the bargain price you can get them for today. The HE1000 has a different presentation than the HE500. HE500 is more lush and tactile, and the HE1000 a bit more linear with deeper sub bass extension and a slightly more polite sound all around. The most noticeable improvements of the HE1000 is in soundstage & imaging which are two of the largest weaknesses of the HE500 IMO as well as in bass extension and clarity. The soundstage isn't as large as my HD800 but is one of the largest I've otherwise heard with the best imaging I've heard in headphones (with the HD800 coming right after). One of the things that really bothered me with the HE500 was it lacked a solid center image - very diffuse and mostly left/right.

To me, the HE1000 is the best overall headphone I've heard of all TOTL headphones - and an improvement over the HE500 in many areas (including weight & comfort) but whether it's worth the significant extra costs is something you really need to audition for. I can certainly say I read a few negative opinions on the HE1000 so when I auditioned them I was expecting to not come away impressed - in the end I felt it was the headphone that had the least flaws out of all I've heard (including the highest end Stax) and that justified the investment to me.

 

@paranoidroid
Thanks for your unfiltered opinion, I have also seen good and bad reviews for the HE-1000 on various web sites. I'm still waiting to see if Tyll Hertsens will post something on Innerfidelity. Nonetheless, it looks like you are out in California. I guess in a major city such as San Fran, there might be places that you can audition and even purchase high end headphones and etc.

That is slim pickings here in Central Indiana. I would be more than willing to drive a couple of hours to Cincinnati or other neighboring cities for an opportunity to audition. Unfortunately, I don't know of any such place... So far I have been pretty lucky with headphone purchases. I only disliked one that I have purchased so far, and that was the HD598. I only have five other headphones which are Koss Porta Pro, ATH-AD700, ATH-AD900x, HD600, and HE-500. So, I guess my bating average for headphones has been pretty good. Not so for equipment, but $3,000 is quite a leap without a listen prior to purchase.

@paranoidroid
What kind of amp do you use? I have been considering a "Mjolnir 2" if I get the HE-1000. Do you know if that would pair well?

 

Buy it from Crutchfield then. They have a generous 60 day return policy. I'm using the Mjolnir 2 right now but the HE1000 isn't really amp picky. They sound great out of my O2 as well and I'd assume out of any decent amp that can drive the HE500 well.

 

he1000 is on the same level of hd800.

 

Technically, I'd agree. But enjoyment level my HD800 is 3/10 stock and HE1000 10/10. EQ'd the HD800 goes to 7/10.

 

That does depend on what the listener enjoys though. Not everybody likes polite sounding music. HE-K is too laid back for my personal taste for example.

 

Perhaps, you could describe what you mean by laid back or polite. I take that to mean perhaps not as lively? Perhaps better with classical or Jazz, and not so much with Rock. Would that be an accurate interpretation? As far as my listening tastes, they are probably pretty wide. I listen to Folk, Jazz, Classical, a little Country, Pop, Rock, Heavy Metal, and everything in between. Although, to be more specific, most of my music probably falls within the range of heavy Rock/Pop/Alternative/Grunge to soft Rock/Pop music with anything as far back as the 70s to today. I still buy CDs, go figure... So, I tend to gravitate to all rounders in regards to headphones because I'll bounce around when listening to music (I might follow a Heavy Metal album with a classical one), and I usually don't feel like switching headphones in the process. Currently, my top headphones are the HD600 and HE-500, and I'm wondering if the HE-1000 would be worth the upgrade. I have yet to hear about a headphone other than perhaps the HD800 that might be worthy of my dollars at the "statement" or "end game" level, but what really turns me off the HD800 is the difficulty with pairing, perhaps too bright in the wrong setup, and even perhaps a little too detailed. I would prefer neutral to perhaps a hint of warmth with lots of detail without it sounding grainy or unnatural (so some smoothness is good). I'm also very conservative when it comes to headphone purchases... I would prefer not to collect a bunch of them. So, if I bought a "statement headphone" or "end game headphone", that would probably be the only one for the next several years especially at a $3,000 price tag.

 

By polite, I mean they don't have as incisive of an attack as say the HE6 or HD800. Percussion and guitar have a bit more 'bite' in their sound on those cans. That bite can also be fatiguing for long listening sessions for some. This energy does make classical and acoustic music sound more realistic to me on my HD800 than the HE1000. If you primarily listened to classical / acoustic the HD800 would serve you very well and be a noticeable upgrade to the HE500 in soundstage & imaging. For me, the HE1000 is the best all rounder I've heard (next to the HE6) and if my HD800 were to get sold I wouldn't miss it much except for its light weight, but I rarely listen to classical and I don't mind the more polite presentation. For the music you mostly listen to the HE6 would be a direct upgrade path from the HE500. It's also much cheaper than the HE1000. You may like the HE1000 much more (I do), but it's different enough in presentation from HE500/HE6 that you really have to audition it (preferably for a few weeks). No amount of reading can substitute your own trial so I recommend buying from a place with generous return policy.

 

Also I compared the HE6 & HE1000 back to back with tracks by Rage Against the Machine specifically to see if the politeness was a problem. The HE6 sounded more lively and energetic. The HE1000 had better soundstage and imaging. They were both good for me, but each headphone had its compromise.

 

I don't think so. But it's just my opinion

In my HE1000 review I try to write why:

"HIFIMAN HE1000 We are in the theater":

http://hifiman.com/articles/detail/373

 

Hello, a new yorker told me the microZOTL 2.0 with HEK had blew his mind and he immediately sold his Rag.

 

I have the HEK and the MicroZOTL2, great combo imo. I do agree there is a slight politeness of attack or leading edge, but everything else on the HEK is so great, it generally is not an issue, and only noted in direct comparison. I haven't had too many other, higher ended amps, though I did audition the HEK at Stereo Exchange in Manhattan with a McIntosh amp/dac, and it sounded fabulous (couldn't do a comparison). In my experience, with home amps, the ZOTL is better sounding than my RSA HR-2, and than my Liquid Carbon (which, at half the price, is a nice amp in its own right).
my $0.02...
(there are other sellers that will allow an audition of the HEK with a return policy, call and check).
(I just noted the loaner/demo links above, looks like a good way to hear for oneself, which is the best way to decide these things, of course...)

 

This thread is pretty old - but I thought it was worth reviving as I just bought a used v1 over 50% off retail and that seems to be a normal price for these in the future thanks to Dr Fang Bian's recent marketing techniques, v2 of the HE-1000, and whatever that $6000 new flagship is. With $4k flagships taking over the market I find it interesting that what was considered over priced last year at $3k has taken such a steep drop on resale. Just as hd800 seemed to gain a second wind once priced dropped on the used market, I wanted to try out HEK and see what it had to offer.

While many found the purchase price for this headphone ridiculous - the headphone gained popularity as it did sound different the the previous HiFiMan flagships. The knock against it was that it was soft, but I feel that it just didn't have enough experimentation with amp / dac pairings. I have been listening with Gungnir Multibit / black widow and Gungnir Multibit / diy pass labs f5 turbo. Both of these amps have lots of impact and punchiness to them, and this seems to bring the lower end of the HEK to life. When hearing this headphone on different amps at meets, I agreed with the too soft label it had been given. The stage and imaging is about as good as I have heard on any headphone - trading punches with hd800, hd800 is a bit wider, hek feels like it has more separation of images. Overall tone is pretty even and transparent - sounds brighter with the F5T and more laid back with BW, but it still

I found the beta testing impressions that were carried over from CS very useful when trying to determine if there were worth a purchase for an extended demo. Lots of intersting discussion about what this can actually sounds like and how it paired with different types of amps.

To conclude, I am really impressed how much more open and airy this headphone is sounding compared to the HE6, which many feel is a superior headphone. I'm still on the fence and feel that may come down to preferences and priorities. HEK has a more forward mid and treble presentation which can feel like more detail. HEK is faster which might also play into that same theme. HE6 has more body and possibly a more pleasing overall tonality. What I do like about HEK over the HE6 is the lack of perfect amp nervosa, seems to shine one a wider variety of amps.

 

@JoshMorr you said you bought yours used and so I am curious as to when your HEK's were manufactured (if you know or can tell) and how they have held up? Any build or quality issues with your used pair? Also, thanks for your impressions. They are appreciated.

 

The person I bought them from said he bought pretty early on, I will look for a manufacture note or something. Not sure if they were a primary can or seldom used. But they look like they were taken very good care of, pads don't seem worn after a year of use. Headphone adjustment holds well, wood cups look perfect, cable is a bit stiff and doesn't want to straighten out, but still plugs into the headphone firmly. I don't see any long term issues yet. He did mention that they were stored in the case, not on a headphone stand. Not sure if this helps the leather headband stay fresh or not, but so far still looks nice.

 

Nice write-up, Josh.

I agree that they're fantastic sounding headphones. Very "musical" for whatever that's worth. I just never felt the build quality and price justified it.

Glad you got a good deal on them!

 

Yep agreed, HEK from a sonics point of view is great. It's worth trying out @Maxx134 's foam ring mod, very simple and helps a fair bit with the lack of impact... http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/hifiman-he1000-v2-5-mods.2664/