HiFiMAN HE-1000 v2 Planar Headphones

I've had my pair since 2018 and fortunately I paid the lowest Amazon Price to date for a pair of new phones. Lucky Me. The Sound Quality with a good Amplifier is Excellent apart from the Mid Range /top end can be a bit Bright sounding with some music. Not massively but if you are sensitive in this area its noticable. Detail retrieval is up there with many of the best including Stax units. Bass is quick and tight, not so Impactful as some Audeze Phones. Sound stage is quite wide, better than Focal I feel but not HD800. I have a few higher end headphones now but still feel they hold their own with the batch which are under the Flagship units of priced £3000+. However Stax L700 rev 2 and 2nd hand Stax Energiser will likely give you as much musical enjoyment though and maybe a bit cheaper !!

After three years of owning these flagship headphones I cns honestly say they've lived up to their legendary status. The sheer size of the planar magnetic drivers lend these a sound stage and presence similar to that found in floorstanding magnepan speakers. The V1 version of this headphone is apparently very laid back in sound signature. I can attest to thus personally as the v2 release is a bit more forward in the mid and high frequencies.Some listeners actually prefer the more recessed presentation of the V1 model which makes these a niche classic and sought after.My only issue I have with this model is the larger fit on my head. On the smallest setting I still feel like the fit could be a bit more snug. It's not anything that detracts from long periods of usage, but a pain point that has actually been addressed in the later V2 model.

Excellent soundig,very light and comfortable,good enough build quality.

Wow. Bought these as I was so so curious as to what a $3000 headphone would sound like. I mean, I already have a set of LCD-X and EL-8's, not too shabby...or so I thought! When these arrived the build, feel and fit were the best I have seen in a headphone.In the past I have owned or tested Sennheiser HD800 ($1500), Audeze LCD-X ($1700) and Audeze LCD-3 ($1900). I have all owned many headphones in the $200-$600 range so I feel I am OK to write about these high end headphones as I have heard high end sound, and been involved in high end audio for 20 years.1st off, My amp is an ALO Audio Studio 6 with the Studio 6 Phono Stage. I use a Yamaha 2100 SCD player/DAC for my digital source ($3000).I have a nice setup but it is not the be all end all of course, I would say my setup is mid level. I have heard TONS of high end gear from $10k systems to $200k systems, even a million dollar system on one occasion (not mine of course).NO, I am not rich, not even close. I just buy the things in life that I get enjoyment from. I am not a fan of RV's, Expensive watches, Fancy cars, boats or large houses. So I buy things like this as I get massive life enjoyment from them, just how I live life..I concentrate on what I love and enjoy.With that out of the way, these headphones are the best I have ever heard, period. Not even close either. Compared to my LCD-X, the HE-1000's are on another level entirely for presentation, flow, organic richness, huge soundstage. clarity, detail, imaging. In fact, I loved my LCD-X. After the HE 1000 it is very tough to go back to them. The LCD-X have the thump, drive and slam but they lack the finesse, amazing holographic sound and creamy silky mids of the HE 1000.Voices sound eerily real. Music...each instrument has its place in the soundstage. The sound is not IN your head, it is WAY OUTSIDE of the head. Close your eyes, dim the light and you are THERE.I would say this Headphone competes with 2 channel speaker systems upwards of $40k. They are that good. so max. I feel there could be more slam and impact (dynamics). The HE 1000 is very natural (not neutral) and lacks massive slam and kick. EI would say this Headphone competes with 2 channel speaker systems upwards of $40k. They are that good.verything is just a tad "soft" but this is awesome as it makes everything sound so so good. Unheard of good. As in you probably never heard anything like this on your ears.So congrats to HiFiman. They succeeded in draining $3k from my wallet. The LCD-X are now going bye bye and these are staying.These sound good with ALL music but if you want aggressive kick, slam and music that POUNDS, this is not your headphone. This is for those who enjoy a glass of scotch, lights out, fire on, and HE 1000's on your head as you seriously get lost in the music, with performers coming right into your room.Thinly headphones that can compete with these are the STAX SR009 but that is a huge investment and from what I hear, they lack the body of the HE 1000, so I would probably much prefer the HE 1000. This is a masterpiece in design and sound quality.

This is my second HIFIMAN headphones. Both broke at where the cord connects to the headphone. The small plugs and sockets at where the headphone connects to the cord are cheap and worthless The connect socket inside the earpiece is plain JUNK.. This is not a cheap headphone. You would think they could find a better way to attach the cord. I wont buy anymore HIFIMAN products.