100% agree with @generic statement . My first amps were Magni 3 and Vali 2 and I spend almost two months comparing them and most of the time Vali was superior to Magni for my taste and that was with the stock tube.
The new generation of Magni’s are way better than the old Magni 3 at the same price, but still, for the HE1000 I would consider something even better.
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As you expected, I would sell off the Ananda ( up for sale now); I will put it up on Reverb today along with a couple more headphones. The RAD-0 to me still has a unique sound signature; it was first in this series to me break into this class of headphones.
This what I probably will thin down too.
- Audeze LCD-4
- Hifiman HE-1000
- Rosson Rad-0
- Zmf Vertie Ltd Open
One thing Open Box and B-Stock deal/specials help a lot with this class of headphone- only the ZMF did I pay suggested cost on. Which equalized the cost of each headphone to roughly the same price band, so I mostly focused on merit and sound quality.
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Do you have an all around favorite, and how would your rank them from 1st to 4th @angstorms ! Great collection !!
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Yes. I had the original HE-560 that only open up on more powerful amps.
103.5 dB @ 1 v = 222 mW
Note HEDphone is even less efficient than the HE-560 in power need.
Focal Elex 125 mW = 115 dB.
Just remember 115 dB is very loud at higher than 30-sec exposure leads to ear damage, aka this is Rock concert level, as comparison at 110 dB, it is equal to a wide-open chainsaw which you also where ear protection to use.
What you see in lower Ohm Planers they need Current to activate the membrane.
Some time on lower-end amplifiers, what your running into is the current supply limits ( current limiters, Opamp current limits, etc ), which then clips the signal. The Dan Clark Audio Aeon Flow Open and Closed are headphones who like lots of current.
Not I do not have Magni 3+, so I could not tell what you what is different from RME DAC/AMP combo.
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Heard a bunch of cans today. Got to A/B my Final D8000 Pro and the HE1000SE.
Love them both. Comfort on the Hifiman is a win. Sound just as good, albeit a little different.
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How’s the build quality of the HE1000SE compared to the Final D8000 Pro?
I’m going to guess you could use a D8000 to physically smash an HE1000SE into mush, but not vica-versa.
Just a guess.
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D8000 is a machined lump of metal. Everything is weighty on it. “Hefty”.
HE1000se is much lighter. Feels a lot better than the Ananda/Sundara models and make noise when you slightly move them.
It wins on comfort due to the weight, nice big suspension strap and oval earpads. Straight on the head and it is comfy. The Final can take a bit of fiddling before it’s acceptable.
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@Resolve 's EQ settings for the bass and 3k dip on the D8000 Pro make it damn hard to beat though. Best bass in the business maybe? Be darn close if not.
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I will also say HE-1000SE is one of the more comfortable headphones out there especially due to weight, the swivel so headphones better contours your head. Mine rolled in at 444 grams, vs headphone you feel on your head like my copy of the LCD-4 which rolled in at 726 grams, There is my Rad-0 at 599 Grams.
I had Ananda, The quality of it in a different league compared to Ananda. Stainless Steel band, with absolutely smooth cast alumnium arm. Only selling mine, because I also have the Susvara now. They are a lot easier to drive, so it hard to give them up.
I do love the way they sound.
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@Resolve Just to bug you some more. You had the chance to compare the HE1000SE to the D8K Pro? The Hifiman comfort is a big plus, and from my 10minutes with them, they sounded excellent.
Yeah it’s actually in my review that’ll be coming out in the next few days. I see it like this.
Detail - Tie
Dynamics - D8KP > HEKse
Soundstage - HEKse > D8KP
Timbre - D8KP > HEKse (with EQ)
FR & Tonal balance - D8KP > HEKse
The HEKse I evaluated was a bit bonkers in the treble. I’m not 100% sure they all sound like that given recent unit variations and stuff I’ve been encountering with revisions, but at the very least I can say that the one I evaluated wasn’t to my taste in the treble, which is unlike other HiFiMAN headphones.
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Basically aligns with my thoughts too. The jump in comfort (less weight, oval pads, headstrap) and the ease of getting a comfy fit adds some points to the HEKse too.
D8KP with the EQ is sounding excellent.
I do feel though, that turning the EQ APO on feels like a small drop in SQ/clarity. Might just be my brain. I think even just turning it on, no filters or changes, it drops 1-2db, even with no preamp adjustments. Might be all it is.
That doesn’t sound right. There should be zero change when enabling EQ APO with the default on and no preamplifying.
You’d think so hey. Has no settings on, no preamping. I reinstalled it too. I’ll test again tonight, see if it needs an update too.
@Resolve
I can follow mostly everything you are saying about the HEKse in your review. Speed, soundstage, and detail retrieval are phenomenal. Now, one thing that I didn’t always find pleasing was how my HEKse rendered some smaller brass instruments. They sometimes sounded shrill to my ears. But what pushed me finally over was when the clarinet in one of my classical pieces exhibited a metallic timbre. Is that what you described as planar timbre? Or was all of this due to my specific setup maybe?
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I have the Verite Open and the Closed one, I find myself reaching 9 of 10 times the VC. I have tried different pads with the VO to find out what fits best to what I am looking for complementing the VC (which I love!).
My wishlist: Detail, daring truth in the midrange and treble, imaging to be solid and soundstage to be aery and 3D. I do not think that too many headphones can outclass the VO in timbre. Perhaps a more forward presentation would be good.
Whould the HEkSE be a good alternative to the VO and a good complementary headphone to the VC?
Genres: Jazz, Accoustic, Blues, Classic
For EDM, Metal, Hardrock the VC is just delicately perfect…
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HEKse is more forward than the VO, yes. But when a clarinet starts sounding like it’s made of metal and the trumpet is a little brassier than usual, that’s what killed the HEKse for me. I’m sure you can EQ this out of them, as many seem to do. I just don’t want to have to do that.
But if you are looking for a bit of extra detail, extra air, extra transparency, you are looking in the right place with the HEKse. I personally prefer a bit more musicality and thus feel at home with the VO.
Also, I find it flat out insulting to put this rubbery jello-like headphone cable into a box with a $3,500 headphone.
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Thanks a lot. Perhaps I should keep them both and compare them over a longer period of time!
While I think it’s never a bad idea to compare a bit longer, looking at what you are asking for: detail, solid imaging, and soundstage, true midrange and treble, etc. I do think that the HEKse could be a great fit. That little shimmer for some instruments that I experienced, I am sure, is easy to EQ out. Otherwise a very impressive pair of headphones for the genres that you are listing.
Just do yourself a favour and plan some additional bucks in for a decent pair of cables. I couldn’t get over the stock one. It felt like someone had been interbreeding a stretchy fidget string (aka monkey noodle) with a 20-year-old yellowed iv-tube.