HIFIMAN HE1000 V2 Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphone

Product Information

Comfort-wise we already know that the HE1000 with this headband system and earpads is very comfortable. The forgiving nature of the signature, which allows lo fi and older to be heard in a lovingly nostalgic way is still there, albeit with just a smidgeon less compromise. When sound waves pass through the magnet structure via the diaphragm, they are prone to interferences and diffraction with conventional designs as air is moved through them.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the overall sound has been compromised at the expense of producing bass slam when listening to the 2 side by side for a few seconds.

There is a tonal richness that still remains, but there are elements of being closer to the micro effects, there are more edges to the sound brought about by the magnets, that were previously smoothed off and polished. It's among most tactile piano presentation I've head and well, solo piano have a magnify sens of grandeur as if you where a minuscule being hide in immense piano where each note surround you from every direction in dense singular layerings. You'll be able to extract everything you want, but it will not be done for you because in real life soundwave does mix togheter, including low harmonic that densify the macro dynamic, if you scoop lower mids, you can clean the air but to the cost of taking of the soul of instruments too.

If listening to a large scale symphonic work for example, you may hear melodic lines or harmonies, things that the composer wrote adding to the overall structure and form of the piece but which have lain obscured in the general sonic texture presented by lesser phones. Egg-shape Hifimans have this weird tendency that I'll expand in the dynamics section of having "large" bass that hits like a pool noodle (though that pool noodle has more texture than I'd fine on an Arya or Ananda, tbh. However, the Arya Organic was really freaking good overall, except for still some treble spikes that seemed to bother me. Another problem (mostly with the Edition XS) is the metallic treble making certain noises unlistenable and annoying as f**k. All in all, this is an extremely refined treble that isn't agressive or harsh for long listening session.Let’s say compared to a HE-6 which is notably more powerful, aggressive and forceful in that regard. Overall kinda lovely tonality (at least the version I had), not greatly resolving or great timbre but still a fun headphone. There was nothing in the measurements that really explained this, but it was there, at least on most samples. The more money you sunk into a Hifiman, the better it would do this department, which seems to be the case with the HE1000 Stealth.

The Stealth Magnets did things to the sound in exactly the way I have alluded to in the previous revisions of the Arya, Sundara and HE400 Headphones. The HE-1000v2 improved upon the formula manifesting itself as a unique headphone that stood faithful to the OG’s soul. I always had a sweet spot for the Sundara musicality, the best Hifiman planar in term of high sound value in my opinion.

When I went to audition the HE1000 v2 (my request/words) at Moon Audio, they brought out the HE1000SE (maybe that's all they had on hand). I know that in my old appartment in Montreal, we have ''cardboard'' wall and my neighboor were always grumpy ladies that hate music and love silence, i couldn't listen to those pass 9pm I feel.

While this sound impression is mostly based on EF600 DAC-AMP pairing, diversify test I do confirm these are source transparent as well as scaling up with power output. With the Ananda, it was the "wall of sound" dynamics that removed any ability to detect any subtle nuances in the sound. HE1000v2, improved version, cups are not as deep, everything tighter, more seamless in build, thus less interactions on the way out, more "window shade", still soft and diffuse but cleaner and better attack. The large protruding soundstage of the HE-1000v2 that is emanating in front of you is smaller now, tighter packed, but far more sharper in how everything is rendered within it and never blurry or similarly diffuse.Regular headphone: Traditional grill designs tend to reflect sound waves, creating audible interference and distortion.