I ordered this headphone refurbished from Hifiman store for $1759, and the Hifiman EF400 AMP/DAC for $309 refurbished also from Hifiman store. I also order the new Fiio BTR15 for $109 to use with my phone. For $2177 I think I got a very good value considering the normal price of this headphone alone is $3500. They will be arriving Tuesday and I am impatient to try them out!
Beautiful and honest review and i now have them. thank you for reaffirming their greatness. Its genuine reviewers like you that make people purchase the product.
I'm posting another comment to acknowledge how special this headphone is. I've got one at home, but was just able to compare it against other Hifimans at London CanJam 2023. It is a league or two above the Arya Organic, which sounded great - pleasant, inoffensive, with speaker-like presentation - but the Arya's resolution is just clearly not the same. And the HEKse has this engagement factor where it puts you in the middle of a performance as opposed to creating an artificially large soundstage like the Arya Organic or HD800. Moreover... Even the Susvara driven off the EF1000 couldn't present itself as a clear winner as it was "sweet"-sounding in the treble with less bass. Perhaps its magic would be better experienced at home, in a quiet environment, but it wasnt just my opinion that the HEKse stole the show (surely not for the first time). It's like a mix of the best sonic qualities that Hifiman has to offer. Plus great comfort (Susvara's pads were quite small, with my ears touching the inside cushion).
I am glad to know because I was going to order the HE1000 Stealth, but finally opted to by the SE refurbished from Hifiman directly, together with the EF400 also refurbished. A good system for $2068 in my opinion.
@@geekatari4391 Having read some more reviews of the HE1000 Stealth (also known as HE1000v2 Stealth or HE1000v3), I am intrigued by this headphone as it seems to be tuned better than the HEKse. If the technicalities are roughly the same then it could be a winner. I'm not 100% sure but I think that I had it on my head for no more than a minute at the CanJam (it was time to leave) and I remember wanting to listen to it more, it sounded very pleasant. I will actually be able to spend some time with this headphone soon and compare it directly to the HE1000se if you'd be interested.
I havet the eversolo dmp a8 streamer, topping a70pro, ifi audio hip dac 3 for portabla and the arya st. Now i am lookinh for an uppgrade on the HP. Can this 1000se be a good combo to my other gear? I havet also the meze emp 2 and elite,in mindre. But aftr,listning to your rewiew im leaning towards the 1000se. What do you reckon? Thanks for a realey good rewiew! Best reguards Peter from Sweden!
@@peterandersson6762 I know that I'm not the addressee of your question but as a HEKse owner I may be able to steer you in the right direction - what kind of sound are you after and what qualities/aspects of sound do you priroitise the most?
I havet the eversolo dmp a8 streamer, topping a70pro, ifi audio hip dac 3 for portabla and the arya st. Now i am lookinh for an uppgrade on the HP. Can this 1000se be a good combo to my other gear? I havet also the meze emp 2 and elite,in mindre. But aftr,listning to your rewiew im leaning towards the 1000se. What do you reckon? Thanks for a realey good rewiew! Best reguards Peter from Sweden!
I'm also excited to see something fresh in their high-end lineup. So far, they haven't been disappointing us, so fingers crossed we get something new soon. M.
Hello! I wanna order dekoni pads for he1000se and organic. Please could you help me with advice? 1. How sound could change with hybrid pads and perforated leather? 2. Pads can be removed and installed without glue? on latches? 3. Maybe exist better pads than Dekoni? I anticipate decreasing treble and increasing bass a little. And I don’t like comfort with stock pads.
troche siedze w tym hobby, powiem tyle ze hifiman robi kolosalne pieniadze na renomie bo jakosc wykonania pozostawia wiele do zyczenia porownujac do innych marek za te nie male pieniadze, osobiscie posiadalem Arya i wiem ze trzeba nie lada wzmaka zeby tonalnie dorownaly dobrym dynamikom, brakuje im duszy sa suche jak wior albo natarczywe jak byla kochanka
Hi! Thank You for your remark. Sadly, I didn't have the Susvara on hand in the process of making this video. However, check out the written review - You will find useful comparisons there, and references to the Susvara as well. Thanks so much for watching! M.
Great review. Your written stuff is so wonderfully written that I always wondered if you write it yourself - this video leaves no doubt in my mind that you do. ;-) I used to have an Arya V2 and whilst the perception of its soundstage was perhaps even bigger, it cannot be said about its depth (HEKse has way more of it). And the Arya sounded quite "hazy" to my ears, the sound was always a little diffused, almost lacked a bit of focus. Like a 720p video (or even 1080p) on a very big screen. The HEKse fixed those issues for me. Also, to my ears there is a huge difference in punch between the Arya and the HEKse. Arya's bass was lovely in terms of its omnipresence (quite unique), but it was always soft - the HEKse never gets as punchy as say Focal headphones, but if the track is mastered this way, the HEKse will let you know that this is the case. :-) You seem to have had a selection of gear at your disposal when doing the TOTL headphone comparison. In your experience, what is the point in terms of amplification from which the upgrade from HEKse to the Susvara (a huge price jump, however you look at it) becomes a clear upgrade as opposed to a sidegrade? I've recently upgraded my A90 to the Burson Soloist 3XP (it's wonderful and I can now appreciate the A90's limitations very clearly) and I'm wondering how the Sus would sound on it - i.e. what's the chances of (however brutal it may sound) the HEKse actually sounding better, given the Susvara's extra amplification demands and sensitivity. Pozdrowienia i gratulacje fantastycznych recenzji 🙂(leaving the comment in English so that more people can join the discussion)
Hey, thanks so much for the positive comment. I have to agree, overall the HEKse sounds way more refined and mature than Arya. Honestly, I would think the Soloist 3XP has enough power to drive the Susvara properly - according to some measurements, the 3XP has WAY more power in reality than it does in specification. Sus + 3XP should make for a very good combo, happy listening! M.
@@EarFidelity yes but the arya bass comes from beneath / all around where something like the he6v2 comes from beside you like its right on you ear or the speakers are on your left n right side.. I don't want to upgrade and have to lose the way the aryas bass is from the room and not from the sides.
If you want to pay big money make sure you buy it brand new with warranty. I've bought a final sale open box he1000se with channel imbalance driver, i'm fucked with it now. Hifiman must mean Gamble in a random language.
@@Jootn2kxyes. I thought my HE1000V2 had channel imbalance and so they replaced it. I did not really like it and so I wanted to swap it for the HE1000 Stealth and they did.
@@EarFidelity posiadam dynamiki ktore w mojej opinii technicznie zniszcza te planary a sa za pol ceny, oczywiscie ze wzmakiem lampowym :) juz przerabialem Hifiman Arya ktore nie sa daleko w hierarchi, niestety nie daly rady sprostac moim gustom muzycznym, jako ze lubie brzmienie mojego wzmaka lampowego
@@EarFidelity Audio Technika ADX5000, zalezy kto czego szuka ale ja nie znalazlem w planarach brzmienia ktore mi odpowiada, tylko dynamiki na lampach graja jak powinny
