HE1000se Full-Size Over Ear Planar Magnetic Audiophile Adjustable Headphone with Comfortable Earpads Open-Back Design Easy Cable Swapping

Two months ago HIFIMAN was totally unknown to me. I used to be heavily into Audio HIFI and abject poverty when living on the edge of London. Now I live in a tiny flat in China. No HI End hifi, Nuffin. So why a review? I have an 8 year old Cambridge Audio DVD player claimed to be good at music, with its big power amp, plugged into small Bose sub woofer and tiny satellites. I use QED Reference cables which are excellent value for money. I think the power amp needs a pre-amp to sound better. 8 years ago I splashed out to get a Benchmark DAC//headphone amp, then a few years ago, I pulled out the large jack plug and the headphone amp blew its last sound. I recently discovered that the rear XLR sockets are working well with the front volume control, so why not use these? OK why this preable? These HIFIMAN HE1000se headphones do require an audiophile system to reach maximum performance, like all Audiophile products. So my system is limited. I recently bought an Apple MacBook Pro M2 new. So here we go...Comfort- they are big, my head I think is small. They do stay in place- my wife laughed when she saw them on my head- she doesn't laugh very often. The clamping force is quite comfy. Yesterday I wore them for 6 hours. So 4/5. Cables: They come with 2 free cables,no info provided, but I think they maybe single strand silver. Using the 3.5mm 90 degree cable, nice touch, into my new M2 Macbook pro, (we had a power cut this morning). Sound: I listened happily to Ben.E King (Best Of), Alice Cooper-Hey Stoopid, Band on the Run(Wings) all brilliant, but then I noticed the high end shrill response,especially with Ace of Base-All that she wants, some reviewers had mentioned this. . I was listening to my music collection that I had copied over into iTunes (now Music). Power restored, I transferred to my 10 year old Macbook pro, using my music recorded on my external hard drive. The top end was much more reduced but sounded better. I then tried my new Macbookpro M2 again but listening direct from my external hard drive plugged in. Much better. top end very open but under control. The headphones handle all types of music I can throw at it. From heavy rock to strings and especially brass instruments. Very musical and involving especially with Ben E. King. DVD audio.: Using my Benchmark DAC2 HGC XLR into my new Aune S17 Pro headphone amp, I used my new GU Multistrand silver headphone cable (4 pin XLR Balanced) , multi-strand cable handle high frequency better. The sound is PURE DEAD BRILLIANT (PDB). An old Scottish expression. Everything from James Bond transients to Bruce Springsteen. Very open well separated and engaging, very musical but with loads of power, Unusual combination. Live In Hyde Park,(DVD bluray) my favourite,The Blues Bothers, Opera (Les Troyennes-Berlioz), Just Good Friends-BBC Sitcom. Vocals ere extremely clear and well separated from background. Background is silent, Instruments sound like musical instruments. I spent 8 years playing the violin in my very early days, The Aune S17 says it is tuned to musical instruments. The headphones are expensive, but in my experience the only other headphones I have liked were Stax with their valve headphone amp, far more expensive. YouTube Videos: I watch a lot of Youtube videos (on old computer) from current news to old UK TV programmes made in 1970-1990's. Using the HIFIMAN HE 100 se with the free cable as before, the audio was very good, vocals and music were exceptional, hence 6 hours watching Youtube yesterday. No sign at all of shrill top frequencies, maybe due to Youtube compression. Home-Made videos: I have just checked on my new computer (M2 2023) with free cable ,and my videos are running quite bright in upper frequencies compared to old Macbook Pro 15 inch 2013. I can adjust them in DaVinci Resolve (free video Editer) when I can study how to do it. Maybe just need some GU multistrand silver cable with 3.5mm balanced plug for the headphones. I think it's the new computer headphone drive and DAC running a bit rough. As I said yesterday I watched/listened to Youtube videos using free cable on old 2013 computer for 6 hours never having noticed any brightness, only with new computer. Amazon Service: Excellent as usual. Very helpful and I was rewarded with prompt rebates on my China Import Tax assessment. Most unexpected. Maybe spend it on some more multicore silver cable.or portable DAC/Amp for my new computer. Products arrived in time well packaged, no problems at all. Big thanks to everyone.

Compared to the lesser offerings from HIFIMAN, such as the Edition XS, Ananda Nano, and Arya Organic, this outshines them all easily. The instrument separation, imaging, soundstage is much greater than anything I've ever heard. Incredible detail. Notable step up in build quality. The only area that could be improved is the comfort. They fit a little loose on my *small* head, a little bit more clamping force would be nice. Also, the ear pads feel very stiff, but I replaced them with some Dekoni Elite pads and they're now very comfortable. All in all they're the best headphones I've ever used and finally satisfied my urge for better and better equipment.

I love the HiFiMan sound - mostly. Although some people will claim heresy, the HE400 was not for me - it was too bassy. I really enjoyed the HE500 for a while. It had a sweet midrange, but was heavy. I next got the Ananda. I considered returning it! The sound was only very slightly better. I decided to keep it though because it was much more comfortable than the HE500. Finally, I bought the HE1000se. I was again underwhelmed by the sonic improvement relative to the cost. After careful listening, I could discern that the HE1000se was superior in every way sonically to the Ananda - but only so slightly. It is more accurate. The bass is tight and accurate. The treble was much better. Some might think it too bright, but I think it is accurate. I evaluated the headphones using flute, violin, and opera soprano music before coming to this conclusion. I think the midrange is most similar to the Anandas, but there was a minor improvement even there. The sound is similar enough that I probably couldn't tell the difference between the HE1000se and the Ananda without doing an A-B comparison. On the other hand, while the Ananda is comfortable to wear, the HE1000se is even more comfortable. The HE1000se also looks more expensive. It comes with several high-quality wires (XLR and regular) and a nice-looking presentation case. At this price... I had to think hard about keeping it. However, I use my headphones a LOT, and these represent the best quality that I could ask for. So, I kept them. If you are a bass head, you may like Audeze better. If you want the biggest sonic stage possible, the best Sennheisers deliver. These headphones are very fast, but I have heard none faster than the Stax electrostats. So, there are other choices out there depending on what you value most. I love midrange and accuracy. I think the HE1000se delivers! PS. My review was using the excellent Topping DX7 Pro+ DAC/amp.

If you think headphones in the $1500 and $2000 range will be able to remotely compete with this set of headphones, I want to take this time to tell you with unwavering confidence that you are wrong. I own the Hifiman Ananda Stealth, HE1000 Stealth, and now the HE1000SE. I will be brief, because honestly... nothing I say will be able to adequately express the quality of sound that comes from the HE1000SE. So I will put it like this: These headphones make every single song sound like it's being performed live. I've never heard anything like it. Vocals have the utmost realistic texture I have ever heard. I've found that all music sounds most realistic with the Meze Silver Plated balanced upgrade cable (around $130). That cable provided the most realistic signature out of the 6 cables I own, 3 of which are balanced. I absolutely loved my Ananda Stealth. Then the HE1000 Stealth was like taking the Ananda up a notch in every regard. But with them music still sounded like recorded music... just really great recorded music. The HE1000SE is simply in another world, and it is not even close. Not even remotely. I thought I LOVED the HE1000 Stealth. After listening to the HE1000SE, when I switched back to the 1000 Stealth, I found myself making a disgusted face and going "ugh". The jump from Ananda to HE1000 Stealth is a hop. The jump from the Stealth to the SE isn't even a leap... it's more. Every freaking freaking singer sounds like they're performing LIVE. It shouldn't be legal to sell headphones that don't sound this good. Every human should be able to experience this. So. With all of that said... If you have the money, I can't give them the level of recommendation they deserve. Buy them. Skip a vacation this year and buy the damn headphones. They are worth every penny. If I heard them and didn't know the price, I would literally be standing there going "ok, so what's the price?? Tell me so I can buy them and get home already." They are that astonishingly good.

The HE1000se offers a spacious imaging and airy sound. Soundstage is it's strength. It feels less closed-in than most competing headphones (Audeze LCDs, Sennheisser HDs, etc.) which means that they are excellent at bringing detail/separation to most instruments EXCEPT it has a high frequency weak spot that it doesn't handle well. Hard to tell exactly what frequency range triggers the sibilance but when it happened it was always cymbals or high-pitched cymbal-like noises typically found in electronica or trip-hop recordings. If you haven't experienced this issue it's either because your hearing differs or you don't listen to that kind of music. Bottom line is I keep them around for 90% of the music I listen to that doesn't trigger the issue and switch to an Audeze LCD when I do or I feel like hearing a more closed-in/compact sound

Absolutely blown away at the sound quality. Something about it was a bit fatiguing but a little EQ magic helped with that. They do feel fragile and I worry about the longevity of the head bad but I feel if I take care of them they should last. I have a pretty large head and will say that the fit is still semi loose maybe I’m just used to the clamp force of my HD660s2 but they are comfortable. You really do want a amp/dac for these with enough power because although they are easy to drive planars really want clean power and need headroom to bring out their potential.

I'm sending them back. It's not that they don't sound great, because they do. And, the packaging is great and they look great. But, I already have the Hifiman edition XS. I spent a good deal of time comparing the two. I switched back and forth and back and forth again on the same song. Then I'd compare the two headsets the same way again on a different kind of song. I tried bass heavy songs and airy songs, etc. I tried Youtube and I tried Ultra HD recordings on Amazon Music. I listen through a Sabaj A10D dac and amp. Yes this is a fantastic sounding headphone, but so is the edition XS and I can't tell any difference in the sound. Maybe there is some very subtle difference but I just don't pick it up. When the XS is $500 and the He1000se is $2,000, I wanted it the blow me out of the water with a noticeable and huge increase in sound quality. I think the He1000se is a little nicer in terms of aesthetics and build. It is packaged beautifully. It comes in a beautiful satin lined leather type box with a beautiful glossy booklet and three cords. The cords are very, very nice. This headset would make a great gift, where you don't mind paying more for the beautiful presentation. In contrast, the XS comes in a plain brown box, nothing special but adequate. For my own use, I can't see paying $2,000 for the added fanciness, although it is nice and I respect Hifiman for the obvious effort that went into making this a top notch product. I love the Hifiman headphones. They are my favorite. Btw, the biggest difference I find is in the headbands, but I like them both and find both to be equally comfortable. If the He1000se were $750, I'd be keeping them, even though I don't really need two headphones that are so similar. Anyway, a big thumbs up to Hifiman, but in my humble opinion, that great Hifiman sound is available, thankfully, at a much more affordable price. If you do just have to see for yourself, make sure you order it from Amazon in case you end up feeling the same way that I do.

I have a large collection of headphones, including much of the Hifiman lineup (He400i, HE400s, HE4xx, HE5SE, HE6SE, Ananda OG, Ananda BT, Deva Pro Wireless, Edition XS, HE1000v2, Arya Organic, plus several from other manufacturers like Grado, AKG, Meze, Sennheiser 600 series, and the HEDDphone OG. Whenever I upgrade, I always hear the improvements, but every other headphone has left me wanting more, or not completely satisfied with some aspect of the sound... either wanting more detail, better imaging, more natural highs, more bottom, tighter bottom, more excitement, whatever. Prior to buying the HE1000SE, every headphone, no matter how good, had something I'd change about it if I could. This headphone is sonic perfection to me. Just sounds right on anything I play through it, regardless of genre or era. Ultra refined, detailed, perfectly tuned, spacious, powerful impact when the music calls for it, tight, its perfect to me. If you have a critical ear, and a good DAC & Amp to drive it to its capabilities, this is the best value in high end headphones on the market. And it's the best thing I've ever heard. I'd have been happy if I paid the original, substantially higher price. Perhaps the Susvara is better, I haven't heard it, but with the Susvara you need a monster amp to drive it and this you can run well off of any good desktop amp. A notable step up from Arya Organic and the HE1000V2. SE lacks the midbass bloat of the Arya Organic, and has tighter and better defined bottom than either AO and 1KV2, and more refined top end as well. This headphone is everything I hoped it would be!