HiFiMAN HE1000se | Planar Magnetic Open-Back Headphones

I’ve been using these headphones for about 3 weeks now and I can definitely understand why I paid so much for them.
I am not an audiophile that knows all these terms and ways of saying things to other techs that they can understand these headphones on a scientific level… All I know is the sound quality that I get is the best, most solid, detailed I’ve ever heard and that’s all the endorsement I need to be an expert on this pair of headphones. I’ll go as far as to say there the best headphone I’ve ever used for any kind of music… Mötley Crüe, Madonna, Mozart. Just whatever you wanna put to these things it sounds awesome.
I have an incredible home Theater system with 6 Bowers & Wilkins speakers with a Marantz Theater amplifier in my media room because I do love my movies and my music. However, I stay in the air quite a bit with my philanthropic duties, so I’m never really home enough to enjoy the music that spectacular stereo system offers. I’ve been toying with the idea of putting high-quality stereo in my jet.
That is until I found these headphones. They are… would “divinely inspired” headphones… be too much to much to describe them.
First of all you know you have something special because you get your headphones in this wooden presentation case. You open it up to find a silk lined box with two position holders (r & L) on each side holding your new headphones very secured and snug inside. So, you slide the headphones out and noticed that in between the headphones is a storage compartment, and open this to find three connection cords that will easily connect and disconnect to your earphones so you can listen to your music on your myriad of different players. I will have to say, I purchased custom chords form this from GUCraftsman because I didn’t know that the headphones came with there own chords. I purchased a 4.4mm and a 3.5mm. Plenty for my needs. I tried there 3.5 mm plug out of the box and didn’t notice any real difference in sound quality, but I liked the ones I purchased better.
I had my tech guy here yesterday that does my audio/video and camera system, etc. in my house. He listens to and sells audio equipment every day. I let him try them on and select the song he wanted to listen to from my music library. He was floored. My guy, sat down in my chair proceeded to listen for about 15 minutes. I didn’t want to disturb him, but he is being paid hourly. LOL
He said that what I was listening to was very high end, reference headphones. He used the word Planar a lot. Soundstage was used a lot too. I had never even experienced a headphone sound stage until I got these particular pair of headphones. With my B&W speakers in my media room. I knew what the sound stage was.
And he’s a professional.
I let my best friend listen to them yesterday evening and he was equally flabbergasted by the sound. He’s on my level with technology and things. He put the headphones on, lay back and listened to the music. The music, my audio/video man listened to was… “Target Identified” by Nine Inch Nails and my best friend listened to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. My friend had a tough day and he just sat down and let the music wash over him for about 20 minutes. He as I am lack the adjectives to express what I have
The music that these headphones produces is phenomenal as my best friend put it after he listened to the music. He said not only could he hear the music but he could hear the notes being played on the piano. He could hear the piano hammer lightly strike the strings. I mean it’s detailed people. Beautiful piano reproduction.
If I come back here in a couple of weeks having bought that $4500 pair of HiFiMan headphones don’t blame me. I don’t really need them, not with these that I have now… I’m just curious as what would double the price of the headphones. How excellent the differfly and enjoy the same quality of music. A lot goes into that word “quality“.

Pick up some for yourself, you will not regret it.

Pre-Review: Going from the Meze 109 pro to the SJY Horizon Carbon Closed was a massive jump. Losing a little treble "shine" for refined and explosive but not fatiguing bass was absolutely worth it. The technical aspect was there with so much more full-bodied sound and a great sound stage for a closed back (especially a Planar).......

I finally pulled the plug on a headphone I've been meticulously looking at for years now, the HE1000SE from Hifiman. I was debating getting the HEDD Audio HEDDphone TWO GT or the Meze Audio Empyrean II. After countless hours of reviews and comparisons, I made the jump.

I. Am. In. Complete. Audio. Heaven.

This headphone has everything I could've ever wanted and more. I never knew about the depth of micro-details until now. With other good cans, I was hearing incredible recordings. Now I'm hearing sounds like I'm physically there in the space with the musicians.

Bass: Incredibly resolving and bold. Great depth to the lowest reach with insane detail. Quite a bit of slam surprisingly! Much better than the 109 Pro in that regard. Doesn't bleed at all into the mids.

Mids: Lush, Smooth, slightly above Neutral and Elegant. Absolutely not missing anything. Lots of impact without bleeding into treble.

Treble: The cleanest, vibrant, most resolving and detailed I've ever heard. To my ear it isn't bright or fatiguing. The space for the treble to breathe from the soundstage probably helps a lot with that.

Overall, this is the best headphone I've heard and possibly will hear. I don't think I will find the need to want something "new" out of a more expensive set. I am beyond happy with the HE1000SE.

Gear Used:
Amp: TOPPING A90D
DAC: TOPPING D90 III Discrete 1-BIT
Cable: Apos x Z Reviews Magia Cable
Music: CDs on Shanling CD80II, Qobuz and Spotify, FLAC files from BandCamp

These are quite stunning - better than any headphones I have heard. The thing I notice initially is the great detail and clear placement of instruments. At the same time they retain what I would call a lush sound - very musical and pleasant, though they lean a little towards the treble (the first thing I did was take out all equalization except for a little bass shelf). They are not strident or fatiguing at all. Mids are blended, but still retaining clarity with individual lines easy to hear. Bass is not quite as intense as some I have heard, but is still clear, precise and well balanced. I'm listening via a Modi Multibit2 DAC and Midgard amp. As with other good systems, they are very sensitive to how the material was recorded, and will make anything poorly recorded sound really awful, while well recorded music even compressed on Youtube can sound really good. They are definitely a bit addicting. Well worth the (now reduced) price.

I upgraded to these from the Ananda and 6xx. They sound quite intimate and don’t have much of a bass roll-off. I was expecting them to be “too sharp,” but I quickly got used to the treble range. They’re very detailed headphones and I honestly think it’s default sound signature is fitting. It doesn’t sound overbearing at all. They’re also very light and I don’t feel any pressure from the headband. The earpads are extremely comfy and don’t squeeze your head. They come in a pretty nice box and there are three provided cables: XLR, 1/4 inch, and a 90-degree 3.5mm.

For the sake of the review, I have some nitpicks to mention:
1. Earpads can get warm pretty quick
2. Might want to EQ the treble a bit (I was listening to a song and never noticed there was a tambourine in the background before. EQing made it more obvious.)
3. I’m dumb and sometimes pinch my fingers in the yolks :(
4. Might have to wear them at the tightest setting if you have a small head (unlike me)

Wow. That's all I can say about these headphones.