Sound Quality
Now on to the most important part, the sound.
I’ve listened to many egg-shaped headphones in the past such as the Arya, the Edition XS, Edition X, and Ananda and they all have a resemblance with the HE1000 in terms of character. Except the HE1000 is much much more pleasing and better than those.
It is nebulous, big, and diffused. I’d argue it’s the type of headphones to impress your friends aside from the HD800s. It’s got a lively sound yet a soft and bouncy presentation.
The tuning is what I’d call as neutral bright. It’s got a bit of a treble shelf which gives that extra bite and zing to everything around those frequencies. Just a bit and not what I would call excessive.
The bass extension is great. Despite being soft, dynamics are quite good. Obviously not similar to Focal or Audeze but I wouldn’t call it loose or flabby. I always think this is a trade-off of having this cup design where the focus of the overall sound is diffused to that size instead of punching it straight to your ears.
The midrange is warm and you get that sense of tonal richness around the upper bass and lower midrange where the transition is cohesive. No disconnect, no bleed, and everything seems connected as it should be. Normally you get the middle midrange to upper midrange recession from these egg-shaped Hifimans, but I didn’t hear it to be as scooped as others. It’s not as forward as say the Focal Clear or the older Audezes around the 1-3k area but it also doesn’t sound as distant as the Arya, Edition X, and other Hifiman headphones that I’ve reviewed in this channel.
As mentioned earlier, the treble is a tad accentuated causing it to be a bit bright and hazy even. Again genre and track specific. It does make things sound lively in a good way but also bright in a bad way depending on your preference. I would say the treble has that bit of a brittle or metallic texture but less so than the Arya V2 or Stealth. The slight emphasis of the higher frequencies is not an issue for me except when I’m cranking up the volume really loudly where those same frequencies tend to get emphasized even more. The good thing is I rarely crank up the volume. Overall though, I’d still classify the upper frequencies as smooth sounding and resolving enough for a headphone of this price.
Soundstage
I already mentioned the soundstage being big and kind of mesmerizing at first especially if you’re coming from headphones with a smaller stage such as the Focals and Audezes or the Sennheiser HD6xx line. With the HE1000, things are kind of floaty which is a bit odd and even unnatural but also pleasing most of the time. This exact same reason is why it’s perfect for genres such as acoustics, jazz, and classical music. The soundstage is also slightly bigger than Hifiman’s own Arya, Ananda, and Edition XS.
The drawback of this approach is the immediacy and punch are somewhat reduced because they are spread across the stage. You don’t get that same dynamism from a headphone whose stage is more intimate. But boy it is pleasant!
Speed and detail retrieval
If you can look past the soft presentation, you’d find the HE1000 to be fairly snappy and fast. It’s a detailed headphone which is helped by its big stage. I think the hazy treble deducts a bit of points here but overall I find this convincingly better than the Arya and the Clear.
Efficiency
The HE1000 Stealth is not the hardest headphone to drive. It can get loud enough of a portable or your computer’s output but the sound is not nearly good. So get an amplifier. If you’re buying an expensive headphone like this anyway, then make sure you’re doing enough to maximize the sound you can get from it.
No you don’t need a speaker amp, those days are long gone but what you need is a decent power and a good synergy. In my own tests, it doesn’t play well from a smartphone or laptop out and it could also sound poor if you have a neutral or bright amplifier. I don’t have the luxury of testing it with myriads of different amplifiers, but I can tell it doesn’t sound good off a THX 887 where the treble is rougher and the dynamics are hampered. My main amp is the trusty old Luxman P1u and from there it sounded fine. It had more than enough power to drive it and make it sound pleasing enough.
My suggestion if you’re looking to get this and you already have an amplifier is to bring your amp to the store to test it. Trust me, it’s worth it. And if you don’t have one? Maybe skip the HE1000 for now.
EQ
Planar magnetic headphones, in general, have lower distortion which makes them responsive to EQ. For my personal taste, I just dialed down the treble a little and didn’t bother changing anything else. Though your mileage may vary here.
I would say though that the stock tuning is perfectly ok for me as well. If I’m not allowed to EQ, it really wouldn’t prevent me from using these headphones.
Quick comparisons
Hifiman Edition X
Let’s move on to some quick comparisons with headphones I have recent access to starting with some Hifimans. The HE1000 is most comparable to the old Edition X which is being touted as a somewhat portable headphone minus the size and isolation because it plays well straight from a phone. The Edition X is less technically capable, less bright though excessively so but is just as pleasant to listen to. The stage is also not as big but is still pretty good. And the dynamics are also a bit softer than the HE1000. The HE1000 edges it convincingly in liveliness and detail retrieval departments in my opinion
Hifiman Edition XS
Compared to the value-king Edition XS, the HE1000 is very clearly far from it in every aspect. The one thing it has going for it is closer adherence to the Harman target curve which is maybe a factor for some. Otherwise, It’s not really comparable in terms of technical capability but it remains to be a good entry-level option to the elongated Hifiman lineup.
Hifiman Arya
I do not own an Arya anymore but based on my memory and recent listen on a store, the HE1000 is a bit more nuanced in the midrange, less coarse in the Treble, and has better stage and imaging. I reviewed the Arya V2 couple of years ago and my findings back then still hold true when comparing it to the HE1000.
Focal Clear & Utopia
Comparing it to the Focals, it’s the exact opposite in most areas and is really gonna factor in on your preference. Punchy, less bright but with smaller stage, go with Focals. Bigger stage, lesser midrange forwardness, softer character go with HE1000. The Utopia for obvious reasons, edges it in all the nuances, resolve and smoothness, but it’s neck and neck with the Clear. I know the competing product in their lineup is the Arya but I feel the Clear is also close to the HE1000 overall but with different set of strengths
Conclusion
To wrap things up, the HE1000 Stealth Magnet Edition was an enjoyable listen when all things are said and done. Despite being a bit bright for my liking for some genres, it still managed to wow me with its big stage, floaty imaging, and soft character with just enough dynamism. If Hifiman is your thing in terms of tonal preference and all that stuff, I would say it’s an end-game much like the Clear is for Focal if you don’t want to be poor.
As is the case with pricey headphones, you need a decent source and amp to get the best value out of it. So again, if you can test a pair extensively or even take it home with your setup, I highly highly suggest you do it.
Like I said in some of my other expensive headphone reviews, when you get one at this price range, you’re throwing off value out of the window. Wanna make a decision based on value alone, get the Hifiman Sundara or the Edition XS. But if all you are about is sound, then yeah I think you will like the HE1000 if its tonality and character happen to be your preference. It’s also a good pair to add to a headphone collection in case you don’t have a pair that has the character of the HE1000 and you have plenty of money to spare.
This unit is once again sent by Hifiman and has been evaluated for 3 weeks before making this review. Just like any other pair, my opinion is not influenced by them in any way shape, or form and they didn’t get any editorial influence on the outcome of my assessment. Go check out the Hifiman HE1000 Stealth on Hifiman.com