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Ultimate End Game Value Search (HIFIMAN HE1000 V2 vs. Dan Clark Expanse) [New or Used]

FrantzM

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Hi

I know the OP is set on the HE1000 or the Expanse ... but ...

I would suggest strongly to the OP to try the HifiMan HE6SEv2 before anything else. Call it Due Diligence. At <$500.oo this headphones measures better than almost anything reviewed here. No!, It doesn't hug the Harman Curve at all , but after EQ, it stands as high as any headphones you would want to compare it to. One of the better headphones reviewed here in term of THD... One can even use better pad or headband without touching your original budget and add an amp capable of driving it as it does require some serious juice.
I sincerely believe that it is often snubbed because of :
1) Its low price
2) The (real) tales of DOA and general QC, although HifiMan customer services has been great in those occasions.

I own it and it has spoiled the search for headphones. endgame (after EQ) for less than $500.oo

Yes! A fanboi, but with objective measurements to back this up! :)

Peace.
 

majingotan

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OP is forgetting diminishing returns here. I've been 100% content with my DCA Aeon X Open for 400 USD with IMHO 97% of the Expanse and Stealth for 10x less. Obviously Expanse will look and feel extremely premium compared to mostly plastic build of the Aeons. Distortion figures are of course extremely low which is a staple of DCA headphones

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asrUser

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Hi

I know the OP is set on the HE1000 or the Expanse ... but ...

I would suggest strongly to the OP to try the HifiMan HE6SEv2 before anything else. Call it Due Diligence. At <$500.oo this headphones measures better than almost anything reviewed here. No!, It doesn't hug the Harman Curve at all , but after EQ, it stands as high as any headphones you would want to compare it to. One of the better headphones reviewed here in term of THD... One can even
At the end of the day measurements don't mean much if you don't like the sound. Furthermore the HE6SEv2 such as all other HE6s need powerful amp and maybe even a speaker amp to shine!
 

nyxnyxnyx

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I used HE1000V2 extensively for quite some time, imo HE1000v2/SE or Hifiman Arya, HD800s and Abyss 1266 are amazing and unique sounding headphones.
With expensive purchases like that you really have to try for yourself before your making a decision. I almost buy HD800s because everyone praised it for good soundstage, treble extension etc.... but thankfully I tried and I did not enjoy the vast soundstage that much, the bass wasn't up to my liking either.
 

Bow_Wazoo

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V2 is not Stealth, but V3 is!
Wrong.
On the part of Hifiman there was some confusion at the beginning. However, the term V3 was never used.

HE-1000 V2 Stealth has now become established


 

DuncanDirkDick

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Furthermore the HE6SEv2 such as all other HE6s need powerful amp and maybe even a speaker amp to shine!
I wouldn't go that far but it is enough for me that I run into clipping with EQ using the adi2 dac and he6v1 sometimes. I'm fine with adi2 pro though.

Are there any credible measurements for the he1000v2 stealth BTW?
 

jae

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Take Crinacle's (and any other reviewer's) subjective opinions or "ratings" with a grain of salt. Reliable FR plots combined with an understanding of what you hear (being able to relate the FR to your subjective impressions as objectively as is possible) is your number one tool in choosing a headphone. This requires listening to a lot of different headphones or at least extensive listening and fiddling with EQ with current headphones you own that have reliable measurements for you to compare to. Having a good pair speakers/monitors to compare to definitely an asset as well.

Also, what is with some of these suggestions with massive lack of 1-2khz energy. Listening at low volumes maybe? Looking at these HE6se/v2 suggestions in particular. IMO this is bordering if not beyond abnormal, period. Probably a lot of false 'soundstage' and new 'detail' with some recordings with a broad loss of overall clarity and fidelity with everything else. Midrange is holy ground, do not trample this much on that region. HE-1 and perhaps he1000v2 gets away with this here because it is much less of a hole and it's likely within tolerance, plus it also has bass compensation, and is otherwise quite compliant/smooth throughout the rest of the range.

As another person has suggested, I think Aeon X Open is a great suggestion for a low distortion planar but I'd say it requires EQ. It costs $429 which is a lot cheaper if you are apprehensive about the more expensive purchases that have a lot of diminishing returns with respect to each dollar spent. One thing to consider is if you buy a cheaper DCA headphone and decide Expanse later on, you get 15% off the purchase from the club DCA membership which is $600 off a brand new pair of Expanse. So you effectively get the Aeon X for "free" if you go on to buy an expensive DCA headphone, and the price for a new unit is closer to the used price.

In my opinion Hifiman shines in its more budget friendly options in some markets. You get a low distortion headphone that generally is not that offensive for lower prices. But they are also known to have worse QC and service, I always hear about people complaining of hifiman build quality more than any others. Some of their models have inverted polarity which is not acceptable, and many units I've seen channel imbalance, but granted this was years ago. I don't think this is much of a problem in their newer/higher tier models but be aware of it. I think for a 'serious' purchase at higher price points there are simply other offerings that provide better a better combination of FR compliance and/or simply better comfort/reliability/quality like DCA and Audeze for example, which is why they are talked about more.

If it is a matter of Aeon X Open vs a Hifiman headphone and I have EQ at my disposal I am 100% choosing the DCA for the fact it is lighter and more comfortable, the brand has better QC and I get access to the discount in future. In fact I am sooner suggesting a $200 EQ'd Sennheiser 6XX to a majority of people before hifiman even if there is more distortion. If you want to spend more money but not TOTL 3-5k prices, there is the Audeze MM-500 which sounds great with and without EQ and is of high quality.
 
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gallionetech

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I own both the Expanse & Stealths. I prefer the sound of the Stealths over the Expanse. Don’t ask me why, that’s just my subjective opinion. They both are great headphones though. After hearing many TOTL options, the only headphones I’d go for over them would be the Susvaras (again keep in mind, subjective opinion).

If you like headphones that are very close to Harman, without a doubt you will like both the Stealth & Expanses. Everything else from the build quality and design is fantastic. Light years ahead of HiFiMAN.

I have a pair of HE1000 v2 Stealths coming in the morning as well. Will post here how I like them compared to the DCA TOTL. If you’re willing to wait a bit, I will send in the HE1000 v2’s to @amirm to review in a few weeks for you to get an objective comparison.
 
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Bow_Wazoo

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Unfortunately there is no fr measurement from the HE-1000 V2 Stealth yet.
Iwanted to send Oratory mine, but he is currently flooded with requests.

So you have no choice but to take the profile from the HE-1000 V2.
I hope you will try to move the FR towards Harman before making a comparison with the DCAs, because the HE-1000 (no matter which version), is already pretty bright, and of course has no shelf in the bass.
 

gallionetech

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So I’ve been listening to the HE1000V2 Stealths for about an hour now.

Here is my subjective impressions compared to the Expanses (this is without any EQ):

- They are much brighter, however I personally am a fan of this. They sound more lively to me. I imagine that the Arya & HE1000se would be a bit too bright for me though. I couldn’t imagine a headphone sounding great anymore brighter than these are IMO.
- They have more bass. I prefer this. However, the expanses bass is more refined.
- They have a way bigger soundstage. I prefer this.
- They are more clampy, however I prefer this. They stay on much better than the Expanses or Stealths on my head. Some people may not like this.
- The build quality is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, however I still would say the Stealths and Expanses are better built.
- On my A90D I have them set to 55-60 at high gain, my expanses and stealths I have to have around 65 for the same volume. Not a big difference.

Overall, I prefer the HE1000V2 Stealths. They are more lively than the Expanses in my subjective opinion. If I could only have one, I would definitely take the HE1000V2’s.

Expanses IMO are more technical, while the HE1000V2’s are more fun/lively.

Keep in mind, this is without any EQ on the HE1000V2, I personally don’t like to get into EQ so I’m not the right person to talk to this.

huge disclaimer: This is my subjective opinion. You may totally disagree with me after you hear both. I have purchased headphones based off subjective opinions only for them to sound terrible to me. if you choose to make a decision based off my subjective opinion, please buy from Amazon which has an insanely relaxed return policy and will give you your full money back if you don’t like them.

Hope I was able to help in some way. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help in the objective department. I’m not experienced enough to help there yet.
 
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nyxnyxnyx

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the build quality of HE1000 series have been mostly fine imo, people are more worried of sudden drivers failure and/or imbalanced channels.
can anyone remind me what the "Stealth" technique-thing of Hifiman is supposed to help their headphones again? I remember reading it some time ago but just chalked it up as another way to protect their fragile super thin planar transducer.
 

gallionetech

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also I forgot to mention: the cables that come with the he1000 v2 are super long (has to be at least 8 ft) and don’t feel nice. I personally prefer paracord cables as they feel nicer. Just something to consider as well.

The cables that come with the Stealths & Expanses are both nice feeling cables that aren’t too long.
 

majingotan

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also I forgot to mention: the cables that come with the he1000 v2 are super long (has to be at least 8 ft) and don’t feel nice. I personally prefer paracord cables as they feel nicer. Just something to consider as well.

The cables that come with the Stealths & Expanses are both nice feeling cables that aren’t too long.

The Audiophile Ninja cables that I have for my Aeons got their inspiration from Stealth and Expanse cables. They look very close to them :)
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kurosawa

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V2 is not Stealth, but V3 is!
A Hifiman sale representive says the HE1000 Stealth is actually a HE1000 v4 (The product in the link is the HE1000 Stealth version, which some people in the hifi forums usually refer to as HE1000 V4.). It is becoming a little bit confusing with all these models.
 

shrimp_dude

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A Hifiman sale representive says the HE1000 Stealth is actually a HE1000 v4 (The product in the link is the HE1000 Stealth version, which some people in the hifi forums usually refer to as HE1000 V4.). It is becoming a little bit confusing with all these models.
So what is or was the HE1000 v3 then? I remember someone stating Hifiman rep said 1000se is NOT considered same line as he1000 v1/v2.
 

jonfitch

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So what is or was the HE1000 v3 then? I remember someone stating Hifiman rep said 1000se is NOT considered same line as he1000 v1/v2.

Pretty sure its:
v1 = HE1000
v2 = HE1000 v2
v3 = HEK SE
v4 = HE1000 Stealth

The main reason it seems confusing is that while the HE1000 Stealth is newer, it's cheaper ($1999) and tuned more like the original HE1000s, while the HEK SE is more expensive and tuned more like the Susvara. Both HEK SE and HE1000 Stealth are being sold concurrently so they are two simultaneous versions of the same product. One is more expensive and has flatter FR, the other is cheaper and more V-shaped.
 
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