After five years in mid-fi
After five years in mid-fi purgatory, I decided to make the jump to hi-fi, potentially endgame headphone territory. Was looking at the Arya Stealth, HE1000 V2, and HE1000SE but ultimately decided on the HE1000 V2. I had a question for the HeadAmp team and they got back to me very shortly which I appreciated. I placed an order and the headphones were shipped within several hours, which was awesome, most companies will take a day or two.
For the headphones themselves, wow. I've owned and listened to some great headphones but there is no comparison. In my opinion, there are no flaws, the best listening experience I've had thus far. Great detail and the resolution is phenomenal, extremely capable drivers. Wide soundstage but not too expansive. The bass response is very enjoyable, the extension to bottom frequencies is crystal clear and full. My favorite part of these headphones, however, was the tuning of middle frequencies. Both male and female vocals sound so intimate and natural, so effortless and unstrained. These headphones lean a touch bright but didn't find the treble excessive or fatiguing.
Build quality is good by Hifiman standards and they are very comfortable and light to wear. Will probably buy an aftermarket cable however, my one nitpick is that the stock cable is somewhat underwhelming.
Overall a phenomenal headphone, both technically and musically.