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

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.

Very large ear pads but comfortable and light, the most incredibly clear sounding headphones I've ever tried, in particular the sound stage is out of this world, makes every song a treat used on a Naim uniti atom.

I bought this to upgrade from HD 800S.Pros- Better spatial representation than HD 800S. You feel you are surrounded by the sounds with a bit of the height dimension added in. Unlike the HD800S it does not sometimes feel like sounds are coming from points.- In many areas the level of detail seems to be higher than HD800S, and you can feel the distances of different sounds more distinctly.- The bass is much more present compared to HD 800SCons- The human voice range is underemphasized compared to HD 800S, that to me feels less emotionally impactful. Also the instruments which work in the same range of the human voice like cello, they sound distant and a bit muffled as other sounds take over. This was a deal breaker for me as in a song I want to connect most with the singer and less with the instruments, and even the instruments I like most are underemphasized.For me or someone who likes similar music as me, may be EQing can make it a lot better

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.