Iron_Dreamer

Yeah, I heard similar confusion from people I spoke to at the meet. Not sure why. I have yet to hear the HE1000 sound anything other than fantastic. I listened briefly to Frank's amp, and it sounded great, but hard to say anything specific with unfamiliar source material and meet conditions.

Posted verbatim to the other site as well: Having listened to the HE1000 several times at CES, I knew the headphone was going to be a strong contender near the top end of the food chain. It had the dynamic, palpable bass of other top planar magnetic headphones with a level of speed and detail that seemed to rival electrostatics. However, no direct comparison with other top headphones was possible at the time. In this post SoCal CanJam listening session, Edwood and I were able to compare the latest HE1000 prototype and EF1000 with the Stax SR009 and Headamp BHSE (both with stock tubes). We also had the Hifiman EF-6, HE-6, and HE-560 on hand for comparison (not pictured). Source was an Ayre QB9 DSD DAC playing FLAC from a PC. I went into the comparison expecting the HE1000 to prevail in bass performance and suitability for rock and electronic music, and the SR009 to prevail in detail and airiness, and suitability for classical and acoustic music, as has been the typical split between dynamic/orthodynamic and electrostatic headphones over the years. So I started by going straight for the gusto, playing a high-res version of Beethoven's 9th. I started with the SR009, then changed to the HE1000, and was surprised to find the latter presenting more micro-detail with a more present, "live" sound. Instruments were better fleshed out with the HE1000, whose imaging made the SR009 sound somewhat diffuse by comparison. I would say the SR009 soundstage was broader and deeper, but less precise, while the HE1000 presentation was closer to the listener, and taller, but more pinpoint. On the comparison went, through rock, metal, EDM, and movies, and the initial findings remained quite stable throughout. The HE1000/EF1000 consistently produced more micro-detail, more tangible bass, and a more holographic (if smaller/closer) soundstage than the SR009/BHSE, resulting in the overall impression of a more "live" or present sound from the HE1000 and a more diffuse/relaxed sound from the SR009. In short, those who find the SR009 too "live" or present, and prefer the SR007, will likely not be candidates for the HE1000, as it is even more so. I never really thought I would hear a headphone to make the SR009 sound relaxed or diffuse by comparison, but the HE1000 does just that. The top-to-bottom fantastic detail and phase-correctness of the HE1000, combined with its' tactile bass (as opposed to the merely audible bass of 'stats) makes an extremely exciting listen, with a sense of closeness to the source material that I haven't heard before in a headphone. Now, don't this to mean more than it really does. The SR009 is still an INCREDIBLE headphone, and listening to it in isolation is as rewarding as it ever was before. However, when heard next to the HE1000, it becomes clear that the bleeding edge has advanced forward, at least in some ways. This is all still very much at the margin, and on a technical level the HE1000 likely performs no more than a few percentage points better than the SR009, however, those small gains, this far out on the curve of diminishing returns, do result in more tangible rewards for listening pleasure than their mere numbers would indicate. To be clear, I am NOT stating that the HE1000 "blows away" the SR009, rather that it has incremental gains in certain areas that resulted in a more enjoyable listening experience for me. I did compare the EF1000 and EF6 using the HE1000, and found them generally to be extremely close in technical performance, however, I found the EF1000 to be a more involving listen, for no particular reason I could put my finger on. Magical tube harmonics? Placebo? Wishful thinking? Who knows, but the EF1000 seemed to produce a sound worth its' (substantial) weight. I will be interested to see how it performs as a speaker amp, as it would be a boon for such a large amp to be an all-in-one. Comparing the HE6 to the HE1000, the old flagship sounds a bit slow and blurry, particularly in the bass, where the speed of the HE1000 is quite impressive indeed. The HE6 and HE560 both sound diffuse in imaging when compared to the more pinpoint HE1000. I would say the overall sonic balance of the HE1000 lies somewhere between the bassier HE6 and warmer midrange of the HE560, coming in relatively neutral with just a smidge of warmth to the midrange. In summary, I was rather surprised that the HE1000 did not just hold up to, but surpassed the SR009 at some of the latter's most well-known strengths. There is without question a presentation/flavor difference between the two that would doubtlessly lead some to pick one over the other regardless of technical abilities. Hopefully the production HE1000 and EF1000 will maintain at least this level of technical performance, and we will all welcome a new premier headphone system to the bounty of options now on the market. Now, more than ever before, it's an amazing time to be a headphone audiophile, and with all those working to improve headphones, I don't doubt that we will continue to see gains like this at the high end.

It is the DSD version.

Post is forthcoming, probably tomorrow, but the HE1000 is very much for real, and not to be discounted. It outdid the 009 in ways I was not necessarily expecting.

Sorry I managed to miss you somehow this time, Andy!

Purk, I'd say try to setup a mini meet with some of the key players, if personal gear is what you're more interested in. This CanJam was fairly similar to the "offical" LA meets of thr last few years, where there has typically been a low member to vendor gear ratio.

I noticed most of the usual SoCal HF contingent, and plenty of newbs, so overall the meet stayed pretty busy. Had fun when I could get away to try some of the new products like the Enigma Acoustics Darma and Mr.Speakers Ether, solid new competitors in the $1k-$1.5k headphone space. UE had their awesome new earscanning system up and running. Mostly just caught up with old friends and served up doses of sobering 009/BHSE performance. Fun times. Wasn't too much for extracurriculars, so no dish there.

I never had an issue with Windows or OSX machines, only with mobile devices.

Oh and Eye-Fi tends to have a lot of connection problems with its' Android app, randomly and without explanation. It will work great for weeks, then unexpectedly stop, and not work again without clearing the card and app's memories. I have seen it on more than one of their old cards. Maybe the new Mobi models are better?

I've never used an EOS-M, but I know it has a reputation for slow AF. Not sure the CP-A will be much better if you need tracking of moving objects (Nikon 1 is the only mirrorless that does a good job of that). We'll see. Like you I'm finding the Note4's optical stabilizer a boon for casual photography, but would like something small that can produce high-level prints.

Will do, Ric. I'm expecting similar AF peformance to the Fuji XE-1 I had stolen, with cleaner RAW files and sharper corners wide open than its' kit zoom, all while being more pocketable. While I liked thr Fuji retro controls, ultimately I get where I want quicker with DSLR style control dials. I just wish it had WIFI built in, as Eye-Fi is just a PITA.

Well, you are seeing elements of selectivity (in what I choose to showcase) and post-processing at work. I try my best to nail every shot, and work to find what suits each best. Momentum has been good lately.

For anyone else watching this thread, there's a pretty great deal on for the Nikon Coolpix A (APS-C 16MP fixed 28mm equiv f/2. at Adorama and Cameta right now, $330 shipped, refurb. I decided to order one and see how it shakes out. Not quite an RX1, but should deliver super high image quality from a pocket, and at 10-20% the cost, I'll give it a try.

Thanks so much, everyone. Always good to know it's not just in my head. Here's a couple more, from last weekend.

I like a lot about the RX100 series, I would also suggest looking into the Panasonic LX100. It's a bit thicker, but has a better lens and larger sensor, along with more physical controls and a better grip. It is a bit more expensive, though you get the EVF that only the RX100iii has.

Some recently posted shots from my January trip to the Grand Canyon:

Happy belated birthday, glad you're on the mend!

Happy birthday Fitzy!

This!

It was California Casualty.

The main things I'll be replacing are my laptop (though as I have something that works okay for now, I may wait for Sky Lake CPUs to drop), JH13, HM901, and a bunch of hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, cables, batteries, and chargers. I lost my Fuji X-E1 system, but may take a while in seeing how I want to replace that as the camera market is ever changing. I likely won't replace the two Benchmade knives I lost, as I still have a couple, and the rock climbing gear I may or may not as that is still jumbled in my brain with last year's tradgedy. I suppose, though it's awful hard to believe that from time to time. I'm certainly lucky to have the friends I do though. And that makes the shitty luck at least somewhat easier to deal with.

Got the news that the initial check from insurance should essentially cover what I lost in terms of out of pocket cost in that car break-in last month, which is a huge relief

Happy birthday, hope there's a raffle!

Lazy fucks!

We'll see how that Sigma turns out. It's a lot of extra bulk for 2/3 stop on a less wide lens. I like the aggressive pricing by Sigma.