I ended up trading my He6se v2ās for the HEK stealthās. They arrived today! Yeah so far loving them, so smooth and they just sound better and better the more I turn the volume up. They sound so natural voices are so clean sounding. Everything sounds so good with them, even bass heavy tracks sound great. I was worried they might be bass light, although theyāre definitely not basshead, the bass quantity pretty good and the texture and definition is excellent.
I canāt a/b with the He6se but I think the 6ās were more energetic and the Hekās are more laid back
I remembered @Pokrog mentioning he was happy with his @NtraXMod pads, so I always wanted to try them out. When I picked up my He1000 Stealths I figured Iād give them a shot. The shipping from Malaysia is a gut punch, and the Canadian Tax on top made it worse lol. But the pads themselves are high end and super comfy.
As for the sound, I didnāt A/B with the stock pads cuz swapping pads is a pain. But I think they may slightly increase the soundstage and I think they may add a touch to the subbass.
The surface that touches your skin is so smooth and soft, itās like silk almost. Theyāre quite a bit thicker and cushier than the stock pads too.
So overall Iām loving the improvement in comfort, and the slight differences in sound are exactly what I like.
Absolutely, Iād be happy to share more insights! Comparing the HEKv2 and the 24 is an interesting topic, and Iād love to provide you with more information when youāre ready to dive into it.
I have joined the club. Picked up the HEK Stealth. These are actually incredible. And I donāt use that word lightly. Dipped my toe in with the Ananda Nano and was immediately intrigued. These arrived two days ago and they are a noticeable step up and sound honestly amazing. Comfort is amazing too. Easily the most comfortable headphones I own now. These more or less tick every box I could ask for.
I also ordered the SE to compare and will be keeping whichever I prefer the most. But after spending a couple days with theseā¦ these might be it. Sorry for gushing, but I genuinely love these and had to share.
Congrats. I love mine. Even though I am dipping my toe into the IEM waters and loving the experience, these are still my go to when not on speakers. I was using a Periapt cable but recently switched over to a Tripowin and am very happy with that pairing.
I see you are diving deep into the Planar waters. Let us know what your thoughts are once you get the other pair in. I will eventually pick up a variant of the HE1000 as an upgrade to my Arya Stealth, but a lot of headphones on my to buy list going into 2025.
I currently use Gravedigger Corpse Cables with my Planar headphones including the Arya. If you eventually get the Mjolnir 3 it pairs well with Hifiman headphones.
I picked up a set of these in december as an early christmas present. I love them to death. My only other planar set up until then was my worn out EL-8 open. I was lucky that there is a shop within an hour drive that was able and willing to set up a comparison table between these, the SE, the Arya stealth, Arya Organic and the LCD-X. (set up on a dCS Lina system, but I brought a Shanling M3Ultra along to test listening with āinferiorā equipment)
I was actually planning to go for the LCD-X because I was a little scared of the Hifiman reputation to be very bright. Boy was I wrong. The LCD-X outright felt like a muddy mess compared to the stellar imaging of the Hifimans. Even the brightness was manageble, not like the DT1990 that tries to shove an icepick in your skull. The HE1000stealth was the perfect middleground for me.
I honestly hate thisā¦ Lol. I thought I could pick one and just go with it, but both have their strengthsā¦ and at the same time they are very close, making it feel wasteful and redundant to keep both. I am not sure I will be able to pick one over the otherā¦ oi!
Spend some time with them both - the HEKse is not even broken in, judging it now is premature positive or negative. Also, when A/B back n fourth spend like two weeks with one and then two weeks with the other and just listen like you do as part of your normal routine.
Yeah, donāt get me wrong, thereās definitely a delta. So far the Stealthās feel more relaxed in the treble, which I like, but the SE definitely sounds more natural with a better midrange. Iāll definitely be spending at least a couple weeks comparing them to decide which I prefer (or if Iāll just keep both, lol).
) bring you many hours of Big Hifiman Egg-shaped planar sound filling your ears.
oi!