Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled Review

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

 

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The HE1000 Unveiled, like its predecessors, is a fast paced headphone with excellent PRaT. Add a high resolving nature to that, and you get a precise and technically strong headphone. The HE1000 Unveiled sounds spacious and airy, but mostly very open. The sound stage width and depth is very good, as well as the layering even though that also depends on your setup.

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

The HE1000 U is vocally strong as expected, and the presentation here is more forward. It’s not overly focused though, and the tuning in very natural and engaging. The mid section is spacious, has excellent separation and it’s just very resolving. The mid timbre and texture is exemplary and a pure pleasure to the ear. The midrange decay and note extension are as good as it gets (unless you upgrade to the Susvara Unveiled). The mids are probably the HE100) U’s strongest point, even if all the rest is not very far behind.

Bass and sub bass presence strongly depend on the amplification and your setup. Bass is controlled and precise as well as well-layered, but the sub rumble is not the strongest point here.

TL;DR : The Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled is a high-performing headphone with a balanced signature and a more to neutral presentation. The HE1000 is precise, technically strong and natural sounding. The delivery is musical at all times and it does all that in an effortless and engaging way. The HE1000 Unveiled is an end game headphone for many audiophiles out there.

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

Sound – Amplification

The Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled has a sensitivity of 95dB and an impedance of 28Ω. The previous Stealth version has 32Ω impedance and 93dB sensitivity. This makes the Unveiled version a bit easier to drive on paper.

I have found the HE1000 Unveiled to be fairly easy to drive volume wise, and it really delivers a good sound with a whole series of amps. For this section I have chosen the following desktop units: The Ferrum OOR, the Hifiman Prelude, the SAEQ Armageddon, the Solaris, and the Feliks Audio Envy. I am using a balanced connection everywhere unless specifically mentioned. The DAC and Source are the same as mentioned above. The portable sources chosen are the Mojo2 and the Astell&Kern SP3000T.

The Ferrum OOR is an good amplifier and it drives the HE1000 Unveiled effortlessly, no extra gain is needed. The HE1000 Unveiled sounds dynamic, energetic and precise. You get a neutral amount of body from top to bottom, resulting in flatter delivery. Bass is tight, fast and precise and perfectly in control. The mids and vocals are the best here, together with a non-aggressive top end. It’s a good combo but it also isn’t the most exciting. It’s just a bit flat and boring to my ears. The less stellar things in this setup being sub bass, impact, body and overall layering/depth.

From Hifiman’s own Prelude amplifier, the HE1000 Unveiled sounds much more weighty overall, and the depth and layering here are sublime. Bass has more weight, subbass more presence. The mids are fuller and the depth and layering is exemplary. The body in bass and mids really make the HE1000 more engaging and lively sounding. Vocals sound natural and softer and the placement is just right. The overall refinement here maybe is at a lower level than on the OOR, but the combo makes up for it with body, dynamics and pure musicality. The foot tapping factor in this combo is high. It’s an easy to listen to combo that is soft on the ear, and it has you singing along with your favorite tracks in no time.

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

From the Feliks Audio Envy, the HE1000 Unveiled sounds more balanced, refined and precise. The combo still has enough weight and body but in a lesser degree. It perfectly mixes resolution, precision and musicality all in one. The result is a detailed sounding and technically strong HE1000 Unveiled, with a good amount of body and weight (yet less than on the Prelude) and a high energy level, with excellent dynamics. This combo is the most spacious, airy sounding and it has the most natural feel to it. It’s a technically strong combo that doesn’t forget to be musical and engaging even though the fun factor isn’t as high as with the Prelude. The vocals here are a bit more to the back but the combo makes up for that with excellent mid-timbre and dynamics.

With the SAEQ Armageddon, you need to use the -5dB or -10dB attenuated output in order to control the volume. Do that and you get a full sounding, energetic and technically strong performing HE1000 U. The combo does sound precise and there’s excellent PRaT, but with the Armageddon’s power it also sounds very energetic and more forward. It’s not something everyone appreciates. I like what the combo does very well (timbre, depth, precision, layering bass, body), but I at the same time can’t listen to it for a very long time, it’s just very intense and in your face.

I have been using the Audiovalve Solaris a lot lately and the synergy with the HE1000 Unveiled is very good. You get a comparable presentation to the Envy but with more smoothness in the delivery. Vocals here are a bit more to the front, but it works. All-in-all this combo perfectly mixes technical strength with a musical and engaging presentation. The naturalness is easy on the ear and the technical performance as good as it gets. To me this amplifier really shows you what the HE1000 Unveiled is all about and how excellent it can sound. A technical and musical combo, with little to no flaws.

Switching to portable source, the AK SP3000T has no issues driving the HE1000 Unveiled either. I myself prefer listening to the HE1000 U in Tube mode where it has the fullest presence, with a softer and smoother delivery. The impact in bass and mid-fullness here is the biggest but the PRaT and overall technical performance are a tad behind the solid state and hybrid outputs. With both of those modes, the HE1000 Unveiled sounds faster, lighter, more neutral and more precise but also less engaging and dynamic to my ears. That said, I do find the HE1000 Unveiled to still perform better on the full-sized sources/amplifiers I have used it with. Think weight, presence, sound stage (openness) and layering. The combo is good if you need it to be portable, but it has its limitations.

From the super portable Chord Electronics Mojo 2, the HE1000 Unveiled sounds lighter and very neutral. Body and weight aren’t the most present here, resulting in more forward sounding vocals. It’s a tight, fast and precise combo and that in the most possible solid-state way. Compared to the SP3000T in tube mode, it couldn’t be more opposite. That said, the combo still sounds musical and if you like vocal presence and a neutral yet dynamic performance, this could be your thing. To me it is not the best companion for the HE1000 U, as it can sound so much better and more engaging from desktop gear.

TL;DR: I do find the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled’s performance to strongly depend on the gear you are using it with. While it sounds good most of the time, it doesn’t sound excellent with everything. Careful matching still is advised in my opinion. For me personally that means the Solaris and US4+ amplifiers, but that could of course be completely different for you depending on how you like the HE1000 U to sound.

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

Sound – Comparisons

For this section I used the neutrally tuned and transparent SAEQ PDA-1b amplifier, where I connect both headphones at the same time, allowing me to directly switch between the units. The DAC in use again is the R2R Aquarius.

The “old” HE1000 of course can’t be missing in this section. The HE1000 series are great headphones and they have won many awards, in this comparison we’re using the Stealth version. I personally don’t find the difference between both headphones to be very big, but it’s there. To me the Unveiled has the better timbre, mostly noticeable in the mids. In general the Unveiled also has better layering and stereo imaging and it sounds more open. Sound stage wise the difference to me is minimal but in favor of the U. Bass presence and mid weight is slightly higher in the Unveiled, making the original the more neutral of both. That said, on paper the Stealth should have the slightly higher sub bass presence, but measurements aren’t everything. I do find the technical level of the Unveiled to be the best, especially the decay and note extension in the midrange. Both headphones are still great, and it comes down to personal preference here.

Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled

Another contender in this price class is the Meze Empyrean 2 ($2,999 USD). This clearly is a darker and warmer sounding headphone than the Unveiled. It has more mid bass and mid presence. The Unveiled is more clear and energetic sounding, with better extension, speed and a livelier and more extended top end. The layering and stereo imaging in the Empyrean 2 is very good though. These are very differently tuned headphones (laid-back vs more forward). The Empyrean 2 can be really fun and relaxing to listen to, but the technical winner here is the Unveiled. Comfort and design wise, the Meze takes away the medals.

The ZMF Caldera ($3,499) is an excellent headphone, and very comparable to the U. Clarity is better in the Unveiled and it has a livelier vocal presentation, as well as top end with better clarity. The Caldera is the darker sounding one, though not anywhere close to the Empyrean 2. The Unveiled is the more energetic sounding headphone and it also gives you a more open experience, where the Caldera in this case sounds a little more intimate. High mids and treble are more peaky and energetic on the Unveiled, giving the impression of better detail, though that isn’t necessarily the case. On the Caldera this is less expressive and better balanced, but both presentation are good. The Hifiman’s comfort is better to me, but the ZMF looks best.

Conclusion

Like with the Susvara and Arya, Hifiman with this new Unveiled model has again managed to improve the original by pushing the technical boundaries.

I have always been a fan of the HE1000 headphones and the Unveiled version to me is the best of the series so far. It is technically strong as well as musical and it checks most, if not all of my boxes. It is a very comfortable and unique looking headphone. Not everyone will like the design, headband system and especially the open drivers but personally I feel it looks great. And as I am careful with my gear, the open driver doesn’t worry me one bit.

A good amplifier however is still recommended for the HE1000 U to sound its best. The HE1000 is quite transparent, and it will show you what your setup brings to the table. Your amplifier will heavily define how your HE1000 Unveiled sounds in the end.

If you’re in the market for a high-end headphone in this price class, the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled is one of, if not the best option of the moment. It absolutely deserves our Recommended Buy Award and it now can be found on our Best Buy Headphone list.

Summary

Pro:

  • Technical performance
  • Musical and natural presentation
  • Excellent Dynamics
  • Full package

Con:

  • Open drivers
4.3/5 - (172 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

9 Comments

  • Reply January 29, 2025

    Fonz Vorselaars

    Thanks for a great review. I have some questions. Would you EQ the headphones in the bass or treble department or do you prefer them the way they are?
    I have a Naim Uniti Atom Headphone edition. Is that a good match for the 1000 Unveiled in your opinion? Cheers Fonz

    • Reply January 29, 2025

      Lieven

      I never EQ. I like the HE1000 U just the way it is, but I do use amps to tune it according to my mood
      The Naim is a very good amp, I think it will work well. Most important is the body/weight for the HE1000 U, and the Neim should be good (though I have not heard the combo myself)

      • Reply January 29, 2025

        Fonz Vorselaars

        Thanks for the quick response.In other review people are complaing a bit about the 4000-6000 area. That is it too much !!! That is why they EQ and that’s why I asked you the question 🙂

        • Reply January 29, 2025

          Lieven

          I don’t find it worrisome, but note that I am in my 40s already

          • Reply January 29, 2025

            Fonz Vorselaars

            I’m 59 !!! I had a Meze Empyrean 2. Great headphone but not without EQ for me in the treble. I now have the 1000 Unveiled and the difference is like you said in your review. I had the Naim already and I think that it is hard to find something else that will beat this all in one for his price or do you have a better option in your mind ? No further questions. Thanks again

  • Reply January 29, 2025

    Christian

    Hello,
    could you give some comments about the synergy with the Nimbus amplifier which you just mentioned above?

    Thank you very much!

    Best regards

    • Reply January 29, 2025

      Lieven

      With the US4+ you have a full sounding HE1000 U, with punchy bass, weighty mids, and softer treble.
      The presentation is warmer and smoother/softer to the ear. It’s very engaging and dynamic, but not the most refined. It’s an excellent amp to even out the treble spikes

  • Reply January 30, 2025

    Mark

    How does it compare to Abyss Diana DZ?
    Thank you.

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