The Package

HiFiMAN went all-in with the HE-1000 and even made a point of shipping it in a pleather and metal box.


The bundle is surprisingly complete for what we have come to expect high-end headphones to include. You get three cables, an owners manual, and the reusable box!


You get a lot of termination options with the HE-1000's cable bundle as there are the regular 1/4" and 1/8" cables and a balanced cable. This cable bundle pretty much covers all headphone amplifiers out there, which is pretty sweet!


The recent change from coax to micro-jacks on HiFiMAN headphones has also made it to the HE-1000. These are very easy to insert and seem to be as sturdy as coax connectors.

Closer Examination

HiFiMAN's new design is gorgeous, an orgy of leather, wood, and aluminum. The look definitely matches the price and so does the build quality and feel, for the most part. There were some issues on our sample with adjusting the headband's force, but HiFiMAN should resolve those with their production model.


Most of the HE-1000's defining visual features are actually performance driven. HiFiMAN reports that the "window shade"-design sounds a fair bit better than the regular flat hexagonal mesh type.


There is almost no visible plastic on the HE-1000, which definitely helps in terms of looks. The HE-1000 looks classy and pretty old school despite being packed with the very latest planar magnetic technology.


A soft leather headband adorns the HE-1000. It is good at balancing the pressure, and the holes add some much needed airflow. This headphone is right up there with the HD-800 from Sennheiser in terms of comfort. Its low clamping force and the generous size of its ear cups mean there is no contact between them and your ears.


It has been a while since HiFiMAN adopted their angled pad design, and the HE-1000 carries this feature through onto the larger oval-shaped design. The angled offset should help in making the sound project more naturally, and with headphones where we tested angled and flat pads back to back, it does seem to help somewhat, but such also depends quite heavily on the headphone itself.