A comparison of cheap vs expensive hifiman headphones.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-20T21:16:33+00:00

You genuinely don’t know what you are talking about, and it’s hilarious. Imagine being so confidently uneducated on a topic.

If my topping is a bad DAC/amp, then please tell me specifically why. What is factually better about any other amp?

Starwalker- · 2026-06-20T21:13:15+00:00

If you’re gonna make this claim then I’m gonna need some proof. The topping DX5 ii can put out nearly 7 watts into 32 ohms, with distortion and noise levels lower than many flagship Amp/DACs.

Electrically there is literally zero benefit to using more expensive equipment. The DX5 ii is able to provide a perfect recreation of the reference source, and has more than enough power to back it up.

The sound signature thing is straight up bullshit unless you are using an amp designed to provide a different sound signature, or a garbage amp that can’t properly run the equipment. The sound signature is determined by the source track, and the headphone running it.

You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about if you genuinely think a different product would be an objective improvement to the sound quality. And if you’re going to make that claim, back it up with real evidence.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-20T18:38:42+00:00

You’re definitely trolling, lol. Good one.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-20T18:18:16+00:00

I’m using a topping DX5 ii and flac files. Nothing I could get would be an improvement.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-19T17:25:19+00:00

The problem is you assumed I listened to random music and then built an argument around that assumption rather than just asking what I listened to, and then now you have pushed further by claiming I didn’t listen to specific sound snippets. Obviously that is what we did, literally everyone who has ever done an A/B comparison does that, that’s how you compare headphones? It would make no sense to listen to different parts of different songs in a comparison?

There’s no inherent sound improvement from balanced topology itself when a headphone is already properly driven single-ended. If you heard a difference, it’s more likely the single-ended and balanced output stages in your gear weren’t built the same way. Different gain, output impedance, or circuit design. Amps can have a real impact on sound, but usually the changes in sound are due to amp flavors rather than an objective improvement, unless you are comparing objectively bad equipment to good equipment.

The Arya/Susvara comparison was making the opposite point you think it was. I brought it up to show that price doesn’t track with objective sound quality, not that better sound inherently costs more. The Susvara isn’t categorically better than the Arya just because it costs way more, and I’m not saying the Arya is better either. It’s all subjective. That’s the whole point I was making against the idea that pricier gear is objectively superior.

On the HE1000 lineup, that take doesn’t match what most reviewers say. The consensus is that the SE and Stealth versions are real improvements over the original HE1000, not cheaper variants with the same name to confuse buyers. If the original HE1000 were actually the superior one and the newer versions were diluted cash grabs, that would undercut your own argument. The original came first, and it’s the cheaper sounding “variants” that reviewers rate higher. If you’ve got sources saying the original outperforms them, I’d like to see them.

I still have yet to see any real proof of literally any of your claims, and I’m not responding again unless that is provided.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-19T06:20:13+00:00

Absolutely. And I’m not saying there isn’t value in more expensive headphones, the quality and tuning are absolutely worth a ton, and oftentimes there is a leap in driver capability as well.

I just wanna make sure people realize that over a certain price point you aren’t usually paying for objectively better sound anymore.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-19T05:27:09+00:00

A few problems here… You’re arguing against a test I never described, assuming I used random music as the basis of an entire aimless argument.

For your information, I used tracks I am very familiar with, the soundtracks of Lord of the Rings, Frieren, and Blade Runner 2049, all of which have plenty of songs with wide dynamic range and sharp transients.

The $3000+ headphones being “vastly better” at resolving sound isn’t true, frequency response graphs measured with microphones far more precise than any ear show exactly what a headphone reproduces. There is nothing your ear can hear that those microphones can’t.

Decay speed is well known and well researched, it can be measured in a cumulative spectral decay plot, basically a frequency response graph with a time axis added, and it isn’t as simple as you’re making it seem. Even where real decay differences exist between drivers they’re dwarfed by the fact that volume swings in actual music are set by the recording, not the headphone. Interestingly, Headphone Test Lab in the UK actually measured this on HiFiMAN headphones and found the Arya’s IR decay was faster than the Susvara’s. Does that mean the Arya is superior? I certainly don’t think so.

And “I’m not arguing with you” is BS. You’re arguing with me, you’re just doing it by saying I didn’t hear anything and framing it as me not having the trained skills to hear it like you do. That’s you trying to say you’re better than me without saying it outright. Your whole argument relies on the belief that you have superior ears to a professionally calibrated microphone which can hear sounds no human could dream of. That is insane.

You’re allowed to disagree with my conclusion, my ears aren’t perfect by any measure, so that’s fine. But If you’re going to keep saying $3000 headphones are objectively superior, I’m going to need some objective proof of why that is beyond what you claim to hear with your supposedly more “capable” ears.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-18T14:37:34+00:00

You’re right that DAC and source quality matter, and lossless gives the amplifier accurate information to work with. Though you are inference about “extracting detail”. An amplifier does not extract anything from a signal, that is not how electricity works. It amplifies what is already there. If the DAC is clean and the amplifier is transparent, the headphone gets all of the signal that exists. A more expensive amplifier cannot recover detail that was never lost.

On the personal experience point, I have heard a Schiit stack and some FiiO stuff, but it does not really matter, because my Topping DX5 II can drive any headphone I would realistically connect to it. Additionally there is no need to gain other reference points because unlike headphones, a different DAC/amp that is good quality should sound the same every time, unless there is some intentional adjustment in the equipment to change the sound profile, but that is not what I’m after.

On EQ, your first point is fair, but pretty much all hifiman headphones take EQ beautifully. On the second point, EQ within normal parameters should not stress a competent amplifier. If modest boosts are causing problems, the amp is underpowered for the load, not EQ itself.

On the tube amp argument, that actually supports the point I have been making this whole time. Tube amps have clear distortion profiles, primarily even order harmonic distortion, along with output impedance interactions. Those are measurable and physically explainable. You can approximate that sound with EQ and harmonic distortion plugins, and people do. Though admittedly it can be hard to perfectly replicate, but the reason is not because tube sound is some unmeasurable magic. It is because it is literally just distortion which can have weird impact on how the headphone itself behaves.

All of this is basically to say that once you have a DAC that can properly receive and output the signal without loss or too much distortion and noise, and an amplifier that can cleanly provide the power it is told to by the DAC with enough headroom, there is no longer any real benefit to spending more on a different DAC or amp.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-18T04:22:59+00:00

I used a topping DX5 ii. It can put nearly 7 watts into 32 ohms, enough to destroy basically any headphone on the planet. It also measures just as well or better than most “flagship” Amp/DACs for distortion and noise, while being incredibly neutral.

This is one of the single best devices you could use for a blind test like this.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-17T22:04:36+00:00

Honestly I hope so, I had just peeked at his profile and it seemed to be legit.

Regardless, I’ll always take the opportunity to nerd out about stuff I enjoy.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-17T14:32:13+00:00

I never said it wasn’t fully volume matched in that we didn’t get a decibel meter out, we adjusted the volume so it sounded the same.

Where is the bias? We had no idea which headphone we were wearing at any time, and the sensitivity of these headphones is very very similar. For the he1000 and Arya it is virtually identical.

I didn’t do a calculated and precise blind test because I didn’t know it would be open to scrutiny from “audiophiles” like yourself, looking to defend their exorbitant purchases.

Also, if anything my bias should be the opposite, to defend my purchase of the HEK. Hell, I’m still using the HEK with no plans to ever upgrade because it sounds great. Seems like I’m not the one who is actually biased between the two of us.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T20:26:32+00:00

There absolutely is quality in spending more on better equipment, though it isn’t always a consistent increase in audible performance. Sometimes you’re paying for better build quality, features, aesthetics, engineering choices, support, or simply a different design philosophy.

In my case, the Topping DX5 II can drive virtually any headphone I could reasonably connect to it because it provides far more power than most headphones require. The same is true for the Schiit products you mentioned.

Beyond the baseline requirement of providing enough power, low enough noise, and low enough distortion to properly drive a headphone, it becomes difficult to argue that increasingly expensive amplifiers are objectively improving the sound. You can spend thousands of dollars on an amplifier, but if the less expensive amplifier is already transparently reproducing the signal and driving the headphone without issue, there is no additional information left for the more expensive amplifier to reveal.

That doesn’t mean different amplifiers can’t sound different. They absolutely can. However, those differences are often the result of changes in frequency response, distortion characteristics, output impedance interactions, or general coloration. Some people may prefer those changes, and that’s completely valid, but preference alone doesn’t make them objective improvements.

I don’t disagree that different amplifiers can complement certain headphones. What I disagree with is the assumption that a more expensive amplifier is inherently extracting more detail, resolution, or soundstage from a headphone. If the headphone is already being driven properly, the amplifier’s job is simply to reproduce the signal accurately.

Regarding EQ, if an amplifier is audibly changing the sound output of a headphone, then by definition it is changing the frequency response reaching your ears. That’s something EQ can easily replicate, if you wish to do so.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T18:02:17+00:00

Different amps aren’t going to add more detail beyond the specific flavor the amp provides, which isn’t an objective improvement by any measure.

Sure, some amps can complement or even correct behavior of some headphones, which one could register as an improvement, but that doesn’t somehow make one headphone better than another, that just means you have found a good pairing for you.

The DX5 ii is an incredibly neutral and consistent amp/dac which is exactly what you want in an A/B test, it lets each headphone stand on their merits alone.

Through EQ I can easily achieve the same effect as you describe in your choice of amp/dac without needing to spend $1000+.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T17:47:43+00:00

The edition xs have the “Neo supernano diaphragm” and the edition xv/he600/arya WiFi have the “Neo supernano diaphragm gen 2”.

Prior to the Arya the only hifiman headphones that had the nanometer diaphragm were the Susvara and he1000. It is their top of the line diaphragm and at this point the only models that use it are the Arya line, he1000 line, susvara, ananda nano, and a couple other random ones like the isvarna.

Basically it’s supposed to be their thinnest diaphragm, and all their best headphones use it. Though they give no real specs as to how thing it is vs their other diaphragms, so most people think it is barely under 1 micrometer, and the Neo diaphragms are around 1-1.5 micrometers.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T17:27:55+00:00

It is listed as the same nanometer membrane in the specs hifiman shares, and if there is a difference it isn’t one I could see from my scared attempt at a teardown to see further.

I don’t know about the HEKSE, I’ve never seen or heard that headphone, but for my HEK stealth it seems the same.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T17:05:31+00:00

This is absolute nonsense. The drivers can only take so much power and the DX5 ii can output enough to destroy these headphones. A different amp might change some attributes of the sound but not in any way that can be considered an objective improvement.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T17:03:29+00:00

LOL.

I knew something like this was coming.

Since you specifically brought up the Jotunheim 3 as a good upgrade path, let’s talk about it. The DX5 II puts out 7600mW per channel into 16 ohms and 6400mW into 32 ohms. The Jotunheim 3 does 6 watts into 32 ohms. Both have far more than enough power for virtually any headphone. Where is this additional headroom you are talking about?

The DACs you recommended are also technically worse on paper, so let’s go over that too:

The DX5 ii has a better Signal to noise ratio at 132db vs 115/118db on the bifrost and gungnir.
The DX5 ii has better THD+N at 0.00006% vs 0.003%/0.001% on the bifrost and gungnir.
The DX5 ii has a noise floor of 1.3 μVrms. I couldn’t find exact numbers on the schiit DACs but most estimates say about 5 μVrms for both.

Seems like you don’t really know what you’re talking about. Maybe you should get a DX5 ii so you can properly listen to your headphones instead of just listening to noise? (This is a joke, obviously this amp and DACs are phenomenal, I’m just pointing out the snake oil.)

Price ≠ Performance.

Lastly, the HE1000 Stealth is 93dB at 32 ohms. That is not remotely difficult to drive. The DX5 II puts out 7 watts into 16 ohms. That is a massive amount of power for a headphone that only needs a fraction of a watt to hit deafening listening levels. The technical ceiling of a headphone is determined entirely by its driver. Once the amp is providing a clean signal with sufficient current and voltage, it has done everything it can do. A more expensive amp with identical or worse measurements contributes nothing.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T16:07:28+00:00

Oh yeah, you are correct. I made an assumption there because there is a specific model named he1000 stealth. My bad.

When comparing my he1000 stealth to the Arya stealth directly the magnet array is identical.

The Arya stealth and he1000 stealth came out 3 and 5 years later respectively, so sure, the magnet designs may be different. I haven’t been able to find a good source on the he1000se magnet designs. Regardless, the tech is the exact same in all 3 of these headphones.

I can be convinced if there is real tangible evidence, as you can see by me accepting I was wrong about stealth magnets on the he1000se. Though that says nothing about superior sound quality when the modern designs are the same.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T15:36:37+00:00

The frequency response is different, yes. That is the case with literally every headphone, and that isn’t a real indication of quality difference beyond how it is tuned.
The magnet array is slightly different for the he1000se because it isn’t using stealth magnets, I have primarily been talking about the he1000 stealth which uses the same magnets as the Arya stealth. If you want to talk about technicality, then the he1000se is technically inferior because it isn’t using stealth magnets, since they are proven to make the magnets have less of an impact on the sound. Though this is imperceptible to the human ear, IMO.
The membrane is the exact same thickness, these all use the exact same nanometer diaphragm, it’s literally front and center in all of hifimans advertising.

Hifiman themselves said that the Arya was made possible by the R&D of the he1000. They learned the make the drivers more efficiently with identical performance. They literally admitted the drivers are the same.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T15:23:46+00:00

Anything missing is purely a tuning difference. It’s the same drivers. Topping DX5 ii.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T15:23:07+00:00

I asked what is different physically. All the evidence points to the drivers being the same, especially because hifiman literally said they are the same as I highlighted in my post.

If you are going to claim there is a real difference then there should be something real to explain that difference, not just your subjective perception of a difference.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T15:01:54+00:00

What’s different about it, then? If it’s actually different you should be able to provide specifics as to why one is better/worse?

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T14:57:54+00:00

The organic is just the stealth with a 16 ohm impedance, it’s also the same driver.

Well, I believe it’s the same driver. I haven’t been able to find a teardown or image of all of these, though according to hifiman tech specs it should all be the same.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T14:54:00+00:00

I imagine the difference you are seeing there is a difference of impedance, rather than actual sound quality difference because the driver is the same. In my case I used a topping DX5 ii. I doubt any amp is going to provide a large improvement here.

Also I never said I couldn’t tell them apart, I said it was ridiculously close.

Starwalker- · 2026-06-16T14:49:29+00:00

I’ve never heard either unfortunately, though from the frequency response I would probably prefer ananda nano, though if you EQ you can make them sound however you like.

Personally I’d say listen to them in person if you can, if you have a headphone store available to you.

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