Louis reviews the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi, a set of flagship open-back planar driver headphones with WiFi lossless audio capability. It is currently priced at $2699.00.
Disclaimer: I received this sample in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I want to thank the team at HIFIMAN for their support.
Click here to read more about the HIFIMAN products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
We recently covered HIFIMAN’s Arya WiFi, and I personally considered it one of the most versatile, liberating, and nicest-sounding wireless solutions out there. But what about the big boy, the HE1000 WiFi?
The retail version of the HE1000 WiFi was also released alongside the Arya WiFi, but we decided to review the HE1000 WiFi after the Arya WiFi to save the best for last.
I do consider the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi an indulgence headphone because it’s not the type of headphone that you’ll find on an end shelf, perhaps on the top shelf. It offers something no other headphone has to offer besides its small brother, the Arya WiFi.
It’s indulgent because it offers audiophiles an audio cable-free experience, and even without having to use any additional external hardware. It’s a true AIO headphone.
Features
The HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi has a lot of features to talk about, being an all-in-one, self-contained audio device that connects via a USB cable or Bluetooth. But what supplies the goods in this model is the wireless WiFi connectivity via the built-in streamer.
The internal electronics of the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi have a built-in WiFi streamer, with HQ Bluetooth capabilities, and a HYMALAYA Mini DAC that’s accessible via USB-C cable.
Every feature of the Arya WiFi is here. In fact, the electronics appear to be the same on both WiFi models.
The only change that has taken place is the delay placed on the source selector, and now you have to press and hold the source button.
That way, you can’t accidentally press it while trying to raise or lower the volume while listening to music, since they are neighboring buttons. That change was achieved via a firmware update.
Again, I would have preferred a separate electronics module like the one that came with the DEVA line, but there are some upscaled components within this model compared to the DEVA, and I prefer that product development direction. But I’m sure it still could have been done.
I would have also preferred a hard-wire connection, you know, the old dual 3.5mm cup connectivity, but again, the USB cable will give you the sense that it has one. This is the only aspect that’s lacking on the HE1000 WiFi. The rest is all good. Mostly.
Driver
The original concept of the asymmetrical cup design remains. Why change it? HIFIMAN has a good thing here. The HE1000 Unveiled and legacy models never abandoned the design, and I’m all for that.
All the innovations that the HE1000 Unveiled drivers have incorporated are here. The rare-earth enhanced stealth magnet assembly, the nano diaphragm, it’s all there, but there’s an obvious obstacle I noticed.
Looking at where the electronics are placed, the sound has to travel through the cutout section in the center of the circuit board, which is similarly shaped to the cups. I would have assumed that would cause some refractions inside the cups.
The HE1000 Unveiled and other models from the same series had no obstructions between the ear and the driver. On the contrary, HIFIMAN has opened up their cans so their diaphragms can breathe easier, and this seems counterintuitive to that concept.
The Unveiled concept is implemented up to a certain point here. There is an additional grill behind the driver, which was not installed on the HE1000 Unveiled, and there’s also a thick cloth with an eleven-point star pattern cutout, which is mounted in front of the driver.
Mini Hymalaya DAC
The Mini Hymalaya DAC incorporated into the HE1000 WiFi is a miniature version of the Hymalaya Pro DAC found inside the Serenade.
The Hymalaya DAC is a hand-rolled chip from HIFIMAN and not something from off the shelf. Somehow, they managed to reduce the size of this chip to an 8mm chip for the WiFi models.
The Hymalaya DAC handles all the DA conversions, and you can access it directly through the use of a USB-C cable, which is included in the box. All you have to do is tap into a USB port on either a PC or a mobile device.
I didn’t need a driver to make this work, and it seems to be a plug-and-play device on my Windows 11 rig. Most bit rates were selectable as well.
Connected through the USB-C cable, you can playback audio formats from 44.1k and up to 768kHz formats directly on either 16bit, 24bit, or 32bit rates.
You can also play native DSD64 and up to DSD512. These don’t play MQA files, but I’m sure you’ve heard the latest news.
WiFi
I’m uncertain where the WiFi capability comes from, or what chip is used, particularly. If you look around, Qualcomm makes streaming chips, but it can also be a SimpleLink. But the firmware appears to be a custom HIFIMAN write-up venture.
The HE1000 WiFi has an easy-to-connect WiFi streamer, in that all you have to do is input an IP address and enter your router’s WiFi password after you connect the HE1000 WiFi to your mobile device on WiFi.
You also need the WiFi internal password to connect the streamer to your mobile device, which is 88888888.
Once you perform the 2-step process, you can stream to the HE1000 WiFi via many external apps with the Cast feature.
Most apps like Spotify, Qobuz, and Roon must be the pro versions for you to be able to access the cast feature. Apps like BubbleUPNP, Hi-Fi Cast, and others I haven’t discovered yet can play PCM and DSD internal files.
This is the major hurdle with the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi: finding compatible software.
There is a long list of software that is capable of casting through WiFi, but my experience with the HE1000 WiFi being compatible with software has been a hit-and-miss process.
Bluetooth
The Qualcomm 5181 is employed inside the HE1000 WiFi, which is one of the most up-to-date and modern solutions today. It counts on LDAC, AAC, SBC, and all the aptX codecs, except for the latest aptX Lossless codec.
I do feel that the implementation lacks the latest Bluetooth tech. For example, the radio works on the 5.1 band, and there’s no aptX Lossless.
At this level of tier, the radio should have been a 6.2 Bluetooth radio, which is the latest, or 6.0 minimum, and should have also included the Lossless codec.
I did enjoy the stability and range of the Bluetooth because it has a radio that can receive a signal around certain corners of my home, while others cannot.
The stability of the signal doesn’t rival the WiFi reception, but it’s one of the most stable Bluetooth implementations I’ve run into.
The Bluetooth section is separately updateable via firmware updates using the old, tried-and-true Gaia app. Just as always, it must be executed via your mobile device once you find the firmware file and download it to an accessible folder.
Design
The HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi comes with their latest Gen 2 composite headband, which, up to now, is my favorite they’ve made because it looks to be strong enough to last a long time, plus it retains the headstrap comfort.
The assembly is made from a combination of steel and polymers. I’m not sure if the cups are metal, but I could be wrong since they seem to be made of anodized aluminum.
Then again, it could be some sort of polymer, but I’m not in the mood to take them apart or scratch them up to find out.
The headstrap assembly is now on a swivel that makes it more comfortable than on some of the previous models, and it also makes it easier to replace since it’s held in place and actually swivels on a single screw.
Metal yokes that adjust similarly to the other HIFIMAN headbands are used here, but this time around, I’m not seeing any scratch marks on the dimples and orifices that mark each adjustment position.
They share a lot with the Arya WiFi, the only thing is that the Arya is all black, while HIFIMAN decided to dress the HE1000 WiFi in champagne and Noctua brown. Some will either love or hate the color scheme.
Comfort
Comfort levels are high while wearing the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi. Since the new headstrap assembly is now mounted on a more effective swivel, the comfort level was raised by a minuscule amount.
The clamping force feels taut but not tight. They feel like the old-style headband, to be honest. The comfort level is Sundara-like with the asymmetrical design. Imagine that.
They feel a bit on the sultry side, but I would just suggest not wearing them for very long periods.
I took five-minute breaks here and there because I tend to sweat when wearing these. That’s the effect of so much coverage on behalf of the pad size, which covers a lot of facial real estate.
Stock pads
I was spoiled as far as pads are concerned by HIFIMAN when they released the Audivina LE, because those pads are magnetically attached. They’re using the old clip-on system on the HE1000 WiFi, which works, but we’ve seen the light and can’t go back to it in preference.
The pads are the usual hybrid construction, and as you can see, their color is not black, but a Noctua-esque medium brown. That means only the original pads will work if you want to keep the color scheme intact.
The pads have a medium-density foam inside that doesn’t feel like memory foam, but their density is just fine when it comes to comfort, especially since my ears fully fit inside the cups with no pressure points. It’s typical of HIFIMAN’s asymmetrical cup design.
Controls
As previously stated, the only change to the functionality of the controls took place with the latest firmware update 26.03.07.01-v1, in which the source selector button now has to be held in for a few seconds in order for the source to switch over.
The source button defaults every time you cycle the power on and off to Bluetooth. The second hold and press puts you in the WiFi mode, in which the LED will start to display a green color. The third input is the USB in mode, in which the LED displays a pink-ish hue.
The volume buttons are atop the source selector. I think HIFIMAN needs to work on this aspect of the HE1000 WiFi because there’s finite adjustment here.
It feels like it only has 10 steps or fewer, and from one setting in volume, let’s say, the next step up becomes extremely loud or, conversely, too low. This makes it hard to find an ideal volume setting and to make finite adjustments.
The only other button is the power button, which sports a mode LED that lets you see if the battery is being charged or if fully charged.
Battery life
Speaking of battery, the life of the battery and how far it can take you was a mixed bag for me.
The times specified by HIFIMAN were somewhat elongated from my real-world experience. I think that standby time is more than what HIFIMAN specified, which is 30 days of standby time, but that’s it.
I got around the same times I got from the Arya WiFi, which were way below what HIFIMAN quotes. The worst part is that it takes a long time to charge up.
It takes almost four hours to charge with any charger, so don’t bother charging the internal battery with a fast charger. Don’t expect a 15-minute charge to give you an hour’s time of playback either.
Packaging & Accessories
As always and customary of the HE1000 line, the WIFI comes in a nice hinged black vinyl-covered box with a large metal badge upfront. It’s reminiscent of the old HIFIMAN packaging, which was usually a step above the rest in supplying a generous unboxing experience.
But this time around, the HE1000 WiFi comes with a large soft-cover owner’s manual instead of a hardcover book.
Aside from that, the HE1000 WiFi comes with a 6-foot USB-C-to-USB-A cable, and that’s it. A do-it-all HIFIMAN app like the one that comes with my WiiM would have been nice.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and selected comparisons.
