HE1000se

I own he1000se and susvara, and i use he1000se for gaming. You can hear players crouching in Fortnite with them.

Stealth V3 was better especially for gaming than all \~20 other headphones i tried for 2-4 weeks each but then organic immediately beat it by a mile, especially in imaging and soundstage (with EQ all headphones) and i think organic is where you have the last good price increase that actually yields enormous changes. Then i tried HE1000se, and it just perfected everything for me. Imaging in V3 in the front angle was bad in games, sides were fine, Organic fixed it and with HEKSE i hear things literally noone in my team hears and when they hear it later they dont know where it comes from yet. I give so many more sound comms now because it feels like i went from being deaf to having hearing Try the organic, for me it was only \~55€ difference to V3 and it is so much better. https://preview.redd.it/m5m5rne8bzvg1.jpeg?width=8160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52352ad36446a112e4ccacff4dc7829ec5e235fa

Good skip, Organic is a straight upgrade to V3 I didnt try Unveiled, but from all the reviews i found, HEKSE is simply better overall, HEKU is more detailed but to a point where its getting to be too much if you catch me. You can find a lot of opinions on it vs HEKSE and for my use case (competetive gaming and enjoying music secondary) i dont think i will find something better than HEKSE. Might try HEKU for a month at some point tho just to see

HE1000 Stealth. Last night it painted a picture that no other headphone in my collection could match. In ARC Raiders I spawned near a Raider cache, which has a subtle whirring & ticking audio cue. The sound is easy to miss, especially if it's raining in game since the white noise masks this whirring & ticking. The spawn glitched and I didn't have video, just audio for a while and I couldn't move, only turn. So I took the opportunity to A-B some of my favorite gaming headphones. Wearing the HE1000 Stealth, the direction and distance of the cache was crystal clear. As soon as I put on the HD490 Pros (which are highly regarded for wall-hacking abilities), the cache's audio cue was mostly drowned out by the white noise of the rain. I could hear its direction faintly. But it seemed very distant and veiled. The "shhhhhh" white noise of the rain dominated the sound field and sounded more like a sound effect than actual rain. I was surprised how close to my head the sound was since I had considered the HD490's to have a nice soundstage and imaging. However the rain wasn't nearly as spacious as with the HE1000. As I turned around, the HD490 did give an excellent sense of left, left-center, center, right-center, right and a good sense of behind when I had my back to the cache. But I was shocked how much clearer the sound was with the HE1000. Then I tried my old R70x. The whirring and ticking was a bit louder relative to the rain sound than on the HD490; however as I turned the sound would almost immediately go from left to right and right to left. It was almost impossible to discern when I faced the cache dead on. Again I was surprised because the R70x had long been lauded for its excellent imaging. Then for grins & chuckles, I tried my beautiful Focal Clear. Immediately improved dynamics was evident but I was dismayed by the relative lack of soundstage. I could hear the cache more clearly, but like the R70x, its sound would almost immediately go from left to right and right to left as I turned, but never clearly forward. That reminded me I used these initially with ARC Raiders due to the game's excellent sound design, but switched to the HD490 because any time I heard a Raider cache, I'd have to zig-zag like a lunatic to find it. Eagerly I put the HE1000 Stealth back on my head and WOW! Now I truly appreciated the incredible holographic deep, wide, and tall stage with spot-on timbre. Absolutely stunning immersion. I could practically hear every raindrop. The HE1000's layering is first class. Now the cache's whirring & ticking was no longer blended and smeared with the rain's white noise. I could hear it as a distinct sound source cutting through the rain drops. Simply amazing. By now the glitch resolved so I had video and was able to move. I turned and ran directly to the hidden cache. Found it immediately. With the HD490 I would have immediately turned in the right direction but question its distance and either walk slowly or potentially run past it. With either the R70x or Focal Clear, I'd have to zig-zag my way there, wasting precious time, drawing attention, and staying exposed. The HE1000 Stealth is a true game changer. Furthermore the ARC of ARC Raiders are mostly flying death machines, so verticality is huge. None of the headphones above come even close to the height or depth of stage of the HE1000. For example, when hiding in a building from a Rocketeer or damn Firefly, hoping to sneak pot shots from a window, the HE1000 BY FAR gives me the best idea of where the flying enemy actually is. Other headphones got me killed. Now I can patiently solo a Rocketeer without taking damage. The HE1000 Stealth is indeed a game changer. P.S. The HE1000se layers even better than Stealth due to its thinner diaphragm and has a bigger soundstage in large part due to its treble emphasis. But I was concerned the treble emphasis would get fatiguing during stupid long gaming sessions. Plus I didn't mind saving $700. Also too big a soundstage can exaggerate distances. This is why many elite gamers tried the HD800s and don't like it for FPS where distance cues are as critical as direction. P.P.S. The Arya uses a thicker diaphragm than the HE1000 so it will not layer quite as phenomenally. I tried them, but it had a blatant driver mismatch so I returned them. HiFiMan has spotty QC, so I would avoid their cheaper models, even if the deals are so so tempting. Plus if you're like most of us here, you'll keep chasing that endgame headphone, so why not just cut to the chase with the HE1000 ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯

I'd probably recommend Drop/ Sennheiser PC38x for multiplayer/ directional audio and HiFiMan Edition XS (or perhaps Sundara if you have small ears; not comfortable for me) for cinematic single player games for fairly affordable headsets within a few hundred bucks. I've read good things about the Audeze Maxwell. Going much higher will probably require an amp and get MUCH pricier. For PC and listening to music, I use an HE1000SE, which will challenge your statement about budget not mattering. It's by far the best set of headphones I've ever used for gaming (including the also excellent Sennheiser HD 490 Pro, which I also own) or music but definitely not low budget.

My most expensive set of headphones is currently the HiFiMan HE1000se, which is far and away the most detailed and has the most impressive soundstage of anything I've heard. You're going to have to spend WAY more to find significant technical improvements over this. I use it for both music and gaming (may be the best there is for this). It can be a bit spicy on the treble, so I EQ that down a bit. From there it's close to perfect for me. I'm generally satisfied with this as my "endgame" headphones for now and an not inclined to spend 4x or 5x more for the next step up like the Susvara/ Susvara Unveiled. There is a place in my area that has some Focals, so I may check out the Clear and Utopia when I have free time, but I'd have to be absolutely blown away to consider going any more expensive than what I already have.

Agreed, not likely to buy any of these. I might buy the Audeze Maxwell on a great sale. I have a couple of headphones for console that can be powered by a potato, the PC38x and Aune AR5000. For PC, where I'd play competitive games, I use HE1000se, HE6se V2, and HD490 Pro. I've heard the Arya Stealth is also excellent for gaming, but I don't have that one.

I was originally interested in the HD800s as my "endgame" headphones, but I ended up buying the HE1000se instead after reading comments of people who have tried both. It's definitely the best pair of headphones I've ever used.

No, I bought the HE1000se instead.

Just about any headset or headphones tuned in a manner that's good for gaming will sound great on PS5 provided it has adequate power. The higher quality headset, the better it is likely to sound. I have a few easy to power headphones (as in no amp; plug into controller) I mainly use with the PS5 Pro, the PC38x, Aune AR5000, and soon the Audeze Maxwell 2 (well, this one is wireless). I also have the Ziigaat Arete 1 IEMs. The Maxwell 2 is supposed to also work with the Switch 2, which I'll try out soon. I'd have to figure out how to get an amp working with the PS5 and get long enough cables to run to my couch for my higher end headphones like the HE1000se, HE6se v2, or HD490 Pro. I haven't bothered with that and just use those with my PC for both gaming and music.

A price range is pretty important for these types of questions. Also, do you want wireless only? With PS5 Pro, I’ve personally used Drop/ Sennheiser PC38x (predecessor PC37x would be cheaper option) for multiplayer or fast paced games (like Returnal) for good directional audio and HiFiMan Edition XS for cinematic single player games. You would need to plug them into your controller in the 3.5mm jack. I’m not into the overpriced and underperforming “gamer brand” headsets. A decent Sennheiser headset typically blows them into the weeds and lasts years longer. I have higher end headsets that would blow your mind like the HD490 Pro and especially the HE1000se I use on PC. Those are probably going to be way too pricey for this discussion.

HE1000SE, its the upgrade from the arya’s and its the same price. Dont have to deal with capping and uncapping your headphones everytime you take them off, more detail, better imaging and soundstage. Arya Unveiled is going to be warmer but still bright, but if you EQ anyway the HE1000 drivers are better and can deliver bass while being clear but not harsh if you eq them properly. Competition wise, focal has bad build quality, lcd-x is heavy+tight clamping and isnt technical, not sure about dca

This is quite common with the HE1000se, they are extremely revealing and are on the bright side. I would use the EQ software Peace, switch to ZMF's earpads or invest in a warmer source chain.

I've got those plus Focal Utopia but no contest compared to my Tad me-1 speakers.