Yeah, Harman didn't make the Harman Target without reason, so it'd make sense that Sennheiser and probably Hifiman got pretty similar results.

It doesn't really make sense time wise that one of them copied the other, probably lots of time researching and testing for both manufacturers.

True that lol.

To me, yeah. That was the vibe I got when I first tried them. Never had them side by side though.

Ehh, susvara's tone is close enough to say that it tried to follow the HE-1.

I don't think I've tried a headphone with similar timbre to the HE-1, but it literally might be me forgetting things lol.

I swear, it's a gateway drug.

My buddy: "Aww, I was missing out this whole time. What's the price?"

Sennheiser rep: "$59,000. You can customise the colour of the marble and the logo"

My buddy: "Gosh darn it, gotta start somewhere"

Me: "Fancy headphones or a decent car..."

Hifiman: " Lemme intoduce you to our cheaper tonally similar $6,000 headphone..."

Get him something cheaper. Make him realise first that his mdr 7506 are pretty decent and are not just "cheap studio cans".

Then, book a listening session for the he-1.

I'd go for a lcd x or 2c if you want good bass. Dynamic drivers just cannot go as low as a planar can.

True, and the sound signature is so unique for a flagship. If it had decent resolution, it'd probably be fighting with the Utopias.

1. Senn HE-1: Tried it for 10 minutes. Cannot describe the sound, hope it breaks my wallet (and possibly my neck) one day. The only electrostatic headphone that I really enjoy.
2. Hifiman SUSvara: Just like u/radrod69 said, jack of all trades, master of none.
3. Beyer DT1990: Wasn't looking forward to them after seeing FR graph, now using daily for detail and imaging
4. Senn HD560s and similar looking ones: Really comfortable for me. Using for everything that isn't critical listening. 560s sounds dull, 598/558 has too much mid bass and lower mids. Eq isn't an option because it's being used on a lot of devices.
5. Focal Clear OG: Utopia would probably go here if I didn't literally forget how it sounds...
6. Audio Technica R70X: I prefer this over senn's he6 line. I don't prefer the flappy wings though.
7. Hifiman HE1000v2: A mad scientist tweaked Arya into a detailed monster. Also comes with the drawbacks of a detailed monster.
8. Hifiman Arya SE: I don't know why I like HE1000v2 more.
9. Meze elite: Sounds so soothing. Would be so much better if it had better resolution or a smaller price tag...
10. Abyss AB1266: I'd like a baby between this and the elites, and that baby grown up is the HE-1.

Extra: Phillips SHP9500: The maniacal a**hole that started this mess...

What's the logic behind that? I hope it's not another stupid tiktok...

It's pretty bad.

Assuming you don't have any hearing problems, your listening volume should not be able to damage them. Have the e10k in low gain just in case an application tries to deafen you.

Are you trying to damage them? If so, why?

I swear... if I see another deal that I can't buy because of shipping reasons, I'm moving to the US.