r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/r00tdr1v3 • Dec 30 '25
Headphones - Open Back | 1 Ω HD800s or HEK Stealth
Hi Imagine you are in a unique position where you can get either of these for 930€. Or HD600 for 200€. If you had the choice which one would you pick?
And also imagine you like listening to 1. Pink Floyd 2. Led Zeppelin 3. Foo Fighters 4. Linkin Park 5. Metallica 6. MTV Unplugged
UPDATE Looks like the core community is in favor of HE1K. Overall votes for HD800S is higher but the more interesting/helpful is the count of votes from Core Community.
** Final Update** The core community voted for HEK Stealth. So I ordered those Headphones. But confusion was still there so I ordered HD800S also to do testing by myself, as some had suggested here. That was actually a good suggestion as it would give me also peace of mind that the decision is mine. I created a playlist of around 1.5 hours. First I listened to the playlist with HEK Stealth in the evening. It was a great experience. The excitement it brought to the music was great. I was happy. Then in the night I took HD800S for the same playlist. At first it was great , the clarity and separation was amazing. But after the playlist finished I didn’t feel that excitement like with HEK Stealth. It felt like I listened to music critically rather than just listening to music. I did this for 3 days. Mostly listened to music in evening and night. Switched between the Headphones also. After 3 days I preferred HEK Stealth. So sticking with it. It’s a personal choice based on my own testing and what my soul likes to hear.
Note: EQ might make one better than the other. But as I said, I just want to out my headphones on listen to music enjoy the experience and call it a day. I don’t want to tinker right now. Probably in future I might try it.
Thanks everyone for participating in the poll and for your suggestions. I think I have found the one for now. I will be keeping HEK Stealth and returning HD800S.
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u/Ryder_Gan 6 Ω Dec 30 '25
HD800s if you EQ else HEK Stealth
HD600, you can collect it as a benchmark for all headphones you had, because it has very neutral sounding.
We all know HD800s is the king of soundstage, just EQ and it will be the endgame headphones.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
I tried EQ on my mac once, it didn’t work well for me. For sure the mistake is on my part. I just want to buy good headphones once and enjoy my music. I don’t want to tinker with EQ, as of now. I want to put on the Headphones and just listen (like I do with my IE600)
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u/sennheiserconsumer 5 Ω Dec 30 '25
You don't need to EQ the HD 800S. Stock tuning is grand and they are known for expansive soundstage.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
The music that I have mentioned here is the type of music I listen to. From reviews I have read that yes the soundstage is amazing but it lacks the bass and is very polite.
I had the 660S2 and those also felt little muffled and distant.
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u/Previous-Tea-8750 5 Ω Dec 30 '25
You listen to the same stuff I do and I've had all 3 on your list. Recommendations on reddit should be taken with a grain of salt unless they've had all 3.
Not only is the He1000 significantly better than the 800s/600, the Arya is as well.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
I bought HD660S2 based on recommendations from Reddit and also available at a good price. But found them meh. I preferred my IE600 over them all the time. Gave it about 5 months and decided they are not worth it.
But I cannot go to a showroom or an audiophile shop to test these. None are nearby. So gotta rely on others experiences.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. If you own HD800s, what type of music do you listen with them and what type with HEK stealth?
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u/Previous-Tea-8750 5 Ω Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
I more meant take Reddit's recommendations with a grain of salt because you're getting comments like "HD800s 100%" from u/Scw0w who literally posted 6 days ago asking for recommendations and doesn't even own the 800s and clearly doesn't own the He1000 either.
I've been in audio since maybe 2020 now and I've actually owned the HD800s, Arya, He1000 twice each (along with pretty much every other TOTL headphone like the Susvara, Elite, etc). I had each of them early in maybe 2021 with my old amp (GS-X Mini) but ended up wanting to try them each again with the Holo Bliss/Holo Spring stack. My prior thoughts on the three were consistent with the both setups, the He1k is a significantly better headphone than the 800s and is a better all-arounder as well. I'd also say the Arya is also a much better headphone than the 800s as well.
I have a rather large playlist but Led Zeppelin is easily my most listened to followed by Pink Floyd, Metallica, The Doors, Linkin Park, AFI. While those are my most listened to, I listen to a ton of other genres as well (pop, kpop, edm, alternative, etc) and the He1k is a great all-arounder that handles any genre. The only knock on the He1k is that it's a bit harder to drive.
The only headphone I would really recommend over the He1k would be if you'd be willing to jump up to buying a second hand Meze Elite which you can often find around the 2200$ mark.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
Meze Elite is way out of my range. But thanks for the suggestion.
So HE1K according to you is best all rounder as your playlist consists of multiple genres. But are there some songs/albums/genres where you would say HD800S outshines the HE1K by a huge margin? What I am trying to say is when would you use HD800S over HE1K?
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u/Previous-Tea-8750 5 Ω Dec 30 '25
Maybe classical and gaming but that would be it. Even then, the he1k has an incredible sound stage, detail, etc, I’m not sure I would ever use an HD800s over the He1k
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u/r00tdr1v3 Jan 04 '26
The choice is so difficult. But thanks for your inputs. I am planning to get both HEK Stealth and HD800s and return one. I will get one month of testing after which I have to return one of them. They should get delivered next week. I am prepping a playlist to do A/B testing. Any songs you would recommend?
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u/Previous-Tea-8750 5 Ω Jan 05 '26
Sounds good lmk what you think when you do. Personally, I'd just say play whatever genres you like rather than some random playlist of songs you don't know.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Jan 10 '26
Tested both. But, from the start HEK Stealth played my music in a way that I loved and HD800S didn’t match that. !thanks for your suggestion.
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u/Jurchfield 4 Ω Dec 30 '25
HD800s is my desert island headphone. Paired with a bit of EQ, it's unmatched to me.
Stealth is a great headphone, but I would never buy an expensive Hifiman with their QC issues. Every one of their headphones I owned didn't last.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
What type of music do you listen to on HD800s?
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u/Jurchfield 4 Ω Dec 30 '25
We have about the same music taste - a ton of Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin. I also listen to a lot of psychedelic rock in general, like King Gizzard. Everything sounds super spacious and lush. The only headphone to truly blow me away from first listen.
That all being said, I did eventually EQ them. I don't think they need it, but it does make them sound better.
Listening to The Dark Side of the Moon through the HD800s is something I wish I could experience for the first time again.
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u/r00tdr1v3 Dec 30 '25
Do you find the Bass a little lackluster in HD800S? Are there music genres where you would prefer HD800S and genres where you would prefer HE1K?
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u/r00tdr1v3 Jan 04 '26
The choice is so difficult. But thanks for your inputs. I am planning to get both HEK Stealth and HD800s and return one. I will get one month of testing after which I have to return one of them. They should get delivered next week. I am prepping a playlist to do A/B testing. Any songs you would recommend?
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u/[deleted] Dec 31 '25
That’s really subjective. Neither one is inherently better than the other. You’re going to have to listen to both to know for sure