A little over 11 years ago, the HIFIMAN HE1000 set a new standard for what was possible with an audiophile quality headphone, so it is more than appropriate that after 11 years of subtle improvements, the HIFIMAN HE1000 was chosen to set a new standard for wireless headphones, meet the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi.

Why Wi-Fi? The answer is really simple: bandwidth. Wi-Fi has approximately 100 times the bandwidth of Bluetooth. This is why, even with high-resolution codecs like LDAC, wireless headphones sound better wired, even when connected via USB using the DAC and amplifier in the headphone. Bluetooth only offers a real-world bandwidth of about 1MHz, and high-resolution audio requires a bandwidth of well over 20MHz, which means a ton of compression is required to transmit it.

 The HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi

So how did they do it? HIFIMAN developed a circuit board containing a WiFi receiver, computer, 2 HIFIMAN HYMALAYA Mini DACs (separate for right and left), a low pass filter, a headphone amplifier, a power supply, USB-C interface, and a Bluetooth receiver that surrounds the HE1000 Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm/Stealth Magnet driver.

This gives the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi wireless operation via WiFi Streaming Media or Bluetooth with LDAC or aptX HD, or wired via USB-C. It was an active choice to forego the added expense and circuitry necessary to bypass the internal DAC/Amplifier for a true wired option in order to focus on the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi’s main intent as an audiophile wireless headphone.

In order to accommodate necessary internal wiring, a New Composite Headband, featuring rotatable hinges and a weight reduction of 20-30g (meaning the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi only weighs an astonishing 12g more than the  HIFIMAN HE1000se), was developed for the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi, changing the appearance from a standard HIFIMAN HE1000se, along with a slightly gold-tone finish.

Living with the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi

There is a YouTube video explaining set up of theHIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi, making it a breeze, I only had one small glitch the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi can not accept passwords with spaces, so I had to set up a separate router for the review, and as such I used my iPad as the control unit since it needs to be connected to the same network. I don’t expect this to be a problem for most people, as few people use passwords with spaces. This also facilitated burn-in, as I don’t normally leave my computer on all the time, but have no such restrictions with the iPad. Another bonus was the fact that the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi is able to playback via WiFi while plugged into power, making battery life a non-issue during burn-in. One of the hardest parts of using the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi is waiting the minute required for it to boot up. It is important to remember that it has an integrated computer that needs to fully boot before it will connect to the router. Once booted, I only needed to go into Qobuz and select the “HIFIMAN-STREAMER” as my playback device.

For my first choice of music, I selected Thundercat’s new album “Distracted” (24-bit/44.1kHz – Qobuz). There was that warm open soundstage that the HE 1000 is so well known for. Despite the low sampling rate of the track, the HYMALAYA R2R DAC provided buckets of musicality, deep, rich bass, and excellent clarity. A contemporary Jaco, Thudercat provides complex bass-driven Jazz, and the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi luxuriated in it with tight, toneful bass and crisp, snappy percussion with honey vocals.

Next up was “Invocation” (24-bit/96kHz – Qobuz)by Elsa Dreisig and the Orchestra del Teatro, Carlo Felice di Genova, Massimo Zanetti conducting. Surprisingly, the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi was able to keep up with the stringent dynamic range requirements of Opera, giving a box seat experience in a massive Opera House. Once again, the musicality was overwhelming even during the strident Aria peaks. The instrument separation and air around the musicians was fantastic, and the detail exquisite, with even the quiet bells standing out against the thundering orchestra and diva. The timbre of instruments exactly what you have come to expect with the HE 1000 and an equivalent DAC/Amp combination.

Diving into Shoegazing Alternative Rock, I punched up “Birding” (24-bit/44.1kHz – Qobuz) by deary. The feeling of space was tremendous, the sound fully enveloping.

Representing a blast from the past, I cued up Bruce Hornsby’s “Indigo Park” (24-bit/48kHz – Qobuz), the piano was rich and Baldwin-esque. Overall, the sound was at once engaging, intimate, and soothing.

For a dip into more familiar territories, I brought up my HiFiAudio.Guru playlist (https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/10673532) and launched “Friday Night in San Francisco (Live at Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA – December 5, 1980)” (24-bit/176.4kHz – Qobuz) featuring Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucía. Again, once I turned up the volume, it was like being there, the guitars crisp and rich in a vast theater. Every note of the three competing virtuoso guitarists clear and enunciated, each in their own space.

At this point, I decided to test the wired performance, connecting to my computer via USB-C, I launched J-River and selected “Can-utility And The Coastliners” by Genesis (“Foxtrot” – DSD), which gave me a chance to judge the sub-bass performance as well as the DSD performance. The HYMALAYA R2R DAC performed spectacularly, and the dynamic range and bottom end were everything you could ask for from the HE 1000

Not only that, but the transition from DSD to PCM was seamless without the pops or clicks or even an appreciable change in volume as Burt Bacharach’s “Casino Royale Theme” (“Casino Royale”  – 24-bit/192kHz)

Conclusions on the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi

Simply put, HE1000 fans will not miss being tied to an amplifier with the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi; Dr. Fang did a fantastic job matching the amplifier to the needs of the headphone, only those seeking to damage their hearing will find the output of the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi wanting.  Of course, the sound of HIFIMAN’s once flagship headphone has only improved over the generations, and the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi fully reflects this. Musical, dynamic, with a slightly warm tonal balance, at a relative steal in price, the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi is still able to produce reference quality sound and will handily represent an end goal purchase for the majority of audiophiles. And for those who do demand more, there is still the HIFIMAN SUSVARA UNVEILED&HIFIMAN EF1000, though that is wading into deep waters indeed price-wise. The only deal that approaches the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi is the HIFIMAN Mini Shangri-La Electrostatic Headphone System.

Truth be told, the HIFIMAN HE1000 WiFi is hands down the best wireless headphone system to date, and still one of the best headphone systems overall. Congrats HIFIMAN!

Manufacturer’s Website: https://hifiman.com/products/detail/361

Price: $2699

Specifications:

Operating Modes : Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/USB Audio
Frequency Response : 8 Hz – 65 kHz ± 0.5 dB
Channel Separation : 105 dB @ 1 kHz

Audio Formats : PCM 44.1 kHz – 768 kHz, 32/24/16 bit; DSD native 64-512
Bluetooth Codecs : SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC

Net Weight : 452 g
Battery Life (Wi-Fi Mode) : 6.5-7.5 hours
Battery Life (Bluetooth Mode) : 23 hours
Charging Time : 3-4 hours
Standby Time : 30 days