Yamaha YH-4000 vs Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled Comparison Review

Yamaha’s YH-4000 has turned heads and gotten everyone thinking of their favorite hi-fi open-back headphones. One that has always been popular since its release is the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled. How does this new Yamaha YH-4000 headphone compare to a veteran favorite? This review will dive deep into all the details of the two headphones to see how they compare with one another. 

Starting with aesthetics, we can see how Yamaha and Hifiman take two different approaches to design. The Yamaha YH-4000 has a dark color palette, opting for black earpads and a black frame, where you can see details of silver in the design. It has a very industrial look, with the outer frame on the earcups in a spiderweb design that shows off the architecture of the headphone. The YH-4000 is very lightweight, and the earcups are just big enough to fit over the ear comfortably. The sliding adjustment of the headband allows you to get the ideal fit in a more precise measurement as opposed to other headphones. 

On the other hand, the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled looks significantly brighter. Its metallic build reflects light very evenly, and the few touches of black detail jump out to make everything seem even. The magnetic veils reveal the planar magnetic driver on the HE1000 Unveiled, which makes the headphone a little more delicate. The earcups are large and fit over the ear perfectly with an ergonomic shape, and with a few different cables, you can integrate this into any setup. 

These headphones are similar in the way they are easy to drive and are comfortable to wear for long periods of time. If you’re looking for something less clunky, more robust, but still lightweight, the Yamaha YH-4000 checks those boxes. Meanwhile, the HE1000 Unveiled is more for people who want a premium build and don’t mind something that requires some more careful attention. 

SOUNDSTAGE & IMAGING

The main bulk of our review comes in the listening portion. I did a lot of listening with these headphones side by side, and they have very different characteristics that cater to different preferences. In the Yamaha YH-4000, you get presented with a fairly wide soundstage that is heavy in detail. You get a unique blend of instruments that stay intimately close, as well as expand outward to take up space. The HE1000 Unveiled presents an even wider soundstage than the YH-4000. The width makes the sound really wrap around your head, so it’s like you are fully immersed in the listening space. The depth of the HE1000 Unveiled is very good, and it is less intimate than the YH-4000. There is better separation of instruments in the HE1000 Unveiled, as well as a more present vocal presentation in the midrange.

In terms of their overall signatures, you definitely can hear their immediate differences. The YH-4000 has a U-shaped signature, where the midrange becomes slightly recessed in favor of powerful lows and bright highs. Conversely, the HE1000 Unveiled has a V-shaped signature that brings the midrange forward. The bass and the treble are still very dynamic and present in their signature, but just come slightly behind the midrange to accentuate the melodic parts of your track. 

BASS FREQUENCIES

You can hear how these two headphones take different approaches to bass reproduction. The Yamaha YH-4000 has a punchy bass that is surprisingly thick for an open-back headphone. It is full of texture and detail, and has a certain warped quality that makes it fun to listen to. The YH-4000 does well when you apply some bass-boosting filters on top, as it accentuates the body coming from this range. It makes everything flow well into one another, all while still keeping good detail and texture throughout the track. 

The HE1000 Unveiled has a similar response. It leans more on the side of detail and texture, making sure those bass tones have exact tonality to make them separate from other ranges. The bass in the HE1000 Unveiled is familiar since it holds a lot of the same qualities you would typically find in a planar driver’s bass. This bright tonality in the bass allows you to hear more of the nuanced tones and exact timbres of instruments, which is great for analytical listening. 

MIDRANGE FREQUENCIES

The midranges of the YH-4000 and the HE1000 Unveiled are two polar opposite ends. The YH-4000 has a lot of detail in the midrange, which most notably comes from the instrumental elements in tracks. Vocals are not this headphone’s strong suit; they become buried in the mix in a strange way that has me hunting to hear lyrics to my favorite songs. Nevertheless, this makes me pay more attention to the tracks and appreciate the instrumentation more. The reproduction of all these instruments and vocals is quite natural, making it easy to distinguish the different elements from one another. 

On the other hand, Hifiman makes the midrange the focal point. Vocals are crystal clear and come right to the front, with excellent reproduction that makes it sound very natural. Other instruments filter behind and take up the space in the sound signature, all while still matching power and energy. The midrange is where you notice the layers of depth in the sound signature the most, and you can hear how the different textures of each instrument get their own space to live. This headphone is an excellent choice for people who appreciate vocal clarity and balanced detail, whereas the YH-4000 makes you hunt and analyze the detail in your music. The instrumentation reproduction on both headphones is exceptional, though the HE1000 Unveiled’s stellar vocal reproduction makes it pull ahead to my ears. 

TREBLE FREQUENCIES

At the top end, both the YH-4000 and HE1000 Unveiled headphones make sure there is space for all these frequencies to breathe. The YH-4000 has a very airy quality that makes frequencies dissipate naturally in any track. There is no feeling of compression as frequencies grow higher, and you still maintain clarity and detail throughout the range. I liked how reverbs and bigger spaces were heard in the YH-4000, and the coloration in those elements made listening all the more entertaining. 

Similarly, the HE1000 Unveiled had a great treble response that worked well in multiple genres. Orchestral compositions had plenty of space to place all their instruments, and acoustic covers rang out and dissipated naturally. From my listening, I think there is a touch more clarity in the HE1000 Unveiled than the YH-4000. The HE1000 Unveiled did a fantastic job of balancing the lows with the treble, so one does not overpower the other. This treble response is definitely for people who want to pick apart the details of their tracks, where the YH-4000 may be for the more casual listeners instead. 

The Yamaha YH-4000 and the Hifiman HE1000 Unveiled are two great open-back headphones that serve as excellent options for a serious upgrade. They retail around the same $2.5k price point, so you know you can keep to a reasonable budget when looking for a flagship open-back. You can’t go wrong with either, but you’ll likely find key differences between the two to help you make your decision. 

If you’re looking for something that is better for relaxed listening and is ultra-lightweight, the Yamaha YH-4000 is a fantastic choice. You’ll get plenty of detail and clarity throughout the signature, all while hardly feeling the headphones on your head. 

For those after analytical sound and immersive sound above all, the HE1000 Unveiled is the one for you. The vocal presentation is enough to sell anyone on these cans, but the elegant and delicate design, paired with the exceptional clarity, really makes this a home run. 

At the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with either headphone. Your own ears will be the best judge for which one you prefer, so I strongly recommend trying them both side by side to see which caters to your personal sound preferences. 

The YH-4000 and the HE1000 Unveiled are both available at Audio46.