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Every open-back headphone has a grille over the driver, and every grille reflects some sound back at the diaphragm. HIFIMAN’s answer was to remove it. The HE1000 Unveiled is a full-size open-back planar headphone with no grille at all.
The idea came from the Susvara Unveiled, HIFIMAN’s flagship, and this is the second model to use it. Frequency response runs from 8 Hz to 65 kHz. Impedance is 28 ohms and sensitivity is 95 dB. The headphones weigh 450 grams without the veils or cable.
That open driver comes with a responsibility. HIFIMAN supplies metal Magnetic Veils that clip over the cups when you are not listening, keeping stray metal and dust off a diaphragm measured in nanometers.
The driver behind the missing grille is the point. HIFIMAN’s diaphragm is nanometers thick, light enough that reflected sound waves genuinely disturb it, which is why the grille had to go.
Behind it sit HIFIMAN’s Stealth Magnets, an asymmetrical double-sided magnetic circuit whose gap and cross-section change shape across the driver. The goal is a magnet structure sound can pass through rather than bounce off. HIFIMAN says the result is lower distortion and better imaging and transparency.
The rest is familiar HE1000: a perforated floating headband spreads the weight, and the pads are soft and deep.
Eric D. Hieger reviewed the HE1000 Unveiled for Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity on 28 April 2025. His verdict: "The sheer clarity, incision, and depth of sound are genuinely jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring." He praised the bass as fast and deeper than planar drivers usually manage, and called the midrange smooth and warm.
He was equally direct about who should not buy them: not newcomers, not bassheads, and not listeners who prefer a warm, mid-centric sound. Treble-sensitive listeners, he notes, may hear the sheer amount of high-frequency detail as too much treble. He also confirms that listening with the veils fitted sounds worse, not better.
Three cables ship in the box, so most systems are covered: a 3 m 4-pin XLR for balanced amplifiers, a 3 m 6.35 mm, and a shorter 1.5 m 3.5 mm. There is no 4.4 mm option.
At 28 ohms and 95 dB, these are not brutally hard to drive, but they are not a phone headphone either. Plan on a desktop amplifier or a capable DAC/amp. Then put the veils on when you stop listening.
Here is what usually sits in front of them.
Metal covers that clip over the open cups to protect the driver when the headphones are not in use. You can listen with them fitted, but reviewers report the sound is worse. Treat them as storage covers.
Three: a 3 m 4-pin XLR, a 3 m 6.35 mm, and a 1.5 m 3.5 mm. The Magnetic Veils and an Owner’s Guide are also included.
Plan on one. Impedance is 28 ohms and sensitivity 95 dB, which is manageable, but reviewers find most portable players fall short.
Completely. With no grille and an open back, there is effectively no isolation either way. These are for a quiet room, not an office.
The SE keeps its grille and wood trim; the Unveiled removes the grille entirely. Reviewers describe the Unveiled as slightly clearer and more open, with softer pads and lighter clamp.
HIFIMAN’s own product highlight video shows the grille-free driver up close.
Want to learn more about planar magnetic drivers, headphone amplifiers, or open-back versus closed-back designs? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.
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