We're in the Wi-Fi headphone era – here's why you should care (but maybe not yet)

You may have missed it, but a brand new kind of headphone has emerged in just the last couple of years: the Wi-Fi headphone.

The first of them came out in 2023, the HED Unity. Our reviewer thought they sounded good, but had issues. Crappy app, limited features, you know the drill.

Then, in 2024, the Sonos Ace really put this tech under the spotlight. However, they are so tightly wound into the Sonos ecosystem that their Wi-Fi tech arguably does not give you the sense of freedom it might.

Hifiman has now entered stage left with an answer to that in its new series of “WiFi" headphones, and I’ve been trying out the most expensive of them, the £2609 Hifiman HE1000 WiFi.

These are headphones that let you stream audio over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Or even USB if you think cabled is always best.

There’s no app to rely on, or to artificially shorten the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi’s lifespan when it stops getting updated. Instead you — and this part may make the technophobes feel a little squeamish — log into the headphones’ IP address using a web browser.

Thankfully, this part is largely just there so you can teach the pair your home Wi-Fi's details. You’re not hanging about in there on the reg. And after that, they act a lot like a Wi-Fi home speaker might, simply showing up as a Wi-Fi source in Spotify and other apps.

I’m not sure a pair of dedicated headphones has felt quite as much like a standalone mini computer as the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi. And I'm discounting those Aliexpress sets with a baked-in MP3 player.

It’s all part of what’s now a decades-long (and, let’s be honest, slightly silly) quest to make compromise-free wireless headphones. Because even when you stream Bluetooth audio to a set using a top-quality aptX HD codec or similar, it’s still getting re-compressed as part of the process. And the audio purists don't like that one bit.

The Hifiman HE1000 WiFi will receive your uncompressed PCM music, or your ropey “data saver” Spotify streams, as intended. And it does so with a micro PC’s worth of circuit board that lives a hidden life under the cup's outer cover.

This has nothing to do with why the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi look so, well, weird. These are planar magnetic headphones, a style of driver that uses a relatively massive ultra-thin membrane sat between large magnets. In the early days, these were famed for their low distortion and responsiveness, but they also tended to weigh a tonne. Almost 20 years on from their first pair, Hifiman has managed to, at least, make the HE1000 WiFi feel far more normal than they look. At 452g, they’re hefty, but no heavier than some Hifiman pairs that don’t have nearly as much tech packed inside.

The silver bars you see through the exposed grille on the back of the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi cups are part of the driver enclosure itself. And you need this sort of high-end audio ambition to really justify the kind of ultra-high bandwidth audio the pair can handle. Sorry folks, no matter what you think, the deficiencies of your headphones themselves are probably far more evident than the limitations of a good LDAC, aptX HD or AAC stream.

Do the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi sound good? Of course they do. Hifiman has produced some of the best-sounding open-back headphones for the better part of two decades now, while sets like the Sundara and Edition XS are currently a couple of the best sound-per-pound deals going, anywhere.

You get awesome sound field imaging, exceptional bass punch with zero boom in the HE1000 WiFi. And less fatiguing sound than some of Hifiman’s earlier pairs, without trading away that sense you’re getting loads of insight and detail.

To my ears, the one potential issue is that these headphones have an extra helping of mid-bass. This can often seem to warm up tracks in a pleasant way, but I do find it can hang off vocals like a lead weight, making them seem less well textured, and at times a little clouded.

But are we getting the dream of a compromise-free true hi-fi headphone in the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi? In one aspect, sure, but you are going to have to accept a few compromises in other areas, not to mention the gag-inducing £2609 cost.

First up, these headphones have zero-frills plastic cup outers, no doubt to reduce weight, which feels odd when you’re spending this kind of money. Support for Roon and Spotify streaming over Wi-Fi is described as “unauthorized” and I’ve had mixed success getting steaming to work in other apps. And that definitely feels odd when you’re spending this kind of money.

Sometimes sticking to Bluetooth is a good idea too, as it offers much better battery life (seven hours versus 23 hours) and less audio lag. Plus, as these are open headphones, they're no use for an open-plan office. Public transport? You're dreaming.

Oh, and like all Hifiman headphones, the Hifiman HE1000 WiFi are packed with all the glamour and ceremony of a self-service supermarket checkout.

This probably isn’t the time for the average headphone fan to jump on Hifiman’s WiFi range, then. But once this tech gets affordable enough to reach its tendrils down into the territory of the Hifiman Edition XV or Sundara? We may be in for a good time.

At the time of writing, Hifiman’s WiFi range includes the £2609 HE1000 WiFi and the £1409 Arya WiFi – who knows if this could be the start of something great.