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so i finally heard he90..

post #1 of 17
3/16/09 at 5:04pm
Thread Starter 
i decided to get a voltage transformer and give he90/aristaeus a listen before i sell the combo. well, i had to make sure they were in perfect working order or more headache would wait for me after the sale.

i plugged everything in and let it sing for 5mins. i thought they would require some time for them to kick in fully like many tube amps and electrostatics. i know 5mins isnt too much but it would be good enough to listen. so after 5 mins, i listened. wow30mins flew so fast.

i still have he60 with me, stax terminated. i tried em on aristaeus. they sound awesome. i tried them back on 006t. still sound awesome. he60 might sound tad bit better on aristaeus but it seems that he60 is just fine with 006t. nice. money saved.
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post #2 of 17
3/16/09 at 11:38pm
Congrats. How much of a step up are the 90s? I really liked the 60s but they were on the hev70. Some day I'll get to hear a prime stat rig.
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post #3 of 17
3/17/09 at 1:38am
the HE60 and HE90 definitely share the same sound signature but the latter improves upon the former in all aspects. i would love to own an HE90/HEV90 combo - maybe one day. until then i have the HE60 to keep me company.
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post #4 of 17
3/17/09 at 6:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vcoheda View Post
the HE60 and HE90 definitely share the same sound signature.
I have never found this to be true. Despite their sibling status, I'd never peg them as even being from the same manufacturer. I have never warmed up to the HE60's, but like the HE90's quite a bit.
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post #5 of 17
3/17/09 at 1:32pm
Lucky you! ...and I really mean that.
The HE90 are highly regarded around here, but just a small share of us Head-Fi'ers have ever listened to one.

Sadly none in my area, afaik.
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post #6 of 17
3/17/09 at 1:46pm
The HE-90s are in a league of their own to me. It doesn't mean everyone will like them as their main phones, but technically they can do things no other phone can do.

That being said, even at their high price, they still need to be matched in the right system to sound their best.
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post #7 of 17
3/17/09 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 
again, i think he60 is a great headphone for its value, after hearing he90.
they do share somewhat similar sound signature, to my ears, nonetheless, he90 sounds much better in every aspects. i guess it is like comparing rs2 to gs1000 or something.

it seems to me that he90 can be a little bit better with a little better amp. but as for he60, i think it's seen its limit, with aristaeus. it may sound differently with other amps but not better, in terms of sound.
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post #8 of 17
3/17/09 at 3:22pm
he60 sounds like a faster hd600 which is a good thing, but gutless bad thing. he90 is a whole different animal. its got a liquid sound and a hella good treble. almost like opposite of stax sr007 (dry n bassy).
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post #9 of 17
3/17/09 at 3:31pm
/\ I would love to hear either the 60 or 90. After slogging through most of the new stax thread the 007 II has gone from being revered to reviled in a short space of time.
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post #10 of 17
3/17/09 at 8:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by panda View Post
he60 sounds like a faster hd600 which is a good thing, but gutless bad thing. he90 is a whole different animal. its got a liquid sound and a hella good treble. almost like opposite of stax sr007 (dry n bassy).
The HE60 sounds faster than the HD600 but the only similarity in my mind is their physical appearance. The sound signature of the HE60 is more similar to the K1000 than it is HD600. I do think there is a family resemblence with HE60 and HE90 but whereas the HE60 is a great headphone, the HE90 is otherworldly.
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post #11 of 17
3/17/09 at 10:54pm
here are some of my impressions i posted a while back from a meet comparing the two headphones and others.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vcoheda View Post
the HE90/HEV90 is probably one of the best combinations i have ever heard. if i had this setup (with a killer source of course, such as the emm labs, which it was hooked up to), i would never feel the need or have the desire for something else. i just don't think i would ever get bored of it or find it lacking. it think its forte is classical, but it sounded amazing with rock (indigo girls and regina spektor) as well. not sure how it would fair with heavier stuff. one CD i listened to carefully was Bach's violin concertos (and concerto for oboe and violin) with Hilary Hahn. Just so perfect with the HE90. the sound stage is of good quality (not huge though like the R10) but the vertical space is incredible. it seems to go so high. on the oboe/violin concerto, the notes from the oboe seemed to float from way up above. and the violin was so right with great precision and crispness. on the R10, which has a bigger overall sound stage although not the height of the HE90, the music was richer and the violin had vibrato (or resonance) to it, which was somewhat missing on the HE90. the HE90 and R10 are both great, but i preferred the HE90 overall. i am very curious how the R10 improves balanced and on an even better amp than the Cary 300SEI. that would be an interesting comparison.

the HE60 shares a lot of the same qualities of the HE90, but the HE90 is much better. the HE90 has a larger sound stage, better bass, more detail, greater separation - it is just better in *all* respects. and this says a lot b/c i think the HE60 is better than a lot of headphones. the HE60 and HE90 sounded better on the HEV90 than the KGSS. the HE90 improved more which is probably a testament to how well it scales. with the HE60 the biggest difference was the increased sound stage. they just open up and this adds a lot. the HE60 although not in the same league as its big brother is still great. it is such an enjoyable and engaging headphone that once you put it on, it is really hard to take off (assuming there is no HE90 around to persuade you).

the O2 is very different from the HE60/90 (seemed slower and more laid back). it wasn't a great match with the HEV90. sounded better on the KGSS.
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post #12 of 17
3/18/09 at 2:24am
would like to hear how close HD800 sounds to HE60..because one of u mentioned HE60 is like a faster HD600
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post #13 of 17
3/18/09 at 8:58pm

Just crap

HE90/HEV90 just some fancy crap that is also ugly!
Dan
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post #14 of 17
3/18/09 at 9:39pm
Does it sound like the copy that Fang from Head Direct brings to the meets?
Has anyone heard that?
I wasnt impressed with it.
He drove it with a Woo electrostatic amp.
I love Woo amps, and every one ive heard sounded great, so i dont think it was the amp.
It sounded thin to me.
I realize it was meet conditions, but it was also at the same 2 meets that the Woo2 with HD650,K701,GS1000,and my SR80 sounded great.
Ive never heard a real HE90, so maybe someone here has heard both to compare?
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post #15 of 17
3/18/09 at 11:14pm
Hirsch brings a HE-90 with a SinglePower amp to the DC meets. They sound great but not something I'll ever own.
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