HifiMAN HE-6 Planar Magnetic Headphone - Page 72

Just an update on some different amps and sources with the HE-6.

The EF5, like the WA22 drives the HE-6 just adequately (hence the EF6 project). The HE-6 gains a bit of an edge while losing some dynamics and becoming more mid-centric than with the WA22 but the basic problem is the same, no headroom.

With the EF5 more than the WA22 the low end of the HE-6 is without reinforcement. These headphones even sounded decent out of my HA5000, but clearly scream for some real juice to get their membranes or whatever fully accelerating.

I played with a few sources by switching around DACs with the EF5, and could clearly hear the difference. The Devilsound V2 revealed the inadequacies of the Hot Audio DAC WOW and while it could keep up with the EF5, the Bel Canto DAC2 seemed to surpass it and was more in the HE-6's league.

Sadly I do not have an amp to try that is in the HE-6's league until I have a speaker terminal adapter to use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab 

The HE-6 definitely sounds best when driven by an amp with plenty of headroom, that's for sure.  I intend to use it exclusively with my Mini-Torii.

interesting choice. why are you excluding your beloved leben?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillysally 

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

btw, whatsa realiser?

The SVS Realiser is a processor/pre/DAC that will give you the illusion of a full blown speaker setup and room acoustics of any room/ hall you want to copy for use with headphones. It was created by Dr. Smyth the same guy that gave us DTS.

 

In my case I use the AIX sound studio's room for 2Ch, 5.1Ch, 7.1Ch and also for there 5.1THX system. The draw back is that you must be present at any room's sound system to copy, there are ear mics you must ware and test tones generated by the Realiser going though the sound systems amps and speakers that the Realiser collects

to give you the same sound/speaker placements/acoustics as the room you copied.

Plus it has its own volume adjustment in the digital domain so you can increase the volume going out to your head amp. Or you can simply plug in a set of headphones(like my HD-800s) using the Realiser's 1/4" plug and bypass your head amp.

DOH!  i didn't recognize it w/o the Smyth name.  i heard the system at canjam a couple of years back and it was quite interesting (there was also a recent review in Stereophile if anyone's interested.).  if it's mimicking the sound of a given speaker/room system, shouldn't differences in phones and amps be minimized?  i mean wouldn't most high quality broad range set ups suffice (potentially saving a bunch of money on cans and amps)?
 

Ordered 13th November - delivered today in UK 

Going to let them warm up a bit first - honest

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkhead 

Ordered 13th November - delivered today in UK 

 

Going to let them warm up a bit first - honest

That's great, please let us know what you think.

btw, if you guys would like I can compare my WA5LE and WA6SE with the HE-6.

I am running a pair of Nos 6EW7 BB RCA chrome domes (circa 1963) and a big @ss EML Nos 275B Solid plate in my WA6SE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawkhead 

Ordered 13th November - delivered today in UK 

 

Going to let them warm up a bit first - honest

Interested in knowing if the Woo can drive these well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab 

The HE-6 definitely sounds best when driven by an amp with plenty of headroom, that's for sure.  I intend to use it exclusively with my Mini-Torii.

interesting choice. why are you excluding your beloved leben?
 

 

Only because I will use the HE-6 in my office, and my beloved Leben lives in my bedroom, where it's used with the Edition 8 in my bedside rig.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillysally 

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

btw, whatsa realiser?

The SVS Realiser is a processor/pre/DAC that will give you the illusion of a full blown speaker setup and room acoustics of any room/ hall you want to copy for use with headphones. It was created by Dr. Smyth the same guy that gave us DTS.

 

In my case I use the AIX sound studio's room for 2Ch, 5.1Ch, 7.1Ch and also for there 5.1THX system. The draw back is that you must be present at any room's sound system to copy, there are ear mics you must ware and test tones generated by the Realiser going though the sound systems amps and speakers that the Realiser collects

to give you the same sound/speaker placements/acoustics as the room you copied.

Plus it has its own volume adjustment in the digital domain so you can increase the volume going out to your head amp. Or you can simply plug in a set of headphones(like my HD-800s) using the Realiser's 1/4" plug and bypass your head amp.

DOH!  i didn't recognize it w/o the Smyth name.  i heard the system at canjam a couple of years back and it was quite interesting (there was also a recent review in Stereophile if anyone's interested.).  if it's mimicking the sound of a given speaker/room system, shouldn't differences in phones and amps be minimized?  i mean wouldn't most high quality broad range set ups suffice (potentially saving a bunch of money on cans and amps)?

does the Smyth system just replicate the spatial characteristics of a given system in a certain room, or does it also mimic the spectral and tonal characteristics? i don't recall. if it's the former than i can see why cans and amps could have a significant impact on the end result sonically, but if it's just the latter then i'd think that the can and amp used would have less of an impact on the sound that you're hearing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sillysally 

btw, if you guys would like I can compare my WA5LE and WA6SE with the HE-6.

I am running a pair of Nos 6EW7 BB RCA chrome domes (circa 1963) and a big @ss EML Nos 275B Solid plate in my WA6SE.

sure, i'd love to hear about that. i've never really delved deeply into tube rolling. how do you come up with what tubes you'd look for and how you'd combine them in a given application? the variables could quickly become daunting!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab 

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab 

The HE-6 definitely sounds best when driven by an amp with plenty of headroom, that's for sure.  I intend to use it exclusively with my Mini-Torii.

interesting choice. why are you excluding your beloved leben?

Only because I will use the HE-6 in my office, and my beloved Leben lives in my bedroom, where it's used with the Edition 8 in my bedside rig.

wow, that's quite an extravagant bedroom rig!  what are you sourcing with there, an iMod?  are you running speakers in there too?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveDerek 

wow, that's quite an extravagant bedroom rig!  what are you sourcing with there, an iMod?  are you running speakers in there too?

 

Yes, iMod + ALO VCap dock > Leben CS300X > Edition 8. And yes, speakers - RBH Acoustics bookshelf speakers - can't remember the model...

I gotta say the HE-6 does bizzare things with soundstaging and imaging. For tracks that are recorded with multiple mikes and mixed in the studio (rock being the genre i listen to) the HE-6 throws instruments into all kinds of wierd places. The singer is very far away, the guitar is off to one side (it should be more in the middle), bass guitar is buried somewhere and almost inaudible. The HE-6 presents my favorite rock CD in a 100% different way than the T1 and 507, which had very similar presentation on this CD. For classical recordings, it's not so much of a problem, but still a bit strange.

Also, I'm using a Violectric V100 amp which works great even on the lowest gain setting. In case you were wondering.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy 

I gotta say the HE-6 does bizzare things with soundstaging and imaging. For tracks that are recorded with multiple mikes and mixed in the studio (rock being the genre i listen to) the HE-6 throws instruments into all kinds of wierd places. The singer is very far away, the guitar is off to one side (it should be more in the middle), bass guitar is buried somewhere and almost inaudible. The HE-6 presents my favorite rock CD in a 100% different way than the T1 and 507, which had very similar presentation on this CD. For classical recordings, it's not so much of a problem, but still a bit strange.

 

 

Also, I'm using a Violectric V100 amp which works great even on the lowest gain setting. In case you were wondering.

It doesn't sound like it's working that great to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy 

I gotta say the HE-6 does bizzare things with soundstaging and imaging. For tracks that are recorded with multiple mikes and mixed in the studio (rock being the genre i listen to) the HE-6 throws instruments into all kinds of wierd places. The singer is very far away, the guitar is off to one side (it should be more in the middle), bass guitar is buried somewhere and almost inaudible. The HE-6 presents my favorite rock CD in a 100% different way than the T1 and 507, which had very similar presentation on this CD. For classical recordings, it's not so much of a problem, but still a bit strange.

 

 

Also, I'm using a Violectric V100 amp which works great even on the lowest gain setting. In case you were wondering.

Interesting. No one else, at least I haven't read anything, has had this experience. I can't imagine how the actual placement of instruments would be changed to such a degree by a transducer that has been purported to render a fairly accurate presentation. I would assume a strange frequency response could do this but then there would be a smearing effect as part of the point of sound would change according to the frequency response. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy 

I gotta say the HE-6 does bizzare things with soundstaging and imaging. For tracks that are recorded with multiple mikes and mixed in the studio (rock being the genre i listen to) the HE-6 throws instruments into all kinds of wierd places. The singer is very far away, the guitar is off to one side (it should be more in the middle), bass guitar is buried somewhere and almost inaudible. The HE-6 presents my favorite rock CD in a 100% different way than the T1 and 507, which had very similar presentation on this CD. For classical recordings, it's not so much of a problem, but still a bit strange.

 

 

Also, I'm using a Violectric V100 amp which works great even on the lowest gain setting. In case you were wondering.

could it possibly be that you have the R and L cables hooked up wrong? i did that once and the music i knew so well sounded

so different due to the imaging cues being flipped. i've been listening to my he-6 for a few days now and haven't experienced this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by takezo 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy 

I gotta say the HE-6 does bizzare things with soundstaging and imaging. For tracks that are recorded with multiple mikes and mixed in the studio (rock being the genre i listen to) the HE-6 throws instruments into all kinds of wierd places. The singer is very far away, the guitar is off to one side (it should be more in the middle), bass guitar is buried somewhere and almost inaudible. The HE-6 presents my favorite rock CD in a 100% different way than the T1 and 507, which had very similar presentation on this CD. For classical recordings, it's not so much of a problem, but still a bit strange.

Also, I'm using a Violectric V100 amp which works great even on the lowest gain setting. In case you were wondering.

could it possibly be that you have the R and L cables hooked up wrong? i did that once and the music i knew so well sounded

so different due to the imaging cues being flipped. i've been listening to my he-6 for a few days now and haven't experienced this.

good point. that sonic description does sound like it might be out of phase.

I don't really know one way or the other as I have not heard them myself but his view is not entirely unique...  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duckman 

I'm not understanding all the love. To me, and in comparison to the LCD2, the soundstage is still smeared, lacking precision and depth. A bit like all recordings were made with spaced omni microphones, rather than ORTF, XY or Blumlein (for the tapers out there). Where as the LCD2 has incredibly precise imaging, with each instrument located in its own space (depending on the recording of course), in a more 3D configuration.

Quote:

Originally Posted by K3cT 

 

- If the HE6 is the clear victor when it comes to treble then the LCD2 knocks the HE6 silly in imaging, separation and soundstage accuracy. First of all, I always have a problem in hearing a proper center focus with the HE6 which is incidentally similar to the HE5LE. Imagine that the music lies in a straight line from your left to right ear; if the line is continuous and clear in the LCD2 then this very same line is blurred in the midpoint of the HE6. This fault is more clearly heard when you have vocal and instruments playing at the same time.  Aside from the central focus issue, HE6 also has an imaging problem as the instrument placements are kind of “confused” for the lack of better words and as the result, you cannot tell exactly where each sound is coming from. Expanding on this, HE6’s presentation also lacks depth compared to the LCD2. Instruments seem to lie in the same axis in the HE6 while you can tell how forward or backward teach of them sounds with the LCD2 despite its rather soft treble. HE6 has a problem in separating vocal and instruments while LCD2 does this effortlessly. All of these result in a rather disjointed sound from the HE6 and therefore, a lack of unity. Very interesting.

maybe more than one person is listening out of phase?!