HifiMAN HE-6 Planar Magnetic Headphone - Page 131

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla 

Feeling a little burned on my HE-6 situation, partly from lack of experience with headphones of this range. I didn't realize it would cost around $100 to ship these with insurance. Add to that fact if I return them to China I have to pay the import taxes. If I sell them to the public I have to take a massive hit ($100 shipping + whatever makes it sellable) just to be barely under the price of what you can buy them from China for ($1000). Wasn't expecting to lose $150-200 merely trying out some new headphones that were promising.

On a general note, it's been shocking how much shipping costs have risen in the past year or so especially something close to the weight and size to a packaged HE6 even within CONUS, but especially internationally.  Both USP and FedEx had been quoting my between $180-200 shipping a packaged HD800 over to Europe.  USPS Global Priority is cheaper, but the risk is higher as there is no end-to-end tracking and if something happens to the package even if its insured, it takes forever to get reimbursed.

Of course, potential buyers will consider it a ripoff, not realizing that you're only trying to recoup actual cost without subsidizing it out of your own pocket...had this happen to me several times and learned my lessons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I 

I think when you are paying 1K for a headphone they should not need to be re cabled with 300-400 cables to sound good IMO and should be as perfect as can be for that kind of dough. It seems to me that you need to invest another 1000 or more to get them right. Now it becomes a very expensive headphone IMO

Frank, I consider you a friend, so please take what I say with a grain of salt. There are many above $1000 thousand dollar headphones that members have spent umpteen dollars on upgrading their cables, upon receiving them. When the $1400 HD800's arrived on the market, many people have swapped their stock cables for cables costing equal to or more than the headphones themselves. I believe that Stephan Art was selling a cable equal to the price of the headphone itself. People have a taken $6K headphone (R-10's and have invested in Jena wire that cost a pretty penny). The $1295 Audio Technica T-1's have been recabled by many folks, even though it is said that the T-1 stock cable is a pretty good cable. Denons owners (2000's, 5000's and 7000's) have modded their headphones to make them sound bound better.

A car who costs 70,000, have had owners changed out their OEM's to get, what that the feel are better tires. The UE-10's/11's/JH-13's which cost a grand, have shown noticeable improvement when adding a TWAG or ALO cable.

Look at our tube amp options. I know that any Woo amp or other tube amps can be "bettered" by replacing the stock tubes.

As was stated before, if a company included the better cables or tubes, they would have to raise the initial price of the purchase. Some people are perfectly happy with the OEM equipment that comes with the components, and there's no reason to raise the price by upgrading the peripherals. But, the opportunity is always there for people who want to improve the sound by substituting  components. But why include the more expensive cables or tubes if some people can't hear the difference in the first place? The higher price would mean less sales to the manufacturers. 

Same with power cords (some companies don't even include power cords because they know that a lot of buyers would use their own cords), and vibration control for their feet or chassis'.

The monocrystaline cable that comes with the HE-6's is clearly superior to the cables that come with the HE-5LEs (to me, at least). I know that my Qualia 010's were way too bright and when I purchased the Moon Audio Black Dragon's for them, they became the perfect headphone. I sold them to pay the bills and regret the sale to this day  .

My Blue Hawaii KE originally came with JJ Electronics EL-34's, and it was significantly improved by substituting 2 matched pairs of Mullard non-OEM EL34's.

Anyway, I believe my point was made.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla 

Feeling a little burned on my HE-6 situation, partly from lack of experience with headphones of this range. I didn't realize it would cost around $100 to ship these with insurance. Add to that fact if I return them to China I have to pay the import taxes. If I sell them to the public I have to take a massive hit ($100 shipping + whatever makes it sellable) just to be barely under the price of what you can buy them from China for ($1000). Wasn't expecting to lose $150-200 merely trying out some new headphones that were promising.
 

On a general note, it's been shocking how much shipping costs have risen in the past year or so especially something close to the weight and size to a packaged HE6 even within CONUS, but especially internationally.  Both USP and FedEx had been quoting my between $180-200 shipping a packaged HD800 over to Europe.  USPS Global Priority is cheaper, but the risk is higher as there is no end-to-end tracking and if something happens to the package even if its insured, it takes forever to get reimbursed.

Of course, potential buyers will consider it a ripoff, not realizing that you're only trying to recoup actual cost without subsidizing it out of your own pocket...had this happen to me several times and learned my lessons.

OK.  I just ordered my HE-6 (while the US dollar is still worth something).  Thank you everyone for the insight, reviews, and variety of opinions.  What a great community you create.  I will add my opinion in a few days.

Note to Shahrose - I am still loving the Rockhopper 3-Channel Beta 22 you recommended to me.

Milosz - Thank you for including a 3-channel Beta 22 in your review. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by warp08 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla 

Feeling a little burned on my HE-6 situation, partly from lack of experience with headphones of this range. I didn't realize it would cost around $100 to ship these with insurance. Add to that fact if I return them to China I have to pay the import taxes. If I sell them to the public I have to take a massive hit ($100 shipping + whatever makes it sellable) just to be barely under the price of what you can buy them from China for ($1000). Wasn't expecting to lose $150-200 merely trying out some new headphones that were promising.
 

On a general note, it's been shocking how much shipping costs have risen in the past year or so especially something close to the weight and size to a packaged HE6 even within CONUS, but especially internationally.  Both USP and FedEx had been quoting my between $180-200 shipping a packaged HD800 over to Europe.  USPS Global Priority is cheaper, but the risk is higher as there is no end-to-end tracking and if something happens to the package even if its insured, it takes forever to get reimbursed.

 

Of course, potential buyers will consider it a ripoff, not realizing that you're only trying to recoup actual cost without subsidizing it out of your own pocket...had this happen to me several times and learned my lessons.

$200 shipping for headphones?!? It only cost me $45 to ship my Ultrasone PRO 900 to Bulgaria from California with USPS Express mail and it arrived within just a few days and included tracking and insurance for the declared value (haha, I'll take my chances not declaring full value).

Dear Sillysally,

    We've finally have the Warren audio cable up and running for the HE6.  It sounds wonderfully with better bass

and smoother treble and midrange and more 3D.  I love the sound of the HE6 with the Warren audio cable.  The Warrenaudio cable

is very difficult to repai and it took us more than 3 hours to do that.  The warren audio is difficult because it is very big

and weighty so it tends to pull the cable away from the connector which is very difficult, the solder has to be perfect

or else the ground wire will contact with the signal wire and cause the short circuit and we have to correct the connection

at the 4pin XLR connector as the connection was not correct and in fact it was connected in a single ended not the balanced

cable, please do check your cable carefully.

    I also love the silver clad Zeus cable more than the Twag cable with the LCD2 although the Twag cable is also vey good.

    For the HD800 I also found that the gold clad Zeus cable is also very good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmoura 

Are the speaker jack adapters a lot of members are getting from a particular place?  I'm thinking that speaker jack adapters that terminate to the HE-6 would eliminate the need for the Y-cable arrangement altogether.

Not sure who would make such a product though. 

I ordered one from Moon Audio.