[size=x-large]NuForce Optoma [/size][size=x-large]HEM 2/4/6/[/size][size=x-large]8[/size]
Okay so this is going to be a bit of a shotgun-style review. Normally I live with a new headphone/iem/dac/whatever for a few days and accumulate my thoughts slowly during that time. With 4 members in the HEM family to go through in a short amount of time, a somewhat more intense approach was required.
I essentially started with the HEM2 and listened randomly for a couple hours at a louder-than-normal level (for me), jotting notes as I went. I did not go through specific test tracks; I simply let music play and let my impressions come naturally. In this way, I proceeded through the 4, then 6, then 8. In between, I “re-calibrated” my ears with some quiet time, some low level listening with my HE-6, and some more quiet time again.
For the second round, I repeated the whole thing but with a different set of tips (with the closest equivalent I could make of the “Dsnuts tip mod”) and again repeated the note-taking. Round 1 was with the smallest silicon tips. I did not try the comply foams as they never fit properly for me
Round three consisted of more rapid style A/B switching between the various models and tips to verify my notes and impressions from round 1 and 2. More specific music was used this time. It is by no means utterly complete given the timeframe, but sometimes those initial impressions are best left as is in their raw format.
Furthermore, my mindset during the grind was very critical and, to be blunt, not nice (fatigue and grumpiness and illness also factor in). So keeping that in mind, this shotgun review is not going to be flowery and tell you all the wonderful things about the HEM series. There are other people who will tell you the nice stuff. No, this is going to be me as a nitpicky little bogun telling you what I don't like about each one. I will try to be equally discriminatory across the board.
Things will be presented in point form. Round 1 listening was done through a NuPrime uDSD; notes start with a dash. Round 2/3 listening was with modified tips; notes start with an asterisk. I'm not even going to delete anything I write, though I will expand upon them later on as I edit.
Round 4 listening with an Aune M2 dap and B1 amp, notes start with a ^.
edit: the M2 and B1 are crap pairings
Round 5 listening through Cowon S9 and Sansa Fuze, notes start with #
edit: probably the best pairing so far
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Packaging
- holy crap this box is heavy
- ok that's seriously impressive packaging... but far too excessive
- as cool as that pelican case is, it's not even functional for use... but hey it's big enough to fit my dap into or something
- c'mon, I can barely even wrangle the shells out of the foam, argh!
Body
- smaller body housing, makes for a slim profile in the ear
- that's actually a comfortable shape for me as I have small ears
Cable
- braided cable: microphonics very low; super flexible and soft; actually hey it's not a braid, just a tight twist; an actual splitter would have been nice but oh well, that heat shrink looks a little funny
- mic cable: slightly more microphonic, but otherwise nice
Round 1
Listening through a NuPrime uDSD with a Schiit Wyrd in front.
HEM2
- very low noise from NuPrime uDSD; not super sensitive which I prefer
- not the clearest... let me rephrase; top end feels kinda muted; it's there, but missing something
- but cohesive, all the parts seem to flow nicely together... just polite is the friendly way to put it
- smallish stage, low down in front of me
- doesn't pull me in though
- some sort of low level broad distortion across the upper mids? interferes with clarity
- relatively flat response though rolled off at either end
- at least nothing in the frequency response sticke out at me
HEM4
- picks up more noise from my amp
- noticeably higher sensitivity than the 2; why this trend of super sensitivity? I'd rather moderate sensitivity and higher impedance so that amplifiers have an easier job
- initial impression is it immediately seems “fuller” and more capable than the HEM2 in terms of energy, but not fuller in terms of bass, rather in the sense of overall energy and involvement
- primarily the upper mids and top end have opened up
- where the 2 felt rolled off, especially in the top, the 4 here is notably improved
- better bass extension, though not as dramatic as the treble improvement
- a bit heavier in the mids though, slightly pushy
- but after a bit notice a discrepancy
- is that the crossover I hear? there's a double dip around 2.5kHz (broad) and 5kHz (sharper)
- creates a slight disjointed feeling; at first I didn't know what that was, but now that I know to listen for it... ugh stupid brain
- I feel like the 2 had a touch more punch in the midbass, makes the 4 seem a bit leaner
- does not feel quite as cohesive as the 2
HEM 6
- geez it's a good thing they're all different colours or I'd be lost about now
- same sensitivity as the 4
- less upper presence than the 4? feels like that slight mute again from the 2
- when I was more heavily in modding, this has that feeling like I stuck some felt in front of the driver, or that something is blocking the sound
- or a very very broad scoop from the mids to treble region
- can't call it a recessed, more like a lowered shelf
- but at least there's some more satisfying midbass again, though perhaps slightly humped
- perhaps the most thump of the family so far? doesn't quite feel right to say that, but feels that way coming from the 4
- bottom reaches deeper? feels cleaner than the 4
- I have the same feeling as the 2 where... all the pieces are there but it doesn't quite pull me in; missing some energy in that upper midrange; transients feel sleepy (not sloppy... sleepy)
- but it's more competent than the 2; clarity is better
- except for a slight added grain; I felt something similar in the 2 which was broadband but here it feels more localized but I can't pinpoint where; like there's a bee in my bonnet
- nitpicking since with the 2 I could hear it once I knew where to listen, but here it's mostly with sine sweeps or very very specific song passages
HEM 8
- slightly higher sensitivity/noise than 6; this could become an issue with those who don't have amps with ultra-low noise floors
- quicker and clear, articulated
- flat bass response, good extension, most energy of the group
- has a similar scoop as the 6 but comes up sooner
- so it's missing “less”
- definitely brings the energy that the 6 was missing
- while the 6 felt sleepy, overall the 8 feels like it's there but is slightly restrained
- most capable of the family
- despite feeling like it's being held back somehow, I was most easily absorbed by this one
- I still hear this narrower not-a-buzzing thing that I can't describe; I've heard it in the 4/6/8 and it always kicks in around the mids (with the 2 it was a broadband thing)
- if I had the time I would experiment with different amping on this one; I wonder if it's an impedance interaction or a distortion artifact, or maybe a tip thing, or maybe my ear goblins are playing tricks on me
Round 2/3
As round 1, but with modified dips as per Dsnuts Primo8 review.
HEM2
* tip mod... moves it further away from the ear; maybe better isolation
* still kinda muted (less so) but at times the music seems to jump out, kinda odd
* deep bass seems improved, but lost some kick
* better immersion this time around
* cohesiveness seems the same
* still not overly engaged
* moved back to original tip, yeah feels more muted again, not as dramatic as I first though, but regular seems to have a bit more upper energy “clarity” while modded tip is clearer in the mids
HEM4
* lost the weight in the mids
* seems to have fixed up the dips?? or at least widened them so they are more scoops rather than notches; creates a slight wonk but this is maybe preferable to the notch which is harder to notice, but when you do it seems more prominent
* for some reason I feel less engaged
* I don't think this was an improvement
* with so many models right next to each other, I have a feeling the HEM4 is going to be like the Shure SE315; the weird middle child
HEM6
* again feels recessed, but in a different place
* meh it's different but I wouldn't call it an improvement
HEM8
* maintains mid levels a bit longer before scooping down, but then the drop is more apparent
* also lessens the rise afterwards... essentially trading some upper treble for more lower treble, and shifting energy from one spot to another
* loses some deep bass energy but seems to reach extra low (added subharmonic distortion?)
* vocal range gains presence, but the upper end and the defining range lose out
* so it gains strength, but loses refinement
* it's a tossup, but I think I prefer the original tips
Round 4
With Aune M2 dap and B1 amp
Overall conclusion: slightly better in some areas, worse in others; I'm paying good money for this?
HEM2
^ not quite as muted as before
^ mids/treble does not have the scoop like the higher models, yet somehow still not as present
^ immersion is better
^ clarity is better than round 3
HEM4
^ this is a more noticeable improvement than the 2
^ same feeling as before where the 4 brings so much more energy than the 2
^ much more bass this time
^ there's still some sort of low-mid distortion
^ still a bit of that doubledip in the treble, but not nearly as noticeable as before, so overall sound there is much much smoother
^ clarity better than round 3
HEM6
^ less energy than the 4
^ slightly hollow feeling
^ definitely better bottom reach, no longer humped midbass, but now less kick/thump
^ objectively the FR scoop is still there, but subjectively less noticeable with music
^ grain is diminished, a bit cleaner overall
^ slight/marginal improvement from round 3
HEM8
^ clarity and energy jump from the 6, particularly in the mids
^ bass range too; like everything just came up a notch
^ extended bass reach... again I feel like I've got a subharmonic kicking in
^ maintains bass energy unlike last time
^ even midbass seems to have humped slightly
^ scoop objectively seems more pronounced on the sweep, but subjectively less so and feels overall more well balanced
^ what's the point of having the 6 when the 8 basically does it all better for marginally increased cost?
^ slight improvement from round 3
Round 5
With Cowon S9 and Sansa Fuze (both older daps)
Overall conclusion: these older devices blow the Aune gear out of the water; sound is much better than before now with a jump in clarity across the board
HEM2
# better separation
# cleaner
# simple clean fun now
# lower end mild fuzz, very slight midbass humpiness
HEM4
# upper mids and treble end jumps out, guitar twangs kinda hard but not overly sharp
# the bass extension feels better, but I think why this one feels leaner is the more pronounced upper half
# the HEM2 deep bass seems to have higher distortion, which makes it feel “fuller” than the 4
# upper end dippiness is much reduced
HEM6
# withdrawn in the upper end
# clarity/transparency significantly improved, but hard to hear compared to the 4 which is so strong here
# I suppose if you're treble sensitive then this would be ok
# much better reach and strong bottom
HEM8
# hahaha there it is!
# find myself turning *down* the volume, while on everything else I was turning it up to hear what was missing
# no more of that annoying buzzing feeling I was getting
# leaner than on the B1, but I'll gladly trade that for the improved clarity I'm finally hearing
# the difference in treble energy here comapred to the 6 is vivid; the 6 is mute by comparison
Overall conclusions
Each step up basically gives a small increment in clarity and extension at both ends.
HEM2
~ a bit of looseness in the bass gives this a warmer tone
~ easier load for amps that do not have a low output impedance, the lower sensitivity also helps alleviates noise issues
HEM4
~ the most pronounced upper end in the family
~ but comparatively the least impressive bass
HEM6
~ good detailing but withdrawn top
~ give this a pass, go straight to the 8
HEM 8
~ a solid all-rounder
~ if you're looking at this family but want higher than 2, skip the 4 and 6 and come straight here
