[nk126]

  I posted earlier (couple weeks ago) about trying the V Moda Audio-Only cable. I apologize for being a bad head-fier! To my ears, it made a BIG difference. In just a few seconds, I noticed that the sound was louder with the V Moda cable. Upon listening further, the sound was a lot fuller too. The stock cables made highs in some songs sound a little harsh and sibilant (Catch Hell Blues by The White Stripes for eg.), but this was gone with the V Moda cable. Also, the bass in some electronic tracks (Ghosts n Stuff by Deadmau5 for eg.) and the newer rap tracks (Mind Control by Big Krit, AMilli by Lil Wayne for eg.) is definitely more present with the V Moda cable.
 
Additionally, my girl friend now has the PM-3 (we fought over which one to get as a "common pair", couldn't decide and ended up getting both!), and I feel the V Moda cable sounds better than the PM-3 cable; not by much but enough to make a difference. It's almost like the sound has more timbre and is very noticeable in blues and acoustic tracks (it really popped in Gary Clark Jr's version of Catfish Blues and the unplugged version of Tears in Heaven).
 
@Blinxat - See if you can get a pair of the V Moda Audio Only cable and if that works better for you. The black cable is a lengthier version to suit a desktop setup if you need. And thank you for the wonderful playlists!

I'm trying my V-Moda cable for the first time as I type this. Wow. Feels good to have a "silly, obsessed with my hobby" purchase actually work out! 
 
For $12 shipped, this is an awesome upgrade for the H6. Like @raajgunnn said, everything is noticeably louder right away, but more importantly I'm also hearing a little more detail retrieval and layering overall. Listened to Subterranean Homesick Alien off Radiohead's OK Computer, and now Cowboy Junkies' 200 More Miles live CD, and there's so much atmosphere and detail all over the place. 
 
Even if it's just placebo effect - which I actually don't think it is - I'm happy having bought the cable.
 
Note that the cable was a little finicky seating in the H6's ear cup jack.
 
Note also that the cable doesn't have an inline mic/remote, but is braided fabric and comes in your choice of stylish fashion colors. 
 
Note also that I'm listening through a dac/amp, YMMV, caveat emptor, safe harbor, don't step on cracks in the sidewalk, etc. 

 

[zambz]

So after some further testing, I think that this headphone's main problem area is around the 300 Hz mark (also confirmed by Tyll's measurements).  This is easily fixed with some EQ as shown below:
 

 
This can all be accomplished for free on OS X by using AU Lab, Soundflower and this awesome free TDR Nova EQ plug (http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/).  When bypassing the EQ after listening for a while, you'll notice the sound is a little more hollow and vocals have less body.
 
The con with applying this EQ curve is that the sound signature moves a little towards neutral which makes the sub bass a little less prominent, but imho it's worth it.

 

[Blinxat]

  So after some further testing, I think that this headphone's main problem area is around the 300 Hz mark (also confirmed by Tyll's measurements).  This is easily fixed with some EQ as shown below:
 

 
This can all be accomplished for free on OS X by using AU Lab, Soundflower and this awesome free TDR Nova EQ plug (http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/).  When bypassing the EQ after listening for a while, you'll notice the sound is a little more hollow and vocals have less body.
 
The con with applying this EQ curve is that the sound signature moves a little towards neutral which makes the sub bass a little less prominent, but imho it's worth it.

 
Not quite sure if there is something else going on vaguely speaking from 100hz to 2khz, but I will do some listening with the suggested 3db boost at 300hz.
 
But in general I mostly like it as is.
 

 
I think the driver coating looks very much like some AKG phones, which coincidentally also sound a a touch dry. (at least some) Doesn't really mean anytthing I guess since many driver OEM's will user similar tech. Also angled, where the R is is at the edge and on the opposite side it goes down and sits deeper. HARMAN did buy B&O Automative and B&O play though. (who also own AKG)
 
also dat bass definition on https://open.spotify.com/track/04RHnHN4e6SXRsrC5YTAvd (probably enabled by small vent on the bottom of the headphones?)

 

[zambz]

   
Not quite sure if there is something else going on vaguely speaking from 100hz to 2khz, but I will do some listening with the suggested 3db boost at 300hz.
 
But in general I mostly like it as is.
 

 
I think the driver coating looks very much like some AKG phones, which coincidentally also sound a a touch dry. (at least some) Doesn't really mean anytthing I guess since many driver OEM's will user similar tech. Also angled, where the R is is at the edge and on the opposite side it goes down and sits deeper. HARMAN did buy B&O Automative and B&O play though. (who also own AKG)
 
also dat bass definition on https://open.spotify.com/track/04RHnHN4e6SXRsrC5YTAvd (probably enabled by small vent on the bottom of the headphones?)

 
Sweet, really great info.  Yeah, I think the bass port is what gives the bass it's character.  The soundstage is indeed very wide.  Perhaps AKG engineers had a hand in this.
 
Checking out your playlist now, thanks so much!

 

[imattersuk]

  Disclaimer: This is just my opnion
 
Let me just say that after listening to various high end headphones by companies like Audeze, Audioquest, Sennheiser, Hifiman, AKG, Mr Speakers and ENIGMAcoustics, the H6 holds up extremely well and surpasses most of the headphones I heard.
 
Sennheiser HD800 / AKG K812: The lower treble on both of these headphones is harsh and unnecessarily upfront. Their soundstage really doesn't sound much wider than the H6 at all to my ears.  In fact, I was surprised with them, I expected to be blown away by the soundstage but simply wasn't.  I guess the H6 is in the ballpark.
 
Audioquest Nighthawk  Extremely muffled and horrible sound.  I honestly can't understand these headphones and how one could enjoy them.
 
ENIGMAcoustics Dharma: These are fascinating but I can't help but feel that the tweeter makes the treble a bit unnatural sounding.  I find the upper treble a bit too forward and harsh.
 
Mr Speakers Ether: I actually liked this a lot, but preferred the open Audeze EL-8 (see below)
 
HiFiMAN HE-560: Mids and soundstage leave a lot to be desired, highs are not as crisp as I would like them to be.
 
Audeze EL-8 (closed): Recessed mids and very little bass in comparison to the H6,. I prefer the H6 a lot more.
 
Audeze EL-8 (open) & LCD-2: Both of these headphones are excellent but have two major problems in comparison to the H6
 
* Comfort: These are extremely heavy and clamp tightly.  They hurt my head after a short time.
* Bass Presence: This seems to be a general limitation of open back design, you simply don't get the same depth or presence in the bass region, particularly in the sub bass.
 
I am considering buying the EL-8 open headphones if I can find a way to adjust them for my huge head.  The main area where they beat the H6 is mid bass which is a bit nicer on the EL-8 and the treble is even a little more crisp too.  Keep in mind that they are twice the price, very heavy and open back though.
 
I also spent some time A/Bing the H6s directly through my MBP and through a Schiit D/A converter and Burson headphone amplifier (worth around $1000 AU together).  I tried my best to hear the difference but I simply can't.  As such, I think that simply running these headphones out of a good audio card provides sufficient power to drive them to their best performance.  This same point goes for the EL-8s.
 
Once again, these are my own impressions and I do my absolute best to judge things for myself instead of getting caught up in any sort of hype.  Of course YMMV, but overall, this has reinforced that the H6 is one spectacular headphone that more people should be trying.

Interesting summary and comparison, thanks for sharing.
 
You really should try the Chord Mojo, you're missing out massively on what the H6 is capable of by coming straight out of the Macbook, I use a QED Reference USB to Mojo which improves things even more, couldn't go back to just using the built in soundcard on my Macbook.
 
Quite a few guys on the Mojo thread have bought in Australia, there's almost 500 pages on that thread, well worth a look.
 
Doubt you would need to use any EQ either, it's a stunning combo.

 

[nk126]

  Interesting summary and comparison, thanks for sharing.
 
You really should try the Chord Mojo, you're missing out massively on what the H6 is capable of by coming straight out of the Macbook, I use a QED Reference USB to Mojo which improves things even more, couldn't go back to just using the built in soundcard on my Macbook.
 
Quite a few guys on the Mojo thread have bought in Australia, there's almost 500 pages on that thread, well worth a look.
 
Doubt you would need to use any EQ either, it's a stunning combo.

Agreed. Even my very modest DAC/Amp makes a huge difference with these phones over my Macbook's headphone jack. 

 

[zambz]

Thanks guys, perhaps I'm just not listening for the right detail.  When you A / B at the same level, what is it that you hear with the amp that you don't hear with the MBP output?  I'll definitely give it another try, but perhaps I'm not paying attention to the right detail.

 

[csxmarky]

Has anyone tried the khaled version? Do they sound good? How do they compare to the original?

 

[imattersuk]

  Thanks guys, perhaps I'm just not listening for the right detail.  When you A / B at the same level, what is it that you hear with the amp that you don't hear with the MBP output?  I'll definitely give it another try, but perhaps I'm not paying attention to the right detail.

It's not so much the amping with the Mojo it's the DAC section that's important. 30 secs will reveal all.

 

[chailee80]

Has anyone tried the khaled version? Do they sound good? How do they compare to the original?

The DJ Khaled versions have an enhanced bass and rolled off treble compared to the original, they also come with a coiled remote cable instead of the straight cable. From my experience there is 3 different sound signatures for the h6, the original is the most neutral then there's the special edition versions which sound V shaped and then theres the Khaled version.

 

[csxmarky]

The DJ Khaled versions have an enhanced bass and rolled off treble compared to the original, they also come with a coiled remote cable instead of the straight cable. From my experience there is 3 different sound signatures for the h6, the original is the most neutral then there's the special edition versions which sound V shaped and then theres the Khaled version.

Thanks for the reply! Do u feel there worth the 300 for someone who listens to mostly hip-hop?

 

[zambz]

Thanks for the reply! Do u feel there worth the 300 for someone who listens to mostly hip-hop?

 
To be honest, I think that the current regular H6s suit hip hop and rap really well.  I listen to some Xzibit from time to time, and there's definitely enough bass (imho) to satisfy my taste.  Perhaps give the regular H6s a try and see if they do it for you?

 

[csxmarky]

To be honest, I think that the current regular H6s suit hip hop and rap really well.  I listen to some Xzibit from time to time, and there's definitely enough bass (imho) to satisfy my taste.  Perhaps give the regular H6s a try and see if they do it for you?

The thing is that I can get the khaled for 250 new and the regular h6 would be 150 more.

 

[imattersuk]

Ok so the V Moda cable arrived today from Canada, outstanding service, very fast delivery.
 
Sounds slightly better than the oppo cable, bit more clarity, really pleased as I have to include the Oppo cable with the headphones i'm selling so now fully sorted.
 
Swapped back and forth between the V Moda and the stock cable with microphone and can confirm the stock cable is awful. Such a shame so many people will never hear the full potential of the H6 if they use the supplied cable.
 
Also tried them directly from the Macbook, not great, they really benefit from the Mojo, then again ANY headphone benefits from being hooked up to the Mojo.
 
I highly recommend getting the V Moda cable, a bargain for US$12

 

[Blinxat]

Still don't understand why the H6 was never reviewed on Innerfidelity. The OPPO PM3 also shows a drop at 300hz? and that got a raving review.