[John Q Lin]

According to the "battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones", T1 is a tier above the He500, and He-6 is one tier above T1. Can anyone who have experience with those headphones confirm this. I wander should I go for the He-6 over the T1 as a upgrade. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[canthearyou]

According to the "battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones", T1 is a tier above the He500, and He-6 is one tier above T1. Can anyone who have experience with those headphones confirm this. I wander should I go for the He-6 over the T1 as a upgrade. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Here's my 2 cents. I heard the T1 at a meet. While it did sound good, it definitely sounded on the bright side. I much prefer the sound of my HE-500. Maybe pairing the T1 with the proper amp could change the brightness, you never know.

 

[elwappo99]

  According to the "battle-of-the-flagships-58-headphones", T1 is a tier above the He500, and He-6 is one tier above T1. Can anyone who have experience with those headphones confirm this. I wander should I go for the He-6 over the T1 as a upgrade. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 
HE-6 is definitely a step over the HE-500, but it has lots of nuances as well. 
 
I'd easily place the T1 under the HE-500. It's pretty far behind in terms of overall sound balance and detail retrieval. 

 

[John Q Lin]

Thanks guys for the input, oh man I was really go for the T1 too, how much is the HE6 better than the 500 and T1. I know He6 need a really good amp, I'm not sure my Grace m9xx can drive it. Can the Grace m9xx from Massdrop drive the T1?

 

[joespride]

Recently sold my HE500 with Norne and ended up with what was (somewhat) marketed as an improvement The HE560.  I can not really see comparing the 2 they are leagues apart in there sound  sig.
 
Initially I HATED the 560 but I must admit I am liking the improved high end, and the overall balance of the 560.  The Bass is a tad hit and miss. but testing with tones it is just as deep as the 500 and perhaps a bit clearer / tighter. Drum strikes have more of a whack then decay over the 500 and each tom is very evident
 
 
Curious why so many seem to simply hate the 560.  My initial distaste was the mids but I found simply pumping a bit more power to them made a world of difference.  I do know the 500 has a lushness to it that the 560 can not duplicate
 
Comfort is a no brainer, I find the 560 competes with the likes of Sennheiser hd800 in that regard
 
Thought I would dip a toe in the water since there seems to be a good bit of discussion about a step up and ask why no one considers the HE560

 

[John Q Lin]

"For those that own the HE-500, I think you're doing a disservice to not buy or at least experience the HE-6 on a good system. It takes everything great about the HE-500 and magnifies it by 5x. If you can't afford to buy these and an amp, then DO NOT BUY. You will be extremely disappointed and even if you can scrounge up money, it will take a while before you find one that you like."
Is this true? for those who own the HE-6

 

[elwappo99]

  Thanks guys for the input, oh man I was really go for the T1 too, how much is the HE6 better than the 500 and T1. I know He6 need a really good amp, I'm not sure my Grace m9xx can drive it. Can the Grace m9xx from Massdrop drive the T1?

 
Owned the HE-6 a long time. It's definitely a double edged sword. The HE-6 needs a lot. You need to have a good DAC, a great amplifier, and high quality sound recordings (not just talking FLAC here). If you have any of those categories lacking, the HE-6 will sound bright and edgy and can be very sibilant. I found 90% of the music I had in my collection didn't sound very good. 
 
I think the HE-6 is a clear step up from the HE-500. In comparison I'd put the HE-560 on par or a touch better than the HE-500. The HE-6 is definitely a wide margin better than both. TBH, I think the HE-6 still holds its own as one of the top headphones around. Clearly above any Audeze I've heard, or any Beyerdynamic, or any AKG for that matter. 
 
 
 

  Recently sold my HE500 with Norne and ended up with what was (somewhat) marketed as an improvement The HE560.  I can not really see comparing the 2 they are leagues apart in there sound  sig.
 
Initially I HATED the 560 but I must admit I am liking the improved high end, and the overall balance of the 560.  The Bass is a tad hit and miss. but testing with tones it is just as deep as the 500 and perhaps a bit clearer / tighter. Drum strikes have more of a whack then decay over the 500 and each tom is very evident
 
 
Curious why so many seem to simply hate the 560.  My initial distaste was the mids but I found simply pumping a bit more power to them made a world of difference.  I do know the 500 has a lushness to it that the 560 can not duplicate
 
Comfort is a no brainer, I find the 560 competes with the likes of Sennheiser hd800 in that regard
 
Thought I would dip a toe in the water since there seems to be a good bit of discussion about a step up and ask why no one considers the HE560

 
 
 
I'm surprised you say "Curious why so many seem to simply hate the 560. " I thought the general consensus was that people really liked the HE560 overall? 
 
 
I purchased the HE560 at one point and returned them shortly after. I was hoping for a big improvement over the HE-500, and I didn't think the HE560 really fit the bill. I thought it was better in some areas, and worse in others. Overall, what really got me was that the HE560 had a really odd treble spike, which I found very uncomfortable to listen to. Ultimately that's what tipped me. 
 
When I ran them both on a Mjolnir2 I didn't think they were very far apart in terms of detail retrieval or soundstage.  

 

[skyline315]

HE-6
 
Absolutely better than the HE-500 and sounded just fine with my Bifrost 4490 and Project Ember II.  But, going back to the 500s never left me disappointed, and I'd rather pocket the extra $500 by going with the better value (in my opinion).
 
HE-560
 
Better in technicalities, but very track specific.  With jazz, it's a pretty heavenly headphone.  Put on something like Nirvana and they make me want to rip them off my head.  I find the 500s to be more versatile.  

 

[Hansotek]

"For those that own the HE-500, I think you're doing a disservice to not buy or at least experience the HE-6 on a good system. It takes everything great about the HE-500 and magnifies it by 5x. If you can't afford to buy these and an amp, then DO NOT BUY. You will be extremely disappointed and even if you can scrounge up money, it will take a while before you find one that you like."
Is this true? for those who own the HE-6

Yes. This is true. The HE-6 sounds like crap if you don't give it the juice it needs. If you can't power it properly, get the HE-500 instead.

Vintage Class-A speaker amps in the $500-$1,500 range can get you about up to par and maybe moderately ahead of the HE-500 in sound quality (depending on the amp). If you really want to make the quantum leap with the HE-6, budget about $4K for a really serious speaker amp or a big flagship headphone amp like the DNA Stratus with some killer tubes, the Wells Audio Enigma or a pair of Questyle CMA800R monoblocks. Then the differences really start to show.

Without proper power, the HE-6 has anemic bass, weak mids and painfully sibilant treble. With proper power, it's just a step or two behind the Abyss and the LCD-4 (and arguably the HE-1000, though I think the HEK isn't as good as the others, personally) in the running for best planar on the market. The unfortunate part is, there isn't any middle ground. It's either right or it's not.

That being said, I've heard the HE-500 out of a $7K amp (many times) and it scales up quite nicely. The question of whether an HE-6 sounds better on a $3,500 amp or an HE-500 sounds better on a $7,000 amp is one I haven't been able to answer conclusively. But I can tell you, without doubt or hesitation, that if you're planning on using the M9XX as the amp, the HE-500 is going to be the better headphone with it, no question.

 

[yellowbirdfly]

HE-6

Absolutely better than the HE-500 and sounded just fine with my Bifrost 4490 and Project Ember II.  But, going back to the 500s never left me disappointed, and I'd rather pocket the extra $500 by going with the better value (in my opinion).

HE-560

Better in technicalities, but very track specific.  With jazz, it's a pretty heavenly headphone.  Put on something like Nirvana and they make me want to rip them off my head.  I find the 500s to be more versatile.  

I have a Project Ember II and am thinking of upgrading from HE-500 to HE-6. When driven with the Ember, does the HE-6 sound better than HE-500? Are there any signs of HE-6 being under-driven from the Ember?

 

[skyline315]

I have a Project Ember II and am thinking of upgrading from HE-500 to HE-6. With the Ember, would the HE-6 sound better than HE-500? Are there any signs of HE-6 being under-driven from the Ember?

 
It sounded very nice to me.  Better clarity and refinement, but still with the ability to really kick.
 
Whether or not it was under-driven, I really can't say. Relative to a speaker amp, maybe so, but during the few months I spent with them the Ember was all I had at my disposal.  If you go that route, I'd recommend a darker tube to help with the treble (I used the 6N6P).  This pair also had some aftermarket pads on them (don't know which ones) that supposedly darkened the sound up a bit.
 
At the end of the day, I could have easily lived with them as my daily headphones, but the extra price just isn't worth it to me.  Especially if you decide that you want to really push them to their limit...the extra price of the headphones, plus amp just gets out of control very quickly.  The Ember and 500s are such a good match, that I'm content with what I've got.  

 

[yellowbirdfly]

 
It sounded very nice to me.  Better clarity and refinement, but still with the ability to really kick.
 
Whether or not it was under-driven, I really can't say. Relative to a speaker amp, maybe so, but during the few months I spent with them the Ember was all I had at my disposal.  If you go that route, I'd recommend a darker tube to help with the treble (I used the 6N6P).  This pair also had some aftermarket pads on them (don't know which ones) that supposedly darkened the sound up a bit.
 
At the end of the day, I could have easily lived with them as my daily headphones, but the extra price just isn't worth it to me.  Especially if you decide that you want to really push them to their limit...the extra price of the headphones, plus amp just gets out of control very quickly.  The Ember and 500s are such a good match, that I'm content with what I've got.  

 

That's good to know, thanks for the insight! I will probably upgrade for the added clarity and refinement.

 

[roadcykler]

Much, if not all of the "this is better than that" is based on the price. The fallacy that something more expensive must be better is rampant, especially in the audio world. After listening to the T1s for a few days, I wouldn't have anything to do with them and they were a lot more expensive than the 500s at the time (maybe still are). I think the most important thing you can do is look at professional reviews, look at professional measurements, and if at all possible, listen to what you're interested in with music you like. If that isn't possible, buy from somewhere that has a good return policy. 

 

[John Q Lin]

I have a few questions
 
So with if I want to upgrade to the he-6, will I need something like project ember to drive it?  m9xx will not do?
 
How does the m9xx compare to project ember, I have a hifiman he500 just wandering if I need to buy project ember to bring out the best in he500.
 
project ember vs m9xx powering the he500, which one is better?
 
Thanks

 

[Hansotek]

I have a few questions

So with if I want to upgrade to the he-6, will I need something like project ember to drive it?  m9xx will not do?

How does the m9xx compare to project ember, I have a hifiman he500 just wandering if I need to buy project ember to bring out the best in he500.

project ember vs m9xx powering the he500, which one is better?

Thanks

You should really be asking in the HE-6 thread.