[vaed]

 
    Ever since I bought my Taurus I've been intrigued by the HE-6 but never got around to asking my dealer for an audition, particularly after he steered me toward the LCD-X. 

 
If it's worth anything, I auditioned the LCD-X against my HE-6. I didn't have gear to make it a truly equal head-to-head, but their general signatures were complimentary such that I'd suggest you do give it a shot. I did prefer my HE-6 in the end, as it's spoiled me with its pristine clarity, but I did appreciate the LCD-X's more laid-back approach. If anything, it helped me gain perspective on the type of signature my ears liked.

 

[Maxvla]

Talk about crashing someone's thread...



@estreeter

I've heard both HE-6 and PM-1 and I would go PM-1 if you had to make a decision between just these two. I know you have the HD800 as I do, and despite the PM-1 sounding completely different, I still like them somehow. The HE-6 is a poor attempt to match the HD800, with odd soundstage issues (mine sounded better with them reversed on my head) and just as bright treble. Add in that the comfort is easily one of the worst I've ever experienced and adjustment sliders that like to move on their own, and you end up with a bad experience. I have heard the HE-6 sound quite nice before (RMAF 2011), but it also had $30k of electronics behind it, and carefully selected music.Even then, I imagine I'd prefer that same rig with HD800s instead.

The PM-1 is not as comfortable as HD800s, but not too far off. They are much lighter than the HE-6 and are secure on the head. The sound is so different I need about 30 mins minimum to go from HD800 to PM-1 or vice versa. PM-1 sounds super dark at first listen, and HD800 sound incredibly thin and bright. I have no words to describe how I can like both of these headphones. I would recommend waiting for the PM-2 as I find the PM-1 to be unattractive from a value perspective. $700 for the same sound minus most of the luxury (or some say the PM-2 will be slightly brighter, an improvement IMO) is about right for the quality I perceived.

 

[SilverEars]

Let the guy try the HE-6 and see if he likes it.  It's best to try out the gear for yourself to see if you like it.  

 

[estreeter]

Thanks for the ongoing feedback guys - appreciated. 

 

[preproman]

You'll have your HE-6 bashere here and there, after not giving the same level of effort as other so to speak picky headphones.  HE-6 on the run of the mill headphone amps a few years back like Little Dot (omething) was pointless to say the least.  
 
"The HE-6 a poor attempt to match the HD800" - SMH.. That's a poor attempt at a down play.
 
I say give both or any headphone you try it's just do.  The Taurus sounds like it's a great headphone amp to get the job done.  I would love to try it someday.  IMO the HE-6 desevers a speaker amp - or some of the more current driven headphone amps of today - just as they say the HD800 deserves a tube amp to sound it's best.  

 

[anetode]

If the HD800's treble peak doesn't bother you very much then you are more likely to be able to deal with the HE-6's one strong flaw: it has a sharp, even tinny treble. I've heard it on monster amps as well as run of the mill equipment and it's still there. Otherwise you get all the hallmarks of a good ortho - great impactfull bass, smooth midrange, good resolution and layering and a medium-sized soundstage. I haven't heard the PM-1, looking at it's measurements it appears to have a subdued sound with a receding bass response and a generally smooth frequency response trend from there on up.

 

[Maxvla]

You'll have your HE-6 bashere here and there, after not giving the same level of effort as other so to speak picky headphones.  HE-6 on the run of the mill headphone amps a few years back like Little Dot (omething) was pointless to say the least.  

"The HE-6 a poor attempt to match the HD800" - SMH.. That's a poor attempt at a down play.

I used the HE-6 on amps of the time. How was I wrong by doing that? It was a fairly powerful amp for what it was, FYI, certainly not run of the mill. The Little Dot MKVI outputs 5W @120ohm, not sure at 50ohm, but still plenty. It's easy for you to come in here having enjoyed the HE-6 from the start and having had 3+ years of system building to perfectly match everything. I didn't like it with the amps I had available so I moved on. I'm not sure why you are singling me out. I heard the HD800 when it was first released and I thought it was OK but nothing special. In the 3-4 years from then to when I ordered mine, my tastes changed, I suppose, and I liked them on most any rig, even from my phone. They certainly sound better on some rigs than others, but they are rarely bad. This is why I kept on with the HD800 and not with the HE-6. If you feel I didn't give it the same level of effort, it is because of this, I didn't like them as much, so I felt less desire to put forth the effort. I don't know how you can slight me for that.

 

[SilverEars]

  If the HD800's treble peak doesn't bother you very much then you are more likely to be able to deal with the HE-6's one strong flaw: it has a sharp, even tinny treble. I've heard it on monster amps as well as run of the mill equipment and it's still there. Otherwise you get all the hallmarks of a good ortho - great impactfull bass, smooth midrange, good resolution and layering and a medium-sized soundstage. I haven't heard the PM-1, looking at it's measurements it appears to have a subdued sound with a receding bass response and a generally smooth frequency response trend from there on up.

I didn't find the treble on the HE-6 tinny or sharp to the point of discomfort.  What I like about it was the treble had quite a bit of variations outputting subtle details.  I've used the same setup as the HD800, and the treble on the 800 was the one that was tinny and forward up to the point of discomfort for tracks that pushes the treble notably popular music.  Audiophile tracks tends to be less offensive and the 800 played nice.  Comparing the two, HE-6 does well with every genre and puts out resolution no matter the genre.  This was the same for my NT6 CIEM that is known to output very high resolution.  All this is from my ODAC.  Given all plays nice with the same DAC, but one headphone(HD800), I would have to say it's the 800's characteristic to output a forward treble with less resolution with certain recordings.

 

[anetode]

  I didn't find the treble on the HE-6 tinny or sharp.  What I like about it was the treble had quite a bit of variations outputting subtle details.  I've used the same setup as the HD800, and the treble on the 800 was the one that was tinny and forward up to the point of discomfort for tracks that pushes the treble notably popular music.  Audiophile tracks tends to be less offensive and the 800 played nice.  Comparing the two, HE-6 does well with every genre and puts out resolution no matter the genre.  This was the same for my NT6 CIEM that is known to output very high resolution.  All this is from my ODAC.  Given all plays nice with my DAC, but one headphone(HD800), I would have to say it's the 800's characteristic to output a forward treble with less resolution with certain recordings.

I know, I know, the HE 6 can do no wrong, etc.

 

[SilverEars]

  You'll have your HE-6 bashere here and there, after not giving the same level of effort as other so to speak picky headphones.  HE-6 on the run of the mill headphone amps a few years back like Little Dot (omething) was pointless to say the least.  
 
"The HE-6 a poor attempt to match the HD800" - SMH.. That's a poor attempt at a down play.
 
I say give both or any headphone you try it's just do.  The Taurus sounds like it's a great headphone amp to get the job done.  I would love to try it someday.  IMO the HE-6 desevers a speaker amp - or some of the more current driven headphone amps of today - just as they say the HD800 deserves a tube amp to sound it's best.  

This is pretty offensive. 

 
I know, I know, the HE 6 can do no wrong, etc.

Never said that, and I hope my writing surely do not imply that as it's not perfect like the 800.  I'm just pointing out what I've experienced that differs from yours.

 

[wuwhere]

Well, I don't believe that Dr. Fang was trying to imitate the HD800.
 
http://www.cnet.com/news/pay-less-for-worlds-best-headphone/

 

[zenpunk]

The HE-6 has the best treble I heard and is unusually solid and tactile, unlike most dynamics and stats. The Oppo has fantastic mids but is not even close to the HE-6 in overall SQ.
I only listen to the Oppo PM-1 for a week and enjoyed its presentation more and more, but sadly switching to the HE-6 and TH-900 quickly highlighted its shortcomings and congested presentation.
Confort-wise I also prefer the HE-6, but I am likely to be an exception...
 

 

[estreeter]

The Amazon page has a few gripes about build quality on the HE-6 and I've had problems with several of their IEMs in the past - can anyone comment on that aspect of the HE-6 ? 

 

[pataburd]

Never had build quality issues with my HE-6.
If you handle/treat them carefully, they hold up quite well IMHE.
That said, however, I would give the PM-1 the nod for better/more durable [and more aesthetically pleasing] construction.
If your Taurus is up to the task, I would get off the fence and try the HE-6.
Then I would try the PM-1(!).

 

 

[pataburd]

The PM-1 are more versatile/less finicky about sources/amps than the HE-6.  Better suited for on-the-go.
The Oppos [smooth, luscious, understated and midrange tilted] are nearly the sonic antithesis to the HE-6 [airy, "neutral", direct and (for me) slightly treble leaning].
Strangely, even though I typically subscribe to the "neutral and airy" Head-Fier camp, I have none-the-less developed an affinity for the PM-1.    
It could be novelty, but for whatever reason the PM-1 have struck a chord of interest with me at the moment.  For orthos, they seem to portray a more subtle "curvature" to their dynamic and come across in a more conical/less "planar" fashion (I hope that makes sense).  
With my best gear, I think that the PM-1 are more tonally and/or dynamically complex--especially in the lower midrange/upper bass registers--than the HE-6 [were].  Electric (R&R) guitar and snare/tom-tom hits are a real treat with the PM-1.