First impressions are very positive. Whopping soundstage for a start! Staging/imaging is excellent. A little more intimate than the HD800 with a little less air. But the soundstage size is not far off, and I'm surprised at this - not as wide though. Different trebles, the HEX rolls off at the top but is more neutral lower down - more like the HD600 here. The efficiency is as described and these are very sensitive, I'm happy just to plug them into either of my dacs that have built in solid state amps (Q DAC sounds particularly good, this has a very neutral quality hp stage built in).
I mostly listen to Classical music and so I've thrown some of my tester tracks at them including 'Birtwistle - Earth Dances' conducted by Boulez. This is a massive complex orchestral beast that covers the whole range of acoustic frequencies. The hex is handling it very well, the rumbling of the timpani is clear and powerful. There is a nice bite to mid treble that is similar to the HE400i, this is picking up loads of little details. Strings are so hard to get right with headphones IME, these sound natural but without the extra air of the HD800. The HEX are more mid centric making you focus more on the mids rather than a large "whole" as the Senns do.
Biggest difference between these and the HD800 is the smoothness. But you knew that already
Bass is slightly above neutral in my opinion. This adds to the overall warm sound. Very good bass, integrates into the mids - I hear no hump. The HD800 has tighter bass but less quantity. These have less bass than the HE400i (which has a midbass hump similar to the HD650) but it extends lower and has much greater definition. I've played some familiar modern jazz tracks from the Act label (very well produced) and the double bass has authority and definition without much bloom. In fact these sound absolutely amazing with jazz it has to be said. The space in between instruments sounds spot on, compared to the HD800 where small ensembles can sound too stretched apart. The soundstage remains huge - but intimate at the same time.
Voices sound better than the HD800. This was night and day for me here. The texture and realism is quite astounding. But the upper mids in general are taking me a little time to adjust to coming from the Senns. I like how the Senns dip slightly in the lower treble this makes strings for example sound more pleasing, especially with the extra air at the top. But this is a purely subjective preference and strictly regarding orchestral music.
*second day*
Had a long and more thorough listening session tonight. Again early important impressions before I get too accustomed, as i believe your brain can tell you anything sounds good - especially if you've paid the price of a second hand car for it
In all seriousness these headphones should be flying off the shelves. Why? Because they for me bridge the contrast between dynamic and planar drivers for me. They sound open and revealing yet smooth and controlled. fast, natural without the "grain" associated with dynamic drivers. Soundstage is up there with Sennheiser but without the lifted treble up top.
I think some may be put off by the efficiency; they may have very expensive powerful amps. The HEX only need a wire with small gain. These are advertised for portable use and yes they work great even plugged into your phone. But seriously, these are high end headphones that deserve a good source/DAC. Neither Apple or Samsung are this
I'd describe them in a nutshell as a HD600 with a much larger stage, no sign of bass hump - much deeper/lower clearer bass. Smoother and super clear but with a similar engaging sound that makes you forget you're listening to headphones. (is that not what a lot of us head-fiers have been after, like forever!!!)
A few words on the physicalities.. I'm all about the sound and will wear something created from barbed wire if it sounds good. But thus to say, these are very comfortable -not as light or head friendly as the hd800. They look to me tougher and should handle plenty of knocks etc. the cable is the most ergonomic creation I've seen in hifi.
But its all about the music. For those who have eclectic tastes I'd recommend these over the HD800 instantly. All music sounds good out of these that I've tried - Electronic, ambient, classical, pop, Jazz, rock.
I won't be losing my HD800 however. These are still the kings for classical music in regards to absolute resolution imaging etc when amped right.
Your call
