[LugBug1]

Also... After some brain burn in time. The HEX treble imo is pretty much spot on in general. Yes it rolls off at the very top, but there is more texture below than the HD800. Obviously less tiring and smoother - more neutral. Strings now sound great to me.

I have two systems and the last year or so has been the HD600 for one and the HD800 for the other. These two hp's for me work great together, no adjustment time is required between them. Now I'm using the HE400i with one system and the HEX with the other. They both compliment each other very well. The more expensive headphones for my main rig for critical listening. The HE400i is such a good headphone for the price these days and very versatile.

I'm holding out selling the dynamics. But at the moment they are favorites to go.

 

[golfinggino]

I picked up a v2 today for such a crazy price I could not refuse. currently running it off my fiio x5 3rd gen and fiio a5 amp combo sounds excellent my other headphones are hd600 and 400s both of which are now up for sale lol considering I didn't pay much more for the v2's it seems to be very picky on the dac / amp it does not sound good playing off my surface book to jds labs the element with foobar 2000 but excellent from the fiio and great from my lg v20 as well - strange

 

[brookbri]

I picked up a v2 today for such a crazy price I could not refuse. currently running it off my fiio x5 3rd gen and fiio a5 amp combo sounds excellent my other headphones are hd600 and 400s both of which are not up for sale lol considering I didn't pay much more for the v2's it seems to be very picky on the dac / amp it does not sound good playing off my surface book to jds labs the element with foobar 2000 but excellent from the fiio and great from my lg v20 as well - strange

I’m using a Bifrost Multibit and Rupert Neve Headphone Amp with my HEX’s.
Expansive soundstage, tons of detail, yet very musical.
Can listen for hours and works well with all genres.
I’m very happy.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

I picked up a v2 today for such a crazy price I could not refuse. currently running it off my fiio x5 3rd gen and fiio a5 amp combo sounds excellent my other headphones are hd600 and 400s both of which are now up for sale lol considering I didn't pay much more for the v2's it seems to be very picky on the dac / amp it does not sound good playing off my surface book to jds labs the element with foobar 2000 but excellent from the fiio and great from my lg v20 as well - strange

Whats the crazy price and from where?!

 

[arielext]

Anyone experience with the Schiit Lyr2 as amp for this headphone?

 

[LugBug1]

Another week of living with the HEX and I like them even more I've been putting them through a lot of orchestral music and they are either opening up, or my brain is accustomising (new word). Either or; they can handle very complex music without losing detail. In fact, in a lot of cases they are uncovering more details than the HD800. They also present layering extremely well. When music gets very complicated some headphones can handle the different textures in regards to the details (and 'light and shade') but can start to smear the timbres - by this I don't mean blurring the details, more losing the individual instrumental timbre. This is where the HEX is quite incredible IMO and beats the HD800.

Now I'm not going to say that the HEX is better for orchestral music than the HD800. But I will say that it is only different, some may prefer it. Especially those who prefer a more centered soundstage and natural sound overall.

However, as I type this I'm currently listening to a new re-release of Xenakis orchestral works with the Senn's and to be fair - no other headphone can best the HD800 when soundstage and imaging is required.

So as it stands - I'm keeping both Actually to be fair again, I was never going to get rid of the HD800 - its been my love for a number of years. But the HEX is now sat next to them with equal respect.

Have a good weekend and happy listening

 

[Hedonism]

An update on my search for a suitable amp: I've been keeping the mantra that the output into HEX should be less than 1W as stated by Dr. Fang, so that pretty much limits options to portable amp/dac setups or DAPs.

So far, the contenders would be Chord Mojo, Grace M9xx for portable amp/dacs (leaning towards Grace M9xx since I'm not a fan of the battery-powered aspect of the Mojo, since leaving it plugged in all the time will diminish battery capacity eventually and its battery life is quite short for my needs for true portable use).

On the other hand, I'm still on the fence about DAPs...I feel that a lot of the budget allocation has to go into portability, UI, battery life, and other factors that aren't SQ. And power output is obviously way less than a proper portable amp, so that may be a factor as well.

 

[LugBug1]

An update on my search for a suitable amp: I've been keeping the mantra that the output into HEX should be less than 1W as stated by Dr. Fang, so that pretty much limits options to portable amp/dac setups or DAPs.

So far, the contenders would be Chord Mojo, Grace M9xx for portable amp/dacs (leaning towards Grace M9xx since I'm not a fan of the battery-powered aspect of the Mojo, since leaving it plugged in all the time will diminish battery capacity eventually and its battery life is quite short for my needs for true portable use).

On the other hand, I'm still on the fence about DAPs...I feel that a lot of the budget allocation has to go into portability, UI, battery life, and other factors that aren't SQ. And power output is obviously way less than a proper portable amp, so that may be a factor as well.

I personally wouldn't be swayed by the 1W warning... I think that will only apply regarding distortion if you churn out really high volume. And to be fair any 32/35ohm regardless of the variances of sensitivity would cause hearing damage before hurting the headphones. But then again, I didn't design the HP's and that's only my opinion.

I'm treating these the same as any 32ohm headphone. High current, low gain. I would personally look at any SS amp that is not designed for crazy current to fuel hard to please planars. And there are loads of options.

My HEX are driven perfectly (to my ears) by a 'high current class A amp' thats built in to my Audiolab DAC). There is no sign of bloating of the lower registers; which IME is what you would hear especially, if the sound is distorting.

Wish some others would chime in with their amping experiences here..?? Pweeeese?

Maybe if anyone has tried hybrid?

 

[arielext]

I'm using a Rudistor RPX-33 atm, around 10 years old now. While still being a beast of an amp it is showing the age a bit with a high pitched beep from time to time (very annoying).

 

[arielext]

I'm using a Rudistor RPX-33 atm, around 10 years old now. While still being a beast of an amp it is showing the age a bit with a high pitched beep from time to time (very annoying).

Had to whine earlier: the ringing/buzz is completely gone! The Rudistor loves every headphone I throw at it.

 

[doraymon]

An update on my search for a suitable amp: I've been keeping the mantra that the output into HEX should be less than 1W as stated by Dr. Fang, so that pretty much limits options to portable amp/dac setups or DAPs.

So far, the contenders would be Chord Mojo, Grace M9xx for portable amp/dacs (leaning towards Grace M9xx since I'm not a fan of the battery-powered aspect of the Mojo, since leaving it plugged in all the time will diminish battery capacity eventually and its battery life is quite short for my needs for true portable use).

On the other hand, I'm still on the fence about DAPs...I feel that a lot of the budget allocation has to go into portability, UI, battery life, and other factors that aren't SQ. And power output is obviously way less than a proper portable amp, so that may be a factor as well.

After long consideration I ordered a Pathos Aurium to pair with the HEX v2 and Ether C Flow.
It has a gain knob on the rear panel to adjust the output also to very sensitive headphones.
I got a good deal and in the shop I bought it they have a combo package Hex-Aurium as they partner very well together.

 

[golfinggino]

I still can believe how easy it is to drive these headphones - currently playing off my surface book with my hifime sabre 9018 usb dac ( think I paid about $20 for it ) and it sounds very good almost as good as my fiio x5 3rd gen and a5 combo - really is crazy
for some reason these headphones really don't like my jds labs the element - really sounds poor on it - I gave up and selling the jds - will find something else it likes better

 

[sanity8me]

Ever since my JH16's failed on me (and I refuse to pay the ridiculous cost to fix them for feeling like I got burned), I've been taking a sort of hiatus from my personal listening.

I'm now ready to get back and I'm seriously considering the HEX v2.

A few questions:
1) How will they sound compared to a CIEM at the level of JH16's, especially in their low end response?

2) How will their soundstage and imaging compare to my K712 pro's?

3) Will my dacport (original) worsen or improve their sound since it has a 1.5w output which is a little more than the recommend cap of 1w?

 

[Hedonism]

1) I've been demoing a lot of $1000+ CIEMs lately.

I just don't think tiny BA drivers (even multiple) can compare to a full-sized planar magnetic driver in terms of bass reproduction...so they compare favorably. However, maybe it might lack in impact compared to JH16? While I consider the HEX to have bass a bit north of neutral, it's definitely not a basshead phone.

In general, open headphones will have a much more expansive soundstage, and this is true of the HEX vs any of the iems I've been demoing.

As far as technicalities go, I can't help you with that; while I did demo the JH16, it wasn't for very long because I thought it was far too bassy for my tastes.

2) Full disclosure, I haven't heard the AKG K712 pro. I have heard (and own) HD800s. It's reasonable to assume that HD800 beats the K712 in imaging and soundstage. Now, the Edition X V2 won't compete with HD800 in sheer size, but I do think it can keep up in terms of imaging, and the size of the soundstage is still very respectable (large even for open headphones).

3) I've seen reports that the "Edition X falls apart at higher volumes" a few times. MY GUESS is that they are using amplification that exceeds 1W output power when the volume is turned up high. So, maybe it depends on the volume you're listening at? Hopefully owners can chime in with amplification pairings. AGAIN, this is only SPECULATION.

Finally, some unwarranted advice on selecting headphones: put some thought into your preferred sound sig. For reference, the edition x has very slightly boosted bass, a bit of warmth/thickness in the mids and are very slightly laid-back, and a generally smooth laid back treble with a small rebound from ~6-9k for a bit of 'hifi' and "sparkle'. If you prefer a brighter, more treble-heavy presentation, then these are not the headphones for you. Not to say that the edition x is overly laid back or overly warm...imo it's still close-ish to neutral, but you'll definitely notice the difference coming from a leaner-sounding pair of headphones (like the HD800 in my case).

 

[sanity8me]

Thanks for your input, Hedonism.

1) JH16 low end reproduction - I'm actually not looking for basshead-level phones. That being said, I don't consider JH16 to be overly bass-y. In fact, I remember feeling that it was just extremely impressive for an IEM. But ever since their drivers failed on me, which I'm not willing to get fixed/replaced, I kind of had a revelation that I don't really need a godly set-up for portable/on-the-go use anymore in my life.

Recently bought the 1more Quad's and, at their price point, I couldn't be more content with their dynamic range and nonfatiguing, warmish SQ straight out of my new LG V30.

I've actually never demo-ed any planar magnetic headphone, but from what I've been reading I actually would not be surprised if you're 100% right that a full-sized planar magnetic driver would have far better low end reproduction (impact, speed, quantity, quality) compared to the JH16's, even if they did have 4 dedicated drivers just for their lows. Maybe someone else can pitch in...

2) K712 Pro soundstage and imaging - The reason I brought them up is because I'm actually very impressed with their soundstage and imaging. I'm well aware that HD800/HD800S, which I've never heard, are the kings in this department. And it's comforting seeing posts like yours and others saying the HEX v2's even come close. That's why I wonder how the HEX v2's stand compared the K712 pro's here since they're my only reference.

3) dacport 1.5w output to worsen or improve sound - I think you're speculation is legitimate. Would love to see if anyone has any feedback here.


Also, my preferred sig is probably exactly how you put it, especially the laid back part:

"very slightly boosted bass, a bit of warmth/thickness in the mids and are very slightly laid-back, and a generally smooth laid back treble with a small rebound from ~6-9k for a bit of 'hifi' and "sparkle'."

Other traits I'm looking for in terms of SQ:
-non-fatiguing
-warmish
-non-analytical
-velvety, goosebump inducing mids
-non-overblown, but impactful and fun low end