[sennfan83261]

HEXV2 is very easy and pleasant listen. It's almost like a planar version of Sennhiser HD650 with it's own difference being a planar with large cups (so imaging differences). Both are forgiving headphones. So, they can keep you listening for a long time, particularly the HEXV2.

Yeah, earlier I almost added that the timbre of the HEXv2 is the closest to that of the HD650 from the planars I've tried (LCD-2.1, LCD-4, HE-6, HE-500, and the Ananda).

To me, the upper-mid emphasis of the Elex provides a metallic sheen to instruments, most notably pianos, which makes its timbre, as a whole, sound a bit off to my ears. Furthermore, there's this annoying glare that sometimes intrudes symphonic works, most notably Mozart's 41st (4th movement) (Mozart 225 Box Set) (none of my other cans exhibited this issue). At work, when my Elex package arrived, I let my co-worker compare the HEXv2 and the Elex, and she (a non-audiophile) prefers the HEXv2 to the Elex based on her initial impressions. Then again, I believe that the Elex sounds a bit better with my home setup.

I have other issues with the upper-mids and treble of the Elex that I will discuss in my review of them. I see that the Elex gets bandied about as a HD650 upgrade. In some sense, e.g. detail retrieval, of course. However, in terms of timbre and overall musical enjoyment, I consider them as a sidegrade at best.

(sorry for the Elex tangent)

 

[smoothb0re]

I agree, the HEXv2 really is like a super-HD650. It's so detailed but still laid back at the same time. I often have problems with listening fatigue, and this is exactly the sound I wanted. It makes me relax and just listen to music. Hifiman really made a winner in the HEX. Eventually I'd like to get the Arya, but I could also totally see the HEXv2 as my endgame. I always end up wanting more headphones, though.

Apparently Hifiman does have a single HEXv2 unit available, or the seller could try and repair mine. The issue with both is shipping that will really cost a ton. I've already more or less spent the budget I had allocated for this stuff, so any extra would be bad right now. It'll get better next month though.

There's a bit of a story behind these. I got these as a special reward for myself for getting my life back after the loss of a loved one and surviving a serious illness.

 

[bagwell359]

I don't understand Elex love, the Clear is much more clear.

HEX v2 has some great traits, I enjoy them more with nuggets to get them and keep them in place, and cables that bring out treble definition/sheen.

It might not need a lot of power but it scales well for quality.

It has flaws: midbass warmth boost, soundstage too tall and too narrow, slightly reticent highs, slightly blunted dynamics.

But when u are done deconstructing it, it's still got a gestalt that so few pieces of audio gear have . Also good build quality in the v2 and very comfy

 

[smoothb0re]

It's starting to look kinda bad with the @TeamHiFiMAN matter. I won't be able to afford the shipping to their warehouse in Hungary, so I might not be able to do anything. Might I'll be able to get a refund eventually from original seller if nothing else, I don't know.

Edit: Finally got the RMA sorted with Hifiman support. It shouldn't take too long and won't end up costing as much as feared. Thanks to Hifiman support for dealing with this, I'm damn glad I get to have a HEXv2 in the end.

 

[bagwell359]

It's starting to look kinda bad with the @TeamHiFiMAN matter. I won't be able to afford the shipping to their warehouse in Hungary, so I might not be able to do anything. Might I'll be able to get a refund eventually from original seller if nothing else, I don't know.

Edit: Finally got the RMA sorted with Hifiman support. It shouldn't take too long and won't end up costing as much as feared. Thanks to Hifiman support for dealing with this, I'm damn glad I get to have a HEXv2 in the end.

Encouraging. Good.

 

[smoothb0re]

Shipped my set to Hifiman earlier this week. Hifiman promised to ship a new set to me from France some time next week, so it shouldn't take too long! I'm really glad they offered to replace it and went through the trouble of finding a set, considering they don't make them anymore.

Mark from @TeamHiFiMAN support deserves a big thanks, he made sure everything got done quickly and that I wasn't going to get shafted in this. It's easier to invest lots of money on headphones when you can trust the customer support behind them.

 

[thecrow]

Shipped my set to Hifiman earlier this week. Hifiman promised to ship a new set to me from France some time next week, so it shouldn't take too long! I'm really glad they offered to replace it and went through the trouble of finding a set, considering they don't make them anymore.

Mark from @TeamHiFiMAN support deserves a big thanks, he made sure everything got done quickly and that I wasn't going to get shafted in this. It's easier to invest lots of money on headphones when you can trust the customer support behind them.

I found Mark from @TeamHiFiMAN good to deal with too though i have had no issues with headphones

 

[smoothb0re]

Did Hifiman actually change the sound from v1 to v2, apart from the pads? I got the chance to quickly listen to a HEXv1 with v2 pads, and a HEXv2, and I thought that the v2 sounded better - slightly better mids, MAYBE a tiny advantage in soundstage, and more, uh, alive sound? I have no idea how to describe the last one, especially in english. Like, more sort of punchy I guess? A little, but still.

Thing is, I don't trust my ears and brain here at all. With such small differences and my love for the v2, there's a good chance I partly, or completely, imagined it. I'd love to hear opinions & experiences, and if anyone knows what else, if anything, Hifiman changed? Perhaps @TeamHiFiMAN could chime in?

Disregarding the sound, boy did Hifiman improve on build going from v1 to v2 too. I prefer the new looks as well. V2 feels like so much more of a premium product - I don't mind the black plastic or whatever it is on the cups, it still looks and feels ok. The updated headband with the metal yokes is still my favourite Hifiman design. All in all v2 has impressed the hell out of me. I used to think that the Sundara was Hifiman's all-time best release, as a cohesive package - sound, build, comfort, placement in the market, looks - but now I'm pretty sure HEXv2 has Sundara beat. I'm amazed I'm this late to this train. Finally having them in my hands for more than 15 minutes really made me appreciate the whole package. Faulty units happen to everyone, so no points off there. The waiting is starting to get old, though.

On a not so awesome note, I was under the impression my replacement was supposed to ship on Tuesday, but it appears it still hasn't, and I haven't heard back for a couple days. Hopefully it's just a case of information not making it to me. The defective pair arrived at Hifiman today according to the tracking, so at least I don't have to stress about them going missing and causing problems.

edit: Apparently they haven't been shipped, and won't be until god knows when. This time the story is a sick colleague. So now I'll "kindly wait" for another week. Or two. Hopefully not three.

 

[bagwell359]

Did Hifiman actually change the sound from v1 to v2, apart from the pads? I got the chance to quickly listen to a HEXv1 with v2 pads, and a HEXv2, and I thought that the v2 sounded better - slightly better mids, MAYBE a tiny advantage in soundstage, and more, uh, alive sound? I have no idea how to describe the last one, especially in english. Like, more sort of punchy I guess? A little, but still.

Thing is, I don't trust my ears and brain here at all. With such small differences and my love for the v2, there's a good chance I partly, or completely, imagined it. I'd love to hear opinions & experiences, and if anyone knows what else, if anything, Hifiman changed? Perhaps @TeamHiFiMAN could chime in?

Disregarding the sound, boy did Hifiman improve on build going from v1 to v2 too. I prefer the new looks as well. V2 feels like so much more of a premium product - I don't mind the black plastic or whatever it is on the cups, it still looks and feels ok. The updated headband with the metal yokes is still my favourite Hifiman design. All in all v2 has impressed the hell out of me. I used to think that the Sundara was Hifiman's all-time best release, as a cohesive package - sound, build, comfort, placement in the market, looks - but now I'm pretty sure HEXv2 has Sundara beat. I'm amazed I'm this late to this train. Finally having them in my hands for more than 15 minutes really made me appreciate the whole package. Faulty units happen to everyone, so no points off there. The waiting is starting to get old, though.

On a not so awesome note, I was under the impression my replacement was supposed to ship on Tuesday, but it appears it still hasn't, and I haven't heard back for a couple days. Hopefully it's just a case of information not making it to me. The defective pair arrived at Hifiman today according to the tracking, so at least I don't have to stress about them going missing and causing problems.

edit: Apparently they haven't been shipped, and won't be until god knows when. This time the story is a sick colleague. So now I'll "kindly wait" for another week. Or two. Hopefully not three.

AFAIK per publications, the pads and cable are different (paint job too, but that should not matter) those two are easily able to account for differences between the v1 and v2. I agree the headband on the v2 is excellent.

Add:

faults of the HEX v2: sound stage too tall vs width. Lacks some details over 2k. Is somewhat constrained dynamically in upper mids. Bass clean but is diffuse - a bit raised in upper bass which is why some compare it to the HD-650.

strong points: cohesion - it all fits, doesn't annoy yet is still a clear window on the sound. Can listen into the music very deeply. Somewhat "tube like". As opposed to most gear which has a false emphasis in the treble. For $675-725 used these are your cheap entree into this club: Ether 2, Voce, and 007. Obviously not as good as those, but same vector.

Get an impact can like a HE-6, and an accurate can like the HD-600/Clear, and add these, you've got it all covered.

 

[smoothb0re]

I recently heard that someone had measured both headphones, both using the v2/Ananda ultrapads and seen some differences. Still trying to verify it.

I'll get a chance to listen to both versions with the same pads soon too, this time with a bit more time. Can't wait. Can't wait to have mine here again in general.

 

[zooey]

After only two years, last week my HEX V2 had a driver failure. I wrote an email to the Customer Service and they told me HEX V2 is discontinued, so no repair is possible. Just to say ...

 

[smoothb0re]

I've had a working pair for a bit now, and I'm overjoyed. I know it's a stupid thing to say, but these could be my endgame. I can't see myself selling these - unless my finances dictate it. I think these are the all-rounders I've been looking for. Amazingly, they even beat the dekoni LCD-2C's that I thought were incredible. These sound great out of nearly anything, but what truly makes them shine is the Gustard H20. That amp just makes headphones sing. Both the headphones and amp are as good as I've ever heard.

I'm genuinely happy.

The stock cables are a bit awry though - the 3.5mm one causes a channel imbalance, and the 1/4'' one seems off aswell - it's like some frequencies are more quiet than what they should be on the left channel. On a HE4XX cable, and a custom 4-pin XLR one they work perfectly. I have to admit that I absolutely hate the stock cables, though. The sleeve material is the worst I have ever seen, and it reminds me of hospital IV lines so much that it makes me uncomfortable. Asked if @TeamHiFiMAN could send me some other cable(s) they have lying around, and I don't mind giving the stock ones away.

After only two years, last week my HEX V2 had a driver failure. I wrote an email to the Customer Service and they told me HEX V2 is discontinued, so no repair is possible. Just to say ...

Not even a chance for a repair? That seems really, really bad. That shouldn't be the case for headphones that aren't all that old and cost over a grand. That's disappointing to hear.

In the end, I have to say my personal experience with @TeamHiFiMAN customer support was positive. There were some problems on the way, but they did rectify them all. Mark especially did a lot of work to sort things out, and made sure I knew what was going on.

 

[zooey]

[QUOTE="smoothb0re, post: 15450983, member: 517549"
Not even a chance for a repair?
[/QUOTE]

No

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

After only two years, last week my HEX V2 had a driver failure. I wrote an email to the Customer Service and they told me HEX V2 is discontinued, so no repair is possible. Just to say ...

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that. If you could please email us with the contact history or pm me your email address so I can look up what happened and see how to help you.

Thank you!

April

 

[zooey]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear that. If you could please email us with the contact history or pm me your email address so I can look up what happened and see how to help you.

Thank you!

April

OK