[TonyNewman]

 
i like the treble also  so I might not do the fuzzor mod - I like the detail .

 
I did a "fuzzor-lite" rather than a "full fuzzor" - treble seems very good to me. Somewhat tamed, but still there when you need it.
 

 
Pic shows what I mean by "fuzzor-lite" - I only covered the vertical bars - not the surrounding areas.

 

[ZzBOG]

Hi guys, I am in this well known triangle of HD800 / LCD-3 / HE-6. Did a lot of research and listened to HD800 / LCD-X (could not listen to LCD-3). Still waiting for a chance to listen to HE-6. However knowing all the HE-6 amping thing I would (if I go with them) get some vintage speaker amp to drive them. It will still be cheaper then LCD-3 with the cheapest possible option, so I am really holding off until I heard HE-6.. 
 
However one thing that bothers me - specs. Judging by: 
 
http://versus.com/en/audeze-lcd-3-vs-hifiman-he-6
 
It seems that He-6 has more narrow frequency response range, lower sensitivity while HD800 and LCD-3 have literally same parameters.. Can someone explain please if that matters and why it does / does not ? Not from "enjoy music / sound  not specs" point of view but from the tech point of view? 

 

[Xenophon]

  Hi guys, I am in this well known triangle of HD800 / LCD-3 / HE-6. Did a lot of research and listened to HD800 / LCD-X (could not listen to LCD-3). Still waiting for a chance to listen to HE-6. However knowing all the HE-6 amping thing I would (if I go with them) get some vintage speaker amp to drive them. It will still be cheaper then LCD-3 with the cheapest possible option, so I am really holding off until I heard HE-6.. 
 
However one thing that bothers me - specs. Judging by: 
 
http://versus.com/en/audeze-lcd-3-vs-hifiman-he-6
 
It seems that He-6 has more narrow frequency response range, lower sensitivity while HD800 and LCD-3 have literally same parameters.. Can someone explain please if that matters and why it does / does not ? Not from "enjoy music / sound  not specs" point of view but from the tech point of view? 

First, that site you link to is full of cr*p; no way the sensitivity of the LCD-3 is 130, it's really 91 according to the specs; HE-6 is indeed around 83 .  The 3Hz difference in bass extension is largely irrelevant as average human hearing starts at 20 Hz; the lowest bass note on a large organ would be about 18 Hz.  
 
Forget about all of that, you don't listen to a spreadsheet with specs.  Just go out and audition them with your preferred music and then decide.  I listen only to classical and although it's a great headphone, the LCD-3 is not right for me, not neutral enough.  Both need a good amp but it's true that the 6 takes more commitment if you want to get the best out of them.  Fwiw, I think your strategy to power them using a vintage amp/receiver is certainly viable; I drive my 6 via the headphone out of a Pioneer SX-1980 and it sounds really, really good.  But that's not a good example if you need to keep costs low.  There's a thread about amps to drive the HE-6, it's long but almost mandatory reading if you contemplate getting them.  And the vintage amplification thread is also worth a read.

 

[TonyNewman]

Forget about all of that, you don't listen to a spreadsheet with specs.  Just go out and audition them with your preferred music and then decide. ...

 
+1. I could care less what the specs say - I know what sounds better to my ears - and that is the (modded and well amped) HE6.
 
The pity of it is that the stock HE6 is just a taste of what this headphone can be. When well amped I would rate the stock HE6 as very good, but I don't think it really stands out as superior to the HD800 and LCD-X. Do the 3 mods (fuzzor+earpads+grill) and you have an absolutely stunning headphone. But where can you audition a modded HE6? You really need an audiophile friend near enough to visit for a listening session.

 

[Canadian411]

   
Welcome to the modded HE6 club. It's just fantastic, isn't it?
 
I mentioned in the HD800 and/or LCD-X thread how I think a well-amped + modded HE6 kills those headphones and unleashed a torrent of defensive posts from owners of those 'other' headphones. I guess folks that have invested the coin in LCD-X and /or HD800 don't want to hear that the cheaper HE6 can run rings around them once modded and amped up. Oh well.
 
I own all 3 and there is no doubt in my mind which one is king, in almost any setting - the modded HE6 (fuzzor + vegan pads + grill removal).

 
I paid more for HE6 than my HD800 with lcd vegan pads,grills,etc, so I don't mind HE6 sounds better than HD800

 

[ZzBOG]

   
+1. I could care less what the specs say - I know what sounds better to my ears - and that is the (modded and well amped) HE6.
 
The pity of it is that the stock HE6 is just a taste of what this headphone can be. When well amped I would rate the stock HE6 as very good, but I don't think it really stands out as superior to the HD800 and LCD-X. Do the 3 mods (fuzzor+earpads+grill) and you have an absolutely stunning headphone. But where can you audition a modded HE6? You really need an audiophile friend near enough to visit for a listening session.

Thank you for reply. Could you maybe suggest which particular mods are the "must have" ("must mod"?) for HE-6? Their complexity will be a good way for me to decide whether this rabbit hole is deep enough to avoid

 

[cradon]

@ ZzBOG, Are you going to the NY Meet this Saturday? I should be there with my HE-6 setup, you can listen and decide if its worth it or not.

 

[TonyNewman]

  Thank you for reply. Could you maybe suggest which particular mods are the "must have" ("must mod"?) for HE-6? Their complexity will be a good way for me to decide whether this rabbit hole is deep enough to avoid

 
The 3 big ones are (fuzzor+vegan earpads+grill removal).
 
These 3 changes work together - the best advice I can give is to do them all or none.
 
The fuzzor might sound like a lot of work - it isn't. It took me about 30 minutes per side to do my HE6 with "fuzzor-lite". Changing the earpads to Audeze Vegans takes about 5 minutes. Removing the grills takes about 1 minute. Some folks go another step and replace the grill with another material that is more open - I couldn't be bothered - and there is no grill more open than no grill at all.
 
I found that the modded HE6 is a significant improvement on the stock HE6. It was very much worth doing for me and I can't recommend it highly enough.
 
Below is the finished HE6 with vegan Audeze pads and seatbelt headband (for comfort - no impact on sound, of course).
 

 
Fuzzor Lite
 

 

[ZzBOG]

   
The 3 big ones are (fuzzor+vegan earpads+grill removal).
 

Thanks! Does not look intimidating actually  

 

[shayson1357]

nice looking pet you have there TonyNewman, looks cuddly 

 

[screwdriver]

  @ ZzBOG, Are you going to the NY Meet this Saturday? I should be there with my HE-6 setup, you can listen and decide if its worth it or not.

try to get to this meet - cradon has an awesome set up .  if u try - u will buy ......

 

[TonyNewman]

  nice looking pet you have there TonyNewman, looks cuddly 

 
It is super comfy with the Audeze vegan pads and the headband seatbelt protector.
 
Only downside is that it can get a little warm in summer, but the comfort is yummy.

 

[shayson1357]

they're ugly, yes....but headphones aren't about aesthetics anyways, I'd take an ugly headphone which is really comfortable to wear for 3 or 4 hours straight  to a stylish one which has none of the above any day 

 

[punit]

Another option for increasing Headband comfort :
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251503008020?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=550415039793&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[Oregonian]

 
And yet another.  I have this comfort strap delivering to my house today from member Lohb.  I'll post up after I install it but it looks like an improved version of the Alpha Dog pad system from MrSpeakers.