[ksorota]

If you are looking for bass extension into the low frequencies then you will do very well with the HE6, pair them with a Vidar and a Saga+ and you have a setup that to me is hard to beat. The Bass is not punchy like a dynamic driver, but gives you the presence factor of rumble around you. The older HE6s tend to need some mods, I have not heard the V2 HE6SE, but it is said to be the easiest to listen to stock. I did have the V1 SE and thought it sounded very good stock, better than my Auteurs.

The HE6 is a heavier headphone overall, but I never had too much issue with the weight. You should probably also look into the HE500, which has more bass emphasis and impact than the newer Hifimans.

I ended up selling my HE6 4screw after reviving an LFF Code LEX (HE5LE Code X). It is slightly easier to drive and get all the performance out of, and also sounds very close to the HE6, but with more treble energy, which I like. I also owned the V1 HE560, and believe me or not, it was damn close to the HE6 in tonality and performance...maybe 85% there.

 

[SilverEars]

I had the 9200 and the TH900 and didn't really like the tuning of both them even though i vastly prefered the 9200 over the TH900. In the end i prefer a Sennheiser HD25 over both of them.

I'm looking for something with deep extending subbass thats why i'm looking for planars because they are said to be good in that category.

I want something with a tuning like Hifiman Ananda, Utopia, Stax 007 Mk. 1, HD600.

The classic bassy headphones like TH900, D9200, DT1770 Pro, Audeze family, Abyss and Rosson seem to have a tuning i don't like (Never listened to Abyss and Rosson but after 4 years in this hobby my precision in determining whether i like a headphone or not by research only is pretty reliable).

That leaves me with

Heddphone (most likely too heavy)

HeK (i don't read much about bass there and i can't drop multiple grand on a headphone that gets revised the next year)

HE6 (still switching amps so can't buy that now)

Empyrean (said to be overpriced)

maybe the new T+A Solitaire is something but still no reliable reviews there.

Or just a LCD 2C which i found pretty good for it's price and better than LCD3.

Or just stay with HD25 lol.

Is there anything i'm missing?

It sounds like it's inevitable you'd have to try out the HE-6. Only way to know if it's the kind of bass extension you are seeking is to try it. To add to the previous poster, Emotiva BasX is a low cost integrated amp option if not looking to break the bank.

If you are looking into Audeze, might as well just try out the classic HE-6 instead.

If you are looking for bass extension into the low frequencies then you will do very well with the HE6, pair them with a Vidar and a Saga+ and you have a setup that to me is hard to beat. The Bass is not punchy like a dynamic driver, but gives you the presence factor of rumble around you. The older HE6s tend to need some mods, I have not heard the V2 HE6SE, but it is said to be the easiest to listen to stock. I did have the V1 SE and thought it sounded very good stock, better than my Auteurs.

The HE6 is a heavier headphone overall, but I never had too much issue with the weight. You should probably also look into the HE500, which has more bass emphasis and impact than the newer Hifimans.

I ended up selling my HE6 4screw after reviving an LFF Code LEX (HE5LE Code X). It is slightly easier to drive and get all the performance out of, and also sounds very close to the HE6, but with more treble energy, which I like. I also owned the V1 HE560, and believe me or not, it was damn close to the HE6 in tonality and performance...maybe 85% there.

I thought HE-6 OG had a lot of treble energy up top, but I've heard 4-screw had more. I realized that treble energy on the 6-screw depends on the DAC, and to some extent the amp. I realized multibit was providing the right balance to not cause treble to be so strong. I use Yggy, and it seems to be fairly tame in the treble.

For me HE560 had too much treble at 7k and couldn't listen to it, so it sounds like you are fine with stronger treble than I.

IMO, my OG HE-6 has strong bass impact better or on the level of dynamic drivers. Only dynamic driver that has overblown bass is of course the CA Cascades. It's too much IMO, and it will never get the clarity of the HE-6. It's not easy to find a headphone with bass of HE-6 with good imaging and clarity at the same time.

 

[Oregonian]

Is there anyone who heard all HE-6 versions including HE6SE V1 and V2?

I don't know what to buy. I don't plan to mod them. Is the HE6SE a better choice then?

I owned both the 4 and 6 screw OG HE-6, and now have both the HE-6SE V1 and V2.

Disclaimer - audio memory is not accurate and I know it. I remember the OG HE-6 as having an incredible soundstage that was more "speaker like" than anything I'd heard before and even now but again, memories tend to get romanticized. That said, the absolutely visceral bass was what got me hooked on the HE-6. I've always had the same system feeding all the 4 "generations" so nothing has really changed in that regard. Feed them with a 1978 Pioneer Spec 1 preamp/Spec 2 amp system straight from the speaker taps - highly sought after and one of the top of the line separates available at the time and has been recapped.

The reason I got rid of the final HE-6 was product support - or lack thereof. I was concerned HFM would not have sufficient stock of drivers/parts for the HE-6 and the reality is they don't have them now. So after reading about all the blown drivers back in the day, I kept looking for the next HE-6 clone - and never really found it. Yeah, I own a number of excellent headphones and have owned/auditioned over 60 headphones from various manufacturers but something about the HE-6 always kept me yearning for the same. And when the HE-6SE came out, with the hype of it being a HE-6 in a different package, I was on it. When I got the V1, it was a quick pad swap to the Audeze Vegans I bought a few years back and had not used, and removed the grills. And I fell in love with it again - though it didn't seem to be quite as mind-blowing as the OG HE-6.

18 months later I am still loving it but here's where the story diverts a bit................made a big mistake last week. I had the V1 in the rotation and had music playing at a relatively low volume, had to answer the door and my wonderful grandson (2 years old), who is truly my little buddy, came into the room and, loving the shiny Spec equipment and all the cool knobs, turned the volume knob up.............quite a bit. Ended up blowing both drivers on my V1. My mistake totally and I own it. But here's the thing - reaching out to HFM Customer Service, they are telling me they cannot repair it/replace the drivers. Back to the reason I got out of the HE-6 worship society...............so it seems. Said it is discontinued for a while now and would I take an Arya in trade (at the cost of $1299 PLUS my blown V1 HE-6SE). Asked them if they could replace it with another V2 and they seem open to it but won't know till after Chinese New Year. So in a week or so I will find out if I can get another V2 (the Adorama version) and at what cost.

I much prefer the V1 headband (suspension systems on all headphones are my preference) so not sure what I'll do - probably sell the V2 and try to find a V1 or maybe an HE-6 again (tempting fate) or HE-500 after reading about how great they sound. Soundwise I think the V1 and V2 are so close it's hard to say for sure, especially since when I A/B the two versions (when they both were working) the pads being used are different (Vegan's on the V1, Dekoni's on the V2). I still love the HE-6SE V2 but don't love the headband. Might make a Lohb-style suspension strap (like referenced above) for it or try the swap to the $125 HFM headband as a couple of you have done.

 

[paradoxper]

I had the 9200 and the TH900 and didn't really like the tuning of both them even though i vastly prefered the 9200 over the TH900. In the end i prefer a Sennheiser HD25 over both of them.

I'm looking for something with deep extending subbass thats why i'm looking for planars because they are said to be good in that category.

I want something with a tuning like Hifiman Ananda, Utopia, Stax 007 Mk. 1, HD600.

The classic bassy headphones like TH900, D9200, DT1770 Pro, Audeze family, Abyss and Rosson seem to have a tuning i don't like (Never listened to Abyss and Rosson but after 4 years in this hobby my precision in determining whether i like a headphone or not by research only is pretty reliable).

That leaves me with

Heddphone (most likely too heavy)

HeK (i don't read much about bass there and i can't drop multiple grand on a headphone that gets revised the next year)

HE6 (still switching amps so can't buy that now)

Empyrean (said to be overpriced)

maybe the new T+A Solitaire is something but still no reliable reviews there.

Or just a LCD 2C which i found pretty good for it's price and better than LCD3.

Or just stay with HD25 lol.

Is there anything i'm missing?

I feel you are flying blind straight into a wall. What you say you're looking for is on a general line of clean, punched, detail.
As the TH900 sounds nothing like the Abyss which sounds nothing like the Rosson, it seems you're a little jumbled.

If you might specifically note aside from sub-bass what you are looking for or more notably what turns you off in sound presentation, you might be guided more accurately.

Is there a reason you aren't considering the Susvara?
For me, this would align more with the 007 mk 1 being a little laid back (still detailed) and focusing more on the midrange presence. You'll attain the most well-rounded sound.
The Abyss aligns more with the Utopia in it's extremely detailed (the most detailed to be exact) punches much, much harder than any of the aforementioned and rivals and surpasses bass quantity and quality of TH900. The midrange is more subdued but has a general cleanliness to it.

An HE-6 will follow suit of the Abyss without the refinement.

The RAD-0 is a middle-ground of an Susvara -- more laid back, more thickness in the sound at the cost of ultimate resolution. It's good and punchy but decidedly less detailed.

I tried to key-in on particular sound traits which may be accompanied dealbreakers.

 

[SilverEars]

I feel you are flying blind straight into a wall. What you say you're looking for is on a general line of clean, punched, detail.
As the TH900 sounds nothing like the Abyss which sounds nothing like the Rosson, it seems you're a little jumbled.

If you might specifically note aside from sub-bass what you are looking for or more notably what turns you off in sound presentation, you might be guided more accurately.

Is there a reason you aren't considering the Susvara?
For me, this would align more with the 007 mk 1 being a little laid back (still detailed) and focusing more on the midrange presence. You'll attain the most well-rounded sound.
The Abyss aligns more with the Utopia in it's extremely detailed (the most detailed to be exact) punches much, much harder than any of the aforementioned and rivals and surpasses bass quantity and quality of TH900. The midrange is more subdued but has a general cleanliness to it.

An HE-6 will follow suit of the Abyss without the refinement.

The RAD-0 is a middle-ground of an Susvara -- more laid back, more thickness in the sound at the cost of ultimate resolution. It's good and punchy but decidedly less detailed.

I tried to key-in on particular sound traits which may be accompanied dealbreakers.

I got a response for you. I'm not paying $5k for that!

 

[paradoxper]

I got a response for you. I'm not paying $5k for that!

You can get a dealer to lower that price to $4k.

 

[SilverEars]

You can get a dealer to lower that price to $4k.

I'm not paying $4k for that!

 

[paradoxper]

I'm not paying $4k for that!

You cheapskate!

 

[SilverEars]

You cheapskate!

You sound like a true audiophile and don't know if that's a good thing.

Sorry for not want to pay $4k for a headphone! If that's what your idea of cheap is, not among many people I know.

 

[paradoxper]

You sound like a true audiophile and don't know if that's a good thing.

Sorry for not want to pay $4k for a headphone! If that's what your idea of cheap is, not among many people I know.

That might be the outlook of an addict instead.

You are forgiven. You, too, forgive my cheek.

 

[dleblanc343]

You sound like a true audiophile and don't know if that's a good thing.

Sorry for not want to pay $4k for a headphone! If that's what your idea of cheap is, not among many people I know.

If you have a collection of headphones and don't get much use out of them, a good move is to sell everything or most of what you got, and go all in and get a used Susvara for 3700-4k.

It is an un-mistakeable purchase if you're looking for a near-perfect reference sound with a splash of musicality.

If I didn't have mental problems, I would just own that and an HD800 and call it quits. Sadly Utopia, Hedd, TH900, K1000, HE6, Bori and more don't want to leave the stable.

Just my 2cents

 

[Slim1970]

If you have a collection of headphones and don't get much use out of them, a good move is to sell everything or most of what you got, and go all in and get a used Susvara for 3700-4k.

It is an un-mistakeable purchase if you're looking for a near-perfect reference sound with a splash of musicality.

If I didn't have mental problems, I would just own that and an HD800 and call it quits. Sadly Utopia, Hedd, TH900, K1000, HE6, Bori and more don't want to leave the stable.

Just my 2cents

This is how I feel as well. It’s hard letting go some of these headphones and the HE6se’s are a great addition to my collection.

 

[bagwell359]

If you are looking for bass extension into the low frequencies then you will do very well with the HE6, pair them with a Vidar and a Saga+ and you have a setup that to me is hard to beat. The Bass is not punchy like a dynamic driver, but gives you the presence factor of rumble around you. The older HE6s tend to need some mods, I have not heard the V2 HE6SE, but it is said to be the easiest to listen to stock. I did have the V1 SE and thought it sounded very good stock, better than my Auteurs.

The HE6 is a heavier headphone overall, but I never had too much issue with the weight. You should probably also look into the HE500, which has more bass emphasis and impact than the newer Hifimans.

I ended up selling my HE6 4screw after reviving an LFF Code LEX (HE5LE Code X). It is slightly easier to drive and get all the performance out of, and also sounds very close to the HE6, but with more treble energy, which I like. I also owned the V1 HE560, and believe me or not, it was damn close to the HE6 in tonality and performance...maybe 85% there.

I know you like the Vidar, but there are amps with more clarity in the mids and highs and better slam in the bass. Class A amps such as Pass X Series or Kre;ll KSA-50 or 100 (if you can find them). More money than a Vidar in some cases by a lot.

I think the HE-6 has terrific bass in particular in terms of impact/rise time. Heard dynamics with more bass from dynamics, but with added overhang and thickness.

 

[Sebbai]

Help! I just got a used pair of HE6 and while listening the right driver suddenly dies. Does anyone know how to disassemble the driver and check what is wrong? I really hope I can fix this, used credit card on the he6 to check if I would want to switch out my old headphones. Agghhhh f....

I used NAD amplifier when it died, tried to switch sides left and right, but didn’t work.

 

[dleblanc343]

Help! I just got a used pair of HE6 and while listening the right driver suddenly dies. Does anyone know how to disassemble the driver and check what is wrong? I really hope I can fix this, used credit card on the he6 to check if I would want to switch out my old headphones. Agghhhh f....

I used NAD amplifier when it died, tried to switch sides left and right, but didn’t work.

Did it die while listening? Did you hear crackling or a pop?

Off speaker taps direct or adaptor box?

Cheers