[Keisuk3]

To buy HE6 SE or regular HE-6?

 

[forestitalia]

I didn't read this thread for a month and nothing new: no real customer reviews yet, only Fang relatives around

...meanwhile some HEKse went on sale without even a word

 

[omniweltall]

I didn't read this thread for a month and nothing new: no real customer reviews yet, only Fang relatives around

...meanwhile some HEKse went on sale without even a word

Well he has lots of relatives. I give him that.

 

[MadSounds]

So I've heard all of the following HiFiMAN headphones in home on my own systems.
The HE1000v2 very recently and enjoyed it very much for its clarity, forward mid range and dynamics and nice tonal balance.
There was an authorized dealer selling the HE1000v2 BNIB for 1/2 price, but by the time I was done demoing it and decided to purchase it, they were out of stock, so I purchased the HE6se blindly and it'll be arriving tomorrow...can't wait to hear it and I'm hoping it has a very similar sound signature to the HE1000v2.

Your going to be very happy, I think I undersold HeadAmp GS-X saying it was on par with nos11 (for powering he-6), it's extremely well regarded for he-6 and i would swap to it blindly given the option. WA-33 will probably do a fine job too and be an excellent contrast flavor wise.

 

[joseph69]

Your going to be very happy, I think I undersold HeadAmp GS-X saying it was on par with nos11 (for powering he-6), it's extremely well regarded for he-6 and i would swap to it blindly given the option. WA-33 will probably do a fine job too and be an excellent contrast flavor wise.

I listened to the 6se for a few hours last night with the GS-X after letting them play through an iPod for +/- 4-5hrs just to get some play time on them. The GS-X on H gain drove the 6se with authority at the 12:00 position with most recording I listened to, and others needed a bit more or less volume.

I'm going to continue to listen with the GS-X for the few days or so to get aquatinted, then switch over to the WA33.
My initial listening impressions are positive right out of the box, but of course I need to spend much more time with them, as well as the headphones needing more play time.

 

[sahmen]

I see relatively more enthusiastic postings about the He-6se than I do about the He-1000se, and I wonder why... Does that perchance mean that there is more interest generated around the He-6se than the He-Kse?

Incidentally, what do people think about the He-Kse upgrade program? I have the He-Kv1, which I enjoy very much, and while I am naturally curious about the He-Kse, I do not at all feel inclined to shell out another $1500 for the He-Kse upgrade... Hell, that upgrade fee can easily get me a new He-6se on sale, or on the used market, which already makes it appear insanely unattractive to me, as a proposition. To be fair, though, I've never heard the He-Kse, so I have no personal awareness of what real SQ and other enhancements it brings to the table. It is possible, at least, in theory, that my attitude would soften up once I am able to audition one for myself, but until then, I am not really feeling like a fan of it yet...

I am wondering whether it is the unattractiveness of the upgrade program that explains the relatively higher enthusiasm "buzz" about the He-6se on this thread, as compared to that of the He-Kse...

By the way, if anyone who is familiar with the sound of the He-K series can give their impressions regarding what enhancements the He-Kse brings to the table, their comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[SilverEars]

I'm back at the Got damn HE6 game. Somebody was selling a used HE6 and decided pull the trigger. Ugghhhh... Now on to the annoying part of finding a power amp for it. Will see how much it scales compared to my HE500.

What's the best pads for it? I recall pleather being better of the at least the stock ones.

 

[Rhamnetin]

I see relatively more enthusiastic postings about the He-6se than I do about the He-1000se, and I wonder why... Does that perchance mean that there is more interest generated around the He-6se than the He-Kse?

Incidentally, what do people think about the He-Kse upgrade program? I have the He-Kv1, which I enjoy very much, and while I am naturally curious about the He-Kse, I do not at all feel inclined to shell out another $1500 for the He-Kse upgrade... Hell, that upgrade fee can easily get me a new He-6se on sale, or on the used market, which already makes it appear insanely unattractive to me, as a proposition. To be fair, though, I've never heard the He-Kse, so I have no personal awareness of what real SQ and other enhancements it brings to the table. It is possible, at least, in theory, that my attitude would soften up once I am able to audition one for myself, but until then, I am not really feeling like a fan of it yet...

I am wondering whether it is the unattractiveness of the upgrade program that explains the relatively higher enthusiasm "buzz" about the He-6se on this thread, as compared to that of the He-Kse...

By the way, if anyone who is familiar with the sound of the He-K series can give their impressions regarding what enhancements the He-Kse brings to the table, their comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I think nostalgia is the main reason. Because the HE-6 is a real jack of all trades, master of none. Not very impressive to me anymore these days, planars have advanced considerably.

I'm back at the Got damn HE6 game. Somebody was selling a used HE6 and decided pull the trigger. Ugghhhh... Now on to the annoying part of finding a power amp for it. Will see how much it scales compared to my HE500.

What's the best pads for it? I recall pleather being better of the at least the stock ones.

My pads or choice were FocusPads and FocusPad-A (they sound close to the same). I never had success with non HiFiMan pads on HiFiMan headphones.

 

[heliosphann]

I think nostalgia is the main reason. Because the HE-6 is a real jack of all trades, master of none. Not very impressive to me anymore these days, planars have advanced considerably.



My pads or choice were FocusPads and FocusPad-A (they sound close to the same). I never had success with non HiFiMan pads on HiFiMan headphones.

I really liked the new @DekoniAudio HiFiman pads. I wrote up a review of a few of them earlier in the thread. Since picked up the other two, but haven't tried them out yet.

 

[bagwell359]

I'm back at the Got damn HE6 game. Somebody was selling a used HE6 and decided pull the trigger. Ugghhhh... Now on to the annoying part of finding a power amp for it. Will see how much it scales compared to my HE500.

What's the best pads for it? I recall pleather being better of the at least the stock ones.

I believe jerg had what I use on my 500's as the top pad - look it up. Are these modded at all? Supposedly unmodded the treble can be a trial, but the Code Sex mods are harder to find any info on than nuclear codes in Concrete ND.

 

[SilverEars]

I think nostalgia is the main reason. Because the HE-6 is a real jack of all trades, master of none. Not very impressive to me anymore these days, planars have advanced considerably.

That's been said about HEK. Master of none.

@bagwell359 They better not be modded. I would like them in the condition they come in. Maybe later I'll consider doing some easily reversible mods. I know this one is a different beast that wants a power amp. Maybe I'll start out with the taps of old receivers that used to cost an arm and a leg when they first came out and price went down drastically over time.

But, which were some good quality receiver amps in the past? How do I discriminate the goods from the mediocres?

 

[bagwell359]

That's been said about HEK. Master of none.

@bagwell359 They better not be modded. I would like them in the condition they come in. Maybe later I'll consider doing some easily reversible mods. I know this one is a different beast that wants a power amp. Maybe I'll start out with the taps of old receivers that used to cost an arm and a leg when they first came out and price went down drastically over time.

But, which were some good quality receiver amps in the past? How do I discriminate the goods from the mediocres?

Avoid Receivers, look at integrated amps. Built on a better scale with better parts. If the caps are original avoid older then 25 years. Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo (some), etc. Class A expensive, Go AB. You could look into a Ragnarok - used saw one for $850 two weeks ago. 4 wpc clean class A, handy for driving 2nd system, or stand in if amp or pre-amp out for service.

 

[kid vic]

That's been said about HEK. Master of none.

@bagwell359 They better not be modded. I would like them in the condition they come in. Maybe later I'll consider doing some easily reversible mods. I know this one is a different beast that wants a power amp. Maybe I'll start out with the taps of old receivers that used to cost an arm and a leg when they first came out and price went down drastically over time.

But, which were some good quality receiver amps in the past? How do I discriminate the goods from the mediocres?

+1 on avoiding receivers .

I've had a few integrated amps over the years and the best I've heard and had is my Kenwood KA-9100. Its hard to go wrong with most of the big names from the 70's to mid 80's. Yamahas and Akais are common and reasonably cheap while providing great sound quality. I suspect that the TOTL comparison would be a little more accurate between my previous integrated and my current but all in all the step up between ranges was large enough but not earth shattering.

 

[Gibson59]

Well i'll be a guinea pig... Just placed my order to upgrade my HEKv2 to the HEKse!

The HEKv2 are my favorite headphones of all time, true end game for me. Ya only live once, let's see if these new bad boys can somehow improve on the performance of my beloved HEKv2. The thing i'm looking forward to most is the increased sensitivity. While i've got an abundance of power at home with the Wells Audio Milo amp, the ability to potentially power my favorite headphones from my phone or computer and get quality sound was just too tempting. I'm certain they will scale when I use the Milo, but I welcome the increased versatility. If there are additional sonic benefits to the new magnet that's a plus as well. Time will tell.

I'll post some in depth thoughts once i've received them.

 

[LeeMark]

I just upgraded form the HE1000v1 to the se and just received them (Black Friday deal). I have just started listening, sound great but need some time to break in and really listen. However, the cable I sued for the v1 do not fit into the se. I am using their stock cables vs Cardas Clear before. I am not sure exactly what connection you would call the now, waiting to hear back from Hifiman.