[Rhamnetin]

Considering that middle of the road L700's or 007A ( around $1500~1800 new) are regarded to sound "20 times better then any planar or dynamic" HP and the fact that you "Sold all of my non-electrostatic headphone gear because Stax is just too good..." including 6K Susvara ? made you comment questionable
Are you saying that HE-6 will outperform L700's +353x for example ?

Can't say that, I have yet to hear a Stax Lambda. I also preferred even the SR-007A + China KGSS clone to any non-electrostatic setup overall, but this was actually in the same realm of sound quality compared to top notch dynamic/planar setups. Gotta go beyond that to outright crush all dynamics/planars from my experience.

 

[macdonjh]

Music Direct has the 6SE too; write-up:

Spectacular Update of HiFiMAN's Most Popular Headphones Increases Comfort and Usability: Class-Leading HE6se Plays with Ultra-Revealing Detail, Gigantic Soundstaging, and Silky Smooth Treble
It's back. A long-awaited update of what became HiFiMAN's most popular model and the entryway for many listeners into high-end ‘phones, HE6se planar-magnetic headphones add significant usability enhancements to the HE6 – a design beloved by headphone community. A new, lighter headband offers more adjustability and comfort for long listening sessions. Upgraded 3.5mm headphone connectors angled at ten degrees to lessen the pressure points of staring-angled connectors ensure extra longevity and strength. And a new gun-metal gray satin finish turns HE6se into a paragon of elegance. Just as importantly, all the prized sonic aspects of the original HE6 remain exactly the same.

Specifically, silky smooth treble, wicked-fast transients, deep propulsive bass, and a midrange so sweet it'll bring tears to your eyes. And that says nothing about the wide, multi-dimensional soundstaging or neutral depth or pinpoint imaging. After all, the sound reminded The Absolute Sound of "hyper-revealing loudspeakers like the MartinLogan CLX, but with the ability to deliver, deep, powerful bass on demand." Yes, HE6se is that proficient. 100% Music Direct Guaranteed.

(Please note: With a sensitivity rating of 85.dB, HE6se need to be driven by a very powerful headphone amplifier or a full-size power amplifier. An HE Adaptor is provided to serve as a bridge between the headphones and a power amplifier.)

Mmmmm... I used to own the earlier ML CLS IIz's with Gradiant subs, if they are that good or better watch out cans in the over $1500 range.

I used to lust after the Martin-Logan CLX-II... That was before I had kids and a real-world-sized living room. I had Apogee Stages for years, though. Perhaps that's why I like the planar-magnetic headphone sound.

As much disdain as I have for the way hifiman has been ran the last few years, I am interested in the 6e as well. I've been wanting to buy a used he6 but the driver failures have concerned me. I just don't get their new pricing scheme, 6k for a headphone, susvara, is just ridiculous. I always liked the build quality of the older models, like my he4, always felt solid, and to me has always been comfortable. The 560 and up just look and feel so cheap. I thinj they would have brought more people back onto their side if the he6 se was priced the same as the original, and not marked up because of a cheap headband. If it sound exactly the same, then it's literally the same headphone with a different assembly, and the connectors on the old hfm are ones I use on all my full sized cans, I love smc connectors. Some dont, I get that. The whole pricing has driven me away from wanting anything new from hifiman, but that damn 6e would be special for me. I won't drop 1800 thiugh, but it's safe to say if they keep making them and don't limit to 700, it'll be 1k in no time. The he6/he5 (wood original) and obviously jade, are the only hifiman cans that kept their value. He4 kind of has too. I love my he4, and would love to own an he6, but 1800 is alot of cash. Not to some people around here, but to me it is. Not hating on the sound of their products, just the way they've conducted business hasn't made me personally want anything from them except old models, but, a "new" he6 has me lusting. Damn head fi....

As much as I wish I'd bit the bullet and tried the HE-6 before they fossilized and turned into unobtanium, I can't justify $1800 for a pair of headphones, especially without an audition. It's a simple matter of personal perceived value. Oddly enough, though, for $1000 I'd purchase a pair without an audition. I love the used market.

A short comment about the HifiMAN bashing: I understand disliking certain business practices and commenting publicly about them. What I find interesting is how personally some people take HifiMAN's doings. It seems like it would be much simpler to not buy any HifiMAN products. There are alternatives. Of course, there are those that bought the xxx V1 headphone only to see it superseded by the xxx V2 a few months later. I can see taking that personally...

 

[SilverEars]

True, a KGSSHV Carbon can cost 4k to over 6k (with an RK50).

Just out of curiosity, what makes Carbon that much better over the regular KGSSHV?

Is it immediately obvious and what is it that $2k more sonic difference (this hobby, oh my) !

Also, is there a difference in build of various Carbons, and what is to be looked out for as a necessary build?

 

[wuwhere]

Just out of curiosity, what makes Carbon that much better over the regular KGSSHV?

Is it immediately obvious and what is it that $2k more sonic difference (this hobby, oh my) !

Also, is there a difference in build of various Carbons, and what is to be looked out for as a necessary build?

I don't have a Carbon, I have an Mjolnir KGST.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Just out of curiosity, what makes Carbon that much better over the regular KGSSHV?

Is it immediately obvious and what is it that $2k more sonic difference (this hobby, oh my) !

Also, is there a difference in build of various Carbons, and what is to be looked out for as a necessary build?

Carbon = at least twice the output current and just way more power in general, much better and costlier power supply design, silicon carbide FET output devices, and probably more. Different class of amps.

There are indeed different builds, though only one is commercially available so to speak, and that's from Mjolnir-Audio. Those have the output stage running at the maximum 22 mA (regular KGSSHV is usually 10 mA for reference), unusually small size (except the CC), but one power supply instead of a dual mono design. Others will have dual mono PSU (and different takes on PSU design), some will run the output stage lower either to reduce temperatures or to make a less aggressive sound.

Head over to the Stax thread to learn more!

 

[wuwhere]

Yes, this is not a Stax thread. But the HE-6SE has to be compared with Stax.

 

[bagwell359]

I used to lust after the Martin-Logan CLX-II... That was before I had kids and a real-world-sized living room. I had Apogee Stages for years, though. Perhaps that's why I like the planar-magnetic headphone sound.



As much as I wish I'd bit the bullet and tried the HE-6 before they fossilized and turned into unobtanium, I can't justify $1800 for a pair of headphones, especially without an audition. It's a simple matter of personal perceived value. Oddly enough, though, for $1000 I'd purchase a pair without an audition. I love the used market.

A short comment about the HifiMAN bashing: I understand disliking certain business practices and commenting publicly about them. What I find interesting is how personally some people take HifiMAN's doings. It seems like it would be much simpler to not buy any HifiMAN products. There are alternatives. Of course, there are those that bought the xxx V1 headphone only to see it superseded by the xxx V2 a few months later. I can see taking that personally...

I have similar pricing rules. $1800? No. Drop in price to $1249 in 13 months - likely buy even w/o audition - because I can always nearly recoup the price in the used market. Same for the Ananda, buy it at $650 blind. Been doing these type of deals for years.

Couldn't get a break on my schiit stuff so that was list, sometimes you can't wiggle.

HFM has the advantage of cheap labor, and a high grade team in both design and marketing/sales. If we saw 75% less failures in the field, HFM would have even bigger market share. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

 

[wuwhere]

Like I said, he should have a loaner.

 

[hemipowered007]

I used to lust after the Martin-Logan CLX-II... That was before I had kids and a real-world-sized living room. I had Apogee Stages for years, though. Perhaps that's why I like the planar-magnetic headphone sound.



As much as I wish I'd bit the bullet and tried the HE-6 before they fossilized and turned into unobtanium, I can't justify $1800 for a pair of headphones, especially without an audition. It's a simple matter of personal perceived value. Oddly enough, though, for $1000 I'd purchase a pair without an audition. I love the used market.

A short comment about the HifiMAN bashing: I understand disliking certain business practices and commenting publicly about them. What I find interesting is how personally some people take HifiMAN's doings. It seems like it would be much simpler to not buy any HifiMAN products. There are alternatives. Of course, there are those that bought the xxx V1 headphone only to see it superseded by the xxx V2 a few months later. I can see taking that personally...

Yes, I would not, and will not buy brand new almost anything headphone wise, when they first come out. I don't mind waiting, if the he6 se is exactly the same sonically as the original he6, I would consider buying at 1k if they don't have driver failures like the original suffered from. Just like my Sony zx300, i got it used for 450, I think they're 700 new and not all that old. I don't need anything immediately and have a wife and 2 young kids, I have 3 people that depend on me not impulse buying 1800 hps. Hifimans business practices I don't take personal, I just think it's sad. They had such hope in the beginning, and then they just followed market trends alongside focal/audeze/ak, and so on. I got into this hobby 8 years ago I believe, and it's gotten out of hand pretty quick. I understand there was always high price hps and amps, but really it's getting so common. And the he560, he1000 and everything newer looks and feels so insanely cheap. I haven't heard or put my hands on a susvara, but I can't fathom how in the world that thing warrants a 6k price tag. Same as the focal utopia, 4k really? I just don't get the pricing anymore.

 

[macdonjh]

Yes, I would not, and will not buy brand new almost anything headphone wise, when they first come out. I don't mind waiting, if the he6 se is exactly the same sonically as the original he6, I would consider buying at 1k if they don't have driver failures like the original suffered from. Just like my Sony zx300, i got it used for 450, I think they're 700 new and not all that old. I don't need anything immediately and have a wife and 2 young kids, I have 3 people that depend on me not impulse buying 1800 hps. Hifimans business practices I don't take personal, I just think it's sad. They had such hope in the beginning, and then they just followed market trends alongside focal/audeze/ak, and so on. I got into this hobby 8 years ago I believe, and it's gotten out of hand pretty quick. I understand there was always high price hps and amps, but really it's getting so common. And the he560, he1000 and everything newer looks and feels so insanely cheap. I haven't heard or put my hands on a susvara, but I can't fathom how in the world that thing warrants a 6k price tag. Same as the focal utopia, 4k really? I just don't get the pricing anymore.

That is exactly why I like forums like these, even with the rough edges. After lurking for a while I can find some members with tastes and priorities similar to mine I can get a short list of equipment to try. Plus the used market can help purchase trial gear. I'm currently trying out some ZMF headphones that I never would have heard about if not for Head-Fi, and never would have taken the plunge for without some encouragement from some of the contributors to the Atticus/ Eikon thread here. Another benefit of these forums is to helping me find those products that are squarely in the "you get what you pay for" camp.

 

[hemipowered007]

That is exactly why I like forums like these, even with the rough edges. After lurking for a while I can find some members with tastes and priorities similar to mine I can get a short list of equipment to try. Plus the used market can help purchase trial gear. I'm currently trying out some ZMF headphones that I never would have heard about if not for Head-Fi, and never would have taken the plunge for without some encouragement from some of the contributors to the Atticus/ Eikon thread here. Another benefit of these forums is to helping me find those products that are squarely in the "you get what you pay for" camp.

To be honest I think the reason there's so many people complaining about Hifimans business practices are the same as mine, we're dissapointed. The he400 then he4 were my first real headphones after the grado sr80, the company used to seem like they were out to destroy the big companies by making high sound quality, but reasonable cost hps. Then, slowly but seemingly fast, they went the other route, cheaper materials, and sound quality that never topped what they had already made. The he4, he500 and he6 are legends, even the 400 for its bass. Then they just kept upping the ante but really, they lost their roots. I get it, they're a business, but they lost my respect and almost my following. I haven't been remotely interested in anything past the 4/5/6 generation, nothing has seemed worthwhile, TO ME. The he6e will get me when it drops to 1k, the susvara has absolutely no chance of being owned by me for financial reasons first, but also because I highly doubt it would be worth that much, TO ME. I can buy a new roof for my house for 6k. This thread has been no impressions and all opinions about hifiman because they've lost alot of their following, yet some of us are still hoping they go back to what we thought they would be in this community.

 

[Arniesb]

Makes no sense to buy New He6 for that price. Even original Lcd 3 was better than He6 in lot of people minds. David Mahler for example. Keep in mind Lcd series got not only fazors upgrades, but most certainly Driver upgrades too... + Lcd have way better build quality than Hifiman and it makes no sense for me to buy He6 than i can simply buy Lcd X which is as good as Lcd 3 and certainly better than He6 while costing 1200$.
Epic Fail in my opinion.

 

[marhol]

Makes no sense to buy New He6 for that price. Even original Lcd 3 was better than He6 in lot of people minds. David Mahler for example. Keep in mind Lcd series got not only fazors upgrades, but most certainly Driver upgrades too... + Lcd have way better build quality than Hifiman and it makes no sense for me to buy He6 than i can simply buy Lcd X which is as good as Lcd 3 and certainly better than He6 while costing 1200$.
Epic Fail in my opinion.

IMHO original HE-6 wasnt worse than LCD-X (dont know about LCD-3 I havent heard those). Regarding build quality of LCD series they are certainly sturdier than anything from Hifiman but at the cost of heaviness. I like that newer offerings from Audeze contain carbon fiber and suspension headband to reduce weight/weight distribution and I´m glad Hifiman have also used sturdier materials for Sundara and HE6se. But I agree that 1800$ for a pair is still too much. Maybe the price will go down, time will tell. It depends on the demand...

 

[AthenaZephyrian]

*Pulls mask over face, racks slide* it's time to break the bank.

If only it were as easy as robbing one.....alas, I may need to pull off the slow kind of robbery, where you fill out a job application form and they pay you in installments.

 

[Luke Thomas]

Makes no sense to buy New He6 for that price. Even original Lcd 3 was better than He6 in lot of people minds. David Mahler for example. Keep in mind Lcd series got not only fazors upgrades, but most certainly Driver upgrades too... + Lcd have way better build quality than Hifiman and it makes no sense for me to buy He6 than i can simply buy Lcd X which is as good as Lcd 3 and certainly better than He6 while costing 1200$.
Epic Fail in my opinion.

I now own Focal Clears. Didn’t like lcd3, I enjoy edition x over Clears and lcd 3. Will buy the ed x if I can’t get some imfo about 6se