[SemiAudiophile]

I'm looking for a tube amp right now, how does it sound? I might order it haha

It's super versatile and affordable tube amp with great sound. It comes in a kit but you could have someone build it for you. It's a speaker amp with 4/8 ohm switch but also a fantastic headphone amp that works great with low or high impedance phones. I actually got this around 10 years ago and loved the way it sounded it with Grados, Sennheiser HD650, also LCD-2. It's detailed, expressive, and dynamic sounding, and not too tubey or syrupy. You can also switch between pentode, triode, or ultra linear. And tons of compatibility and tubes to choose from.

I imagine it to be comparable to something like the caiyin tube amps since they use the same tubes and can also switch between modes.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

found the same , soloist have tutoring control from low end but with totl daps (wm1zm2 definitely n all) there's kind of more 'fit' and refinement through: with hekse . hekv2 sounds marginally better with the soloist that's because v2 needs more power and current to express what they are. but.. it becomes more fatiguing if you listen for hours, like I do at times. and i have turned from a time unfriendly to loudness...hekse : you can listen at very low volume if you will, and you are already golden. Soloist and the desktop setup feels more of a sidegrade to both the ibasso dx300max and the Sony 1zm2< detail monster superextended smooth highs and verys slight bass/sub bass bloom , the perfect place for hekse .

I do notice the same thing. HEKV2 is more enjoyable when I turn up the volume. HEKSE I can still enjoy with low to moderate volume. HEKV2 doesn't really get fatiguing for me, but from a volume standpoint, after many hours, it could be.

 

[boodi]

Hekv2 feels the more even and balanced and seems to scale up more when upping the gears..while I' d refrain to tell hekse have Vshape (lessened mids) that makes them colored (tweak or subtleties?) they refine and can be adjusted i.e. for smoothing highs or wetting the bass but at the same time they sorta feel to remain in a frame of operations more so then the v2, when you change chain and feed; so that the v2 feels the more unbrided of the two ( or scaling up more ? cfr lower sensitivity which is definitely noticeable )

 

[Patlezinc]

All good! always love to talk about headphones. But SE is definitely a good choice for you! Its pretty much a wayyy better version of the SM. Its bright but its smooth.

In the end of the day, its more of a matter of what type of music, do you listen to most. For me Hifiman's are really good for airy genres like Jazz or Classical, and I'm satisfied with my V2 for those genre. In the end, I prefer the Focal's presentation of keeping the vocal intimate, inside you head while the instruments are outside. I listen to a lot of EDM, Pop (including K - J), Rock, and Hard Metal. Hence why I prefer the Utopia and the Verite. I never tried the susvara, so it might be another end game contender for me! or maybe LCD-5.

Enjoy your SE! please do a write up of your impressions. I always like to see people's impressions of headphones.

I will try. It will be ultra subjective as ears are the crappy instrument on earth to build something scientific

 

[mlembis]

Thanks. Sorry to have bothered you with so much questions about the v2 to finally taking the SE. The reading about the amps was an important factor here. But who knows, perhaps I will not like it and finish like you with utopia. There are so much parameters interacting, with ears in the center of them. The FR doesn’t have the 4k-6k hole of the Clear so maybe I will have to reduce this part a bit, or not… Will tell you.

Keen to see your impression when you get the SE. However, if the presentation is not to your liking and things sound too thin and bright or not enough slam, then I do highly recommend the OG Utopia, as it is more close to the Clear in presentation which is to say, it is closer to you (bubble in a close proximity around your head for instruments and voices either in or very close to your head). Also does not have as much 4k dip (i think still does a bit but much less offensive than the Clear in this regard).

To me, after listening to the Utopia for a while, when I switch back to the V2, I sometimes find there is a bit of lack of body and female vocals can be a little strident. But it's not enough that I can't get used to it fairly quickly and the magic of the V2 comes back with its grand stage/presentation and smooth, diffuse sound that is much more laid back than the slammy, intimate Focals.

 

[Archlize]

Keen to see your impression when you get the SE. However, if the presentation is not to your liking and things sound too thin and bright or not enough slam, then I do highly recommend the OG Utopia, as it is more close to the Clear in presentation which is to say, it is closer to you (bubble in a close proximity around your head for instruments and voices either in or very close to your head). Also does not have as much 4k dip (i think still does a bit but much less offensive than the Clear in this regard).

To me, after listening to the Utopia for a while, when I switch back to the V2, I sometimes find there is a bit of lack of body and female vocals can be a little strident. But it's not enough that I can't get used to it fairly quickly and the magic of the V2 comes back with its grand stage/presentation and smooth, diffuse sound that is much more laid back than the slammy, intimate Focals.

Very much agree. Focal's just do Vocals so well haha. It's better for pop, but HEK series in general has that Soundstage magic that you don't rarely find in any other headphones~

 

[Spawn300Z]

Keen to see your impression when you get the SE. However, if the presentation is not to your liking and things sound too thin and bright or not enough slam, then I do highly recommend the OG Utopia, as it is more close to the Clear in presentation which is to say, it is closer to you (bubble in a close proximity around your head for instruments and voices either in or very close to your head). Also does not have as much 4k dip (i think still does a bit but much less offensive than the Clear in this regard).

To me, after listening to the Utopia for a while, when I switch back to the V2, I sometimes find there is a bit of lack of body and female vocals can be a little strident. But it's not enough that I can't get used to it fairly quickly and the magic of the V2 comes back with its grand stage/presentation and smooth, diffuse sound that is much more laid back than the slammy, intimate Focals.

There is no slam missing from the HEKSE IMHO.

 

[Archlize]

There is no slam missing from the HEKSE IMHO.

To me it's not really the slam. It's more that satisfying low end kick that dynamic drivers has, but HEKSE made it up with sub bass.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Try HE6SE if you can get your hands on one and have beefy amp as they are hard to drive. They are more technical and spacious than Focal Clears and come with more energetic and "weighted" signature than HEKV2, which works for variety of genres that benefit from harder slamming bass and quick dynamics.

 

[Archlize]

Try HE6SE if you can get your hands on one and have beefy amp as they are hard to drive. They are more technical and spacious than Focal Clears and come with more energetic and "weighted" signature than HEKV2, which works for variety of genres that benefit from harder slamming bass and quick dynamics.

Interesting. I can find them for less than $800 Used here in Japan. I might get them, Will the soloist 3XP be okay enough to drive them? Thanks again.

 

[Patlezinc]

Keen to see your impression when you get the SE. However, if the presentation is not to your liking and things sound too thin and bright or not enough slam, then I do highly recommend the OG Utopia, as it is more close to the Clear in presentation which is to say, it is closer to you (bubble in a close proximity around your head for instruments and voices either in or very close to your head). Also does not have as much 4k dip (i think still does a bit but much less offensive than the Clear in this regard).

To me, after listening to the Utopia for a while, when I switch back to the V2, I sometimes find there is a bit of lack of body and female vocals can be a little strident. But it's not enough that I can't get used to it fairly quickly and the magic of the V2 comes back with its grand stage/presentation and smooth, diffuse sound that is much more laid back than the slammy, intimate Focals.

I can find easily used focal Utopia, prices vary from 2100 to 2400 here. I hope I will fall in love with the SE because I am not ready for a new quest costing 2 kidneys like I did when I was younger (about my Hi-Fi/HC setup).

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Interesting. I can find them for less than $800 Used here in Japan. I might get them, Will the soloist 3XP be okay enough to drive them? Thanks again.

May be soloist owners can comment, it needs around 3W/50Ohm, seems like in balanced drive soloist should get you there.

 

[Patlezinc]

Interesting. I can find them for less than $800 Used here in Japan. I might get them, Will the soloist 3XP be okay enough to drive them? Thanks again.

Found one at 550€ here but it is a bit far from Japan…

 

[Spawn300Z]

Try HE6SE if you can get your hands on one and have beefy amp as they are hard to drive. They are more technical and spacious than Focal Clears and come with more energetic and "weighted" signature than HEKV2, which works for variety of genres that benefit from harder slamming bass and quick dynamics.

These are as hard to drive a Susvara. So you would spend more than the headphones in an amplifier. Unless you use a speaker amp. I think you would be happy with SE. people forget HEK series were the top dog prior to the Susvaras.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

These are as hard to drive a Susvara. So you would spend more than the headphones in an amplifier. Unless you use a speaker amp. I think you would be happy with SE. people forget HEK series were the top dog prior to the Susvaras.

The whole "you need speaker amp" thing is blown out of proportion and mostly steams from the fact that old school HP amps were pretty weak.
Nowadays most desktop amps (not talking about portable) are powerful enough to produce 2W/50Ohm minimum recommended by Hifiman, esp. if sport BAL output.

But properly driven HE6SE will easily send Focals to early retirement.