[dcguy73]

I think your amp/dacs are already quite good.

That's why it's called "audiophile madness!"

 

[dcguy73]

Great info - cheers

What you’re saying (the feelings you’re expressing) is what i want from the hekse upgrade. But i do like the laid back element of the hekv2 with it’s detail

I agree about wanting to upgrade your gear. I feel the same with the v2 but that’s sitting ok with me for now

Interesting that you’ve put the adjectives of forward and energetic together with “fun” (specifically). I take it from that that it is very well balanced. And still has some laid back nature or at least not in your face??

So am i right to guess that it’s not like the utopia that makes sure you know it’s there and wakes you up and slaps you around to attention - well it did for me yesterday when re demoing it with the hugott. I was having an easy saturday afternoon and after 6 minutes of that i was exhausted.

As a comparison to your description of the v2 i would not describe the hd800 as fun but i do see it as very entertaining and detailed.

Edit: it was the hugott and not tt2 that i was listening to (post amended)

For me, "fun" goes with energetic and forward (but not in-your-face forward, like your description of the Focal Utopia). The SE is a "fun" headphone that has extended treble but not sibilant or etched treble that makes me grit my teeth (even if I turn up the volume). It is indeed very well-rounded. I wouldn't call the v2 "fun."

Still, the HEKse is definitely a relative of the v2...the way the sound comes across is unforced, not artificially boosted, and not strained -- much like music sounds with the v2, but more focused and without that headphone's need for lots of power.

In comparison, I also think the Ether Flow sounds "fun," but it's a little sloppy-sounding in comparison to the HEKse.

Hope that answers your questions!

 

[Articnoise]

For me, "fun" goes with energetic and forward (but not in-your-face forward, like your description of the Focal Utopia). The SE is a "fun" headphone that has extended treble but not sibilant or etched treble that makes me grit my teeth (even if I turn up the volume). It is indeed very well-rounded. I wouldn't call the v2 "fun."

Still, the HEKse is definitely a relative of the v2...the way the sound comes across is unforced, not artificially boosted, and not strained -- much like music sounds with the v2, but more focused and without that headphone's need for lots of power.

In comparison, I also think the Ether Flow sounds "fun," but it's a little sloppy-sounding in comparison to the HEKse.

Hope that answers your questions!

I guess we use different words to explain how something sounds like. The common-sense meaning of the word fun would be something everyone like to listen to, but with HIFI gear, I believe it means that the sound is enhanced so not sounding like IRL, like most audiophiles strive for. Often people (including die hard audiophiles) seems to describes a fun HP like a HP that has a bit of a U-shaped frequency, good punch while being quite forgiving.

I would not describe the HD800 or Focal Utopia as fun. The SE is certainly fun to listen to, but not with a funny (smiling) looking frequency .

 

[llcook51]

@TeamHiFiMAN, I'm grateful for the upgrade program you offer from the v2 to the SE. It is a solid upgrade, and definitely worth the discounted price. Thanks for making that an option!

Absolutely. Got my SE upgrade on Monday and have been enjoying them for a week. Voluptuous sound. Detailed with crystal-like highs. Very lineare across all frequencies. I have been streaming Qobuz HD in all genres. Works for them all. Especially loving them with jazz.

 

[dcguy73]

I guess we use different words to explain how something sounds like. The common-sense meaning of the word fun would be something everyone like to listen to, but with HIFI gear, I believe it means that the sound is enhanced so not sounding like IRL, like most audiophiles strive for. Often people (including die hard audiophiles) seems to describes a fun HP like a HP that has a bit of a U-shaped frequency, good punch while being quite forgiving.

I would not describe the HD800 or Focal Utopia as fun. The SE is certainly fun to listen to, but not with a funny (smiling) looking frequency .

You're right. I don't know why I said "fun." I enjoy them a lot, but that isn't an apt description of their sound.

 

[franz12]

I am waiting to receive my hekse scheduled the next week.
In the meanwhile, I was searching for measurements, but it seems that none available at this time.
As approximate, I checked Tyll's measurements on the hekv2 and the hex. On his EQ profile, he subtracted about -2db around 8k with the hekv2, but he added about 2db around 8k with the hex.
Do you guys have any ideas about how the hekse differs in that regard from the others?

 

[dcguy73]

I am waiting to receive my hekse scheduled the next week.
In the meanwhile, I was searching for measurements, but it seems that none available at this time.
As approximate, I checked Tyll's measurements on the hekv2 and the hex. On his EQ profile, he subtracted about -2db around 8k with the hekv2, but he added about 2db around 8k with the hex.
Do you guys have any ideas about how the hekse differs in that regard from the others?

+1

I'd also like to see measurements for the SE.

BTW, for those using HQPlayer with the HEKse, I've found that the closed-form filters really make the transients pop and the sound more crisp.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

+1

I'd also like to see measurements for the SE.

BTW, for those using HQPlayer with the HEKse, I've found that the closed-form filters really make the transients pop and the sound more crisp.

Would you characterize the HEK V2 as being generally more bright than the HEKse or less bright? I agree with Franz. I found the HEK V2 treble to be a little splashy on some tracks. Definitely better controlled than the 800S, but still pretty unforgiving in some instances.

 

[dcguy73]

Would you characterize the HEK V2 as being generally more bright than the HEKse or less bright? I agree with Franz. I found the HEK V2 treble to be a little splashy on some tracks. Definitely better controlled than the 800S, but still pretty unforgiving in some instances.

Yes, I think the HEK V2 is brighter than the HEK SE. When I owned the HEK V2, I always used tube mode on my iCan Pro because I thought it sounded better than solid-state. Looking back, I think I was compensating for the HEK V2's unruly treble. Since I got the HEK SE, I mostly use solid-state mode because tube mode sounds like it smears the music a bit. I don't hear any splashy treble now.

However, that may be system-dependent. The SE more accurately reflects the sound of your system than the V2. I used a silver headphone cable with the HEK V2, Norne Audio's Silvergarde 2. I thought the HEK V2's sound was too laid-back and unfocused, and the Silvergarde helped in that regard, but it was not a good match with solid-state mode. If I listened in solid-state mode, I used a Draug 3 copper cable, which reduced the treble splashiness, but I could still hear it at higher volumes with certain music. I am still using the Draug 3 with the SE. (I'm waiting for adapters to arrive so I can try using my Silvergarde cable with my SE. I don't know how it will mesh with my new headphones.)

If you're planning on keeping your HEK V2, you can mitigate the splashy treble with a tube or warm-sounding solid-state amp/DAC and/or copper cables and/or other methods.

EDIT: I was using an iFi Micro Galvanic 3.0 and a Singer SU-1 with my system/the V2. That helped take some of the edge off the system/V2's sound. I added an iFi Nano USB 3.0 to my system when I got the SE and the two iFi products have reduced the noise floor further and taken off a tiny bit of edginess from the system/SE's sound. I had not realized that the noise floor could be reduced further nor that the sound had a little bit of an edge, but that may have been due to the sound of my system (the USB output from my streamer/the USB connection in general, not necessarily the SE itself).

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Yes, I think the HEK V2 is brighter than the HEK SE. When I owned the HEK V2, I always used tube mode on my iCan Pro because I thought it sounded better than solid-state. Looking back, I think I was compensating for the HEK V2's unruly treble. Since I got the HEK SE, I mostly use solid-state mode because tube mode sounds like it smears the music a bit. I don't hear any splashy treble now.

However, that may be system-dependent. The SE more accurately reflects the sound of your system than the V2. I used a silver headphone cable with the HEK V2, Norne Audio's Silvergarde 2. I thought the HEK V2's sound was too laid-back and unfocused, and the Silvergarde helped in that regard, but it was not a good match with solid-state mode. If I listened in solid-state mode, I used a Draug 3 copper cable, which reduced the treble splashiness, but I could still hear it at higher volumes with certain music. I am still using the Draug 3 with the SE. (I'm waiting for adapters to arrive so I can try using my Silvergarde cable with my SE. I don't know how it will mesh with my new headphones.)

If you're planning on keeping your HEK V2, you can mitigate the splashy treble with a tube or warm-sounding solid-state amp/DAC and/or copper cables and/or other methods.

EDIT: I was using an iFi Micro Galvanic 3.0 and a Singer SU-1 with my system/the V2. That helped take some of the edge off the system/V2's sound. I added an iFi Nano USB 3.0 to my system when I got the SE and the two iFi products have reduced the noise floor further and taken off a tiny bit of edginess from the system/SE's sound. I had not realized that the noise floor could be reduced further nor that the sound had a little bit of an edge (but that may have been due to the USB connection to the SU-1, not necessarily the SE).

That was very helpful! Thanks!

 

[dcguy73]

That was very helpful! Thanks!

 

[dcguy73]

My partner, who has heard my v2 but not the SE, sat down in my listening chair for about an hour and tried out the new headphones. His music selections included Diana Krall, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, Mozart's Requiem, Daft Punk, and a live jazz recording featuring Ahmad Jamal. When he was done listening, he stood up and said, "These are amazing. I think they're better than the last ones (v2)."

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Welcome to the thread!

I'd love it if HiFiMAN released EQ curves for some of their headphones. Similar to what Audeze has done with their Reveal plugins, but just parametric EQ settings would be enough. You could maybe have 2 targets: a HiFiMan target and the Harman target.

Hi, its not something we have done but 3rd party's have for some models, I can pass it on as feed back but I don't believe its something I would expect to happen in the short term.

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

I've watched this video not too long ago, and can't understand how a crackling sound coming from the Susvara would would be any indication of burn in? Sound more like there was something wrong with the pair used for review. I also never read of anyone else experiencing this, including myself. Just makes absolutely no sense at all. I could be wrong, so @TeamHiFiMAN please enlighten me if this could be possible.

Without having something in a lab to test its impossible to say where a noise may have come from, it could be anything such as static, something amp generated (not all amps love being worked so hard) to my ever favourite, a stray hair sticking through the mesh on the pad towards the driver and then vibrating due to low frequency sounds from the driver.

 

[llcook51]

Would you characterize the HEK V2 as being generally more bright than the HEKse or less bright? I agree with Franz. I found the HEK V2 treble to be a little splashy on some tracks. Definitely better controlled than the 800S, but still pretty unforgiving in some instances.

To my ears, the HEKSE is very linear with no discernible peaks or valleys. That may account for it seeming less "bright." The highs are crystal clear and defined. They only "pop-out" at you when the music calls for them to do so. The transitions are so very natural. They could be called "smooth" but by no means is the sound "smeared." What you put in is what you get out. So feed them well.