luizffgarcia
100+ Head-Fier
Oh i see, yep i would pay a lot for a pair of the original ones myself if i could find one
Hifiman HE6-SE
- Thread starter ufospls2
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i remember someone complaining about the he6se v2 having peaky treble. I literally just tried plugging in my dac/amp into a dell work computer laptop, and it was like everything was clipping with unbearable treble. I plugged it back into my iphone and everything sounded fine. Must be some weird window settings boosting volume and causing clipping
Happy Camper
Headphoneus Supremus
I was on the list for the first run of HE6s. I had heard a HE5LE at a meet and it was a fit for me over the LCD.s. I was not disappointed. It took using speaker amps to fully appreciate it's song. Then modding the set did change the sound for the better. The sound kept you coming back to your music collection to hear it again with this wonderful headphone. They taught me how to listen with a better connection to the music. Those are long gone. The HE6SE doesn't have the same attraction as those first 6s did. IMO of course. Maybe it was a thicker gold trace but it seemed to have a tube like sound when used with digital sources. It helped to have a quality power supply of a good speaker amp to feed those beasts.
luizffgarcia
100+ Head-Fier
Seems like most people who listened to the OG share your findings, i really wish i could get my hands on a pair. Even better, i wished Hifiman never stopped manufacturing those!
Why the hell would they stop making such an acclaimed set in the first place?!
Yes the OG have a natural presentation in every part of the frequency spectrum. First time I heard it I was shocked of how real the music sounded. Think it’s because of the HE6 I wasn’t that impressed first time I heard electrostatic.
The HE6SE gets better when you listen at higher volume, but the OG HE6 sound amazing at any volume.
Warm-ish amplifier is my recommendation for the HE6SE, Burson Soloist 3x in power amp mode is the best amplifier I’ve heard with any of the HE6 models. My A90 made the difference of HE6 organic sound and HE6SE (thinner) sound clear. But the Burson colour the HE6SE really well.
luizffgarcia
100+ Head-Fier
Any of you guys tried the HE6se v2 powered by a Schiit Asgard 3? I am wondering if i am losing a lot of its sound by using the Asgard...
thefitz
Headphoneus Supremus
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2.5W into 50 ohms is half the power of the HF-6 amp they built specifically for the HE-6. Haven't tried it, but it seems on the low side.
Happy Camper
Headphoneus Supremus
Cost and new shiny penny buyers. To me, if you have made a statement piece, you let it stand as your mark. But that only sells when the fever is pitched. Once the next new wonder comes along, the money follows. They have to keep presenting a new penny to grow.
If they did, Arya and Ananda would be a lot harder sale. 
theangelboy
500+ Head-Fier
Just to post a quick update. I tried both of my X00 aftermarket pads with my HE6se V2, both with and without attenuation rings.
TL;DR: The X00 pads aren't as good as either the Hifiman Round Velours or the much more comfortable round velours I bought from china that sound very similar.
The first one I tried was the Dekoni hybrid clone. They sounded okay but really made everything sound very closed in and claustrophobic. Bass impact (not quantity) also took a hit, I think. Surprisingly, they measure similar to the Round Velours that I use, but the actual listening experience is quite different. I think this just goes to show that frequency graph measurements can't demonstrate things like attack and soundstage. I'm also not a huge fan of the idea of covering like half of the driver by pad...
Next I tried the Sheepskin pads that I bought from China. They are extremely similar in dimensions to Dekoni pads except they have a much larger earhole. Although these sound less closed in than the X00 Hybrid (probably thanks to the larger ear hole), the effect is still there just lessened. However, this pad, interestingly, boosted the mids significantly, starting at about 700hz, peaking at 1khz but extending to 3khz (compared to stock pads). Basically it puts such a focus on the midrange that it's distracting IMO. If you are really into vocals you might enjoy these, but it ruins the really good balance that I like so much on the HE6se V2. Also, bass impact is similar to the Hybrid, less than the round velours. Side note, these pads measure similar to the Sheepskin Ori pads on this headphone expect that the midrange boost on the Ori is smaller because they are thicker. This is very unlike the vast difference those two pads make on the X00. But that's closed dynamic vs. open planar for you.
Also, on the attenuation rings. They basically have zero effect on the bass (very unlike the X00). There are some slight differences from 4khz up, making things more peaky/dippy, but the differences are very minor.
After switching back to the round velours I usually use and the bass seems to hit harder and everything sounds more balanced. I think giving the driver room and a more breathable material does help the low-end experience. Anyway, this was an interesting experiment, but it really drives home how much I like the pads I use. ...and how good these headphones are!
TL;DR: The X00 pads aren't as good as either the Hifiman Round Velours or the much more comfortable round velours I bought from china that sound very similar.
Just in case anyone is wondering how similar these round velours really are to each other
And vs stock...
And vs stock...
The first one I tried was the Dekoni hybrid clone. They sounded okay but really made everything sound very closed in and claustrophobic. Bass impact (not quantity) also took a hit, I think. Surprisingly, they measure similar to the Round Velours that I use, but the actual listening experience is quite different. I think this just goes to show that frequency graph measurements can't demonstrate things like attack and soundstage. I'm also not a huge fan of the idea of covering like half of the driver by pad...
Next I tried the Sheepskin pads that I bought from China. They are extremely similar in dimensions to Dekoni pads except they have a much larger earhole. Although these sound less closed in than the X00 Hybrid (probably thanks to the larger ear hole), the effect is still there just lessened. However, this pad, interestingly, boosted the mids significantly, starting at about 700hz, peaking at 1khz but extending to 3khz (compared to stock pads). Basically it puts such a focus on the midrange that it's distracting IMO. If you are really into vocals you might enjoy these, but it ruins the really good balance that I like so much on the HE6se V2. Also, bass impact is similar to the Hybrid, less than the round velours. Side note, these pads measure similar to the Sheepskin Ori pads on this headphone expect that the midrange boost on the Ori is smaller because they are thicker. This is very unlike the vast difference those two pads make on the X00. But that's closed dynamic vs. open planar for you.
Also, on the attenuation rings. They basically have zero effect on the bass (very unlike the X00). There are some slight differences from 4khz up, making things more peaky/dippy, but the differences are very minor.
After switching back to the round velours I usually use and the bass seems to hit harder and everything sounds more balanced. I think giving the driver room and a more breathable material does help the low-end experience. Anyway, this was an interesting experiment, but it really drives home how much I like the pads I use. ...and how good these headphones are!
Legend! How big inner hole are the Chinese velour?Just to post a quick update. I tried both of my X00 aftermarket pads with my HE6se V2, both with and without attenuation rings.
TL;DR: The X00 pads aren't as good as either the Hifiman Round Velours or the much more comfortable round velours I bought from china that sound very similar.
Just in case anyone is wondering how similar these round velours really are to each other
And vs stock...
The first one I tried was the Dekoni hybrid clone. They sounded okay but really made everything sound very closed in and claustrophobic. Bass impact (not quantity) also took a hit, I think. Surprisingly, they measure similar to the Round Velours that I use, but the actual listening experience is quite different. I think this just goes to show that frequency graph measurements can't demonstrate things like attack and soundstage. I'm also not a huge fan of the idea of covering like half of the driver by pad...
Next I tried the Sheepskin pads that I bought from China. They are extremely similar in dimensions to Dekoni pads except they have a much larger earhole. Although these sound less closed in than the X00 Hybrid (probably thanks to the larger ear hole), the effect is still there just lessened. However, this pad, interestingly, boosted the mids significantly, starting at about 700hz, peaking at 1khz but extending to 3khz (compared to stock pads). Basically it puts such a focus on the midrange that it's distracting IMO. If you are really into vocals you might enjoy these, but it ruins the really good balance that I like so much on the HE6se V2. Also, bass impact is similar to the Hybrid, less than the round velours. Side note, these pads measure similar to the Sheepskin Ori pads on this headphone expect that the midrange boost on the Ori is smaller because they are thicker. This is very unlike the vast difference those two pads make on the X00. But that's closed dynamic vs. open planar for you.
Also, on the attenuation rings. They basically have zero effect on the bass (very unlike the X00). There are some slight differences from 4khz up, making things more peaky/dippy, but the differences are very minor.
After switching back to the round velours I usually use and the bass seems to hit harder and everything sounds more balanced. I think giving the driver room and a more breathable material does help the low-end experience. Anyway, this was an interesting experiment, but it really drives home how much I like the pads I use. ...and how good these headphones are!
theangelboy
500+ Head-Fier
I got the 105mm size (but I own several other sizes of these same pads) and the store page lists it as a 65mm hole diameter and depending on how much my calipers squish into the foam my pair measures ~62-67mm so I would say 65mm is bang on the money. All of there other measurements seem to match up with my measurements as well. Definitely get the 105mm if you are going to buy them since they are closest in dimension to the Hifiman Round Velours. The 100mm (and 95mm) will fit but have a much smaller hole and are shallower, too.
Thanks! The 4 screw came with inner holes of the same size as the Chinese 105mm, but the 6 screw measures about 56-58mm. Will order 2 pairs!
theangelboy
500+ Head-Fier
Interesting! I didn't realize that hifiman had more than one version of their round velour.
thefitz
Headphoneus Supremus
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Great experiment! Interesting on the attenuation ring measurement, as I felt that the Thx00 sheepskin pads sounded like a car horn without the rings.
What's interesting about you Thx00 sheepskin measurements is that it shows moderate treble spike reduction, and is quite similar to the measurements I've seen if the original HE-6 - a bit of a hump around 1kHz, no "modern hifiman" chasm around the ear gain area. The measurements actually look fantastic, hah.
EDIT: I'll take it one step farther - the dekoni sheepskin pads appear to make the HE-6SE measure pretty much flat all the way to 1kHz, reduces the upper mid suckout, and reduces treble spikes. Winner winner chicken dinner!
EDIT EDIT: I have original HE-400 velours and a pair of accessory house pads identically dimensioned to the two Ori pads I have, I'll give those a shot and post impressions.
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