[thefitz]

Has anyone played around with ZMF Ori pads on their HE6SE?

I swear, I am cursed to pad roll. I initially like certain pads, and then something about them irritates me, necessitating a change.

The Dekoni TH-X00 pads are impressive sounding, but aren't the last word in soundstage and slam. The Dan Clark Audio angled pads have a great blend of soundstage and slam, but they're very steely sounding and eventually fatigue me.

I have a pair of ZMF Ori suede and perforated lambskin pads. Both of them have very good soundstages, as the pads are quite deep. The suede pads have warm mids and a polite bottom end, but found that a lot of the air has been rolled off. The least fatiguing to my ears, but easily the least detailed. I am currently using the perforated lambskin, which are very polite in the bass and large in the midrange, with a clear treble that so far isn't overly fatiguing - very agreeable above the midbass, but a little shy below.

Has anyone experienced any of the leather ZMF offerings?

 

[theangelboy]

Has anyone played around with ZMF Ori pads on their HE6SE?

I swear, I am cursed to pad roll. I initially like certain pads, and then something about them irritates me, necessitating a change.

The Dekoni TH-X00 pads are impressive sounding, but aren't the last word in soundstage and slam. The Dan Clark Audio angled pads have a great blend of soundstage and slam, but they're very steely sounding and eventually fatigue me.

I have a pair of ZMF Ori suede and perforated lambskin pads. Both of them have very good soundstages, as the pads are quite deep. The suede pads have warm mids and a polite bottom end, but found that a lot of the air has been rolled off. The least fatiguing to my ears, but easily the least detailed. I am currently using the perforated lambskin, which are very polite in the bass and large in the midrange, with a clear treble that so far isn't overly fatiguing - very agreeable above the midbass, but a little shy below.

Has anyone experienced any of the leather ZMF offerings?

I have some Lambskin Ori pads that I tried. I had high hopes for them because of the wonderful synergy the Ori pads have on the HE-400, transforming them into one of my favorites in my collection. They sounded good on the HE6se V2, but I preferred the round velour so I didn't keep them on long or do more than a brief listen and a quick measurement (they measure quite similar to the sheepskin X00 pads that I have). I can give them another shot if there are specific things you would like me to look for.

Spoiler: Measurements

 

[thefitz]

I have some Lambskin Ori pads that I tried. I had high hopes for them because of the wonderful synergy the Ori pads have on the HE-400, transforming them into one of my favorites in my collection. They sounded good on the HE6se V2, but I preferred the round velour so I didn't keep them on long or do more than a brief listen and a quick measurement (they measure quite similar to the sheepskin X00 pads that I have). I can give them another shot if there are specific things you would like me to look for.

Spoiler: Measurements

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[hmscott]

Hi guys/gals, has anyone heard their HE6 series headphones on the Dark Star amp? It was built to drive the HE6 and high demand headphones, and it is still being sold - perhaps not marketed well enough - because I've not seen anyone review or even mention it recently?

It seems like it would be a great headphone amp to drive the HE6 series:

The Ray Samuels Dark Star Headphone Amp
- Purchase List

REVIEW: Ray Samuels Emmeline Dark Star Fully Balanced Headphone Amp

VOLTAGE MONSTER: RAY SAMUELS DARK STAR

I asked here too, it looks like the threads split a while back? I was discussing the HE6SE V2 here a while back...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he6-v2-adorama.959021/post-16738309

TheDarkStar got great reviews when it came out, but I don't find much mention of it since, even though it is still actively being sold:
https://www.facebook.com/Raysamuelsaudio/

 

[arielext]

I've sent my broken HE6SE v1 to Hifiman last week and got a mail this morning that they will send a HE6SE v2 return.
Let's see which version I will receive So far I do like their responsiveness. I do really hope to start enjoying the HE6SE v-whatever soon in 2022!

 

[monkey4054]

Hi everyone, is there any consensus on what the best pad swaps are for the SE V2?

 

[thefitz]

Hi everyone, is there any consensus on what the best pad swaps are for the SE V2?

Nope, lol.

I have got great results out of Dekoni THX00 hybrid and sheepskin pads with attenuation rings, Dan Clark Audio angled pads, and ZMF Ori perforated sheepskin pads.

Others have different pad preferences, and there's a bunch of great discussions and measurements in this thread.

 

[theangelboy]

Hi everyone, is there any consensus on what the best pad swaps are for the SE V2?

Lol, not even close! And that's a good thing. One of the most impressive things about this headphone is that it sounds good enough to make other headphones jealous with almost any pad. I've rolled a lot of pads on a lot of headphones and that versatility is really rare. So, it comes down to preference and what aspect of the sound (or comfort) you want to accentuate.

 

[monkey4054]

Lol, not even close! And that's a good thing. One of the most impressive things about this headphone is that it sounds good enough to make other headphones jealous with almost any pad. I've rolled a lot of pads on a lot of headphones and that versatility is really rare. So, it comes down to preference and what aspect of the sound (or comfort) you want to accentuate.

Yeah, I thought so, I was hoping it would be an easy choice haha I guess I would want a pad to accentuate the bass quantity/slam without making it any brighter.

Nope, lol.

I have got great results out of Dekoni THX00 hybrid and sheepskin pads with attenuation rings, Dan Clark Audio angled pads, and ZMF Ori perforated sheepskin pads.

Others have different pad preferences, and there's a bunch of great discussions and measurements in this thread.

Thanks for your reply. What is your favourite pad of those you mentioned? Which one gives the best bass response?

 

[thefitz]

Thanks for your reply. What is your favourite pad of those you mentioned? Which one gives the best bass response?

Overall thickness and quantity? Dekoni THX00 sheepskin with attenuation ring. Depth and extension? Dekoni THX00 hybrid with attenuation ring.

Currently, I am using the Ori perforated lambskin pads which are easily the most bass shy but have the most balanced mids (Dekoni sheepskin is a bit honky, Dekoni hybrid is V shaped, DCA angled is steely) and most agreeable treble.

 

[theangelboy]

Yeah, I thought so, I was hoping it would be an easy choice haha I guess I would want a pad to accentuate the bass quantity/slam without making it any brighter.



Thanks for your reply. What is your favourite pad of those you mentioned? Which one gives the best bass response?

You are going to hate me because I'm going to disagree with thefitz here... I find that the round velour pads (or equivalent) have the most slam and impact. The Velpad also has the bass slam in spades but is brighter overall.

One thing to keep in mind is that I haven't noticed (or measured) any pad that has added quantity to the bass frequencies (<200hz). Genuine leather pads like the X00 or Ori add midrange (300hz-1.5khz), albeit, still with the signature dip from 1.5khz to 4khz. I haven't found a pad that gets rid of that yet. Also, almost any pad is going to lessen the lower treble (3-5khz) and the upper treble (7-10khz) compared to the stock pad. Yes, even the velour pads have a smoother, less treble-focused sound compared to stock, although, as mentioned above, the velpad has more 7-10khz energy than the round velour does.

The darkest pad I have tried is the X00 Dekoni hybrid. However, it should be noted that the smaller ear hole give the sound a more closed in quality to my ears which robs the HE6se V2 of some of it's big sound, IMO. I also couldn't hear (or measure) a meaningful difference with or without the attenuation rings with any of my X00 pads, so YMMV there.

So I think a lot of it comes down to perception and preference. However, both the Hifiman round velour (or the aliexpress pad that measures very similar) are really cheap at $10 or less. Plus, the Hifiman round velours give you some mounting rings to use with other pads later so I would recommend starting there and seeing how you like the sound before dropping $50-$80 on lambskin pads. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

 

[wolfstar76]

Just bought the he6se v2 to upgrade my Sundara. Will first try it on my current NFJ&FX Audio tube preamp + Modi3/Magni3 before going for Jot2 if I have to.

​

 

[thefitz]

Just bought the he6se v2 to upgrade my Sundara. Will first try it on my current NFJ&FX Audio tube preamp + Modi3/Magni3 before going for Jot2 if I have to.

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I suggest just starting with the Jot2, and make sure it is balanced. The 4W the Jot2 will feed the HE6SE isn't enough, but it's better than the 1.6W of the Magni.

I think Hifiman/Adorama lowering the price this much was not a good idea in the long run. Besides the collapsing magnets, they're going to cause a lot of very dissatisfied (or at best very underwhelmed) customers.

 

[spruce]

I bought these recently for $549 and also purchased a separate insurance policy, no issues with the magnets yet.

Swapped the default pads with the Dekoni hybrids which are better constructed although thicker placing your ear further from the driver. I think any comfort changes will depend on the individual.

To my ears this may cause a slightly “cooler” tonality (probably as others describe as v shaped) running with Gold Lion tubes on the liquid platinum/ares 2 I still like the sound, but with Telefunken tubes does not work for me as it sounds cold/clinical or distant.

 

[luizffgarcia]

Just bought the he6se v2 to upgrade my Sundara. Will first try it on my current NFJ&FX Audio tube preamp + Modi3/Magni3 before going for Jot2 if I have to.

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Don't even try to evaluate the HE6 on the Magni, i did and it and it will only make you think the HE6 is meh.

I think the cheapest amps you can use and still get all the HE6 has to offer are the Burson Soloist 3X and the Flux FA-10. I got the Soloist myself.