[listen4joy]

these for 500$ is great deal!
will schiit Jotunheim 2 will be enough to power these headphones to their full potential or do i need to save more for arya v3?

 

[Shane D]

They do need a lot of power. I am running them right now on an iFi Pro iCAN. I am a quiet listener and am currently listening to some older jazz (Donald Byrd) and I am into high gain. In mid gain I was at 1:00 and still wanting more.

My experience with them has been:
1) Violectric V220 just could not push them adequately.

2) Liquid Platinum was good and better with a Schiit Loki to improve bass and gain. But still didn't blow me away.

3) iFi Pro iCAN in mid to high gain with bass boost and 3D sound effects engaged, is a magical combo to me.

But of course everyone hears differently.

I see a lot of these for sale used. I think that 90% of those were not properly amped. Just reading the sellers comments tells me that they have not heard them at their best.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

In case somebody doesn't find all the HE6 threads

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-he6-v2-adorama.959021/post-17088405

 

[hottyson]

these for 500$ is great deal!
will schiit Jotunheim 2 will be enough to power these headphones to their full potential or do i need to save more for arya v3?

I was plugging these into a bunch of amplifiers the past two days. Of my collection of amplifiers, the top three so far are:

• Questyle CMA Twelve
• Rebel Audio RebelAmp
• Headamp GS-X mini

These three amplifiers are in no particular order. They all sounded EXTREEMLY GOOD with HE6se V2 and preferences based on audible characteristic differences would be purely based on taste or mood for me.
.
The SCHIIT JOTUNHEIM 2 followed only slightly behind these three amplifiers but did a wonderful job and I would highly recommend it for the HE6se V2. Especially at it's price/performance value with this pairing is an unbelievable bargain for what is achieved so close to the expensive competition.

 

[kRed]

So the He6SE v2 finally became available in my country at sale price (around 600 euros)... I'm pretty tempted. Not sure if they would make sense as I already own the Arya SE.
Also, probably my K9 Pro would struggle with them. But I'm so curious, mostly about the infamous bass impact (which I find pretty good and plenty with my Arya SE balanced)

 

[Menkau-ra]

So the He6SE v2 finally became available in my country at sale price (around 600 euros)... I'm pretty tempted. Not sure if they would make sense as I already own the Arya SE.
Also, probably my K9 Pro would struggle with them. But I'm so curious, mostly about the infamous bass impact (which I find pretty good and plenty with my Arya SE balanced)

proper amping is the key to HE6se. If you don't plan to upgrade your amp then don't look into buying HE6se.

 

[Guipnox]

So the He6SE v2 finally became available in my country at sale price (around 600 euros)... I'm pretty tempted. Not sure if they would make sense as I already own the Arya SE.
Also, probably my K9 Pro would struggle with them. But I'm so curious, mostly about the infamous bass impact (which I find pretty good and plenty with my Arya SE balanced)

Use your Cambridge Audio AXA35 straight from speaker taps.
Just need an adapter (bananas male to XLR female) and you're good to go.
Control the volume using the unit's gain (if it has one) or maybe use FiiO K9 Pro as preamp.
Always zero the volume before plugging in.
Thank me later

I run monoblocks with 110W @ 8 Ohm.
Insane sound!

 

[tigon_ridge]

I'm very disappointed right now. I've been enjoying a pair of 6se v1 for the past couple weeks or so at moderate volume. Sounded exactly how I like with my THX 789; dry, clinical, super detailed, dynamic, lightning fast, and with excellent pin-point imaging. When my power amplifier came in (Crown XLS 1502), I was eager to test how much subbass the 6se could output. So I switched on my subbass boost EQ, and after a few heavy bass drops, I was floored!

However, a few drops more at the same volume, and the left driver died! I ran a sine generator at 40hz on the right driver to see how much it can output. It didn't even get as loud as my Sundara can output before the right driver also died. Now I have a 6se v1 that has both drivers dead. This was purchased secondhand, and it didn't come with the original invoice or box. Either this is a one-off, or the 6se v1 gets fried by high-wattage into subbass really easily. Edit: When I say "died" I don't mean the diaphragms got stuck to the magnets. I heard a POP and then silence.

My first Sundara also had one of its drivers cutting in and out depending on the volume of music played. Now I feel like even if I buy a new pair, it might just suffer the exact same result. How should I proceed from here?

Edit: I sent Hifiman CS an email. It's surprising how it wasn't just one driver, but both died at outputs that wasn't even that loud. I'm currently testing my Sundara out of the XLS 1502 with the same bass boost, except I added another 8dB to the bass for a total of +27dB at 10hz, and +13db at 30hz. Originally on the 6se, I had it at +18db at 10hz. I'm getting way more rumble from the Sundara than I got from the 6se before the left driver popped. A mere 18dB bass boost killed a driver at moderately loud listening level. It wasn't even loud enough to cause hearing loss, other than the bass boost. I don't think this is normal. At least, it shouldn't be. I'm guessing that the circuitry inside the 6se just couldn't handle the high wattage. I don't think I even got to pump more than 5W worth of subbass into those drivers. I could only feel a small rumble before the left driver popped from a bass drop.

 

[kRed]

A mere 18dB bass boost killed a driver at moderately loud listening level.

Holy cow.. I'm generally afraid to go over 5dB on my bass shelf... a mere 18dB you say...

Have you done things like that to other headphones with breaking them?

 

[tigon_ridge]

Holy cow.. I'm generally afraid to go over 5dB on my bass shelf... a mere 18dB you say...

Have you done things like that to other headphones with breaking them?

It's really just subbass boost (look at attached file). At 50hz, it's barely +5db. It only gets significantly bigger at 40hz and below. Yes, I've done this test to virtually every headphones I've ever owned, including: HE-400, HE-560, Sundara, and several dynamic driver headphones (the dynamic drivers all distort like crazy). They all passed, except the first Sundara had an issue. For the first Sundara, the right driver began to permanently malfunction after the first extreme subbass test through my THX 789. My second Sundara passed the test with the 789 maxed out on high gain (at some point, the amp showed its current limit).

The difference between those headphones and the HE-6se is that the 6se eats far more power. My worry is that even though they're extremely inefficient, they might not survive more 5-10 watts in the low bass region. That could be a design issue. If these headphones are supposed to gobble up lots of wattage, they need to be robust! If you think about it, 2 watts into the Sundara is roughly equivalent to >20 watts into the HE-6se. You can pump 2 watts of subbass into the Sundara without an issue (specifically subbass only, else you'll destroy your hearing fast). 20 watts...Well, if you've ever touched a lightbulb that outputs even just 14 watts, you know how hot it gets!

Therefore, I'm considering that maybe the 6se just isn't designed to output as much decibels as Hifiman's more efficient models in the lowest octaves. This is a shame....I really loved its well defined, quick bass. When I'm watching a movie, I do sometimes like to turn on the 18db subbass boost, just for fun. Now, it seems the 6se is only fit for music listening with a much more tamed boost.

 

[ufospls2]

It's really just subbass boost (look at attached file). At 50hz, it's barely +5db. It only gets significantly bigger at 40hz and below. Yes, I've done this test to virtually every headphones I've ever owned, including: HE-400, HE-560, Sundara, and several dynamic driver headphones (the dynamic drivers all distort like crazy). They all passed, except the first Sundara had an issue. For the first Sundara, the right driver began to permanently malfunction after the first extreme subbass test through my THX 789. My second Sundara passed the test with the 789 maxed out on high gain (at some point, the amp showed its current limit).

The difference between those headphones and the HE-6se is that the 6se eats far more power. My worry is that even though they're extremely inefficient, they might not survive more 5-10 watts in the low bass region. That could be a design issue. If these headphones are supposed to gobble up lots of wattage, they need to be robust! If you think about it, 2 watts into the Sundara is roughly equivalent to >20 watts into the HE-6se. You can pump 2 watts of subbass into the Sundara without an issue (specifically subbass only, else you'll destroy your hearing fast). 20 watts...Well, if you've ever touched a lightbulb that outputs even just 14 watts, you know how hot it gets!

Therefore, I'm considering that maybe the 6se just isn't designed to output as much decibels as Hifiman's more efficient models in the lowest octaves. This is a shame....I really loved its well defined, quick bass. When I'm watching a movie, I do sometimes like to turn on the 18db subbass boost, just for fun. Now, it seems the 6se is only fit for music listening with a much more tamed boost.

It might have been too much sub bass boost, killing the drivers. You may have ripped them, rather than burning up the traces or similar. Keep in mind, sub bass causes the most movement/travel of the driver, stressing it the most. As a rule, I never boost the sub bass more than I boost the rest of the bass simply to stress the drivers less. I'd ask Hifiman about paying to replace the drivers, they are usually pretty helpful about this sort of stuff.

Also stop adding massive sub bass boosts to your Sundara, unless you want to kill them also.

"+27dB at 10hz"

This is a very bad idea. You cannot even hear anything below 18hz, 20hz in practice. Feel it, sure, but thats a bad idea with headphones. 10hz causes massive driver travel. Most music doesn't even have info below 30hz. Some mastering engineers even cut everything below 20hz simply to help clean up the low end and give the mix more clarity.

If you want that physical rumble from movies with headphones, maybe try a cheap sub woofer in conjunction with the headphones.

 

[tigon_ridge]

It might have been too much sub bass boost, killing the drivers. You may have ripped them, rather than burning up the traces or similar. Keep in mind, sub bass causes the most movement/travel of the driver, stressing it the most. As a rule, I never boost the sub bass more than I boost the rest of the bass simply to stress the drivers less. I'd ask Hifiman about paying to replace the drivers, they are usually pretty helpful about this sort of stuff.

Also stop adding massive sub bass boosts to your Sundara, unless you want to kill them also.

"+27dB at 10hz"

This is a very bad idea. You cannot even hear anything below 18hz, 20hz in practice. Feel it, sure, but thats a bad idea with headphones. 10hz causes massive driver travel. Most music doesn't even have info below 30hz. Some mastering engineers even cut everything below 20hz simply to help clean up the low end and give the mix more clarity.

If you want that physical rumble from movies with headphones, maybe try a cheap sub woofer in conjunction with the headphones.

Meh. If it dies, it dies. I'd stressed my prior Hifimans in the past in the same way for months and years on-and-off, and they all survived. Sounded as good they day I sold them as the day I got them.

I was also inclined to think the traces must've torn, causing an open circuit, from too much extrusion. The case with my first Sundara is weird, though, and doesn't follow this logic. If I drive them at moderate volume, eventually the right driver would cut out. I can "revive" it by running a low frequency sine wave through it at high power for about 10 seconds. That brings it back to life for another few hours or so, before it cuts out again. Rinse and repeat. I dealt with that for months, before I finally decided to just get a replacement Sundara. The new one seems just fine, and I have no intention of babying it. I like to feel deep, rumbling, ear-massaging bass from time to time, and nothing is going to stop me!

(As an aside, by God, I did not expect this class D Crown XLS 1502 to sound this good! It kicks the living crap out of my THX 789 for musicality. The noise floor is annoying through the Sundara when no music is playing, though. Yep, I'm powering a 94dB efficiency headphone with an amp that can output roughly 50W into 36 ohms. LOL! The 789 doesn't have enough power to not clip when I flick on the subbass boost with some songs. With this power amp, though, these $300 detail-oriented headphones can RUMBLE!!!)

 

[ufospls2]

 

[tigon_ridge]

Some mastering engineers even cut everything below 20hz simply to help clean up the low end and give the mix more clarity.

If you want that physical rumble from movies with headphones, maybe try a cheap sub woofer in conjunction with the headphones.

My experience is that these frequencies don't affect sonic clarity in my planar headphones in any significant way. Rather, it's the midbass that detract from clarity. With dynamic drivers, subbass can add significant distortion when driven hard, so I can see how it they can detract from clarity in that regard. However, planars tend to handle subbass without any significant distortion.

(Edit: Actually, there may be another reason why subbass frequencies screw up the sound: when the amp doesn't have enough juice. I've noticed this happening a lot with the THX 789 driving my Sundara. When the subbass boost is on, and the deep, deep notes plays, the higher frequencies seem to lose volume and detail. Same thing happens with my dynamic headphones. This was cured when I moved over to the Crown amp; even while it rumbles hard, the vocals and other instruments seem completely unfazed. It's really true what those speakers guys say, "Get as powerful an amp as you can afford, and then worry about the other details later." In headphones territory, power isn't nearly as often the bottleneck, until you go rogue like me, and until really demanding headphones came into the fray.)

The subwoofer is a no-go, because it would disturb the family members in the home, and there's no much room to spare for a device that I would only use on occasions for action movies and very bassy tracks.

 

[ufospls2]

My experience is that these frequencies don't affect sonic clarity in my planar headphones in any significant way. Rather, it's the midbass that detract from clarity. With dynamic drivers, subbass can add significant distortion when driven hard, so I can see how it they can detract from clarity in that regard. However, planars tend to handle subbass without any significant distortion.

(Edit: Actually, there may be another reason why subbass frequencies screw up the sound: when the amp doesn't have enough juice. I've noticed this happening a lot with the THX 789 driving my Sundara. When the subbass boost is on, and the deep, deep notes plays, the higher frequencies seem to lose volume and detail. Same thing happens with my dynamic headphones. This was cured when I moved over to the Crown amp; even while it rumbles hard, the vocals and other instruments seem completely unfazed. It's really true what those speakers guys say, "Get as powerful an amp as you can afford, and then worry about the other details later." In headphones territory, power isn't nearly as often the bottleneck, until you go rogue like me, and until really demanding headphones came into the fray.)

The subwoofer is a no-go, because it would disturb the family members in the home, and there's no much room to spare for a device that I would only use on occasions for action movies and very bassy tracks.

Yeah I know, I was just saying that some mastering engineers use that trick on occasion, not that you shouldn't boost the subbass due to any clarity concerns.

My main point was blowing up your drivers by boosting 10hz by 25db (edit 27db) is very possible. Thats all.

Its entirely up to you, and your budget for replacing drivers/headphones as they break.