[theangelboy]

Speaking of foray into planars and high end, here’s my story. After years loving IEMs my ears suddenly became intolerant of sticking things inside them- severe itchiness, etc.

I ended up with some Fidelio X2 as first open back. A couple months ago I decided to go for it again with headphones and tried DCA E3 but couldn’t spend much time in a closed can- fatigued too quickly due to perception of Pressure on ears due to enclosure. So returned them and picked up hekse…which I adored but just found intolerable on many songs due to brightness which with extended listening actually triggered tinnitus, so returned and picked up hek2v2 which was much better but still bright at times and lacked bass, plus the oval shape and clamp pressure triggered my TMJ.

So just returned them and picked up JMA XTC2 because the glowing reviews suggested the custom tuning and extreme comfort would solve my TMJ and tinnitus. It’s only been 2 days so way too early to say. I’m hopeful they will work on those too fronts. Tuning wise I’m super confident. Fit/comfort wise not sure yet. The hope is I can wear them long sessions and they are my go to all rounder worn most of the time.

And even if they check all boxes, I can tell already that I dearly miss the planar sound. So considering options for highest value/ bang for buck planar that is warm and super comfortable with round (not the HFM oval) ear pads with light clamp force. This would complement the XTC. I have a powerful enough audio-gd R28 NOS all in one to drive them.

Suggestions?

The only Hifiman planars that I have heard that I would consider "warm" at all would be the HE-500 and to a lesser extent my Edition XX (but that's an oval, so that's out). I've also modded my HE5se to be pretty laid back but that's just because out of the box the tuning was pretty bad to my ears so I put in the time pad rolling/modding them. I definitely would NOT consider the HE6se V2 to be "warm" since there is just too much emphasis 2khz and up. It doesn't have any big treble spikes, so it's not "bright" like a Beyer, but still not what I would consider "warm".

The Monoprice Monolith M565 is the warmest and darkest planar I have heard, but it's no longer being made and makes some major sacrifices to detail retrieval for the sound sig. My M1060 with Audeze vegan suede pads might fit the sound you are looking for but those pads are unobtainium now and they aren't necessarily low clamp, either, with the stock headband. Stock I found them unbearably shouty.

A Modhouse Argon might be a good option for you. My T60-RP Argon with Xenon suede pads has some crazy bass levels so it comes off as pretty warm. With the ZMF Suede ovals it's more midrange focused with lots of detail, but not particularly bright. Both pads a extremely comfortable. I haven't heard the other Argon versions, but the general concensus on them seems to be "warm" for the most part. The only reason I would hesitate to fully recommend this is they sound very closed for a "semi-open" back so that pressure feeling you mentioned might be an issue.

There are also the Audeze LCD line but I've never owned or heard any of them except the LCD-1 so I can't comment if that's what you are looking for or not sound-wise. But I have heard them described as "warm" before, especially the LCD-2. However, I know they are heavy, so that might be a comfort concern.

Anyway, I hope that helps. If you have any questions about specific cans in my signature, PM me and I can give you more thoughts so it doesn't derail the thread.

 

[Daniel4IEM]

The only Hifiman planars that I have heard that I would consider "warm" at all would be the HE-500 and to a lesser extent my Edition XX (but that's an oval, so that's out). I've also modded my HE5se to be pretty laid back but that's just because out of the box the tuning was pretty bad to my ears so I put in the time pad rolling/modding them. I definitely would NOT consider the HE6se V2 to be "warm" since there is just too much emphasis 2khz and up. It doesn't have any big treble spikes, so it's not "bright" like a Beyer, but still not what I would consider "warm".

The Monoprice Monolith M565 is the warmest and darkest planar I have heard, but it's no longer being made and makes some major sacrifices to detail retrieval for the sound sig. My M1060 with Audeze vegan suede pads might fit the sound you are looking for but those pads are unobtainium now and they aren't necessarily low clamp, either, with the stock headband. Stock I found them unbearably shouty.

A Modhouse Argon might be a good option for you. My T60-RP Argon with Xenon suede pads has some crazy bass levels so it comes off as pretty warm. With the ZMF Suede ovals it's more midrange focused with lots of detail, but not particularly bright. Both pads a extremely comfortable. I haven't heard the other Argon versions, but the general concensus on them seems to be "warm" for the most part. The only reason I would hesitate to fully recommend this is they sound very closed for a "semi-open" back so that pressure feeling you mentioned might be an issue.

There are also the Audeze LCD line but I've never owned or heard any of them except the LCD-1 so I can't comment if that's what you are looking for or not sound-wise. But I have heard them described as "warm" before, especially the LCD-2. However, I know they are heavy, so that might be a comfort concern.

Anyway, I hope that helps. If you have any questions about specific cans in my signature, PM me and I can give you more thoughts so it doesn't derail the thread.

Super helpful! Thanks so much for the thoughtfulness. Definitely some good ideas to explore there

 

[Daniel4IEM]

I can't respond with a magic solution for you, but the JMA's are characterized as "warm yet detailed" - I'd stick with 'em for awhile. We don't know anything about your listening habits, eqmpt, etc. - if your post was on a new Facebook thread, you'd certainly get ~100 suggestions. This thread is Hifiman-centric, so I dunno what you'll see.

Oh this was definitely not meant as replacement to JMA XTC2 but rather a second pair that would complement JMA. Thanks!

 

[Hypops]

And even if they check all boxes, I can tell already that I dearly miss the planar sound. So considering options for highest value/ bang for buck planar that is warm and super comfortable with round (not the HFM oval) ear pads with light clamp force. This would complement the XTC. I have a powerful enough audio-gd R28 NOS all in one to drive them.

Suggestions?

Are you cool with EQ? If so, you might be well served trying some basic EQ. No need to go deep if all you need to do is tone down the treble a bit. Just set a high shelf somewhere below your area of greatest treble sensitivity, and experiment with different treble cuts until you find what works for you. Many HFM planars tend toward the bright side (in part because of their pronounced dip just before the ear-gain region), but many just EQ the brightness away.

As for clamp force, that's going to depend entirely on your head size/shape. One person's pillow-soft headphone will be another person's unbearable death-pincer headphone. And many can't ever make their peace with the egg-shaped HFM models. You're not alone there. Two main solutions for finding your clamp preference: try a bunch of headphones firsthand, or experiment with different headbands and earpads on a pair you already own.

 

[Daniel4IEM]

Are you cool with EQ? If so, you might be well served trying some basic EQ. No need to go deep if all you need to do is tone down the treble a bit. Just set a high shelf somewhere below your area of greatest treble sensitivity, and experiment with different treble cuts until you find what works for you. Many HFM planars tend toward the bright side (in part because of their pronounced dip just before the ear-gain region), but many just EQ the brightness away.

As for clamp force, that's going to depend entirely on your head size/shape. One person's pillow-soft headphone will be another person's unbearable death-pincer headphone. And many can't ever make their peace with the egg-shaped HFM models. You're not alone there. Two main solutions for finding your clamp preference: try a bunch of headphones firsthand, or experiment with different headbands and earpads on a pair you already own.

You bring up really viable options to address each issue. Haven’t tried EQ but probably should. Got any recommendations there?

Hadn’t even considered modifying headbands and ear pads. How does one get up to speed on possibilities? Do companies focus on offering options that match up with the big HP manufacturers?

 

[Hypops]

You bring up really viable options to address each issue. Haven’t tried EQ but probably should. Got any recommendations there?

Lots of options, but all depends on your setup and preferences. If you use a PC as your music source, then Equalizer APO w/ Peace GUI is the simplest and most commonly used. It's also free. Many digital players also have built in PEQ options. I use the one in Roon. It's even easier to use than Peace GUI.

Hadn’t even considered modifying headbands and ear pads. How does one get up to speed on possibilities? Do companies focus on offering options that match up with the big HP manufacturers?

Depends on the headphone. Hifiman sells various versions of their headbands, and they all fit slightly differently. For example, since we're in the HE6se thread, I bought HFM's New Enhanced Comfort headband to use with the HE6se v2. Most other headphone manufacturers are reluctant to sell their headbands unless you already own the headphone, but you can find a ton of copycat and knockoff headbands of varying quality on Ali Express for just about every major brand/model. There are some threads around here that might give you a sense for which ones to try and which to avoid.

As for earpads, they typically don't affect overall clamp much, but they can greatly affect comfort. Aftermarket earpads are much easier to come by than headbands, and usually at higher quality. As for which earpads or earpad brands to go for, it depends on the headphone. There are often "consensus pick" earpads for particular headphone models, and those are usually easy to find around here in threads for specific headphone models.

 

[Duncan]

I’ve just ordered a pair of the V2 to be delivered tomorrow…

I’m a bit confused between voltage and wattage - currently have a FiiO K9, which I think is undernourished at 2W output at 32ohm, but the last spec:

Peak output voltage

＞42Vp-p

Makes me think it should have enough drive?

Does anyone have this combo? If so, any thoughts?

 

[DillingerEP]

I am looking foreward to your experience with the HE6v2.

 

[Duncan]

I am looking foreward to your experience with the HE6v2.

So, straight out of the box it is a bit love / hate, I love the SQ, but the K9 just doesn’t have the oomph to make them shine, so the upgrade part continues…

Edit: if I stick within the volume capacity of the K9 amp, the HE6se sound phenomenal, totally smitten with the SQ / $~£ value - I’m super happy that I picked them up at the deal price I did (went up £150 as soon as my purchase went through)

 

[Hypops]

So, straight out of the box it is a bit love / hate, I love the SQ, but the K9 just doesn’t have the oomph to make them shine, so the upgrade part continues…

Edit: if I stick within the volume capacity of the K9 amp, the HE6se sound phenomenal, totally smitten with the SQ / $~£ value - I’m super happy that I picked them up at the deal price I did (went up £150 as soon as my purchase went through)

There are definitely reasons why these can be had so (relatively) cheaply. Lots of “special needs” and quirks. But once you give these what they need, they’re golden.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Just ordered the HE6-SE (V1) open box from the Hifiman store. Also got an Arctic grill mod and an Audeze headband ready. I'm really looking forward to comparing them to my HE-500!