[billqs]

Then leave the covers off, or get one the more open designer 3D printed covers or 120mm fan covers. Will open up the sound.

 

[YtseJamer]

I think i'm going to opt for the refund and not even bother with getting a replacement. The fact that this is the third HE6 that I have had to return now says enough to me about the lack of quality Hifiman has. I'm honestly scared to own this longer then a year, I can see it breaking on me. What a shame Hifiman...

Wow

 

[bagwell359]

Just received my He6se v2 from Adorama and straight out of the box the left speaker is dead. I remember buying the V1 and returning it twice due to defects with the workmanship (literal pieces of the finish coming off and nicks in the cups) I love the HE6 sound though, it's amazing (when it actually works) I gotta say I'm pretty disappointed really didn't want to have to ship back another pair of HE6

Wow, each one of those is worse than anything I've had with my herd of HFM's..... It's bound to work next time !!

 

[sennfan83261]

Wow, each one of those is worse than anything I've had with my herd of HFM's..... It's bound to work next time !!

 

[billqs]

What you are going through is frustrating beyond belief, and I don't want to sound like a shill for Hifiman but I've owned 10 of their phones over the last few years with prices from $180-$6000 and ::knocks on wood:: I've never met a Q/C issue on them. I would give it another try as this was a substantial price break for the 6se.

 

[pyrexia]

No issues here. I am loving them, but I do need to crank it a bit using my SMSL amp.

I was considering the RME ADI-2 as an upgrade, but will it be enough? Anyone have experience?

 

[neogeosnk]

No issues here. I am loving them, but I do need to crank it a big using my SMSL amp.

I was considering the RME ADI-2 as an upgrade, but will it be enough? Anyone have experience?

For powering the headphones? No, not even close.

 

[ksorota]

For a bit less than the RME ADI-2 I would recommend Flux FA-10 if you want to stay away from speaker amps. It has no problem powering the HE6, and commands the driver with authority. The amp is not neutral, but is not lacking in detail or clarity at all. It sounds good with all the headphones I have tried on it (HD585, HD600, HD6xx, Meze 99, HE6)

It is a large piece of gear and the front plate can be customized to your color choice. Just overall great sounding amp for engagement and musicality.

Keith

 

[Bhk1004]

No issues here. I am loving them, but I do need to crank it a bit using my SMSL amp.

I was considering the RME ADI-2 as an upgrade, but will it be enough? Anyone have experience?

If you are looking for a recommendation for a cheaper amp (under 1k) to drive the he6se well, outside of using speaker amps or vintage stuff, the Flux FA-10, and Cayin IHA6 (in high current mode) seems to fit the bill very well. I have personally tried the flux fa10 and it has no issues. My friends have used the IHA6 and say that it drives it very well, no personal experience or direct comparison though.

Whether these amps are you preferred signature, I have no idea. I believe SMSL amps are generally considered THX style or THX amps? I would like to believe you would prefer the sound from either of the 2 amps listed based on my experience with THX amps, but each person is different.

 

[KPzypher]

SMSL SP400 or Topping A90 will more than suffice to run SE6SE. No need to run speaker amps. To be honest, these aren't that difficult to drive with latest gen amps. At least no where near difficult as some believe.

 

[seamonster76]

I tried driving my HE6SE2 using three different configurations with level matching.

1. Topping D90 -> (Balanced) Topping A90; High Gain; Volume at between 11 to 12 o'clock.
2. Topping D90 -> (Single ended) Trends TA10.2SE (a 15W/8Ohm stereo Class-T amp which I used to drive my original HE6 before)
3. Topping D90 -> (Balanced) Topping A90 Pre-Out; Medium Gain; Volume at 9 o'clock -> Emotiva PA-1 (140W/8Ohm Class D monoblocks)

Without any comparison, A90 sounds fine and you certainly hear all the details. However, compared to the other configurations, it sounds the least extended with the smallest soundstage. It also sounds a bit darker (somebody else may prefer that). Overall I find this the least musical and most boring configuration.

PA-1 has a very high gain itself so I am glad that the A90 gain control also works for its preamp out. This configuration sounds the best to me so far and it produces a very large soundstage (better than Arya out of A90) with great tonality, layering and texture. All these contributes to a very musical offering.

Trends TA10.2 still works very well, but it lacks the extreme layering of PA-1 and has less definition and a tad metallic tonality. It still sounds better than listening straight from A90, which I really really wish I could simply settle with to simplify my desk and my life.

(I built my own XLR (Female) -> Banana adapter using some left over speaker cables. I have not tried the HFM adapter.)

 

[ksorota]

That is a good comparison and description of how the HE6 can sound when underamped.

It will get loud with many amps. I have used my GLMK2 to power HE6SE to very high levels and cannot quite max the volume on it, but loudness is not control and drive. When moving to something like a Jotunheim, the stage opens up a bit and the dynamics improve. Moving up to a Adcom 545II and subsequently a Vidar was a revelation though. The dynamics and soundstage dramatically improve as well as the extension into the low and high frequencies. The presentation becomes even more speaker like and out of your head, especially without the outside grills. With excessive power you increase the musicality and remove any fatiguing quality to the sound IMO

 

[Sound Eq]

would the violectric 590 or audio gd r27 drive those well

 

[CANiSLAYu]

SMSL SP400 or Topping A90 will more than suffice to run SE6SE. No need to run speaker amps. To be honest, these aren't that difficult to drive with latest gen amps. At least no where near difficult as some believe.

New owner of the Adorama HE6se v2 and I'd agree I'm more than happy with the Topping D90/A90 stack. High gain and 10-10:30 on the volume pot is more than enough volume-wise and sounds great to me. My setup is a small office/desktop affair with no space for more amps, nor the desire to drop more money, to drive a single pair of headphones. I was going to simply return them if the A90 wasn't up the task, but I'm enjoying it quite a bit.

Side note: These are way more blue than the images on the website show and they're definitely fingerprint magnets.

 

[ra990]

What you are going through is frustrating beyond belief, and I don't want to sound like a shill for Hifiman but I've owned 10 of their phones over the last few years with prices from $180-$6000 and ::knocks on wood:: I've never met a Q/C issue on them. I would give it another try as this was a substantial price break for the 6se.

Exactly the opposite experience from mine. I've had an issue with most of my Hifimans, from the cheap Drop ones to the Susvara.