[Shane D]

Recently got the HE-6se V2 and so far they've been excellent. I do not have a speaker amp yet, but the sound from the CMA-400i is absolutely serviceable. Getting a ForzaAudioWorks copper cable soon to replace that sorry excuse of a stock cable so hoping to find further refinements.

For reference, I also have a ZMF Atrium on hand the HE-6se V2 are different enough to complement those well. My favorite Hifiman till date after the Susvara.

So, do you also have the Susvara's? If so, could you compare them?

 

[kamikazeing]

My point from the jump was this fire sale was bad because you have budget conscious owners of the HE6SE that are using less than ideal setups. And since "giant killing" is such an obnoxious and omnipresent trend, the 100 reports of "good enough" will drown out the decade of consistency, at the very least because killing the giant is all that really matters at the end of the day.*

To me, the fact that people can access this level of headphone for cheaper should never be construed as a bad thing. Sure, there's someone out there running them off of an Atom or a Magni, and I think that person will be left disappointed in them, but in the last decade like you mention, more so recent years, headamps have gotten really good. To where they really are just "good enough" for a lot of people. No bloodthirsty giantkilling

I have no interest in dignifying the cherry-picked angle of "well, in the mid-fi price point..." angle partly because you further cherry pick it to be about "resolving", however that's quantified or defined. Say I did send you a link to a unit** - now what? Especially when I owned the A90 and Mjolnir and ended up using them as preamps to a speaker amp because the tonal quality wasn't even close? (You do recall that the HE6SE is enough to throw a Ragnarok 2 into current protection mode at medium gain, right?)

When I say resolve I really just mean that fuzzy, rough, gritty, dirty kind of quality that cheap amps can have. People prioritize different things, you may prioritize 'tonal quality', someone else may prioritize cleanliness. To call those setups less than ideal is, to me, a little naive.

With the speaker amp setup, you have the luxury of setting the preamp gain to something lower, and letting the power amp do all the work, which is where the HE6SE really shines. You'll have all your detail and all your resolution from that dead-quiet preamp section, and all the slam you could ask for from the power amp. Y'know, a more enjoyable experience overall.

This is where price comes back into the equation. IME, finding a speaker setup that matches a decent HPA in those qualities I mentioned above, without spending a fortune has been pretty futile. Only recently (last few months) have there been one or two that may meet that criteria, but the jury is still out.

*Great example: Back in the Innerfidelity days, Tyll reviewed a megabuck headphone amp by Mjolnir Audio. Top drawer stuff. Some guy in the comment misread the headline and jumped right into the comments section, asking Tyll to confirm that the newly-released Schiit Jotunheim outperformed their Schiit Mjolnir. Right there, we went from like $4k to $800 to $400 in one solitary comment. It's not good enough to get maximal performance for your dollar - your FOTM needs to eat more expensive setups for breakfast. That's what the hobby is really about.

Now I miss Tyll *pours drink*

 

[kmmbd]

So, do you also have the Susvara's? If so, could you compare them?

I do not have the Susvara but I have A/B'ed them with the HE-6se V2. Overall, the Susvara are more refined and have a calmer presentation. The HE6se V2 are much more "raw" sounding and exude a level of energy rarely found in headphones. I absolutely love how they render guitar riffs and solos, quite a unique experience.

The Susvara are extremely source-reliant though. I heard them on two separate TOTL chains and they sounded somewhat different (one had Holo May + Accuphase E380, another had a Benchmark AHB2 + DAC3 setup). Also the third party cables changed the sound to a noticeable degree. Even then, some differences are apparent irrespective of chains:

- Susvara have better midrange tonality and upper-treble extension
- Susvara are generally more resolving
- Bass texture is better on Susvara
- HE-6se slam much harder than Susvara and have "harder" transients, more fun on heavy genres IMO
- Susvara stage is wider, deeper, taller. Imaging is also slightly better though HE-6se are no slouch in this deparment.
- Both of these headphones require gobs of power
- Susvara are lighter, more comfortable.

Overall, Susvara are definitely the far higher tier headphones and the performance shows that. However, HE-6se V2 are more enjoyable when playing metal IMO, simply because you "feel" the double-pedals for example, versus simply hearing them on the Susvara. But overall, I'd probably pick Susvara had I been looking for an end-of-the-road pair of headphones.

 

[slazhx]

Would love to hear you compare Susvara with HE6 OG!

 

[kRed]

Hello friends,
do you think the FiiO k9 Pro could do this hp justice?

It delivers 2000mW at 32Ω. On my sundara I keep it on low gain at 11-12 o'clock usually (not a loud listeners).

Other than the FiiO I have a Cambridge audio axa35 speaker amo, which is rated at 35w into 8Ω, but I'm not sure how this whole speaker amp things work. Like I have to wire the hp to the speaker connector?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

Hello friends,
do you think the FiiO k9 Pro could do this hp justice?

No.

Other than the FiiO I have a Cambridge audio axa35 speaker amo, which is rated at 35w into 8Ω, but I'm not sure how this whole speaker amp things work. Like I have to wire the hp to the speaker connector?

If things are linear, which they often are not, that's about 5.5W at 50 ohms. Should be enough to be enjoyable but will not get the most out of your cans. If you don't know how to connect it, then buy the Hifiman box.

 

[Brahmsian]

I am surprised by how small the cups are. From pictures, I imagined they were the same as the 560, but no; they‘re much smaller.

What gave me this impression is that I have DCA Voce pads with those huge openings on my 560, and the HE6SE with stock pads feels tiny on my head in comparison. But the headphones are actually the same size.

 

[bagwell359]

No.



If things are linear, which they often are not, that's about 5.5W at 50 ohms. Should be enough to be enjoyable but will not get the most out of your cans. If you don't know how to connect it, then buy the Hifiman box.

I get 10 wpc at 50 ohms at gain 3 on my Rag 1. But I use gain 2 which is less than 5. But not all wpc sound the same. Worth a try.

 

[eschilha]

Hey all,

Just picked up the HE6se v2 off Adorama’s sale last week. This is my first pair of open-back headphones and first time needing an amp. I went ahead and ordered a Fiio e10k as well from Amazon to try out while deciding on a stronger amp to get.

The headphones arrived before the amp, so I decided to try them out using an apple dongle to my phone. As expected they were fairly quiet and didn’t sound all that great.

Once the E10k arrived I connected that and immediately noticed a large difference. They got decently loud on max volume and with an EQ profile were sounding quite good. Went ahead and ordered a Flux FA-10 as I now had to hear what these sounded like with a sufficient amp to drive them.

Skip to today, the amp arrived and after connecting it with the E10k as a DAC they sound… pretty much the same as before. Tried doing an A/B test between the two amps and couldn’t find any real differences with or without EQ.

What part am I missing? Is the he6se really all that hard to drive? Everyone here claims that the amp can make a large difference in bringing the headphones to life but right now they don’t sound all that much better than the closed-back’s I had previously (no wide soundstage, punch, etc.)

Any advice on things to try out next is appreciated. I’d hate to have to sell these without getting to hear the full experience from them.

 

[theangelboy]

Hey all,

Just picked up the HE6se v2 off Adorama’s sale last week. This is my first pair of open-back headphones and first time needing an amp. I went ahead and ordered a Fiio e10k as well from Amazon to try out while deciding on a stronger amp to get.

The headphones arrived before the amp, so I decided to try them out using an apple dongle to my phone. As expected they were fairly quiet and didn’t sound all that great.

Once the E10k arrived I connected that and immediately noticed a large difference. They got decently loud on max volume and with an EQ profile were sounding quite good. Went ahead and ordered a Flux FA-10 as I now had to hear what these sounded like with a sufficient amp to drive them.

Skip to today, the amp arrived and after connecting it with the E10k as a DAC they sound… pretty much the same as before. Tried doing an A/B test between the two amps and couldn’t find any real differences with or without EQ.

What part am I missing? Is the he6se really all that hard to drive? Everyone here claims that the amp can make a large difference in bringing the headphones to life but right now they don’t sound all that much better than the closed-back’s I had previously (no wide soundstage, punch, etc.)

Any advice on things to try out next is appreciated. I’d hate to have to sell these without getting the hear the full experience from them.

First off, welcome to Head-Fi! Sorry about your wallet....

As for your HE6se, First thing I would check and make sure that the drivers aren't stuck. It seems that even when brand new, both drivers can be stuck right out of the box. That will severely hamper performance (especially bass) but won't sound "bad", per se, at least not as obvious as like a blown driver. I made this post a while ago on what to look for. It's pretty easy to check if you know what you are looking at.

Also, it might be helpful to know what headphones you are coming from. I know you said this was your first open-back, but there are a huge range of closed-backs out there that vary in price and performance. For instance, are you coming from a Skullcandy or a TH-900?

As for amps/DACs... the majority of this thread is discussing amps and it's hotly contested as to what is "required" to drive these, with everyone having a different answer. I would say before going down that amp rabbit hole you should make sure your set isn't defective and, if it's a sound signature that you care for. Everyone has different ears and an amp won't "fix" something you don't like.

 

[UntilThen]

Hey all,

Just picked up the HE6se v2 off Adorama’s sale last week. This is my first pair of open-back headphones and first time needing an amp. I went ahead and ordered a Fiio e10k as well from Amazon to try out while deciding on a stronger amp to get.

The headphones arrived before the amp, so I decided to try them out using an apple dongle to my phone. As expected they were fairly quiet and didn’t sound all that great.

Once the E10k arrived I connected that and immediately noticed a large difference. They got decently loud on max volume and with an EQ profile were sounding quite good. Went ahead and ordered a Flux FA-10 as I now had to hear what these sounded like with a sufficient amp to drive them.

Skip to today, the amp arrived and after connecting it with the E10k as a DAC they sound… pretty much the same as before. Tried doing an A/B test between the two amps and couldn’t find any real differences with or without EQ.

What part am I missing? Is the he6se really all that hard to drive? Everyone here claims that the amp can make a large difference in bringing the headphones to life but right now they don’t sound all that much better than the closed-back’s I had previously (no wide soundstage, punch, etc.)

Any advice on things to try out next is appreciated. I’d hate to have to sell these without getting to hear the full experience from them.

Try it with this tube amp and hear drum kicks come alive and feel the bass. 2 days ago I had some time with Susvara and He1000se with it. They both sound better than He6se to me but the V2 bass is more pronounced and more in your face. The V2 is incredible value for money though.

 

[wolfstar76]

Hey all,

Just picked up the HE6se v2 off Adorama’s sale last week. This is my first pair of open-back headphones and first time needing an amp. I went ahead and ordered a Fiio e10k as well from Amazon to try out while deciding on a stronger amp to get.

The headphones arrived before the amp, so I decided to try them out using an apple dongle to my phone. As expected they were fairly quiet and didn’t sound all that great.

Once the E10k arrived I connected that and immediately noticed a large difference. They got decently loud on max volume and with an EQ profile were sounding quite good. Went ahead and ordered a Flux FA-10 as I now had to hear what these sounded like with a sufficient amp to drive them.

Skip to today, the amp arrived and after connecting it with the E10k as a DAC they sound… pretty much the same as before. Tried doing an A/B test between the two amps and couldn’t find any real differences with or without EQ.

What part am I missing? Is the he6se really all that hard to drive? Everyone here claims that the amp can make a large difference in bringing the headphones to life but right now they don’t sound all that much better than the closed-back’s I had previously (no wide soundstage, punch, etc.)

Any advice on things to try out next is appreciated. I’d hate to have to sell these without getting to hear the full experience from them.

I am really surprised that you can still get your FA-10, thought they are still closed due to the war going on in Ukraine. I don't have E10k, but I was using Schiit Magni 3 and the FA-10 makes a noticeable difference. That being said, I haven't noticed anything like some other headfiers claimed here.

How's the bass? In my case, the bass performance is very satisfying, very similar to my Z1R.

Another possibility is that when you are new to the audiophile, you may not be able to appreciate the "tiny" difference between your equipments. It can be a good thing for you, meaning you don't have to spend tons of $$ on gears, just enjoy your music.

However, many headfiers here (me not included) really have the trained ears to identify and appreciate the difference, and they believe those difference justify 10x or higher as much to spend.

BTW, try this for the bass performance

Stick Figure - World On Fire​

 

[PeterCraig]

I have both the Audio-gd Master 19 and HE-9. Both are rated the same at 9w @ 40 ohm and 3.8w @ 100 ohm.

The HE-9 has the much beefier power supply. It is the size of a good size speaker amp.

I felt the M19 had enough power but the HE6Vse really comes alive with the HE-9. I feel now that a good quality powerful speaker amp would probably do it justice also. The HE6Vse can still sound good with less power/current but there is potential to unlock.

I have the connectors for the speaker amp, but don't have the right amp to try it out on.

 

[eschilha]

First off, welcome to Head-Fi! Sorry about your wallet....

As for your HE6se, First thing I would check and make sure that the drivers aren't stuck. It seems that even when brand new, both drivers can be stuck right out of the box. That will severely hamper performance (especially bass) but won't sound "bad", per se, at least not as obvious as like a blown driver. I made this post a while ago on what to look for. It's pretty easy to check if you know what you are looking at.

Also, it might be helpful to know what headphones you are coming from. I know you said this was your first open-back, but there are a huge range of closed-backs out there that vary in price and performance. For instance, are you coming from a Skullcandy or a TH-900?

As for amps/DACs... the majority of this thread is discussing amps and it's hotly contested as to what is "required" to drive these, with everyone having a different answer. I would say before going down that amp rabbit hole you should make sure your set isn't defective and, if it's a sound signature that you care for. Everyone has different ears and an amp won't "fix" something you don't like.

Thanks for the reply! I did make sure to check the drivers after getting the headphones (using your diagram, appreciate that) and there were no apparent issues. I also used this test to check for imbalances and nothing too glaring aside from some rattling on the bass shaker with the small amp.

As for previous headphones, I was using an older pair of hyperx cloud 2s which served great for 5+ years. With EQ I certainly like the HE6se more, although I am having a hard time recognizing the difference between open- and closed-back (namely the lack of an expected soundstage).

Is it possible that not using a proper DAC/preamp is limiting the FA-10? I was luckily able to pick mine up off the used market so if I decide the difference is negligible it should be easy enough to resell. I may plan to keep the headphones either way as I do enjoy how they sound at the moment, but would like to make sure I'm getting everything out of them first.

 

[wolfstar76]

Thanks for the reply! I did make sure to check the drivers after getting the headphones (using your diagram, appreciate that) and there were no apparent issues. I also used this test to check for imbalances and nothing too glaring aside from some rattling on the bass shaker with the small amp.

As for previous headphones, I was using an older pair of hyperx cloud 2s which served great for 5+ years. With EQ I certainly like the HE6se more, although I am having a hard time recognizing the difference between open- and closed-back (namely the lack of an expected soundstage).

Is it possible that not using a proper DAC/preamp is limiting the FA-10? I was luckily able to pick mine up off the used market so if I decide the difference is negligible it should be easy enough to resell. I may plan to keep the headphones either way as I do enjoy how they sound at the moment, but would like to make sure I'm getting everything out of them first.

Unfortunately the HE6SE is not the ideal first open back headphone to try. Part of the attraction comes from the reduced price, however, with the added cost of AMP (chances are you don't have them when you are new), you'd better served with something relatively easier to drive, for example, LCD.