Hifiman HE6-SE
Jun 4, 2022 at 3:48 PM Post #3,017 of 3,902
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.
Glad your set isn't defective!

The thing about soundstage is that it's a psychoacoustic effect, meaning it's your brain's interpretation of the sound. This means it can vary a lot from person to person and can change over time depending on your perception. The drivers are still close to your ears so you aren't going to get "real" soundstage from any headphone. So perhaps your brain was expecting something else as far as soundstage goes.

My advice would be just give it some time. Since you are coming from a HyperX Cloud2, a planar is going to have a much different presentation (especially with bass, more texture and slam, less thump) and you should give your brain time to adjust to it. I think at that point it's easier to spot technicalities and details (such as soundstage). I don't know what you listen to normally but maybe try exploring some really well recorded music like Yosi Horikawa's stuff to get an idea of what the headphones can do.

I personally, don't think you need to worry about amping them beyond what you have right now (pad rolling makes a way bigger difference IMO), but I'm sure you will get bombarded with a million amp suggestions now that you bought it up....
 
Jun 4, 2022 at 3:50 PM Post #3,018 of 3,902
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.
Just buy a Crown D-75A.
Speaker amp with 40W @ 8 Ohm.
With full power straight to 1/4 inch output.
Use a preamp if you wanna better control.
$169.99 on eBay.
 
Jun 4, 2022 at 5:14 PM Post #3,019 of 3,902
Just buy a Crown D-75A.
Speaker amp with 40W @ 8 Ohm.
With full power straight to 1/4 inch output.
Use a preamp if you wanna better control.
$169.99 on eBay.
I wouldn't recommend that over the FA10 for the 6sev2. The FA10 does a healthy 16w full class A into 32ohms, as well as having a fairly high gain dB setting in its high gain.
 
Jun 4, 2022 at 6:20 PM Post #3,021 of 3,902
For FA-10, I have to mention that I use high gain and volume knob at 4 o'clock position to have impressive listening experience, a little bit too loud maybe.
 
Jun 6, 2022 at 12:57 PM Post #3,022 of 3,902
I got some boominess in the bass the other day. Do you guys notice that with the stock pads?
 
Jun 7, 2022 at 3:13 PM Post #3,023 of 3,902
Has anyone found measurements to what extent the Dekoni Elite sheepskin pads change the frequency response?
 
Jun 7, 2022 at 3:15 PM Post #3,024 of 3,902
Has anyone found measurements to what extent the Dekoni Elite sheepskin pads change the frequency response?
The measurements for the HE-400i on the Dekoni site are similar to what I hear - there's a significant and unpleasant honk in the midrange.
 
Jun 7, 2022 at 3:38 PM Post #3,025 of 3,902
Found something.
But its v2.
Green is Dekoni
Screenshot_20220607-210359_Gallery.jpg
 
Jun 8, 2022 at 7:32 AM Post #3,027 of 3,902
Photo is from the headphones.com forum.
I checked again, the measurement is supposed to be from the fenestrated pad.
But I suspect an error, since the measurement in the bass range definitely cannot be from this pad.
Or the measurement is crap.

I found an interesting measurement on headphones.audiodiscourse.com.
It's definitely from the sheepskin elite

he6sev2.JPG

Green is Dekoni
 
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Jun 8, 2022 at 7:38 AM Post #3,028 of 3,902
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Jun 8, 2022 at 10:03 AM Post #3,029 of 3,902
While cleaning up my closest I found the box of my 1st HE6-se v1's I had to send back.
It's the original box, with transport box, cable and all the paperwork. So everything except the headphones themselves.
If anyone is interested please PM me.
 
Jun 8, 2022 at 3:51 PM Post #3,030 of 3,902
...
 
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