My mini-HE6SE V2 project

[elee703]

picked up these open box HE6SE V2 from hifiman a cpl weeks back for like $375, figured it was at a price to easily mess around with them....nothing drastic; grill mod, pad swap, headband replacement

 

[bagwell359]

picked up these open box HE6SE V2 from hifiman a cpl weeks back for like $375, figured it was at a price to easily mess around with them....nothing drastic; grill mod, pad swap, headband replacement

Go to the threads (several) to check out whats been done by others. Good luck.

 

[SJ4E]

Looks really good. Is there a big difference after the mods with sound and comfort.

 

[orbilius]

I couldn’t help myself and ordered a pair from HifiMan today for $359 shipped and also a pair of the Artic Cables gold grills. ($399 price plus the 10% off coupon on their site). I certainly don’t need these, but am super curious about them at this price as a headphone for a secondary system or if they can do something different/complimentary to the Tungsten. Also, it’s just fun to tinker.

Anyone have a recommendation for the best pads for detail retrieval?

 

[SJ4E]

I couldn’t help myself and ordered a pair from HifiMan today for $359 shipped and also a pair of the Artic Cables gold grills. ($399 price plus the 10% off coupon on their site). I certainly don’t need these, but am super curious about them at this price as a headphone for a secondary system or if they can do something different/complimentary to the Tungsten. Also, it’s just fun to tinker.

Anyone have a recommendation for the best pads for detail retrieval?

Let me know if there's a noticeable difference after the mods. Also a mini review vs Tungstens please.

 

[elee703]

Looks really good. Is there a big difference after the mods with sound and comfort.

Not a BIG difference in sound....just subtle things like a slight raise in mids....maybe a slightly less sibilance high end BUT a huge difference in comfort. That era of Hifiman headband was the absolute WORST. Another noticeable difference was with the grill mod there definitely was a difference in the physical pressure of the sound. The original always felt like a slowly growing vaccuum pressure was happening as you listened to them. With the grill mod, the pressure just deflated and there was ever so slight widening of the stage. The issue with these headphones is they only have like 83 db so it takes a pretty powerful amp to get them to rev up loud enough. The visual of the gold grills and the different headband alone make the mods worth it honestly.

 

[SJ4E]

Not a BIG difference in sound....just subtle things like a slight raise in mids....maybe a slightly less sibilance high end BUT a huge difference in comfort. That era of Hifiman headband was the absolute WORST. Another noticeable difference was with the grill mod there definitely was a difference in the physical pressure of the sound. The original always felt like a slowly growing vaccuum pressure was happening as you listened to them. With the grill mod, the pressure just deflated and there was ever so slight widening of the stage. The issue with these headphones is they only have like 83 db so it takes a pretty powerful amp to get them to rev up loud enough. The visual of the gold grills and the different headband alone make the mods worth it honestly.

Thx for your reply. Looks like I'll be ordering a pair. I love the way they look with mods.

 

[orbilius]

Let me know if there's a noticeable difference after the mods. Also a mini review vs Tungstens please.

Let me know if there's a noticeable difference after the mods. Also a mini review vs Tungstens please.

I replaced my LCD-X with the Tungsten DS. After getting a ZMF Atrium Open I realized that i liked headphones with bit more natural tone to them, and I heard the Tungsten fit the bill. I was also after something detailed and dynamic. I also have a bit of higher frequency hearing loss and a darker headphone really didn’t fit my use case without EQ. So far, I love the Tungsten, but it did require upgrading my amp from a GSX-Mini to a Flux FA10-pro to have enough power. I have run then with EQ/bass shelf until getting the DT rings. Now I feel comfortable running them without EQ as they get the bass boost from the rings and have enough energy in the treble for me. Well driven, these can do quite well to meet my preferences. They sound good with just about everything but can really bring it on good tracks. I find them quite comfortable as well. They aren’t the last word in resolution (not a Susvara), but have plenty of detail. If I were to choose between the Atrium and the Tungsten, I would choose the Tungsten any day.

 

[collectbab]

Looks great, What about the sound and comfort?

 

[orbilius]

picked up these open box HE6SE V2 from hifiman a cpl weeks back for like $375, figured it was at a price to easily mess around with them....nothing drastic; grill mod, pad swap, headband replacement

Which headband is that?

 

[elee703]

Which headband is that?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/387026143177?var=654299877022

but there are a bunch of generic/non name brand headbands specifically for this ranging around $40-$60. I chose this one bc they specifically make different sizes for different brands.....some of the cheaper ones you have to do stuff like widen the hole on the earcups or stuff like that

 

[orbilius]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/387026143177?var=654299877022

but there are a bunch of generic/non name brand headbands specifically for this ranging around $40-$60. I chose this one bc they specifically make different sizes for different brands.....some of the cheaper ones you have to do stuff like widen the hole on the earcups or stuff like that

Thank you! This one looks much better than most aftermarket ones I have seen.

 

[elee703]

Thank you! This one looks much better than most aftermarket ones I have seen.

I mean....don't expect like ZMF level quality.....it's still rather cheap but it works! (and lightyears better than the hifiman horseshoe headband)

 

[bagwell359]

I couldn’t help myself and ordered a pair from HifiMan today for $359 shipped and also a pair of the Artic Cables gold grills. ($399 price plus the 10% off coupon on their site). I certainly don’t need these, but am super curious about them at this price as a headphone for a secondary system or if they can do something different/complimentary to the Tungsten. Also, it’s just fun to tinker.

Anyone have a recommendation for the best pads for detail retrieval?

Tungsten is a steep hill to climb. I own a pair of v1's and have done lots of mods - and they do stand up well to anything under $800, but in the $1300-2k range they get beat by a number of cans including yours - single or double sided.

 

[orbilius]

Tungsten is a steep hill to climb. I own a pair of v1's and have done lots of mods - and they do stand up well to anything under $800, but in the $1300-2k range they get beat by a number of cans including yours - single or double sided.

Thanks! I don’t expect them to beat or even match the Tungsten. Actually, they look to have similar frequency response. I use couldn’t help myself at this price and think they will be fun to mod and to set up at a different location the ModHouse doesn’t leave my main desk. I am really curious to see what they bring that is different. I have a 4XX which sounds fine, but it’s night and day between them and the Tungsten. I suspect these will bridge some of that gap.