REVIEW: HiFiman HM-601

[vrln]

Quote:

I just talked to Head Direct's customer service about a potential package deal without the RE-ZERO but with the RE-262. 

 I'm curious as to how the price will change. No confirmation yet but I didn't see any use for the RE-ZERO since I already own the RE0. 

Which email address did you use? I´ve tried contacting the one listed on their website, but they haven´t replied to me yet. Just ordered a RE-0 and would like to switch my order to this winter deal, or even better a special deal with the RE-262!

 

[129207]

I msn'ed them at head-direct@live.com

 

[vrln]

Ah fantastic, I just contacted them that way too... I´m also interested in a HM-601 + RE-262 deal This customer service via MSN is a really fantastic idea.

 

[xcxre7]

very nice write up, thanks!

 

[Antony6555]

1. Buy a clip+
2. EQ the treble down
3. ???
4. PROFIT
 
I guess audiophile sound these days means lo-fi?
 

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

1. Buy a clip+
2. EQ the treble down
3. ???
4. PROFIT
 
I guess audiophile sound these days means lo-fi?
 

 
Have you heard the HM601 or any of the HifiMan players?
 

 

[Antony6555]

No but its a known fact the clip+ is more accurate.
http://anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54879
 
Even the reviewer notes this in this thread. If you like colored sound why not eq it in instead of paying extra and sacrificing functionality (battery life, size, weight)?
Quote:

Quote:

1. Buy a clip+
2. EQ the treble down
3. ???
4. PROFIT
 
I guess audiophile sound these days means lo-fi?
 

 
Have you heard the HM601 or any of the HifiMan players?
 

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

I was wondering if the hm-601 would be a good addition to my home setup. I already have a fiio e7/e9 that i use to power my big cans. what kind of benefits would I see if i were to add a 601 to the mix. is its appeal just in the portability factor?

 

[Inks]

A flat frequency response doesn't always mean more accurate and no i'm not saying that a colored one is...
 
It all comes down to listening to it, you're just blinding yourself by ignoring the facts that it's reportedly a better sounding player. In the same vein two players that have a frequency response won't sound the same. What makes the 602 a great sounding players is that NOS DAC which destroys the cheap DAC used the clip (i've used both). There's no comparison and no i'm no audiophile snob, it's pretty obvious once you hear it. Bringing in assumptions and ignoring facts based on a graph destroys the point of these discussions and is pretty ignorant and offensive imo. 

 

[Antony6555]

The NOS dac is outdated, that's why it gives you the retro, "non-digital sound." The reality is, manufacturing an accurate digital player is cheap and simply keeps getting cheaper as technology improves.
 
A frequency response graph is much more accurate than an unsighted test by a human reviewer.
 
The reality is the professionals in the sound industry regularly mock audiophiles because of the "assumptions" that they make.
 

 
Quote:

A flat frequency response doesn't always mean more accurate and no i'm not saying that a colored one is...
 
It all comes down to listening to it, you're just blinding yourself by ignoring the facts that it's reportedly a better sounding player. In the same vein two players that have a frequency response won't sound the same. What makes the 602 a great sounding players is that NOS DAC which destroys the cheap DAC used the clip (i've used both). There's no comparison and no i'm no audiophile snob, it's pretty obvious once you hear it. Bringing in assumptions and ignoring facts based on a graph destroys the point of these discussions and is pretty ignorant and offensive imo.

 

[Inks]

Again have you listened to it?  Nobody is making the assumptions, you are the who is. I've listened to the player and compare them attentively and that's a fact i'm not theorizing like you. Sure graphs are accurate but they don't tell you the whole story, it's the human ear that does. 
 
The NOS is a vintage DAC but newer doesn't always equal better. Ipods are using newerr Cirrus DAC in their ipods now ,but they definitely sound worse than the older Wolfsons they used before. Many other examples are known throughout. 

 

[DJGeorgeT]

I tried the HM-602 with the ER4S and it sounded better than my sansa fuze or clip. I probably prefer the HM-602 over my s:flo 2. The HM-602 sounds more alive, more real, more punchy, more true. The hm-602 is not flat, but It is almost as though you had a neutral sound system and projected the sound into a large room through speakers at some distance from you and you'd find yourself rocking to the sound this awesome system put out through the accoustics of the room. On the other hand, listening to the fuze is like sticking your hears on the speakers, which is somewhat artificial. I think you have completely missed the purpose of a frequency plot. And it is also unfortunate that you equate frequency response with sound quality. They are really not the same. What I find amusing is that you think that the clip+ is the best out there. I challenge you to get an s:flo 2 and listen to it side by side with the clip+. Both have very flat frequency responses. The s:flo 2 clearly sounds better than the clip+.

 

[DJGeorgeT]

The NOS dac is outdated, that's why it gives you the retro, "non-digital sound." The reality is, manufacturing an accurate digital player is cheap and simply keeps getting cheaper as technology improves.
 
A frequency response graph is much more accurate than an unsighted test by a human reviewer.
 
The reality is the professionals in the sound industry regularly mock audiophiles because of the "assumptions" that they make.
 

 
Quote:

A flat frequency response doesn't always mean more accurate and no i'm not saying that a colored one is...
 
It all comes down to listening to it, you're just blinding yourself by ignoring the facts that it's reportedly a better sounding player. In the same vein two players that have a frequency response won't sound the same. What makes the 602 a great sounding players is that NOS DAC which destroys the cheap DAC used the clip (i've used both). There's no comparison and no i'm no audiophile snob, it's pretty obvious once you hear it. Bringing in assumptions and ignoring facts based on a graph destroys the point of these discussions and is pretty ignorant and offensive imo.

 

 

[rawrster]

DjGeorgeT, you ordered the HM601 as well correct? I'd be interested to know comparisons between that and the 602 assuming it is you that ordered it as well.
 
Just curious but the headphone jack is on the top of the player correct? Also is navigation (play/pause, next, previous) easy without looking at the player if it is in your pocket?

 

[Antony6555]

@DJGeorge 
 
I don't think it's the best. It's just sad such a cheap player outperforms the hm 801. Also, if you want a colored sound why not eq, instead of paying extra and sacrificing usability?
 

You're assuming you can that your sighted listening is objective. The problem is the human ear in a sighted test is not a objective, try doing an unsighted test at least. Yes computers are obviously more objective than sighted tests, and they can measure minute differences beyond the spectrum of human hearing. The professional audio industry relies on these objective tests, but amateur audiophiles claim to know better. 
 
Newer doesn't always equal better (especially in consumer goods), but overall there have been vast improvements. The availability of cheap, effectively transparent digital sources is evidence of this.
Quote:

Again have you listened to it?  Nobody is making the assumptions, you are the who is. I've listened to the player and compare them attentively and that's a fact i'm not theorizing like you. Sure graphs are accurate but they don't tell you the whole story, it's the human ear that does. 
 
The NOS is a vintage DAC but newer doesn't always equal better. Ipods are using newerr Cirrus DAC in their ipods now ,but they definitely sound worse than the older Wolfsons they used before. Many other examples are known throughout.