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"The Lab"

May 12, 2017 at 2:32 PM Post #19,681 of 20,146
peter123 said:
I had an eargasmic experience today. Went to a high end Hifi shop in Oslo for the first time today to see what they carried and to try to get a chance to hear a demo pair of HE-6 that they've been advertising.

They had a lot of nice stuff like the new Focals, the whole Hifiman lineup, some nice Beyerdynamic and some Sennheisers that I can remember right now.

I only listen to two headphones there, the HE-6 and the HE560 (both balanced from a very impressive Violectric V281) and I spent about an hour with the two listening to one song once on each headphone before moving on to the next song.

Comfort wise the HE-6 was OK while the HE560 was fantastic (just like my HE400i). The HE-6 was more comfortable that I'd expected though but the basic design paired with the weight makes it pretty mandatory to sit still and listen to it.

Soundwise I didn't perceive the HE560 to be a very large upgrade from the HE400i but please remember that I didn't A/B the two so this is just from memory. I've read comments saying that the HE560 makes the HE400i sound slightly congested in direct comparison and this is exact the way I felt what the HE-6 did to the HE560. The HE560 felt warmer and more even but the HE-6 was more engaging and had more bass weight. The HE-6 was also more transparent and interestingly enough I also felt it had better treble presentation and overall sounding the most natural I've ever heard in any headphone. I was truly hoping to prefer the HE560 since I knew it would be more comfortable but that was not the case and now I really don't know what to do. We agreed that I should come back next week and bring my own music and maybe also some stuff.

Funny thing was that the guy working there told me that no one wanted to buy the HE-6 because it's so hard to drive and I believe I've got three systems that can drive it lol......

I'm afraid that I can't see my future life without a HE-6 in there ha ha.....

Back home now I'm listening to the HE400i and I can honestly say that I don't miss much though but that being said I can't stop thinking about that HE-6 :)
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Buy 'em. You know the saying… better to regret something you have done, rather than something you haven't:beerchug:
 
May 12, 2017 at 6:39 PM Post #19,682 of 20,146
I heard George W Bush was saying that when he invaded Iraq :)
 
May 13, 2017 at 9:23 AM Post #19,683 of 20,146
The HE-6 is legendary stuff, but overall I'm not impressed with Hifiman stuff on a whole. I don't say this to be harsh, but they are all crazy expensive and the sound of just about anything I've listened to hasn't been mindblowing good.

The HE400 stuff is harsh and agressive sounding to my ears. I far prefer the ZMF Eikon, Sennheiser HD650, Meze type of signature. I'm sure most of you know what tuning I prefer based on the three described.

Peter, before you go balls out on the HE-6, MAKE SURE you give the Focal Utopia and Focal Elear a listen. The new Focal lineup is a combination of both signature. It's really hard to explain, but it has elements of richness from a warmer signature with transients, detail and crispness found in the more linear and bright stuff. IDK, they just sound magical to my ears. Almost too good to be true.

ZMF Eikon is a GREAT sounding headphone. Biocellulose drivers and they almost look like a Sony R10. The Eikon is kind of like a closed HD650 sound but with better sub bass.
 
May 13, 2017 at 10:14 AM Post #19,684 of 20,146
I really like the ZMF cans I've heard (I reviewed the Omni) . Elear Vs HE-560 is not so clear cut (I reviewed the Elear as well), depends on what your preferences are. The 560 does the mids and detail really well, and Soundstage, but can be sharp On The high end (system matching is crucial). The Elear is punchy, has good transient attack and a wow factor, but loses on mids and detail. I kept my 560 (but listen mostly to the HE-1000, which isn't perfect either, but is really quite nice sounding imo, of course)
 
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May 13, 2017 at 6:22 PM Post #19,685 of 20,146
Personally I'd rate the HE400i over the HD650 as an allrounder, I'd even go as far as saying they're the best value headphones I've ever heard. To me the Meze is OK but a bit overpriced but then again I've always preferred open headphones over closed ones.

I have not heard any other hifiman offerings apart from the HE-6, HE560 and of course the HE400i and I'm thoroughly impressed by all of them so obviously our preference seems to differ quite a bit here.

I'll take a listen to the Elear but the the pricing of the Utopia over here (I've got no idea about the US pricing) is about 6 times the price of the HE-6 (demo pair) so I'm afraid they're not an option for me.

Anyway I've decided to bring the Project Ember II to the store next week and listen to the HE-6 through it and see what happens ;)
 
May 13, 2017 at 7:17 PM Post #19,686 of 20,146
peter123 said:
Personally I'd rate the HE400i over the HD650 as an allrounder, I'd even go as far as saying they're the best value headphones I've ever heard. To me the Meze is OK but a bit overpriced but then again I've always preferred open headphones over closed ones.

I have not heard any other hifiman offerings apart from the HE-6, HE560 and of course the HE400i and I'm thoroughly impressed by all of them so obviously our preference seems to differ quite a bit here.

I'll take a listen to the Elear but the the pricing of the Utopia over here (I've got no idea about the US pricing) is about 6 times the price of the HE-6 (demo pair) so I'm afraid they're not an option for me.

Anyway I've decided to bring the Project Ember II to the store next week and listen to the HE-6 through it and see what happens :wink:
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Peter, make sure to listen to DT1990 Pro. Everybody is raving about it, though I didn't hear it yet. And it's cheaper than HE560.
 
May 14, 2017 at 2:39 AM Post #19,687 of 20,146
twister6 said:
Peter, make sure to listen to DT1990 Pro. Everybody is raving about it, though I didn't hear it yet. And it's cheaper than HE560.
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Yeah, the same store has it and it was my intention to listen to it as well but I didn't have the time. I will listen to the Elear and DT1990 on the Ember II next time I go there.
 
May 15, 2017 at 9:22 AM Post #19,689 of 20,146
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My equipment space. Sorry for the potato camera :p
 
May 15, 2017 at 5:44 PM Post #19,692 of 20,146
THX for the NobleX review Vince, mine will be here Wednesday:) Just had to try a Noble for $250:beerchug:

Unfortunately @B9Scrambler I'll be waiting a month for my King's to get here:slight_frown:
 
May 15, 2017 at 10:00 PM Post #19,693 of 20,146
Fabulous week with the Grado GH-2 Limited Edition!

 
May 16, 2017 at 6:38 AM Post #19,695 of 20,146
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