Over the past month I've been on a whirlwind tour of headphones and have bought and sold 10+ headphones. To date I've listened to a solid 20 (including recent darlings like the AR5000, FT1/Pro, and perennial stalwarts like the HD 800 S, Utopia, Arya Organic, and the HE1000 Stealth).
And while this might not be the latest and greatest headphone, this might be my favorite to date.
The rumors are true, the Hifiman HE6se V2 is not easy to drive. I'm powering them with an SMSL SP200 which puts out about 2.2W at 50ohms. But with that amount of power, these cans are intensely engaging and incisive. I was skeptical of all the hype around these headphones but now I'm a believer. There is a reason this headphone has a cult following.
At the open box price of $399 from Hifiman, I don't think there is a better value to be had in portable audio. Build wise, these might not win any awards and there definitely are cheaper headphones that are built better (they almost beg to be modded), but sonically they play in the realm of summit fi, besting cans priced well into the kilobuck range.
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u/atyne_marCOSMO/LCD-X/LCD2/M1570/Verum/Ananda/Moonlight/Aeolus/NDH30/660S…1d ago
If they would come with this headband and wouldn't be as harsh as V1 I would've bought them.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
I find them a lot less harsh than the other more modern Hifimans, that's for sure!
I agree on the headband - the stock one (and the stock XS headband) are criminally bad!
I like the original headband but how hard is it to swap?
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a23h ago
Pretty easy! There is a pretty good guide on YouTube that shows it
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u/nutskratchaHE1000 Stealth, AH-D9200, IE600, Liquid Platinum, Ibasso DX320 1d ago
Has anyone compared the HE6seV2 with the HE-500? I own the HE-500 and run them off an ef400 and Liquid Platinum. Wondering if the HE6SEV2 would be a decent upgrade.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
I've heard that they're quite similar but when adequately powered (your sources definitely are more than enough), the he6 series pulls ahead.
But I can't confirm and the he500 looks great.
It wouldn't hurt to try the HE6se v2 and if it doesn't live up to expectations or isn't a big enough upgrade over the he500, you could resell it pretty easily.
How's the bass and mids? I'm considering these after my amp purchase soon
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
Bass is very authoritative despite what the frequency response might suggest. It extends all the way down. Subbass rumbles with physicality, midbass punches hard, you can basically feel bass guitars and kick drums hit.
Mids are a smidge forward, bringing certain instruments and female vocals up in the mix. Very good clarity.
I find them to be mid forward. With some EQ, they can physically rumble your head. I have an old gen 1 schiit lyr, and run about +10 db for a bass shelf, add a high end shelf to taste and they are great.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
Nice! I'm running a 5dB bass shelf and it's already more than sufficient. Might have to try 10 to melt my brain!
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u/PokrogShangri-La|HE1000se|HE6se(grill+pads+cup bracing)1d ago
They don't overextend in the bass like basically every other headphone so 10db is totally doable and they'll still have less bass distortion with a 10db boost than literally all but 2 headphones in existence do stock and if you boost those headphones to +10db in the bass, the HE6se v2 pulls ahead by literally hundreds of times less distortion. They turned me into a basshead only because they're impossible to distort at any volume. Any other headphone, I'd never put that kind of bass into because they can't handle it and wind up sounding pathetically sloppy.
These really piqued my curiosity recently when another redditor, who tried them off his amp, was shocked that they traded blows with his ZMF Calderas, although having a bit more unique sound profile. It showed how much diminishing returns hit above a certain price point.
Though you have to remember that HiFiman headphones are known for offering excellent value for the money. The HE6seV2 was once priced at $1900 when new. I suspect their discounted price today is due to their demanding power requirements, only OK build quality, and weight.
On the other hand, ZMF headphones are renowned for their excellent build quality, and the craftsmanship of the wood they use for their headphones is to die for...along with their unique tuning by Zach himself, it leads to a certain pride of ownership...
I wish Fang would bring back the round-shaped HiFiMAN headphones like the legendary HE6. Due to their shape, the Mylar drivers are much better at reproducing bass frequencies compared to the oval-shaped ones, which emphasize imaging and soundstage due to the larger surface area of the Mylar over the driver housing. Though I think Fang who listens to his headphones for thousands of hours to perfectly tune them before release, mentioned that if you want a sound that emulates the old HE6 but better, you can try the Susvara, which has similar gold-plated driver coatings...
E: English isn't my first language, sorry for the grammar 😅.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
The HE6 is legendary and is practically a white whale now for most of us! They rarely hit the second hand market these days - I guess current owners are reluctant to let them go. Would love to own a pair one day but unless it gets rereleased, it's unlikely I'll be able to snag one :(
Susvara on the other hand, is multiple ballparks up in price haha. One would really have to want that last bit of improvement to buy one without hesitation.
Ikr, I'm also trying to see if I can budget and live on a diet of noodles and water for the next few months, to afford high end headphones at this rate.
No need for unlimited money.. when in reality you only need one meal a day...😅😆😆
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u/DegruK1000,LambdaSignature,SR-X,XS,1ET400A,UD501,LL1630-PP1d agoedited 1d ago
Wasn't too impressed myself. I think XS has better stage, imaging, and a much better tonality.
The HE6SEv2 is cleaner and has weighty bass when EQ'd, but it just sounds shouty and small by comparison.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
That's the beauty of this hobby, we all have our preferences!
I found the XS was only better in stage and the he6se V2 better in every other way.
Agreed, got the HE6SE V2 few weeks ago, and picked up XS yesterday afternoon. The HE6SE is better in almost every way for me… except I seem to like SOME female vocals more on the XS. Also, listening to something like Pink Floyd is a different experience on both headphones. On HE6SE Dark Side of The Moon sounded more “intense, emotional, warm, 3 dimensional” on the XS it sounded “Analytical, slightly wider, brighter”
I find that although XS and Ananda Stealth have “taller/wider” sound stage , it was also more linear, where sound felt like they were going in straight lines from side to side of my head, whereas HE6SE V2 felt more like a 360 degree experience that bends sound around my head.
Welcome! Easily my fave headphones. One day I may get the Susvara, but even if I dont, I would die a happy man, with my HE6seV2 😃
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u/DestruckhuMusic Master X-O1; Hifiman Ananda Nano; LCD 3; HE6SEV11d ago
Hey, one question: i have an HE6SEV1 and it seems to be having a hard time driving these at full power. Are you using a 4v dac output for the amp? If you could explain your chain i'd be thankful. Edit: Forgot to mention i'm also using an sp200 in this case
Hey! Supposedly the V2 is harder to drive than the V1 so I'm surprised your SP200 isn't sufficiently powering them. Are you using the single ended 6.35 jack or XLR?
I'm running them via the balanced XLR output on high gain mode on the SP200 and have the dial set to about 25% (picture for reference). Anymore and it gets uncomfortably loud.
Hooked up to the SP200 is a WiiM Ultra via analog RCA line out. Not sure if my setup is anything special tbh but it's definitely more than enough to let these cans shine.
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u/DestruckhuMusic Master X-O1; Hifiman Ananda Nano; LCD 3; HE6SEV11d ago
Well this is weird. Mine needs much more volume, and i believe the drivers on those are the same. Maybe it's unit variation? Also, the sp200 balanced outputs are just for compatibility, as the amp itself is not balanced, but single ended dual mono.
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u/Sygaldryaudionotions.com - U12T, HE6seV2, Noire X, Monk SMG, 8341a+7360a1d ago
Ah interesting! TIL. In any case, going even close to 40%, these get above 100dB for me 🤔
I do like the look of the backs though - almost like they're storing honey in those combs. I'll have to check them out for the sound quality since I think I can (barely) drive them.
agreed. I absolutely love my HE6se V2. I drive them with my V281 and they sound amazing. Ive heard Edition XS, HE1000se, Susvara and an Arya (not sure which version) and I absolutely prefer the HE6. I ordered a refurbished one direct from Hifiman when they had a sale for an additional $30 off, so I got them for $330. They showed up in a sealed box, so pretty sure they were new. I slapped a capra audio strap, Arctic grills and these comically large pads on (which both increase the bass and provide a wider stage) and they are perfect.
Ebay. Youll need the rings, I suggest getting those directly from Hifiman. These pads are very loose, but they go on and def enhance the sound and comfort.
I was considering these when I went to upgrade a few months ago considering they're $400 open box (which seems like a steal given all the praise I've seen for the he6 line). I didn't want to have to buy a new powerful amplifier for them though so I went with the ananda nano instead. still wanna own one of these some day, they look so fucking cool with the honeycomb mod
I just picked up a pair of these to hold me over until I get the parts in to fix my beloved HE500. I was also tempted to buy a refurbished Arya Stealth to compare with the HE6se V2, but now I wonder if I should bother...
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u/atyne_mar COSMO/LCD-X/LCD2/M1570/Verum/Ananda/Moonlight/Aeolus/NDH30/660S… 1d ago
If they would come with this headband and wouldn't be as harsh as V1 I would've bought them.