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iconian | Staff 24.1K Views
Nov 12, 2021 8:07 PM

HiFiMan HE6 SE V2 Planar Magnetic Headphones

$549

$1,799

69% off
+ Free Shippingat Adorama
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Deal Details
Adorama has HiFiMan HE6 SE V2 Planar Magnetic Headphones on sale for $549. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Slickdeals Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Specs:
  • Frequency response 8Hz - 65KHz
  • Impedance 50 Ohms
  • Sensitivity 83.5dB
  • Weight 16.58 oz
Features:
  • HE6se Headphones
  • All New Hybrid Headband
  • Band Style: Overhead Band
  • Cup Style: Open-back
  • Earpiece Style: Over-Ear

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this product:
  • About this store:
    • Details of Adorama's return policy can be found here.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Adorama has HiFiMan HE6 SE V2 Planar Magnetic Headphones on sale for $549. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Slickdeals Deal Editor iconian for finding this deal.

Specs:
  • Frequency response 8Hz - 65KHz
  • Impedance 50 Ohms
  • Sensitivity 83.5dB
  • Weight 16.58 oz
Features:
  • HE6se Headphones
  • All New Hybrid Headband
  • Band Style: Overhead Band
  • Cup Style: Open-back
  • Earpiece Style: Over-Ear

Editor's Notes

Written by powerfuldoppler | Staff
  • About this product:
  • About this store:
    • Details of Adorama's return policy can be found here.

Original Post

Written by iconian | Staff

Community Voting

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Top Comments

polygonbronson
90Comments
50Reputation
Fantastic headphone! This is $100 more than I paid several months ago and I ain't even mad since they sound so good I still feel like I got a great deal! Snag a THX 789 that's on sale at Drop right now for $220 and you have one heck of a setup for less than $800.
Go to Comment
polygonbronson
90Comments
50Reputation
My He6se v2 sounds great on the 789 so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can only speak from my own experience, so take all of this with a heaping helping of salt.

TL;DR, the 789 running balanced has plenty of clean power especially for the price. A speaker (or crazy expensive) amp isn't necessary to drive these headphones, imo.

I set up an A/B switch (seamless switching, semi-blind) to do amp comparisons running the 789 against a couple of speaker amps to drive the He6se v2 and when volume matched I couldn't tell a difference. And I mean NO difference at all. Not to bass, midrange, treble, soundstage, imaging, or dynamics. That's when I reached the conclusion that the amp "requirements" that people toss about for this headphone are overblown somewhat. My opinion (and Hifiman's rec) is that as long as you have 2 watts of clean, solid state power on tap at 50ohms, you should be good. Keep in mind, It only takes a couple of hundred mw to get it uncomfortably loud. 2 watts is PLENTY of headroom.

I'm not claiming that I have golden ears or that the speaker amps that I compared against were end game level, but if there's an amp that makes a difference it's not JUST because of raw power alone, so power chasing isn't productive.

I think if you hopped in a time machine with stack of 789s and took them back to when the OG HE6 launched and sold it for $1500, I bet a lot of people would say it would be THE amp for it. There weren't really a lot of clean, powerful headphone amps back then so people turned to speaker amps and the reputation was born. I think perception plays a big role in this hobby. Anyway, sorry for the novel. Lol
Go to Comment
truth.xbl
546Comments
156Reputation
I love the 6 SE, but imo other than slightly better bass extension these only retrieve maybe 15% more detail compared to the 560 v4 (another adorama exclusive) which can be had for half the price or less... 230 rn open box from Hifiman direct. Don't let people scare you away from them...They arent as power thirsty as these are, and they sound great of you aren't offended by neutrality
Go to Comment

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44 Comments

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Nov 12, 2021 8:29 PM
90 Comments
Joined Jun 2017
polygonbronsonNov 12, 2021 8:29 PM
90 Comments
Fantastic headphone! This is $100 more than I paid several months ago and I ain't even mad since they sound so good I still feel like I got a great deal! Snag a THX 789 that's on sale at Drop right now for $220 and you have one heck of a setup for less than $800.
Nov 12, 2021 9:32 PM
546 Comments
Joined Nov 2014
truth.xblNov 12, 2021 9:32 PM
546 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank

I love the 6 SE, but imo other than slightly better bass extension these only retrieve maybe 15% more detail compared to the 560 v4 (another adorama exclusive) which can be had for half the price or less... 230 rn open box from Hifiman direct. Don't let people scare you away from them...They arent as power thirsty as these are, and they sound great of you aren't offended by neutrality
2
Pro
Nov 12, 2021 10:12 PM
1.9K Comments
Joined Apr 2014
WifeLeaver
Pro
Nov 12, 2021 10:12 PM
1.9K Comments
Patiently waiting for them to hit 499
1
Nov 12, 2021 10:59 PM
372 Comments
Joined Jul 2019
TaonnNov 12, 2021 10:59 PM
372 Comments
Do you folks think it's worth waiting for some better options out there (based on previous years BF promos, e.g)? Pardon my ignorance, as I've been out of planar headphones game for ages.
Nov 12, 2021 11:13 PM
495 Comments
Joined Nov 2016
kmogilinediNov 12, 2021 11:13 PM
495 Comments
How're these compared to Audeze LCD-2s?
Nov 12, 2021 11:19 PM
72 Comments
Joined Dec 2015
ChrisB1582Nov 12, 2021 11:19 PM
72 Comments
Quote from truth.xbl View quoted comment :
I love the 6 SE, but imo other than slightly better bass extension these only retrieve maybe 15% more detail compared to the 560 v4 (another adorama exclusive) which can be had for half the price or less... 230 rn open box from Hifiman direct. Don't let people scare you away from them...They arent as power thirsty as these are, and they sound great of you aren't offended by neutrality
15% in hifi is HUGE. People pay INSANE prices for the last 1-2% in audio
Nov 13, 2021 1:58 AM
2.2K Comments
Joined Jan 2006
suskoNov 13, 2021 1:58 AM
2.2K Comments
Love mine. Powering with iDSD signature. Literally just sold a pair of HE1000V2 and kept these. The V2s were only slightly better sounding in some aspects, but better nonetheless. Too expensive though.

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Nov 13, 2021 3:36 AM
259 Comments
Joined Jun 2016
hotwheels12345Nov 13, 2021 3:36 AM
259 Comments
I'm using these with a Harman EQ curve and crossfeed from Soundblasterx G6 fed to a DAC then into a Monoprice THX amp. Total cost was around $450 for the above and I got these for $600. Extremely accurate bass for the price due to practically no distortion with the double sided magnets this has over the 560. If you look here https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress....an/he-560/ 560 is basically an improved 400i/se and this is slightly improved over that. Could be a cheap route if you are looking to be really slick. EQ is key with these to sound accurate with crossfeed. Without it the scooped mids provide the natural airiness that makes headphones sound detailed and otherwise more open (e.g. HD 800). Compared to my HD600 using the same crossfeed it's like adding a high quality sub to a regular set of monitors. Now to be honest for the price you can get actual speakers and move a lot more air while getting pretty much the same sound but I am paying extra to not disturb anyone which this headphone setup does perfectly. Like listening to a nice 5.1 but no one else can really hear.
Nov 13, 2021 5:26 AM
2.7K Comments
Joined Dec 2019
User18383921Nov 13, 2021 5:26 AM
2.7K Comments
Quote from polygonbronson View quoted comment :
Fantastic headphone! This is $100 more than I paid several months ago and I ain't even mad since they sound so good I still feel like I got a great deal! Snag a THX 789 that's on sale at Drop right now for $220 and you have one heck of a setup for less than $800.
I thought the thx 789 couldn't handle this.
Nov 13, 2021 6:16 AM
90 Comments
Joined Jun 2017
polygonbronsonNov 13, 2021 6:16 AM
90 Comments
Quote from RunningOnEmpty View quoted comment :
I thought the thx 789 couldn't handle this.
My He6se v2 sounds great on the 789 so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I can only speak from my own experience, so take all of this with a heaping helping of salt.

TL;DR, the 789 running balanced has plenty of clean power especially for the price. A speaker (or crazy expensive) amp isn't necessary to drive these headphones, imo.

I set up an A/B switch (seamless switching, semi-blind) to do amp comparisons running the 789 against a couple of speaker amps to drive the He6se v2 and when volume matched I couldn't tell a difference. And I mean NO difference at all. Not to bass, midrange, treble, soundstage, imaging, or dynamics. That's when I reached the conclusion that the amp "requirements" that people toss about for this headphone are overblown somewhat. My opinion (and Hifiman's rec) is that as long as you have 2 watts of clean, solid state power on tap at 50ohms, you should be good. Keep in mind, It only takes a couple of hundred mw to get it uncomfortably loud. 2 watts is PLENTY of headroom.

I'm not claiming that I have golden ears or that the speaker amps that I compared against were end game level, but if there's an amp that makes a difference it's not JUST because of raw power alone, so power chasing isn't productive.

I think if you hopped in a time machine with stack of 789s and took them back to when the OG HE6 launched and sold it for $1500, I bet a lot of people would say it would be THE amp for it. There weren't really a lot of clean, powerful headphone amps back then so people turned to speaker amps and the reputation was born. I think perception plays a big role in this hobby. Anyway, sorry for the novel. Lol
Nov 13, 2021 12:40 PM
546 Comments
Joined Nov 2014
truth.xblNov 13, 2021 12:40 PM
546 Comments
Quote from ChrisB1582 View quoted comment :
15% in hifi is HUGE. People pay INSANE prices for the last 1-2% in audio
Yeah but most headphone enjoyers are deep enough down the rabbit hole to get that extra 15% for their additional 300 (just playing devil's adcovate)
Nov 14, 2021 3:18 AM
85 Comments
Joined Sep 2017
frankrizzo1687Nov 14, 2021 3:18 AM
85 Comments
Bought one, what's a good cable to get for these?

Edit: I guess the stock cable has some silver in it so maybe it will be pretty good.
Last edited by frankrizzo1687 November 13, 2021 at 08:14 PM.
2
Nov 14, 2021 3:26 AM
26.7K Comments
Joined May 2006
namlookNov 14, 2021 3:26 AM
26.7K Comments
Quote from truth.xbl View quoted comment :
I love the 6 SE, but imo other than slightly better bass extension these only retrieve maybe 15% more detail compared to the 560 v4 (another adorama exclusive) which can be had for half the price or less... 230 rn open box from Hifiman direct. Don't let people scare you away from them...They arent as power thirsty as these are, and they sound great of you aren't offended by neutrality
Quote from ChrisB1582 View quoted comment :
15% in hifi is HUGE. People pay INSANE prices for the last 1-2% in audio
I agree 15% better detail is a significant difference.
Nov 14, 2021 5:36 AM
713 Comments
Joined Nov 2006
d3a1zNov 14, 2021 5:36 AM
713 Comments
Quote from Californify View quoted comment :
Do you folks think it's worth waiting for some better options out there (based on previous years BF promos, e.g)? Pardon my ignorance, as I've been out of planar headphones game for ages.
I am personally waiting for the Edition XS to hit stateside. I think they are going to be more my speed than these.
1

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Nov 14, 2021 9:02 AM
372 Comments
Joined Jul 2019
TaonnNov 14, 2021 9:02 AM
372 Comments
Quote from d3a1z View quoted comment :
I am personally waiting for the Edition XS to hit stateside. I think they are going to be more my speed than these.
Oof, I haven't even heard of them until you mentioned, much appreciate the input. Looks like they could be somewhat better than Ananda cause of the stealth magnet implementation on the same size driver.

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