HiFiMan HE6se V2 Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

kupon3ss

Sep 23, 2022 3:20 PM

77 Comments

Joined Feb 2009

kupon3ssSep 23, 2022 3:20 PM

77 Comments

Quote from Fawkinchit

:

What would you say is the actual MSRP?

Historically a normal "sale" price would be 7-800

d3a1z

Sep 23, 2022 4:26 PM

712 Comments

Joined Nov 2006

d3a1zSep 23, 2022 4:26 PM

712 Comments

They have been around this price forever now. I like headphone deals but I feel like a few of these sales have been around so long the products are getting super stale. The headphone industry is moving away from headphones that need a car battery to drive as a whole. These are becoming a fake MSRP relic IMO.

1

Jamesj562

Sep 23, 2022 5:43 PM

451 Comments

Joined Aug 2012

Jamesj562Sep 23, 2022 5:43 PM

451 Comments

Quote from SmilingDolphin6179

:

I have the JDS Labs Atom Stack. Will they suffice?

No you would be better off with sundaras at that power level

Jamesj562

Sep 23, 2022 5:46 PM

451 Comments

Joined Aug 2012

Jamesj562Sep 23, 2022 5:46 PM

451 Comments

Quote from SmilingDolphin6179

:

I have the Sundaras which I barely use. Will these offer much better sound quality?

I have both and without eq the sundaras are better. With EQ The HE6 is better but after having to upgrade to A90 I don't think it was worth it all costs considered Vs something like jds stack with sundaras

BrightCaption3906

Sep 23, 2022 7:30 PM

69 Comments

Joined Oct 2020

BrightCaption3906Sep 23, 2022 7:30 PM

69 Comments

I have the Sundaras and like them a lot. Sound great on everything I try them with. I was wanting to go to a higher level and was thinking of the Arya or some Audeze LCD-2 or 3 or even some lower end ZMF to go with a new to me DAC/AMP with enough power for any headphones. Are these HE6s more in line with the Ananda or should I consider them. Anyone know how these HE6 compare to some of those other higher end plainer HPs I mentioned?

KRT09

Sep 23, 2022 7:36 PM

1.1K Comments

Joined Oct 2016

KRT09Sep 23, 2022 7:36 PM

1.1K Comments

Quote from Fawkinchit

:

What would you say is the actual MSRP?

I think somewhere in the $700 range to compete with the Ananda and LC2C, but it's hard to say since these have always been ~$600 and below. Some people like these more than the Arya but that's usually for tonality, most people will take the Arya over the HE6SE v2 if both were the same price. The XS shakes up the market a bit too at $500 but also has this same headband that many don't like.

The poor driver matching and crappy headband are 2 big negatives for this headphone that don't seem to be an issue on the Ananda or Arya. These are also one of the hardest headphones to drive but you can get by with something like THX 887 or Magnius out of the balanced XLR and these do come with a balanced cable.

Also just a FYI there's a HE6 (discontinued), HE6SE v1, and HE6SE v2 (Adorama exclusive). I don't know why they came up with such a crappy naming scheme. Resolve has a review of all 3 if you want more info:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxURjHl_mFA

Last edited by KRT09 September 23, 2022 at 12:42 PM.

1

Dkizzy

Sep 24, 2022 12:25 AM

1.3K Comments

Joined Dec 2018

DkizzySep 24, 2022 12:25 AM

1.3K Comments

Amazing headphones, I almost did the grill mod, but the tension headaches from the weight just caught up to me

d3bas3r

Sep 24, 2022 1:22 PM

190 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

d3bas3rSep 24, 2022 1:22 PM

190 Comments

I'm at a point (a better job and a "you only live once" attitude..oh, and a cool wife) where I can "justify" something I've always wanted: great headphones. I don't have the sophisticated "tonal pallette" that a lot of you have. I JUST got a chifi Topping DX3pro and Douk St something (the little 2 tube $150 amp) to get me started. I plan to upgrade these down the road to some "real" gear. This will, be a journey for me, I'm not trying to get it perfect the first time. I don't even know what closed back vs open is yet. This seems like a steal even with the inflated msrp. I was originally considering the other FP ones (Legia?) But for the extra $100ish, this seems like the way to go. Anyone have any input please? I realize the subjective nature of my question, but I gotta start somewhere, so I'd be interested in any opinions/input etc. Thanks for reading if ya made it this far, it's appreciated.

P0ll0L0c0

Sep 24, 2022 3:44 PM

179 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

P0ll0L0c0Sep 24, 2022 3:44 PM

179 Comments

Quote from d3bas3r

:

I'm at a point (a better job and a "you only live once" attitude..oh, and a cool wife) where I can "justify" something I've always wanted: great headphones. I don't have the sophisticated "tonal pallette" that a lot of you have. I JUST got a chifi Topping DX3pro and Douk St something (the little 2 tube $150 amp) to get me started. I plan to upgrade these down the road to some "real" gear. This will, be a journey for me, I'm not trying to get it perfect the first time. I don't even know what closed back vs open is yet. This seems like a steal even with the inflated msrp. I was originally considering the other FP ones (Legia?) But for the extra $100ish, this seems like the way to go. Anyone have any input please? I realize the subjective nature of my question, but I gotta start somewhere, so I'd be interested in any opinions/input etc. Thanks for reading if ya made it this far, it's appreciated.

If you're in a somewhat noisy area, the Elegia MIGHT be a better option. They're closed but they leak sound. I used to own them. From everything I've read, if you have a pretty quiet environment and don't mind those around you hearing everything you're listening to clearly - these will be better.

That said, to sound their best these need a really powerful amp.

If you want to really enjoy your music and environmental noise is not an option then Open headphones like these are definitely the way to go.

dr150

Sep 24, 2022 8:02 PM

936 Comments

Joined Apr 2008

dr150Sep 24, 2022 8:02 PM

936 Comments

You must be really motivated into using a top notch disc player and amp to play this "smidge" improvement upgrade game.

Most of us stream music and movies and are fine with out speakers. There's enough headphones that are easy to drive that sound great.

You have to ask yourself if it's really worth spending thousands of $$$ to get that extra 5-10%.

Plus know your ears. Lots of our ears are already shot. Can't hear adequate bass or treble. So any device you use has to be EQ'd to satisfy your "broken" ears. And there goes the "audiophileness" since NOW the music is "colored".

Fawkinchit

Sep 24, 2022 8:42 PM

220 Comments

Joined Aug 2018

FawkinchitSep 24, 2022 8:42 PM

220 Comments

Just got mine and they sound great other than I am using a Monolith Liquid Spark, which I'm pretty sure can't bring these to their full potential, but it seems to be doing ok!

Only thing that I have noticed is that the boxing is different, its brown boxing with a label, where as original boxing is black all around. Just wondering if anyone knows why this is?

Edit: I guess maybe its because this is the V2, does anyone know the difference?

Edit2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxURjHl_mFA

Last edited by Fawkinchit September 24, 2022 at 02:28 PM.

namlook

Sep 25, 2022 12:11 AM

26.7K Comments

Joined May 2006

namlookSep 25, 2022 12:11 AM

26.7K Comments

Quote from beegeepee

:

Is this a significant upgrade over the Hi-F iman HE-560

Yes.

Quote from cyciumx

:

They are noticeable with a good enough amp to justify the upgrade, yes. They are an end-game class headphone.

If you have to buy a new amp to power these correctly then don't do it. Buy easier to drive cans with a budget that includes what an additional amp would have added.

Someone on a budget doesn't need to break the bank for an amp. The Emotiva BasX A2m will do the job. I have the previous version, the A-100, that was $230, and it powers HE6. You can also sell what you had to make up for some of the added expense.

Last edited by namlook September 24, 2022 at 05:20 PM.

2

ku1185

Sep 25, 2022 3:31 AM

125 Comments

Joined Dec 2008

ku1185Sep 25, 2022 3:31 AM

125 Comments

Quote from SmilingDolphin6179

:

I have the JDS Labs Atom Stack. Will they suffice?

Nah. I tried it on my El Stack II and it could not keep up.

1

ku1185

Sep 25, 2022 3:34 AM

125 Comments

Joined Dec 2008

ku1185Sep 25, 2022 3:34 AM

125 Comments

Quote from SmilingDolphin6179

:

I have the Sundaras which I barely use. Will these offer much better sound quality?

I had both and I thought HE6seV2 was definitely a step up from the Sundaras. Similar in tuning but much more dynamic, lively, detailed, etc. But you need some insane power to drive these halfway decently. Singxer SA-1 was just barely enough at stock tuning.

1

ku1185

Sep 25, 2022 3:43 AM

125 Comments

Joined Dec 2008

ku1185Sep 25, 2022 3:43 AM

125 Comments

Just a few thoughts in case anyone is interested:

These need a ton of power. Be sure to have a powerful amp to drive these. With SA-1 at stock tuning, these sounded fairly decent and easily a step up from Sundaras. I reckon an even more powerful amp would make them really sing. If you got the amp part sorted out, I'd think you're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

QC and build quality was lacking. One pad was fine, but the other had poor stitching that made me think it wouldn't last very long. Pads could've been cause of channel imbalance.

These aren't very comfortable. Very heavy causing both hotspots on the top of my head and causing my ears to get sore. Sundaras were more comfortable, and I personally do not consider Sundaras to be very comfortable.

1

HiFiMan HE6se V2 Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

$449

$1,799

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