Anyone have both/tried both? I don’t see much comparison of it. I currently have an Ananda but was thinking bout getting an HE6SE for steal price (bout 600usd). Since I got my Anandas for 400usd, was wondering if the HE6SE was worth the extra 200. I’d be selling the Anandas if I get the HE6 tho if i got them. I’ll be powering them with Cayin IHA-6 mk1
1 Like
I have owned both and the Arya. I like the HE-6seV2 more than either the Ananda or Arya. Just make sure your Amp can at least put out 2w in 50ohm or is a high current Amp. The HE-6se is much harder to driver than the Ananda but not as bad as the OG He-6. The Ananda just has a bigger sound stage but everything else is better on the He-6 in my opinion.
4 Likes
Hey there! I have had both at one point or another. I agree with @LANDWALKER000 you really need a proper amp for the HE6SEV2 to make them sound correct. Not just enough watts but also enough current. The Ananda is fairly easy to drive and has a pretty neutral sound to my ears where the HE6SEV2 has a more dynamic punchy sound that can at times come accross a little brighter without the proper amp pairing. I would say unless you are willing to find the right amp to pair with the HE6SEV2 you may be better off with the Ananda and using EQ or tone control to bring up the bass regions a bit, which is what I preferred for my listening preferences. @Aerumna
1 Like
HE6SE more resolving and Ananda has better and taller soundstage
Sorry for hijacking the thread, is the Asgard 3 a good match for the HE6SEV2? I own the Argard 3 so just wondering if it would be a good match. Thanks!
Right now the Soloist 3x is the only amp, other than a stereo amp, that doesn’t shut off during long bass notes when using the HE-6seV2, that I have tried. Even the Lyr 3 struggles and cuts during bass deep notes, like with Han Zimmer or the 1992 Dracula’s soundtrack.
1 Like
That’s wild, I’ve never seen an amp shut off from headphones. They really must have one hellva current draw.
Thanks for the quick comparison! I’m running a Cayin IHA-6. I think with current mode and high gain on, that’s about 7W in 32 ohms. I read somewhere that they practically made this amp to power the og HE6 but can’t find it anymore haha
1 Like
Thanks! The IHA-6 puts 7W in 32ohms balanced. It also has current mode. It should be enough to power it
Would the violectic v280 be able to drive the he6se?
You would get a nice sound since that is a great amp. But personally I had lots more enjoyment on a speaker amp, even one that would be considered a lower tier than the vio. Reason being is that when you put the he6 on a speaker amp, you get way more slam,speed,and energy. It’s VERY FUN. Think about the power req to get a speaker to push enough air to fill a room. Now imagine that in a headphone, but at safe listening volume ofcourse.
1 Like
I have a 150x150 emotiva amp and a -6 db attenuator. Would that be a nice set up or would the attenuator cut to much power?
Hmm, might be ok but no experience with something like that.
I wouldn’t use stereo amps with the He6se, only with the OG He6. These are not as power hungry as the originals and you will probably damage your drivers with stereo taps.
I should clarify that the vio would be better resolving and more detailed than your emotivas. Now if you spent what you would on the vio but instead use that money on a power amp, then you would benefit better from a power amp
1 Like
Sorry, but I don’t care what the online specs say. I have owned both headphones. Just try and run the He-6 off an apple dongle…
Also, you are missing reading those stats too. The sensitive is what matters the most. The Ananda is 109.19 compared to the much lower He-6se at 83 dB.
1 Like
There’s about a +/- 15% sensitivity across the board on drivers and some he6se have been measured at 80db/w and I can personally say that my he6 6 screw was about identical to my he6se v2 sensitivity wise. If you have an he6se v2 on the low side and an he6 on the high side of sensitivity you could easily have a lower sensitivity he6se than he6. It’s a lottery.
I have now used three He6seV2, so I don’t think there’s too much of a lottery. If someone wants to buy these and use them on an Apple dongle, that’s their choice.
The most enjoyment I got from the he6,he6se,and he6sev2 was from a Qutest>Saga+>Adcom gfa545II setup…for fun,slam,speed,energy…i also used them on an xi Broadway and though it was more detailed and resolving, it did not quite have the same speed,energy,and slam as on the power amp set up, therefore, to me, it was more enjoyable. So im sharing my own personal experience with these headphones. If one is considering an he6 variant, I would only suggest a speaker amp. If someone doesn’t want to use a speaker amp, I’d suggest another hifiman instead, assuming they would wanna stay with a hifiman.