The V2ās are awfully impressive. I have never heard the V2ās though.
I donāt find the V2ās very bassy, but they take to bass boost/EQ like an Argon!
My favourite headphone is the Focal Clear. To me, the V2ās are like Clearās on steroids. Of course they need the right amp partner. But if you have a V1 set-up, then I would guess that you already have that covered.
I only have three headphones that I would never sell and the V2ās are one of them.
Of course that is just an opinionā¦ 
I donāt think thereās a difference sonically. At least not a significant one. Certainly not like there is between the OG 4-screw HE-6 and the HE6SE.
Hey,
Yes the THX 789 can only handle 2.1 volts input before it clips in high gain mode, so thatāll do the job as a DAC. The THX 789 has nice bass dynamics, and in high gain youāll have headroom to equalize if you want.
I actually own an HE-6 early production six screw as well so it sounds like the V2 wouldnāt add much to my lineup.
Thanks for the feedback guys! 
I just got a used and already-modded pair of HE6SEV2 on eBay, and while I enjoy them there is a slight buzzing/rattle in the left driver from mid to upper-mid frequencies. This has meant most humam voices stimulate this buzzing which is really distracting.
From what Iāve read it doesnt sound like the driver is fully stuck, has anyone experienced something similar and found a solution? Due to the mods I cannot send it in for warranty repair, but maybe paid repair at Hifiman or elsewhere?
Are you sure itās a stuck diaphragm or could there just be a hair in there? Heard itās rather common issue
It might be a hair, it doesnāt seem major enough to be stuck but Iām not exactly sure. Not sure how Iād remove a hair or even check if there is one in there
Getting used to these beasts from my Nighthawks, where is the next appreciable step up? Is it the Arya Organic/TH900/Radiance/Aeolus/HD800s tier, or would it be something in the HE1000se/E3/Verite/Empyrean range? I still plan on dabbling in mid-fi for a bit longer, but just curious.
Iād go with the Gjallarhorn JM Mk2 if you want a similar sound signature and a step up in technicalities at the same time. Itās not gonna be the exact same but the closest Iāve heard so far.
Listening to Infected Mushroom - Part of the Dream flac via I2S from N6iii to iDAC-6 mk2 to iHA-6, this is absolutely incredible. Not sure how it goes up from here for this genre of music!
The only complaint I have is at times female vocals come in a bit hot, like at various points listening to Distance by Hikaru Utada. I wonder if a tube pre would be sufficient to smooth that out.
Iād check the pads with your fingers all the way around each to tug a tiny bit and see if one of the clips is loose. They come off by inserting a credit card to release the first couple of clips and then it flops off. If one is loose, just push a credit card in to apply pressure, then push down on the spot on the pad with a finger to snick it into place. Common cause of buzzing.
Iām listening now, this was an awesome suggestion and I think fixed the issue. The lower clip had come loose since there is not a lot of tolerance especially with Dekoni Hybrids.
I did notice SPL seemed to be lower in left channel but thought it was driver-related since many people have discussed this.
I check for channel balance using a phone decibel meter app and online test tone generator to switch left and right and at least get a rough idea if you have an issue. The way to correct for it would be the APO equalizer and Peace front end. In Peace thereās a hearing test where you run it and itāll correct for it and build a custom profile just for your hearing with those headphones on. A simpler way is getting a reading with the phone app and adjust the L/R balance that way. If the balance is an issue at different frequencies, then the hearing test will probably be more useful.
Iāve had them several times and great with the Autoeq profile in Peace. Just the power needed to do it gets pretty epic, worth it though.
Has anyone tried powering the HE6 with the Fossi Audio ZA3? Next time thereās a sale, Iāll pick one up along with the opamp upgrade.
If it doesnāt work well, then itāll mostly likely at least be an upgrade for my Rega Brio speaker amp
I have an HE6se and used the HE-Adapter before and it could easily power it, but distortion from a speaker amp might not be worth it. Just get a Sabaj A20h which are very inexpensive and on the balanced side and a 5 volt DAC it can handle them. If you equalize with something like an autoeq profile at -6.9b they will sound amazing, but power requirements soar. Even stock, my Topping A70Pro is at -17db to get them loud, and a preamp reduction like that during quiet recordings will push even that to itās limit with a 5 volt DAC helping.
If you donāt plan on equalizing, a lot of things can power them. Try a -6.9db reduction and the extended version of Tonight, tonight, tonight by Genesis and youāll realize just how much power you need. Even my Topping A90 was at the end of high gain. To use a speaker amp and HE-Adapter it just wasnāt worth the sound quality tradeoff.
If I recall correctly, Zeos found the ZA3 specifically (monoblock mode) to work great with the Modhouse Tungstens. So I figured it was also worth trying it on the HE6.
I have a Soloist 3X. So I donāt require a new amp for it. But it would be nice to have the extra option for when Iām in a different room.
Since Iām so surprised, Iāll add an amp to the list that seems to run these well. Lake people g108, Iām not sure if itās because of the fact that it runs 60v internally or what. Or because other amps over state their capabilities. But Iāve got a singxer sa-1(dc mod), jot 2, aune s17 pro, topping a90d, cayin iha-6, burson 3xp poweramp mode and an LP.
I run balanced and the g108 gets louder than all of the above set to high gain while itās at just +6 (can still do +12 and +18)ā¦ I do run a -9.6 eq in Windows (oratory latest settings + -4.1 to cover Windows audio issues, though havenāt been able to find if itās still necessary in win11). Iām obviously going to be returning some amps, lol. But Iām still surprised as hell.
Chain:
USB hub with separate power > su-2 > i2s > su-10 > xlr > douk xlr switcher or direct to su-10 depending what I was doing > amp > xlr to headphones
Also same chain but aes or coax to b2/64.
watts isnāt everything current can matter for certain gear (low impedance + low sensitivity)
lake people stuff is usually higher up on the current scale
Yep current is really important for planars. I got two more pairs of HE6se this week, one is the 68ohm version and this one today is the 50ohm drivers. Using a Topping A70Pro with an E70 9028Pro in 5 volt mode. Every bit of current helps keep from needing as much volume wheel. I worked out a great EQ profile, going easy on the bass boost so itās versatile for playing Destiny 2 as well as music. Iāll check serial numbers and try to find if thereās a numbering system for the different drivers. I just shipped another of these to Saudi Arabia last week, but they were the 68ohm version and I took a photo of the serial number to register the warranty. Iāll play detective this weekend. June at Hifiman is sending another one Monday, and Iāll see next week which ones they are and ask about it.