šŸ”¶ Hifiman HE6SE

Hmmm, I think you could perhaps sell the ef100, or just go separate imo. I would look for used higher end power amps

I actually mentioned some options in the Asgard 3 thread for some reason

HE6SE is $999 on its ownā€¦EF100 worth the $200 vs $175 for the Drop CTH? Obviously still need a power amp. Have also been considering a hybrid tube upgrade from the Loxjie P20 anyway

Well, neither of them will drive it well, so perhaps it isnā€™t the worst deal lol.

Hey M0N iā€™ll be buying the HE6SE.
Do you have Speaker AMP recommendations?
Is there a Headphone AMP that you can actually recommend for this Headphone?

I didnt find any for the HE6SE there sorry

@Lukas00 Your mileage may vary, i have had supreme success driving mine with an older used Adcom GFA555 mk2 at 200wpc using an old Decware CSP2 as a pre-amp. Excellent sound quality and the CSP2 allows me to control the gain of the amp with extreme precision. This combo really lets you know what these HPā€™s are capable of and i feel this is where many reviewers have made their mistakes in writing about this HP, they are NOT using powerful enough amps that are righteous in their own build and quality. All genres across the board play with beautiful SQ, (IMO) and this is my favorite go-to combo, absolutely ZERO regrets in the effort and funds this cost me.

I have also had success at driving them w/ my A&S/ZMF Pendant amplifier It works welll on hard to drive planars which surprised me immensely. (Possibly the most cost effective unit) The layering an depth in the low end and lower midrange is not as clean, tight and pronounced as the Adcom but we are only talking nit-picking hereā€¦(tube combos and the cost of time and effort to mix and match what you like will be endless, costly and possibly frustrating if this is NOT a favorite pastime)

Lastly, my Emotiva BassX 100 but using the speaker taps has done an OK job, folks try to use the headphone out but i find the taps continue to sound better to me. (Purely my opinion and sound preference) The Emotiva does not give the same depth, layering and control of the bottom end and mids like the other 2 amplifiers though.

As an honorable mention i will throw in the SPL Phonitor X off the balanced out with gain maxed. At lower volume, with blues, jazz and vocals i was pleased but did not particularly care for the sound As i pushed the volume up, which was fine considering there is no reason to damage your ears. It did not sound right to me playing modern pop, edm, or any techno stuff, nope.

Hope this helps, M0N is much better at more detailed descriptions if he decides to chime in. Happy listening and congratulations on your purchase hope you enjoy them.

3 Likes

What budget are you thinking? I would suggest looking at your used markets for a nice power amp, I guess what I would recommend would depend on whatā€™s out there to find whatā€™s good bang for buck

I mean there might be a few but it would most likely blow out any budget

This is probably the post I was referring to, not sure if it would be much help in your case as itā€™s us used market listings

https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/schiit-asgard-3/4398/137

1 Like

Okay i checked a few of them. So am i doomed to pay that much more money for an AMP to get something worth out of the HE6SE?
Emotiva Bassx100 is pretty cheap. Would you think itā€™s worth to buy the HE6SE and get the emotiva?
Im able to get the HE6SE 300 Euros cheaper than normal atm.

I liked the Arya but its too big. I like my Audeze LCD2C but wanted to Upgrade.

Edit:
I think iā€™ll buy the Emotiva and i will compare it with my THX and Jot Headphones amps.
I want to hear the difference between the Speaker and Headphone AMPs that i Heard about with this Headphone.

Like 500-600 Euros max. And yes i would buy used.

Iā€™ve read your post and maybe i should give up on them you seem to have answered every question already there. I need to buy a high quality Speaker AMP for an high Price to only justify the HE6SE at 1.5k. i better Stick with the Arya in that Case. Much cheaper to drive them.

1 Like

I mean in the used price range, you could get something pretty nice, that adcom that @Nick_Mimi mentioned is commonly in that price range you mentioned used in the US, I think 500-600 used is def feasible imo, it just might be different amps

How about this one:

BasX A-300 Stereo Power Amplifier


A Lot of Power and is the sequel to Bass x 100 for a good Price in EU around 400 ā‚¬

Iā€™ll buy the Emotiva 100 and the HE6SE to get a feel for the Headphone before i dig to deep.

Technically it should work fine. Donā€™t forget to purchase the speaker to headphone adaptor box from Hifiman or another source also.

https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he-adapter.html

https://www.zynsonix.com/Speaker-Amp-to-Headphone-Converter-Box_p_36.html

1 Like

Alright thanks

Iā€™m buying the Flux FA10 today before Zeos does his reviewā€¦ Many users on Headfi say the pairing between the FA10 and the HE6 and 1266 Phi TC are quite positive for the price.

3 Likes

Hell of a deal if these products work as advertised. Saves you the money of having to buy a real amp and may sound good enough to satisfy your needs. Best of luck and happy listening!

2 Likes

Anyone here tried the FA10 with the HE6SE here before? If the FA10 is a good pairing it would be quite cheap compared to the Quality Speaker AMPā€™s i saw so far.

1 Like

You tested it already? Or does the delivery take a while

Quiet here. Iā€™ve had these since I got them for $699. They are best cans I have - which includes the HEX v2, HE-500, and a HD-600 on a OTL amp. Regular system is: TIDAL hi-res, UAPP EQ, balance, crossfeed; Gumby 1 DAC, Ragnarock 1.

The 6se does not need a 100 wpc amp. The Rag 1 puts out 10 wpc into 50 ohms, and I never go past volume setting 2, 3 PM. Which is probably 4-5 wpc at 50 ohms.

The biggest issue to me, is the headstage is not so good, tried diff pads, cable, fuzzor, screens off. Nothing really helps.

EQā€™ing it takes some of the hollow out of the mids, restores a bit of excitement in the upper mids, removes a slight thickness in the upper bass through low mids. You can really push down on the ringing around 9.5k, and bring up th 12-15k range.

Bass doesnā€™t have the eye closing power of the HE-6, but its cleaner and flatter and still thumps pretty well.

They are accurate, have subtle stuff like overtones, air around instruments, and bow drops handled very well.

My long term mods:

pads: ether angled leather
cable: Custom Cans UK
screens off
dynamat applied in small amount on back side of can to cut bass resonances so that bass is cleaner but still holds sustains fine.
fuzzor - left it, not as effective as on the 500 or 6 because the area is thinner. but I left it.

2 Likes

Lol, I just noticed the part at the top, ā€œAmp needed: Absolutelyā€

3 Likes

I just purchased the FA-10, they produce them based on orders. Usually takes 3 weeks, I ordered mine on the 5th and I purchased them specifically for these headphones.

My issue is actually which dac to use with these headphones, hoping someone can help. My research shows AKM works well, and the Schitt Multibit. However I am curious to see what someone who owns these headphones had tried. I know the dac isnā€™t going to change frequency response, but trying to see if anything pairs well.

I currently only have an ESS based dac, but it does not have balanced output. Not sure how much of a role vrms play. But the better dynamic range does provide even better performance on these headphones.

Gain works in the same fashion with amps, I see most suggestions from people say you need more than 5wpc to get the maximum potential. So I went with 10.5wpc on the FA-10.

I will read more through this thread, but your feedback is appreciated.

2 Likes