I may be wrong but if I remember correctly, the owner of Cayin had mentioned somewhere that he had designed the iHA-6 with the HE-6 in mind. Iād imagine it would be sufficient.
The owner of the OG HE-6 I purchased from had an iHA-6 and I remember it being very dynamic and a good pairing (of memory from almost a few years ago).
I have heard the same about the design, but I also have people saying āBuy a $2k amp or donāt botherā
Take my ~20 minutes of looking for what itās worth, as Iāve not heard the iHA-6, but what Iāve seen from people that have heard that amp with either the OG HE6 or HE6se/v2 says itās a favorable pairing.
For $500 it might not be a bad idea to try and return or sell if it doesnāt work out. At some point I gotta figure out my preferences and move out of mid-fi thoughā¦
Very impressive collection! You and I definitely share tastes, although I am much poorer. 
I have the Elex, want the Clear and am about to order the Radiance. I Love my HE6se V2ās with my iFi and all features turned up. I would like to try one of the HE1000 models, but that is a LOT of money if I dislike them or am underwhelmed.
Have you ever tried any higher end Gradoās?
Ya I think we share alot of the same taste in headphones from what I saw in your postsā¦ Grados I have only tried the hemp which I really like - also the GW100, have not tried higher end Grados yet, would like to try them at some point.
I have not tried the he1000se, the he1000v2 I really like, I feel its kindof just one level up in clarity, not sure if its as good a value as the he6v2 as its priceyā¦ For $500-700, the he6v2 is hard to beat imhoā¦ I got the he1000v2 openbox when it was on saleā¦ In my experience openbox on hifimanās own store are to me as good as new, and I have had really good experience with their customer support when you buy directā¦ the he1000v2 has the large airy, spacious and crisp sound like other hifiman large egg shaped headphones, but more resolution and detail retrieval than say the Arya v2. (I have not heard the arya stealth edition) The he1000v2 is the most detailed headphone I own, but it doesnt have as much punch as the he6se v2. I feel like the he6v2 is more fun imho.
I find I listen to more big expansive orchestral soundtracks on the he1000v2ā¦ If I am listening to rock or edm or music with upbeat bass, I usually reach for the he6v2 first
If I had to choose between investing in just one of these - the he1000v2, focal radiance, focal clear, tbh I would probably get the radiance again, open box dealā¦ I really enjoy it.
If the headphone ended up sounding like $1k headphone instead of a $2k headphone, would it not be worth it? Even if you donāt get absolutely 100% of itās potential, itās still a great buy at $500.
Although the value may not matter if you dislike the stock tuning. I only kept mine because I donāt mind using EQ. Pads can also help a lot
I agree, those comments came off as gate-keeping to me. Would these work well for electronic music, and if not, what genres work for you?
At some point I gotta figure out what 1 or 2 headphones suit my needs.
Oh yes, Itās my favorite for electronic with the Clear being my second favorite. The bass performance is excellent and fully extended. Though if youāre a basshead, youāll want to boost it in some way.
How do you compare the other Focals such as Radiance or Fostex TH900 series, if youāve heard them? I definitely plan on a Fostex at some point, either before or after the HE6se
Havenāt tried either of those or most of the other Focal stuff unfortunately. Iād try @ ing some folk on this thread if you want more details on those specifically
Iāve had 3 Focals (Clear Mg, Elegia, Celestee) and they are some of my favorite headphones to listen to but also to look at. Itās a dynamic driver; the Clear Mg specifically is punchy and fun. I am sensitive to treble so I got it over the Clear OG since the treble is rolled off which is what I was looking for.
The HE6se is a fantastic headphone at $500, but as others have said, you need big time amplification to get the best out of them. My biggest gripe is with the build quality - Focal build quality is premium (although Iāve heard the Elex has had some QC issues) while the HE6se looks and feels like it uses the same parts as its $200 headphones, which I think is unacceptable for an MSRP of $1800.
I listen to some electronic music like Seven Lions, ILLENIUM, and deadmau5. The Clear Mg sounds fantastic with all genres but particularly rock, metal, and electronic as the bass is punchy and fun. The HE6se has good bass too, but there is not as much volume to the bass, but the quality is there. It is hard to describe in words but essentially itās planar vs. dynanic bass, where (IMO) planar bass feels tighter and more controlled but there isnāt as much of it (although I have an Yggy DAC coming that might improve that for me). I will add that I do hear significantly more sub-bass with the HE6se though.
All in all they both are fantastic headphones that wonāt disappoint, but the Focal Clear or Clear Mg (canāt speak on the Radiance or any others) would probably be a better bet if you mostly listen to electronic because the bass slam is greater, and with the HE6se you know youāre going to have to upgrade your source chain to get the most out of them. I donāt really think thereās a bad or wrong answer here though as everyone has different preferences and Iāve enjoyed both headphones immensely.
I will toss in my two cents. Not sure if it will help much, but I like tons of info when I am researching.
My favourite three headphones are:
Grado GH2ās. Bass-lite, but those mids and aboveā¦and a touch of bass boost can perfect them.
Focal Elexās. Truly W-shaped. Lots of bass for an open back! And tons of detail from the full range of bass mids and treble.
HE6se V2ās are magical with the iFi Pro iCAN. Loves the bass boost and 3D effects.
My music is new rock, classic rock, some blues, a bit of pop and horn jazz. And I am a quiet listener. I just ordered the Radiance headphones tonight.
I am selling my T60 Argons as I donāt find them special at all. Over time I also became underwhelmed with my LSA HP-2ās. I will also be selling the Focal Elegiaās.
I have gone through many sets of headphones, but mostly mid-fi and below as that is where I am comfortable.
I guess now itās a question of buy HE6se now or save the money and get TH900/909 soonish. Then try HE6se later. Might have to flip a coin!
900s/909s are overpriced I think, for no particular reason.
yes better drivers than lower class, but not really ahead acoustically.
I guess it must be the prized woods, and maybe the 9 prefix thatās sought after.
Could get away with a much more economical biodyna pair of cans (EMU, Fostex 610, X00s etc).
If youāre looking for real open backs, then no fostex or denon.
Iāve modded my EMU Teaks open back (almost similar drivers on these), and even without cups, the open-ness and soundstage etc are not on par with even an HE-400s.
Bass, yes, thatās a different story on them. But not the other features. Timbre though is excellent and natural.
Dudeā¦it took almost 2 months, but I finally got these pads in and WOW. Having the extra space really opens up the soundstage and gives the bass some extra āthumpā.
I wonāt say it makes them into a completely new headphone, but my enjoyment of the HE6 went from āgreatā to āoutstandingā.
Iāve got to ask though, what adhesive did you use to attach the pads to the rings? I used some superglue and that turned out to be a mistake. It didnāt seem to hold too well to the leather and wound up making a bit of a mess. This was probably mostly user-error as I really donāt know what Iām doing. Ultimately theyāre onā¦there is glue everywhere and Iām certain if I try swapping the pads, theyāre going to come apartā¦but Iāve gotta say, after hearing these I donāt see why Iād ever swap them again anyways.
I used no adhesive, just let them sit lightly on the pad rings. They donāt fall off and just the tension from the ring being clipped in holds them fine.
Awesome, my right driver randomly died on me this afternoon.
Why do I keep trying to convince myself that HiFiMan headphones are anything but cheap, Chinese junk?
Iām within the 30 days of ordering from Adorama so hopefully theyāll give me some options soon; now I have to ask myself if I want to take a chance on another pair (they do sound amazing) or just take my damn money back and get something else.
Iām irritated as hell.
Theyāre the only hifiman headphone Iāve ever had issues with and Iāve had 4 die on me. 5 and 6 are still fine, but 4 is dead in my closet right now. All have been replaced free of charge but its frustrating as hell.