Let these cans break in for a couple of days before evaluating, mine lacked any base and the treble was a sharp, but after a couple of days playing in the corner I put them on and they sounded smoother the frequency response was filled out.
The He 6Se is a bit of an oddball for the hifiman lineup. I have Aryas, Anandas, and the 400 SE. I would say the He6 Se is the exact opposite of the Ananda in that it is a bit more dynamic and aggressive The 6 SE will give you a weighty, visceral impact, especially in kick drums and plucked instruments at even moderate listening levels which is kind of nonexistent in the market for a planar under 1k. I would rate the soundstage as being fairly small, but the imaging is closer to the Arya stealth in that it really seems to have a lot more gradations in positioning and separate images about as well. There is also some layering like the stealth which the Ananda OG lacks. The resolution is vert good for the under 1k mark, but has a good bit of air up top that I found a tad metallic and EQ'd out.
Note that you will need at least 2 watts a channel balanced to even get an understanding of what this headphone can do, and that is your amp on high gain almost maxed out at reasonable listening levels.. I believe highfiman sells an ef400 which is around 5 watts and that should pair well. These cans have a flat bass response that extends all the way down to 20 hz, but can accommodate a bass shelf of 10 DB while remaining tight and controlled, so that is why you would want to pay extra for more wattage. If you do not want to EQ this headphone, then I would stay away from linear and get something with a warm tilt. This headphone already has a neutral signature, but there is a good bit of air frequency that could get annoying if it is not rolled off.
Other than that, they sound very natural and enjoyable. I have been able to play a variety of genres,and they do not seem to cross any lines other than they can at times be a bit sibilant on female vocals. I imagine proper amp pairing is the issue as these cans are said to be very picky and I have them on a THX linear that is under powered.
At the $500.00 I paid, I am giddy. They come very close in performance to an Arya stealth if you weigh their technical abilities, the Arya sounding wider, while this hits harder, and sounds much more controlled. I imagine these will scale a lot better than the arya with better amps, so they have a ton of potential depending on how much you want to spend.
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This Item  HIFIMAN HE6se Full-Size Over Ear Planar Magnetic Audiophile Adjustable Headphones V2 |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $1,099.99 | $5,999.00 | $1,299.00 | $1,399.00 | $1,999.00 | $499.00 |
| Delivery | Get it May 10 - 15 | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 7 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | ableseller | Hi-Fi Heaven-net | HIFIMAN | HIFIMAN | HIFIMAN | GRAMOPHONE |
| connectivity tech | Wireless | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 6.35mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | — | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Retractable | Retractable | Detachable | Retractable | Retractable | Detachable |
| control type | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control | Media Control |
| material | — | — | Metal | Metal, Wood, Faux Leather | — | Metal |
| model name | — | SUSVARA | Arya Organic | HE1000 Stealth Magnet Version | HE1000se | ANANDA NANO |
Top reviews from other countries
stefsibiu
HiFiMAN HE6se are very good for rock music
Reviewed in Italy on February 26, 2024Amazon Kunde
Hoch befriedigend/Legendenstatus zurecht
Reviewed in Germany on January 19, 2024jody vanbesien
Best of the whole hifiman line (except the susvara)
Reviewed in Belgium on December 13, 2023BOGDANG
musisz mieć odpwiednio mocny wzmacniacz aby wydobyć ich magię
Reviewed in Poland on August 5, 2023ISMET
Exceptional Bass Performance ! (But You Need Some EQ to get it!)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2023
ISMET
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2023
To break that limit it needs an EQ. First I used it with my SMSL M500 MKIII Dac/Amp and I was disappointed. Then I bought Singxer SA1 headphone Amp to boost its performance. The sound level increased like 30-35 percent but it was still a bit bright with the heights and lacking bass. Then I decided to try EQ and installed Peace and select Bass Boost. OMG ! It got rid of that slight bright heights and added the bass I was looking for all that time. It started to sound just I was expecting it to sound right out of the box. Also the sound is more clean and clear and detailed than Sundara. Its just amazing!
So basically to get the phenomenal sound from this headphone:
1.Just EQ it with your current Dac/Amp. If the sound and bass is loud enough for you, you may get away paying an extra money for a new Amp.
2.After EQ if you think the bass is still lacking or the sound is at max but still not loud enough!
Then you need to look for an good amp something like Topping D90 or Singxer SA1 etc.. ( I am using Singxer SA1 with volume knob always fixed at around %85-90 and from computer at %50-60 usually. When I want louder I go %70-80 from computer but never passed %90.(without jumper mod which makes SA1 even louder). If you have the budget you can go for higher Amp of course but not necessary if you ask me. ( I saw a lot of positive comments in forums about Soloist 3X with HE6se ). If you don't have the budged there are some people saying they get very good performance with some cheap speaker amps but never tried so I cant comment on that.
About the Headband Mode ( Do You Need it?)
If you find clamping force is not enough and top of your head starts to hurt after half an hour or less then the answer is YES (which was my case).If you are fine with default headband congrats you just saved some money. There are different headband mods for this headphone across the web but I think Hifiman Hybrid headband is one of the best and it is very simple also (Its taking 3-4 min to change them). Search for Hifimen hybrid headband ( which is Sundara headband ironically :) The trick here is you need to use the original 4 screws that is coming with HE6se not the ones which are coming with Hifimen hybrid headband !
About the Grill Mode ( Do You Need it?)
Some people say it increases sound stage a bit because it is more open but honestly It is very minimal difference and very difficult to notice. There are lots of grill mods again. But I bought mines from arcticcables because they are CNC cut and they look and fit much better. ( For dust filter I bought 2xpack 120mm dust filter Ultra-fine Mesh for computer from Amazon. I cut and glued them they looked fabulous. The trick here is just don't use too much glue only edges and a bit in the middle otherwise they look terrible)
DOES IT WORTH THAT MUCH HASSLE FOR THIS HEADPHONE?
DEFINITELY YES !!!
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