It was at CES in 2016 before the advent of streaming really became a thing at headphone shows. If we had started going to shows a couple years early some of the only bands that I would know to this day are Steely Dan, Diana Krall & Norah Jones based on the pre-approved playlists that uses to be out there.
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There was a period of around 8 to 10 years where any person that turned up to tune a room would have only two music CDās, The Police and Sade.
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Furman power conditioner>marantz SACD player with Cardas hi speed data cable>Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC>Schiit Lyr 2 amp with 1960ās NOS Telefunkin tubes>original HE560 model of 8-10 years ago with Cardas Cross aftermarket cable=one of my very best rigs, including others costing 2-4 times as muchā¦a sound that is as good an overall combination as Iāve ever found for clarity, detail, warmth, weight, punch and all the other qualities we look for in great headphone sound. Itās my only HiFiMan HP and I wouldnāt part with it for anything.
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my fav hifimans ive heard are:
Hifiman Arya, Hifiman HE560, Hifiman HE6, Hifiman Ananda, Hifiman HE1000, HIfiman Sundara
my least fav hifimans iāve heard:
Hifiman Jade II, Hifiman HE350, Hifiman Bolt, Hifiman Edition S
The moral of the story is, hifiman should stick to planars.
PS. I have yet to hear the Shangri-La or Jr. Please send me. thanks.
also susvara.
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Very nice list @antdroid
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Hifiman Arya signing inā¦
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- Hifiman Shangri-LA SR (since the only song I was allowed to listen to was Celine Dionās My Heart Will Go On)
I love this.
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Hilarious. It kind of reminds me of browsing the Head-Fi forums in the early 2000s. Everyone would be talking about Diana Krall or classical music or the latest jazz releases. And my young uncultured swine self would make empty posts like āAnyone else like Mos Def?ā (crickets)
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Yeah, that always used to make me skeptical about the products themselves: do I really want to buy a headphone that is super-finely optimized for Diana Krall and ECM Scandinavian jazz? Thankfully things seem to have diversified somewhat since then.
(FWIW, I listen to jazz and classical, but many other things too.)
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@typicalheadfierandy what exactly do you have against Diana Krall and ECM Scandinavian jazz?
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Lol - nothing actually. In fact, I was enjoying some ECM jazz just the other night. But there was a time when this music seemed to be prescribed listening for sellf-avowed āaudiophilesā, and only a handful of the same albums got mentioned in equipment reviews, and that brought out my rebellious streak.
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I tell you whatā¦ if someone said they built headphones that make Bob Dylan sound absolutely fantastic, a transformational experience, like he was sitting in the room with youā¦ I would buy them that day. Given how much Dylan I have and how much I listen to him, I believe I could justify it 
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If any of you guys were looking forward to hearing the HE5se, donāt. I just traded mine for an HE500 and it is a world of difference. I only purchased the 5se over the 500 because at the time I couldnāt find any 500s for sale.
Whenever I changed from my ZMF Classic/HD6XX to the 5se I had to retrain my ears, it was very annoying as I like switching headphones depending on what Iām doing. It turns out the 5se was the problem, itās just bad. The HE500 is what Iāve been missing my entire life. I will focus on improving my DAC/Amps now. Running a Mimby v2 + MCTH now, plan on going Bifrost 2 + Lyr 3 and will probably have another set up for the wife with the Modius + Asgard 3.
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With EQ:
HE6 (6screw no grille) >>> HE6se = Arya > HE500 > HE400i >>>>>> DEVA
Without EQ:
HE6 >>>>> Arya > HE500 > HE400i > HE6se >>>>>> DEVA
I want to try HE6 or Arya in ear speaker config, seems like it would work quite well.
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Well Iāve owned 9 and heard more:
Class A:
Susvara - will still be a TOTL in 10 years - open boxes 3.6-3.9 k - thatās a deal
HEKse - HFM used price drop about to hit, making this a fine get
HEKv2 - in private sales quite reasonable
HE-6 6 screw: fuzzor, cables, pads (Ether Angled), screens off; still scarce
HE-6 4 screw: same as above - even more scarce
HE-6se same as above mods, fuzzor essentially a no-op, parametric EQ, Iāve got a very long list of significant differences between this and the other two 6ās for anyone that wants to defend HFMās bogus claim that itās a faith full remake.
Arya - bit bright, needs EQ
HE-500: mods as above + dynamat + EQ
HEX v2 - badly needs EQ, nuggests, and new cable, quite different from other HFMās
class AB:
Ananda - too bright, harmonics lacking, still probably best can at its priced point assuming SS or hybrid amp with low impedance. People that grew up on electrified music seem to like it, the few of us with an acoustic background find these too facile and thin.
class B:
HE-5: a bit harsh
HE-4: great then, not now
HE-5LE: rings like a telephome
HE-5se: only one Iāve ever sold, junk (and yes I tried all the mods), it was probably a v2
HE-400: respectable in its time, now just budget/fun can.
HE-500s: bring the bass boost.
MD-4XX: fun/budget can
Value:
Modded HE-500 - get it all set up for under $700 inc used cost.
Modded HE-6 6 screw
HE-6se
Arya
HEK v2
Susvara (open box) Iām hoping to buy one by end of Winter.
Ananda
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I agree the the 5se, the version I heard which I suspect isnāt the 1st was just plain poor, even with a number of mods. The 400 is more enjoyable, and the 500 is many steps above it. BTW the 5se is a fraud it is not similar to the HE-5 or the HE-5LE - at all, in construction or output.
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Nice write up. I have the HE6se. Iāve been happy with them.
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Thanks. I forgot to mention the 560 and Sundara, I rank them under the Ananda but ahead of the old pre 500 5ās, 4ās, 5se.
The 600 needs some EQ, and the lack of a clear and wide head stage are basically the drawbacks. They ring a lot less then the two earlier 6ās, but lack the eyelid closing bass.
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One thing the HE6se improved upon was the build quality of the headgear. I had read the HE-6 originals had some QC issues with the headgear staying intact. Iāve been ever gentle in try treatment of the HE6se. I thought the original pads wore prematurely from an edge tear on the edge of the headphone cup. Dekoni replacements were better anyway.
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Yes headgear better but still not a match for list price, more like $400.00 type can. Also 3.5 mm plugs much nicer than HFM custom. The palipads are actually worse sonically than the original HE-6 stock pair.