FYI: You would probably get more responses on the general purchase advice thread.
I think you will get a lot of focal elex/clear answers. I haven’t heard either. But seems to check your boxes based on reviews.
FYI: You would probably get more responses on the general purchase advice thread.
I think you will get a lot of focal elex/clear answers. I haven’t heard either. But seems to check your boxes based on reviews.
I ended up reordering the 6SE V2, Honestly, sonically, I think it’s exactly what I’m looking for. Going to test it out within the 30 day window and see how it goes and how it feels wearing all day.
The Focal headphones are not light either, I think they are pretty close in weight to the HE6SE V2
Get a clear. Easy to drive. Works well with most music. Comfortable imo. Very dynamic with good bass. Can be found a little cheaper due to the MG version that has been released.
Or get an Elex for $600.
How big of an improvement is the Clear over the Elex?
The weight isn’t always everything. I swear, the lcd-xc was far more comfortable than the he6se (but I am not sensitive to headphone comfort). The lcd-xc sat naturally, like it was an extension of my head. The he6se didn’t do that. It wasn’t bad, for me.
My concern is you are picking a headphone that is way closer to the one you like less. You listen to the tygr more, but picked something that is an amped up sundara. (literally) I would pick something that is an amped up tygr first in that situation.
The clear and elex are reportedly among the most easy to wear headphones out there. For most people, I am pretty sure they would work better than the he6se. But, again, no headphone has really bothered me. (And I haven’t used a focal)
I would argue that you are better off trying an elex than the he6se simply to increase your experience.
Again, my 2 cents. And I am having massive deja vu for this conversation. Except, I am on the other side this time.
I had the clear, not the elex so I can’t directly compare but what I gather is the clear is more refined and I’d imagine has more detailed. I’ve also heard the clear scales better as you improve your chain. I really enjoyed mine and thought about picking them up again or maybe something similar.
haha that’s a fair point, I can pick up the Elex and see how it compares. It would be significantly less expensive at $600 without the need for a new amp.
My hesitation with the Elex or the Clear is they are known to be very intimate headphones, The one thing the TYGR lacks and the Sundara has over it is the soundstage.
Yet you still choose the intimate sound?
but, yeah, so a dynamic with a good sound stage. Unfortunately, I am tapped out as I have only tried a few DD. But, based on focal reviews, I agree. Is it worth trying? honestly, probably. But I am also anti-drop. I really only try their stuff when available on amazon. I won’t order direct from them due to clarity in return/warranty policies from one product to the next.
I primarily focus on closed backs. And while I think most of them out slam the he6se v2 with ease, they can be warm to wear all day. That would be the down side (if there is one). Also, most of them cost more than the he6se v2 (but need no crazy amping).
What amp do you have again? A topping something?
Hd800s has great stage but it’s more expensive than the elex and definitely needs a good amp pairing. And it’s not the best in the bass department. I enjoy it for gaming tho lol. Great for fps games. And it’s good for acoustic music, jazz, etc.
I have the Atom Amp paired with the Topping E30. Love the DAC, the Atom Amp works great with my current headphones but I’ll pick up something more powerful for the HE6SE.
Was probably going to order the Topping A30 Pro as it has a ton of power, internal power supply, and should pair very well with my DAC.
HD 800s is off my list due to the major sub-bass roll off.
I was going to suggest the ether 2, but then remembered how much they cost. lol. They are light though! (80g lighter than the sundara for reference)
My only comment: the a90 didn’t do it for me. Rabbit hole. The he6se right cup actually died while connected to the a90. Is it related? No idea.
But it didn’t bring the magic I was looking for.
Also, later, I decided topping sound is… boring? But that is definitely a preference thing. Sometimes I wonder if I would have felt differently if I had gone the bifrost/jot route at the time.
Ifi micro signature is currently the best amp I have heard. But it couldn’t power the he6se at all.
I would probably have tried the diablo today. But $$$
Just want to say if you want light, the Sennheiser line is the way to go…
There is the tradeoff of high clamping pressure though. Most people are probably fine. Just might take a few days to get used to the force.
I normally can go weeks between wearing a pair of 6X0 and the clamp force always takes a few hours of wearing before it becomes unnoticeable.
But you are absolutely right that they are very light.
I conducted a back-to-back-to-back-to-back comparison of the Focal Utopia, Clear, Elex, and Sennheiser HD-600 last year.
The Elex would be my last choice of the four. Its exaggerated dynamics and piercing treble are just too much. I own and heavily use both the Clear and the HD-600. The Clear is a great all-around product, and not “too much” of anything. The HD-600 remains the biggest chameleon of them all. It goes from unpleasant to great per the amp, DAC, and use of a balanced setup. I’d not buy the Utopia myself. However, if you are not treble sensitive or want to mess around with amps to get the treble under control it’s technically fantastic.
You can just bend the metal parts of the bands. I did that on mine and the clamp went away. There are videos online that show you how to do it.
Get a decent used Adcom GFA 535 for $100.00 ±. You are challenging yourself with that headphone. Normal, inexpensive headphone amps won’t work. Maybe the flux labs amps, maybe a bha 1, but maybe not, Play it from the speaker taps of a good power amp…
Interesting, Thanks for the heads up to avoid the Elex. The HD 600 Doesn’t really interest me too much as I don’t think it will be much of an upgrade over my TYGR 300R.
The Clear or the HE 6SE V2 is kind of what I’m thinking right now. Going to test the 6SE, but honestly, if I’m not very pleased with the result, I’ll just keep my TYGR and Sundara and wait to see what the rest of 2021 and 2022 brings to the market.
I still want to be able to use my other headphones off of the same amp, I don’t think a speaker amp would sound very good on my less sensitive headphones.
I’m going to try the Topping A30 Pro, seems like it has quite a bit of power but also very clean.
I suggest: Focal Clear Open-Back Audiophile Headphones - OPEN BOX.
At this price point, not all boxes will be checked.