You want to power the he6se with that? I wouldn’t. It needs something close to a speaker amp.
This headphone really puts you in a corner. And you have to make the right moves to make it work. Now, if you already have a powerful setup that works then it’s a steal at $650. As long as the quality holds up.
Cool, it sounds like they will most likely going back to Adorama.
I know it sucks. I wish all headphones were interchangeable with all amps for a pleasant pairing but it’s not always the case.
If you get a nice powerful setup that would pair with the he6 down the road you can always revisit this idea.
Don’t feel bad. I’m sure there’s plenty who buy headphones and can’t properly drive them or pair them with something that’s not agreeable. Enjoy the ride in this hobby!
I had the Clears and “upgraded” to the HE6se v2.
I’d go with the Clears if you don’t have the means to drive the HE6.
It’s a really solid headphone… I’ve thought of picking up the Clears again so many times… but I can’t justify having multiple headphones.
Also had the Asgard 3 paired with the Clears. Lovely combo
Yeah, for someone who has a setup to drive the he6se properly I’d say go after it if you wanna try them out.
What are you driving them with?
Just to test it out, if I grab two of these cables: Amazon Basics 3.5mm to 2-Male RCA Adapter Audio Stereo Cable - 4 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D5H8JW0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_A9SC8DCXAJC8D36HA1PT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
And plug them into the speaker output of my AV Receiver (speaker amp), would that be a good way to get a feel for what they would sound like with proper power?
I know it’s not the same as a high end amp, but would this be a decent test?
I have the Flux Labs FA-10.
That would probably be a good way to know the sound signature. I never dove deep into testing it with speaker amps yet because honestly… getting a speaker amp for headphones seem silly for my usecase personally.
TBF using it with the Asgard 3 wasn’t the worst, but I knew I needed more so I upgraded to the FA-10. It did give me a general idea of how the headphone sounds and it’s potential.
Thanks, I’m going to try it off my speaker amp, while not ideal, it will at least give me enough power to hear them and see if I want to go down the rabbit hole or just return them.
Honestly, if I return them, I’ll probably just stick with my current set up until something else exciting comes along.
You will need something like this to use it from a speaker amp. I made my own with about $13.00 in parts from Markertek https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1719/0371/products/DSCF0570_grande.jpg?v=1492043588
I drove the he6se with a 100 watt per channel yamaha speaker amp. Did it get better? A bit. But, again, unless you chase the synergy/pairing, this headphone will just drive you bat crap crazy to get that last bit of oomph out of it.
Also, know this thing does have it’s limits. While connecting it directly to speaker taps on a high power amp, you could damage them. I know from experience that they do die. (and that was on an a90, I was a/b testing between it and the speaker amp at the time).
Didn’t look at the link to see if it’s the right cable. But such a thing does exist.
You’ve expressed interested in Topping. Topping is the worst brand for headphone ampliFires. Topping burned up a pair of my headphones in the past year and the company was the worst to deal with. I have never had headphones burn up from other brands of amplifiers, so I am NOT FOND of Topping. I’d advise you to stay far away from them.
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My favorite headphone amplifier for the money solid state right now is the Singxer SA-1 $540. Man, did I get my money’s worth with this amp. But for tube amps, the Darkvoice 336SE $200 with $20 spent on upgrading to Russian tubes. I am so happy with it’s performance and think it was my best purchase of the year. Makes my Grado Hemp absolutely rock!
Ah, right, not sure what I was thinking. I’ll whip something up to test them.
It’s strange, a lot of people rave about this headphone who have powered it off far less crazy amps. Maybe everyone’s expectations are different?
You also stated you preferred it over the Arya and quite a few other headphones. I guess I’m confused as to what the issue was with the sound if you stated that you really liked it when tested. It seems like the issue was the driver failed.
Mine should be arriving in a few days, with audio, its best to test it yourself as everyone’s wants and expectations are different so I’m going to do that, I just want to have a solution to give it enough power to hear what the potential could be on them and feel how heavy/comfortable they feel for me.
at the moment, the simplest way to test seems to just hook it up to my speaker amp, so I’ll try that and see what happens. With that said, I don’t have any EQ Controls on there and I typically always EQ. I find EQ can greatly improve a headphone for me (Both the Sundara and TYGR sound far better with EQ in my opinion than without).
If you’ve never heard a “good” setup then a lot of hardware sounds normal or great. Once you’ve heard a seriously good setup, the same hardware sounds mediocre or awful. This happens with other things in life requiring experience and training too. Plenty of people are happy with McDonald’s burgers. Plenty of people are happy with jug wine or Bugwiper beer.
Some of us are chagrined by the mere mention of certain products…including Topping…because we’ve heard genuinely good setups and unpleasant or harshly analytical ones too. You’ve received feedback from several people with hardcore experience and very large audio budgets.
Many of us try to find setups that don’t require EQ. This allows each item to stay within its inherent performance envelope and minimize both distortions and complications. Match a bright X with a warm Y and a neutral Z. There’s a lot of trial and error too.
Hopefully not this…
What @generic said. This comes back to it not being a good first headphone. Do something else.
I am not saying you couldn’t be happy with it, lots are. But if it hadn’t died I never would have found out how much more money I was attempting to spend on sound that ultimately isn’t super satisfying, for me. You liking the tygr more than the sundara is a huge indicator of that.
So, yes, I liked it more than the arya. I also like the blessing 2 dusk $329 iem more than the arya. Guess which one I still own?
The problem, intentional or not, is you are looking at this with the monetary value blinders. As I was. What I didn’t know at the time is none of the hifiman were really the sound I was seeking. And no matter how well I powered the thing it wouldn’t get there. That’s problem #1. These aren’t magical headphones. There are even aspects of the sundara I like more (especially when the sundara are supplied with good power)
If you look at this as high value compared to the arya, I would say it isn’t. It doesn’t do what the arya does. And if you want the arya’s strengths, you basically need to buy an arya. The he6se only holds value when you know what you want and that this specific headphone can get there.
I would re-buy an he6se possibly as my hifiman sound signature if I already had a stack to power them well. If I were to buy another hifiman today, it would probably be the ananda as it doesn’t need the power, and I would likely prefer it over the arya. (And I haven’t heard it)
The he6se is the closest hifiman to what I actually wanted. So I like it more than other headphones. But it stands very far from what I truly enjoy. It may return as a secondary sound signature one day.
Even if you love what you hear off the speaker amp, I would still advise picking something in a completely different direction and trying that too.
This seems a rather strong statement, but if you did “burn” up your headphones with them, I can understand your feelings. I would like to know more about the circumstances. I’ve never burned up a headphone, but I did fry a Headroom amp, probably with either a defective cord, or by not following standard advice not to have the amp cranked when inserting a cord.
You seem to basing your opinion on a sample size of 1 in each case. Nor do you mention which model of the amps. Having read this forum since just after it started, I have not seen much discussion of any instances of headphone “Fires” with any brand of amplifier, which is why your post struck me. (That and the Grados - only a few of us love Grados, I have a couple of them, including an RS1e).
So, I would like to hear more specifics, including exactly what you were doing when you had the problems. And I would like to hear from a few of our other members with experience @ProfFalkin , @generic , @TylersEclectic and the other regulars if they have heard about headphone fires from Schiit or Topping.
My two cents in all of this is that one of the most important (and fun) parts of getting deeper into the audio world (not just headphones) is the journey, including trial and error. It is important to try out and find why you do or don’t like something, learn from the experience and move forwards.
If something interests you, then the best way to find out is by trying it.
I haven’t heard the HE6se, so I have no comment other than I hope you enjoy it and if you don’t, it is not the end of the world, unless it is taking food off your table to buy it.
Topping is more of the same. I have various topping items that I like and enjoy. There are others that I have tried and not enjoyed as much but I am glad I tried them.
Heck, I even use a 789 almost daily, admittedly not as my main listening amp but I am still glad I have it.
My point is, listen to advice, do what you want and enjoy the experience.
If we only followed advice, where would the fun of trying new stuff go? We would all be ZMF and Susvara or, in the case of some, using a Qudelix 
Who does that? 
Wait until you hear my m11 plus impressions… 
It is the journey, but I do genuinely wish I hadn’t started gearing for a specific headphone so early in the journey. I almost didn’t return to headphones because of it. It was like trying to run before you can crawl. In many things, I can do that. Now that I am looking back on it, it’s ridiculously obvious that I can’t/couldn’t with audio. I have a strong tendency in purchases to want to be “one and done”. And that just isn’t reality based in this industry. At least not if the goal is to find the sound you love.
The best advice I could give someone who want “one and done” would be to stay far far away from headphone forums and reviews 
Blockquote Hopefully not this…
Isn’t this what everyone is recommending for this headphone? A Speaker Amp?
