Hello Everyone.
A newbie here on the forum, I own Arya and use them with audio-gd NFB D28.38 dacamp all in one unit. I am looking for HE6 (OG / SE2 ) - it seems OG is almost impossible to find, in case I go for HE6SE2, do you think the audio-gd amp would be able to drive HE6 to good levels?
I had Topping A90 and sold it as I found the audio-gd amp section to be better for my liking with Arya. I also have a Jotunheim v1. Also, being in India doesn’t help much as Adorama doesn’t ship to India. 
Mostly, yes. I do consider bass a part of that “macro contrast quality” Resolve mentions here. But this quality extends to the mid-range as well. The original HE-6 had it in spades. LCD-4 and 1266 Phi TC also have it, but most planars do not.
I haven’t heard those. So my statement is “no planars I have heard have it”.
If you were hunting for what I was hunting for: LSA HP-2 Ultra.
I went through Arya, he6se v2, sundara, ath-r70x, lcd-x, lcd-xc, quad era-1, drop ether cx, drop 177x go and maybe some others until I got there. And, honestly, the dunu zen IEM beat most of these in that quality.
I have a comparison of it with the drop ether cx on this forum.
Check it out.
I managed to borrow a HE6se V2 from a friend. Will reserve judgement until I have more time to compare. But I can already say that these two are definitely different interpretations of a planar magnetic headphone.
Oh please let me know, I have GL2000 and been wondering about how it compares He6Se V2 (with EQ of course). Default tonality, looking at graphs its easy to see the He6se V2 is better tonally
Perhaps the RAD-0? I haven’t heard it, but I’ve read that it has good macro contrast.
Nah, I am not looking. I am happy with my LSA HP-2 Ultra.
Oh, I know - it was in response to your response to @VickyLovesHeadphones I should have tagged her as well originally.
So I’ve decided to send the HE6SE V2 Back. I really enjoy the sound but can’t get passed the hotspot on my head and really don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of modifying it. While the sound is great, For me personally, it’s not really a large enough improvement over my Sundara to justify the extra weight/discomfort and it being so amp picky.
Appreciate all the feedback and help! I’ll keep an eye out for the next “greatest thing” as there’s always new headphones coming out every year, but for now, I’m content. (We’ll see for how long haha).
Thanks for the suggestion. It may sound silly, but RAD-0 just doesn’t appeal to me visually. And if I don’t like how it looks, it ain’t going on my head. lol
So far I find that HE6se V2 does have a hint of HE6 OG macro contrast quality. Tonality is also surprisingly normal for a Hifiman 
I kinda like it.
@Jman841 I agree with you on the hotspot issue. If I end up buying one, a suspension strap headband is a must. Your amp is a Topping A30 Pro, right? Would you say Sundara has any other benefits over HE6se V2 besides comfort and amp-pickiness? Sorry if you explained this before and I missed it.
In terms of sound, the HE6SE V2 is a straight upgrade across the board. The Sundara is excellent for $350 and probably one of the best values in the headphone space, but there’s no question the HE 6SE V2 is a more capable headphone in terms of sound quality.
For me though, the hassle of the discomfort, weight, cost, and amp pickiness is not worth it for the sound improvement over the Sundara which is still very good, especially with EQ (Sundara bass quantity is lacking without EQ)
If you think the He6se hotspots, you definitely want to steer clear of the Rad-0.
I have a new take on the HE6SEV2, I was sharing with my Discord server pals earlier this evening if you pair the HE6 with the Burson 3X performance
Via the balanced output and put the Schiit Lokius in between via the balanced:
https://www.schiit.com/products/lokius
I was able to roll back the treble, upper mids some, and even bring up the sub-bass and midbass a touch to make them quite enjoyable to listen to. This has been the most affordable amp solution albeit with tone control added into the mix I have found that I liked so far with the HE6SEV2. Every other amp was about $1800 and up!
Without the Lokius in the chain before and I couldn’t enjoy the HE6SEV2 personally on the Burson as the upper mids and lower treble regions tended to agitate me a bit.
Thanks to this thread I opted to get a used pair of LSA HP-2 rather than going HE6SE. Hopefully they complement my Arya quite well.
Worked for me! ;). Very different headphones. So much more engagement.
EQ can really bring a headphone to life, especially one with a very capable driver like the HE6SE V2. Same thing with my Sundara, Bringing the bass quantity up, mids up a bit, and the treble down a bit made a major difference in the enjoyment.
With the HE6SE V2 I had the same experience, Sub-Bass up, 1.8k up and 4k down a bit, made them much more enjoyable.
It won’t change the fundamentals of a headphone, but it will bring out what is already there, especially with very low distortion drivers like many planar magnetics.
I’ve really been enjoying my Hifiman HE6se v2. No other headphones I have tried slam like these do and the sound is clear and tight. I find myself grabbing these over my Focal Clear now but that may just be NRE. 
I don’t know about the HE6se v1 headstrap, but I prefer this headband over the Sundara headstrap. The comfort is much better for me. I think that is because I have a large hat size so the contact patch with the head band is broader. This not only doesn’t give me a hot spot on top of my head, but makes the HE6se feel lighter than the Sundara. Also I think the headstrap on the Sundara raises the clamp force over time as I noticed that the Sundara were always very comfy when first put on, but after 30 mins I had to take them off. I have no such issue with the HE6se. Lastly the yokes are thicker and adjust more smoothly than the Sundara.
I don’t find the HE6se to be particularly difficult to drive even using EQ. Sure my Magni 3+ struggles a bit, but my THX 887 and Emotiva A100 both sound great. In fact I prefer the THX 887 even though it is not as powerful.
What do you like about the he6se v2 over the focal clears?
I’m a drummer so I really like how impactful percussion sounds on the HE6se. In fact there are a few recordings where the snare is a bit much, like a gunshot. I’d still recommend the Clear over the HE6se if you are deciding which of the two to buy. But if you already own the Clear and want even more punch, consider the HE6se.
+1 I love the Clears, but I fell in love with the HE6se v2. What really made me eventually sell my Clears is the fact that I could get that last bit of subbass extension that the Clears lacked as well as a bit wider soundstage.
I added the Audeze CF headband and with a bit of EQ on the lower end, it’s become my daily for months now.
Both are wonderful headphones and you can’t go wrong with either.
