I can give them a shot if I can depending on when I get home tonight . My guess is they’re going to be under powered and not fair to well but I’ll give them a whirl.
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Well that will be mighty appreciated. The math is not totally obvious to me one way or the other, and I still have my Mjolnir 2 in any case. Thank you!
Maybe because of the impedance multiplier. I have a very overbuilt OTL amp - the BHCs and its for the HD-600 and HD-800. My HFM cans - esp the HE-500 and HE-6 SE sound ridiculous on them - as in bad. But I read people are using it. You should still consider the high impedance cans - ZMF, Senn, etc. also.
Yeah so I got a little time with the Folkvangr-> He6se v2. It’s not great…took about 90% of volume to get it to listening level, high gain, multiplier on(off sounded worse/distorted). So the amp is really strained to run these.
Some music faired better than others. Listened to some of the new Revolver remaster and “Elenor Rigby” was pretty ok but the next track “I’m only sleeping “ was reaaaal bad…bright and thin. Just sounded terrible.
Listened to a couple more tracks “Big Log”- Robert Plant, “Right Down the Line”- Gerry Rafferty, and “Two Tribes(Hibukusha mix)- Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Basically it wasn’t horrible but definitely not getting the best from these headphones. The Folkvangr’s great wide staging carries through but detail is dulled and bass is soft and flabby. Just meh
Switched over to the Envy and these cans really shine! They are pretty incredible really for their current pricing…that is if you get lucky and don’t get a dud.
I know you can’t really compare the Envy to the Folkvangr… I only say this to point out the potential of the He6se v2. You so often see people criticizing cans as not being that good or flawed or being overhyped when they’re pairing them with gear that isn’t capable of reaching the headphones potential or bad synergy ….
Such is the case with Folkvangr-> He6se v2.
Both great, just not meant for each other 
Folkvangr-> Hd800s or RS1E are incredible imo
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Anyone ever compares the monster he6se with Utopia side by side? would like to hear some opinions
So after much research and pondering I bit the bullet and built myself a Beta 22 amp. It’s the 4 board fully balanced config with 10x gain per channel (5x gain per board) which equates to about 5.5W at 50 ohms. I think the 10x gain is actually a bit much for my listening volume since I have to set a negative preamp gain of about -24dB from my Topping E50 DAC to be able to run the amp around noon. Without the negative preamp gain I have to run the amp at about 8-9 o’clock before it’s too loud.
I just finished the main amp and psu unit over the weekend (the toroid transformer and power switch are in a separate case to isolate mains AC noise). In the short time I got to listen to actual music through the amp I can say that the amp improved the bass impact and clarity compared to my Topping E30 v2 and my Denon AVR 2807. The instrument separation also seems to be better especially in large orchestral pieces and busy jazz tunes.
Here’s the final pic of the amp on my desk. It’s a little big to say the least.
Here’s an album with a few images of the amp build process Build Log - Album on Imgur
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So earlier today I had a few hours to enjoy my new amp with the HE6SE v2s and also messed with some EQ. I settled with Oratory1990’s EQ settings for the HE6SE v2 which I think gives it a more balanced sound with the bump in the mids.
I also had some fun to see how far I can go with the bass before it got all messy and bloated and man these drivers take EQ very well. I was up to a skull shaking +40dB bass shelf (at 105hz per oratory’s EQ sheet) and the bass was still well controlled (I made sure to add a -40dB pregain then cranked the beta 22 to like 3 o’clock). I literally felt the bass in my chest. I also had a couple brief oopsies where I accidentally disabled the -40 pregain for like a split second. No stuck/broken drivers luckily.
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I have a funny feeling that there’s a correlation between 40dB bass shelfs and the drivers getting stuck and/or stopping entirely, I’d maybe be a little careful with that. There was another guy who broke his with a 27dB bass boost. Like if you have the grilles off and look at the drivers playing low bass tones, there is a lot of visible excursion and I think that’s how they get stuck.
Lol yeah I was only messing around. I only did the 40dB bass shelf for a couple songs then switched it back to my normal 5dB shelf setting
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The Utopia is better tuned and a better headphone. It’s also 10x the price, it would want to be. It’s much easier to drive, doesn’t need a lot. It’s also lighter and quite a bit more comfortable, the combination of the weight of the HE6SE V2 and the headband they put on it is a bad choice, it would be OK I think with a suspension headband. The Utopia is light enough that a non-suspension headband is fine, so are the Edition XS, HD800S, Clear. The HE6SE is bearable but it’s just heavy enough that for me, I think it out-weighs its headband. I think the previous headband would be fine for me, you lose the cup swivel but I’d take it for the suspension (I have the Ananda which is similar).
Utopia I think has a hair more detail and sounds more balanced. HE6SE V2 has better bass extension and rumble. Utopia is punchier, although the HE6SE is pretty punchy for a planar. HE6SE is much better value. It is almost at that level, I do think diminishing returns are huge and once you get past the “kilobuck” level (Clear, Arya, HD800S, etc) to the likes of the Utopia, you are looking at small refinements. The Utopia isn’t THAT much better. And the HE6SE I think is competing at least at that general kilobuck level, so it is in the ballpark. But yes, the Utopia is better.
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Okay, my new favorite pads for the HE6SEv2 are the silver Beyerdynamic DT 990 pads. Super comfy, extremely balanced sounding, more detailed than the stock pads (I think they fill in the 2 KHz dip) and slightly less aggressive/sharp sounding upper mids/low treble. I’m listening to Life to Everything right now and it just sounds so right. The bass is full and deep, bowed strings resonate and plucked strings slap, the piano’s percussion and reverb are both there and the tone is great (not too full, not too bright), cymbals sound as good as I’ve heard them on any headphone, brushed toms and snares sound nice and soft without sounding mushy, the kick drum hits hard without overpowering the mix, and in general there’s a nice sense of tactility to the dynamics. It’s all complete and clear, without being overhyped.
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Nice! Did you have to mod the pads at all? Since Beyer glues the ring into the pad.
The Beyer pads didn’t come with a ring. I used the plastic Hifiman rings that came with the cheapo Hifiman velour pads. The outer diameter of the Beyer pads is a bit smaller than Hifiman, so I had to trim the Hifiman ring down about a 1/4 inch or so using scissors. It’s soft plastic, so it was an easy job.
I did also use the foam discs that came with the Beyer pads, both to protect the HE6SE driver from dust and also because they sound good that way.
I’m listening to Annie Lennox’s Bare now and loving it! Hell, even Oasis sounds good on this.
There’s this cliche that really “resolving” or high end headphones make good recordings sound great and poor recordings sound intolerable. For some reason, I’ve never had this problem with speakers; I can always enjoy good music on speakers, even if it’s poorly recorded. Listening to the HE6SE makes me think that it’s not so much that certain headphones expose poor recordings as it is that poor recordings expose tuning flaws in certain headphones, usually too much mid treble. Not a problem here!
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Thank you for sharing this! My HE6se V2 sound amazing already with stock pads and my favorite type of pads in general are velour pads. So, you can understand how your post has really got me excited. I think I just might have to try this and I very much appreciate your specific directions on how to install the Beyer pads.
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I ended up listening with some larger velour earpads from my Monoprice M1570 onto a pair of HiFiMan HE6se V2. Being large sized for large diameter of M1570 planar cups, these earpads fit nicely over HiFiMan plastic rings, requiring no trimming of any sort.
Wanting to compare the velour earpad sound to stock sound, I paired each HiFiMan HE6se V2 headphone with a Rebel Audio RebelAmp to level the playing field. Listening with velours, the piercingness of the stock HE6se V2 earpads disappeared, as did lively energy and any intimacy of close proximity imaging. These were replaced with widening of stage and welcomed relaxed treble.
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Do I prefer the sound of HE6se V2 with velour better than stock earpads? So far, slightly yes, most of the time, at the moment. The novelty of the widened stage has me hooked for now. Also, I sense diminished listening fatigue potential. Ultimately, time shall tell.
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Thank you pwjazz for the velour earpads suggestion! I am having lots of fun with this setup.
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This is a real treat on the veloured HE6se V2
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just in case you need another pair… can’t beat the price… $400
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have tried 14 different pads with my SE and 500. Velour/fabric/fenestrated - all of those leak too much bass, Angled >> flat. Prefer leather. Do not like making them behave like Audeze with the glued down pads either - unless you use a tube to vent.
I’m into accurate sound with a touch of warmth and very taut bass - which is why I also use Dynamat in small amount on the rear edge of my HFM’s. I do add a bass shelf - +2.5 db from 45 Hz down
Best pad - DCA Ether Angled Lambskin - cost $80 but they are the flattest from top to bottom. Give best depth of stage, and if you take off rear screens or get a set that are more open, the stage width goes to a crazy 135 degrees.
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which is punchier, will slam harder, he6se v2, or focal clear OG?
If you EQ as I do, I think the HE6se V2 slams harder than the OG Clear. IIRC @Resolve gave the nod to the OG Clear without EQ.
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