Hifiman HE-6

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Meteora, Nov 13, 2015.

  1. luximal

    luximal Made things right

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    Thanks fixed
     
  2. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    @cskippy what do you use to measure your headphones ? Any compensation ?

    I don't get how your he6 measures that high in treble with the vegans. See sorrodje's measurements of my former 6 screws he6 with velours pads, for comparison
    http://superbestaudiofriends.org/in...crews-stock-different-mods-measurements.3733/

    The velours pads are more treble happy than the vegans, yet sorrodje's measurements are so different from yours, that I have difficulties to reconcile both. Especially after seeing your LFF modded he6's measurements.
     
  3. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    I made my measurements to mirror Marv's measurements as closely as possible. I used the HD650 as a benchmark. I've since compared HD800, Atticus, Eikon, M1060, HE-400i, HE-500, HP-3, Utopia and quite a few others and they are very comparable. My measurements can be tilted a little brighter in the treble and show more anomalies in the treble as well such as the TH-X00 Mahogany 10kHz peak. I very familiar with how my system measures and find it to be very accurate. An ideal response on my rig would most likely be the B and K curve. I have applied a compensation to correct REQ Wizard discrepancies between SPL and Distortion windows as the mic's calibration file is not applied to the SPL window but is applied in the Distortion window. Odd, but I've fixed it so they are now exactly comparable.

    Those pad comparisons should only be used relative to each other. I've measured two HE-6, both completely stock and they measured differently. These pads are on the newer HE-6 that was bought just a couple months ago from Hifiman. It has more 10kHz energy than mine.

    Remember it's difficult to compare measurements across rigs until you understand each rig's tendencies across multiple headphones. Don't ever use a measurement as final say on a headphone sounding good.

    My LFF modded HE-6 is presumably different than the LFF Code X. Especially the pair that Marv measured as those did not have the stock pads Luis put on them.
     
  4. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    Oh I do know better than comparing two different rigs, hence why I was asking details. Thanks for obliging me.

    That said, and this is where I was getting at, when I see the difference between your lff he6 and your stock 6 screws, the gap is wide enough that I start wondering what's going on. I was suspecting some discrepancy within the production along the years.

    Hifiman is known to have very good channel matching, but we also know there was some evolution of the voicing with time. Seems like the later production units have more peaks than before, or at least that some do, as my former 6 screws wasn't that early and it wasn't that peaky. I guess there were some corners cut with the last batches of production.
     
  5. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Oh, the difference between the LFF Code Sex and my stock HE-6 is mostly from a pad change. Both HE-6 had superb channel matching. The pads make the biggest difference by far. Here is my HE-6 pre LFF mod stock with velour pads compared to modded Code Sex:
    [​IMG]
     
  6. ohhgourami

    ohhgourami Friend

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    @cskippy how are you attaching the pads?
     
  7. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Stock Hifiman rings. It's the only way to quickly swap pads and not do anything destructive to them like add adhesive residue. I remember doing a comparison between Hifiman rings and adhesive for the Vegan pads and it was too close to really bother with for me. Although, when I did use the Vegans, I ran them without the retaining rings.
     
  8. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    With my LFF-modded 4-screw HE-6 (a.k.a. Code Sex) on its way, I have a few questions regarding amping...

    1. I heard modding the HE-6 could lower its already low sensitivity by a couple dB. My Liquid Glass can output up to 6W into HE-6's 50 ohm load, which is a bit more powerful than the balanced outputs Schiit Jotunheim/Mjolnir 2. Will it be or not be enough?

    2. If not enough, any recommendations for budget-friendly (less than $1500) solid state power amps that can kick HE-6's butt and make it sing Hail Mary? I know HE-6 is mostly about moar power, but the LG is supposedly a very good amp for planars in terms of sound quality (regardless of its power output) and I don't want a half-assed gimped power amp that is all about raw power and no finesse. It should provide clean ample class A power to HE-6 without struggling and compromising to class AB while being as good as the LG when it comes to driving other planars, say, HE-5/Code-X. Please note that the LG will be used as the preamp in this case.

    So far I've been eyeing the Pioneer M22 (unobtainium, so really out of the question) and Schiit Vidar (but some have reported it hums or hisses with HE-5/6).
     
  9. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    with the amps you have, i don't totally get why you're chasing the modded HE-6 given that you have a Code-X already, which is less demanding amp-wise. but my understanding of the situation is neither here nor there! so i digress... the heart wants what the heart wants.

    unless you amp it to kingdom-come, i doubt the modded HE6 will bring you more than what the Code-X will already provide, and indeed it might give you less. so my sense is if you're thinking of using the LG or Mj2 or whatever, stick to the Code-X. i think @cskippy can speak to this directly but even the Vidar might not be enough for HE-6 especially post-mods. this is why luis chose the HE5 as his modding platform instead of the daunting 6.
     
  10. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    Ahh, good question.

    See, my original plan was to build a LG/Code-X combo and be happy with it. But when I saw Alex's unobtainium 4-screw HE-6 (even rarer than HE-5/Code-X I think, I wouldn't have bat an eye if it were a 6-screw) spring up for sale for $700, I pulled the trigger without thinking. Then I remembered how @cskippy had his 6-screw HE-6 modded by LFF to Code Sex or whatever, and how much he praised it.

    In stock form, HE-6's drivers inherently have much more potential than those of HE-5, which already have great potential (as evidenced by how incredible sounding the Code-X turned out to be), given that they are amped sufficiently. And even among the HE-5, the 4-screw is said to be better than 6-screw. While LG/Code-X is no doubt an excellent sounding system, perhaps end-game level for many, imagine what greatness one could achieve with a 4-screw HE-6 and LFF's mods, i.e. 4-screw Code Sex!

    Yeah, so simply put, I am greedy and afflicted with upgraditis.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm still keeping the LG/Code-X, but if the LG cannot awaken Code Sex to its true potential as it could do to Code-X, and if a full-blown Code Sex would outperform a full-blown Code-X in the same manner that a stock 4-screw HE-6 would destroy a 6-screw HE-6, which in turn would destroy an HE-5, then I'm game for a power amp that could do just that. Amp it to kingdom come, to borrow your words.

    I just need a power amp since the LG is already said to be an excellent preamp. That is, if the LG cannot meet the Code Sex's needs.
     
  11. jelt2359

    jelt2359 Friend

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    Seconded
     
  12. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    And a proper high quality preamp. It's too often put aside, but as discussed earlier in this thread, the final result will depend as much from the amp as the preamp.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2017
  13. ohhgourami

    ohhgourami Friend

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    @songmic quit being stupid by trying with the LG. Having heard most of the Cavalli amps, they don't pair well with the HE-6. They all have something that sounds incorrect. I have serious doubts on the quality of the volume control section too.

    Get a big boy setup and be done with it. Good speaker rig gear (preamp and power amp). This also works to bring out the best of the Code-X too.
     
  14. songmic

    songmic Gear cycler East Asia edition

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    Your lack of love for Cavalli amps is well known.

    Which big boy setup (preamp and power amp) do you recommend, something that won't break the bank like your monster Krell amp?
     
  15. Jozurr

    Jozurr Facebook Friend

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    Strongly consider a First Watt J2 if you're looking for great sounding power amp for the HE-6. I dont think you'd be able to scale up from that easily, if at all.
     
  16. ohhgourami

    ohhgourami Friend

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    This is a good start: http://www.highendaudio.nl/en/apparatuur/bent-audio-flex-balanced-tvc-with-stevens-billington/
    I have the silver transformer version of that with remote.

    A powerful First Watt will get you pretty far for the money. A used Benchmark AHB2 also will.

    Don't you have other kilobuck amps in your inventory too? Sell those to fund these or something even better.
     
  17. jelt2359

    jelt2359 Friend

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    The First Watt F7 sounds great too with the HE6. My friends and I did a group buy of about 5 of these First Watt amps after hearing it at a dealer.

    As for the Cavalli, just wondering, is the volume control just a pot, or is there something more to it when used as a volume control? That TVC looks to be specifically focused on volume control (ie, 'proper preamp').
     
  18. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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  19. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    As long as it's not some amp/preamp combo, it should be ok. Combos never sound good.

    That preamp ohhgourami linked is definitely a good deal. Those used to cost a bunch upon release. I almost got it for myself a few weeks ago.
     
  20. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Nah, just a bunch of transformers in a stupidly heavy aluminum and acrylic casing that probably cost as much as the transformers themselves. At least it looks pretty. All my sources have volume control though, so it sits unused.
     

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