New Headphones! Review?

madmax

I just ordered a pair of HE-6 HiFi Man headphones, will let you know what I think of them. A co-worker believes they are the best sounding headphones he has heard but also believes they are too heavy and require too much power. We will see.
Madmax

coolsax

i've been wanting to try the HiFi man orthos.. congrats.. let us know how they sound.

madmax

Got them today! They are magnificent out of the box, can't wait to hear them after some burn-in time.

Face

Are you hooking them up to your Manley?

If so, pick up one of these: http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?qs=6LylQoPC2StGOjwiLDuZcg%3D%3D

A 20' roll of Kimber Kwik 16: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KKKWIK16&variation=20

Plus whatever termination you like for your amp, WBT, Vampire, etc...

Here's the pinout:

1 - left channel +
2 - left channel -
3 - right channel +
4 - right channel -

Now you can make your own amp to 4 pin XLR(Hifiman) headphone cables, this is what I use and am happy with the balance. I originally tried Canare 4S11 cable and the top end was too rolled off.

Another tip that I haven't tried yet, using a 10ohm resistor in parallel with the speaker +/- of each channel.

Enjoy! From what I've experienced and heard from others, as long as you can power them properly, they really are the best of the best.

madmax

I'm hooking up to the Manley 300B preamp. The HE-6 requires volume set to 5:00 (almost all the way up) to match the volume level of about 12:00 on the sennheisers.

So you like the Kimber Kwik, what is the sound difference from the original cable? I need a longer cable for my setup anyway. I think that 10 ohm resistor might be for protecting tube amps. It is a little dangerous to have only the 40 ohm load connected to the output. SS amps don't care. The pin out is useful, thanks!

I'm excited. To sound this good with no break-in and the equipment not fully warmed up is amazing! I only had about an hour at lunch to play with it. The soundstage and detail is really something else, a totally different league of headphone.
madmax

[Deleted User]

Madmax,

I do not have nearly the experience that you do when it comes to headphones. Could you detail me in the differences of soundstage? What I mean is, what do you mean by soundstage? I am very interested in learning this and could try practically any headset our there.

Could you tell me the what song you were listening to, the time interview of changes in sound, and the soundstage and depth difference that you experienced?

For instance, at what point of the music did you notice things were different, sounds were more apparent, and the stage became wider? I am trying to learn and am demo-ing headphones as well. With your education, I could pay more attention to what I am missing but based on your reference music.

Thanks,
Halen

Naim Audio

Beaut, nothing more satisfying than a decent pair of headphones. Got mine from Groove for only ?15 a year ago and they've lasted well - great bass and very comfortable as well.

nspindel

I listened to he HE-6 at the NYC head-fi meet back in June. They are excellent. But the Audeze LCD-3 are even better. I own a pair of them. They are mad-expensive, but I've yet to hear anything better. Orthos rock.

Face

Neil, just curious, what'd they use to power the HE-6? If it was a EF-6, you haven't heard them at their best.

nspindel

Don't recall, but HiFi Man had a vendor display at the meet. So I'd assume they'd be pushing it with something capable of showing it off. Like I said, they were excellent. But the LCD-3's can blow your mind.

nspindel

http://www.head-fi.org/t/610983/hifiman-he-6-vs-audeze-lcd-3

AsSiMiLaTeD

If it was a HiFi-Man booth then it was probably their amp, which is really not all that great. Even the Schiit Lyr is a step up, and there are lots of amps that are better.

I personally prefer the HiFi-Man over the Audeeze right now, that may change as I get to listen to each more.

nspindel

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

I personally prefer the HiFi-Man over the Audeeze right now, that may change as I get to listen to each more.

High-class problem to have to sort out for yourself

coolsax

^^ audiophile problems... :cheesygrin:

madmax

halenhoang wrote: »

Madmax,

I do not have nearly the experience that you do when it comes to headphones. Could you detail me in the differences of soundstage? What I mean is, what do you mean by soundstage? I am very interested in learning this and could try practically any headset our there.

Could you tell me the what song you were listening to, the time interview of changes in sound, and the soundstage and depth difference that you experienced?

For instance, at what point of the music did you notice things were different, sounds were more apparent, and the stage became wider? I am trying to learn and am demo-ing headphones as well. With your education, I could pay more attention to what I am missing but based on your reference music.

Thanks,
Halen

I am not very experienced with headphones, had one pair, now have a different pair. By soundstage I mean "where is the sound coming from". Try this, as you sit there and listen, don't listen to the "song", pick out an instrument and figure out where in space is it coming from, how much space is around that sound, what exactly does it sound like. Listen to another sound, where is it coming from? What sounds are moving around. Are they moving only on a horizontal plane from left to right or do they move from in front of you to behind you. Do they move off this single plane and move up and down. Try to get your arms around all the different sounds at once and what they are doing. Its tough!

Other things I like listening for is the particular tone of an instrument or voice. Is there a roughness to it. How much detail does it have. Can you hear the sound going through some particular type of electronic device which is changing its sound. Is there an echo and if so does it sound like a room or a poor effect added by electronics.

Many people only listen to lyrics, some listen mainly for a particular instrument (especially if they play that instrument, some listen for artificial effects, some for dynamics, some for tonal balance etc.

Any music will do, all have their own characteristics.

The best equipment matches will make you feel at ease while if something is wrong you may get agitated or find yourself clasping your fist. You won't even know it unless you think to check. A lot of it is about thinking of things to look for and another part of it is being aware of what presents itself. Have you ever been watching something intently with interest while someone is screaming at you? You probably would have no clue of what the person was saying. Some times the sound screams but we are listening to something else so we never hear it.

[Deleted User]

Madmax,

I appreciate your time and response. The information I requested is so much easier to decipher on home systems, whereas on headphones it is tough. With that said, I know this has happened and I have experienced it. For instance, while I was wearing Polk Ultrafocus 6000s headset, some times I found myself looking behind me because I could have sworn I heard something. Anyhow my vote goes to the 6000s.

Thank you once again for leading me down another rabbit hole!!

Halen

Face

A headphone's soundstage and speaker soundstage are much different. It's cool to hear someone's voice in the center or frontal lobe of your skull.