Having had plenty of experience with HiFiMAN’s other audio products and orthodynamic (aswell as their singular dynamic) headphones, I was eager to get my hands on a pair of HE-6s for review. Mark, the lovely chap over at Highendworkshop and Electromod sent me a sample to review.
I’ve heard a lot of positive things regarding the HE-6s and was going into the review with high expectations, and even so, my expectations were quickly reached and surpassed tenfold.
The HE-6 has very basic packaging, one that pales in comparison to its similarly prices orthodynamic brothers or dynamic cousins. While basic, it is protected by a black, hard fabric carrying case for the headphone, and a velour pouch for the cable. It’s clear that a lot of your money has gone into the actual product, rather than the dressing that it comes in which is a very good thing.
Similar or even identical to the composition of HiFiMAN’s other headphone products, the HE-6 is very simply designed yet exceedingly elegant and pleasing to the eye. Some may scold HiFiMAN for sticking with the same design for this long, but there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken and the HE-6 is comfortably one of the best looking headphones I’ve seen and held. Kudos for HiFiMAN for not adhering to a stylistic approach that many manufacturers are heading towards. I do wish they’d change their replaceable cable terminations however and opt for an easier to use standard (mini-XLR comes to mind).
The headphone conveys a solid fit and finish with its glossy black piano coating and metal yokes/headband, there’s nothing quite as dark or mysterious as the HE-6 on the market today and it exhibits a wow factor when seen or held in person. The build quality is near-flawless, I am told the review sample I received is nearly two years old, if I had never been told this I would have mistaken it for a new, mint headphone, even the manufacturing stickers on the headband have remained in place.
The cable supplied with the HE-6 also feels of quality, and is not unlike some custom cables that you might pay upwards of £300 for, it’s a simple braided arrangement with a near clear coating that is coloured in what I can only describe as skin-tone pink. Plenty long enough for almost all listening situations it terminates in a 4-pin XLR connector and comes supplied with a 4-pin -> 1/4″ TRS jack adapter that is more of an extension cable due to its length. The adapter adds quite a bit of weight though and can be burdensome at times.
As with nearly all flagship headphones, the HE-6 is an open design and as such offers little to no isolation whatsoever, if you’re looking to listen in a noisy environment or have others whom may be disturbed by your listening, this headphone is not for you.
Upon holding the HE-6 the first thing that comes to mind is how heavy they are, the orthodynamic driver magnets coupled with the metal materials used definitely add up the weight and it’s not a headphone you’d want to carry around with you most days. Surprisingly however, the HE-6 is not uncomfortable at all, not even slightly. Whether it was intended by HiFiMAN or not, the weight distribution is excellent and after 5-6 hour listening sessions I felt no discomfort at all, both the pleather and velour earpads supplied sit pleasantly around my medium-sized lugholes. The HE-6 sits very firmly and precisely on your head which is a strange departure from the usual feeling of other headphones tha sit as if they’re hugging your face, the HE-6 feels a little “medical” in comparison.
I’m very pleased overall with the comfort and have listened blissfully unaware of the headphone even being on my head, which for a headphone that is as big and heavy as the HE-6 is a grand accomplishment.
Before we get into the sound I feel I should address the elephant in the room. The HE-6s are known for being one of, if not the most power hungry, picky and ruthless headphone when it comes to amplification on the market today. There have been plenty of discussions verging on arguments when it comes to what actually powers them to their full potential, many have come to the realization that speaker amplifiers are the way to go with the HE-6, however a risk is taken if you go this route unless you purchase the HE-Adapter directly from HiFiMAN which protects both the speaker amplifier and headphones when used together.
Now that’s out-of-the-way, I listened to the HE-6 via a Beta22 amplifier which was well renowned for powering the HE-6s just a couple of years back but has since been dismissed in favour of speaker amplifier alternatives.
After listening to the HE-6 for nearly a month now, I can admittedly say that it is the fine wine capable of delivering a level of transparency/clarity that I’ve never heard before. The mids are immaculate, as if a window between you, the instruments and vocals has been removed. Compared to other orthodynamics the HE-6 is a little ‘bright’ in a sense that it’s near perfectly neutral from top to bottom, where-as other orthodynamics tend to be weighted towards the bottom end. The treble extension goes far and is sparkly as it should be, not harsh at all and a definitive accurate representation of the music.
The mids and treble definitely steal the show, so much so I feel the bass and sub-bass are forgotten about at times, you get lost in the instruments far too easy. The low-end I feel is missing just a bit of warmth that I’m accustomed to but remain faithful, precise and adapt well to all genres.
Imaging is very well done, each instrument or sound is placed effortlessly where it should be, soundstage is I would say average, if slightly better than average, not up there with some dynamic flagships but more than adequate, if I had one negative about the sound it would be the soundstage.
It’s immensely difficult to find a flaw in the HE-6s at all, one of, if not the best all-rounders I’ve had the pleasure of listening with, it’s articulate in all genres of music, especially classical, vocal and acoustic music where the HE-6 shines with its mids and treble that completely steal the show, just do your research before as amplification is a contested topic.
Audible Bond 