Hifiman HE6se Review (Headphone)

[patoulol]

Can this work with a Qudelix 5K and an EQ?

 

[oleg87]

Can this work with a Qudelix 5K and an EQ?

As always, it's a question of how much volume/EQ headroom you need.
With the balanced output, you'd get something like 100dB SPL, which just about covers my needs, but may be marginal or insufficient if you prefer louder volumes and/or regularly listen to sources with very low average volume. If it's a compromise you don't *need* to make, I'd probably avoid it.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Can this work with a Qudelix 5K and an EQ?

Definitely no.
The 5K is severely underpowered. Especially with EQ.

 

[shinbojan]

I’ve got Aune s17 pro evo and he6sev2 sounds great.

 

[oratory1990]

Can this work with a Qudelix 5K and an EQ?

Not if you want to listen loud, no.
The HE6se has very low sensitivity values, about 96 dB/V according to their specifications, though amir's measurements show even less (91.3 dB/V)
The Qudelix 5K can provide 2V on its 3.5mm output, which yields 97 dB peak levels.
On the 2.5mm output it can provide twice as much voltage, so 103 dB peak levels with this headphone (assuming 91.3 dB/V)
Depending on what average volume you want to achieve, and depending on the crest factor of your music, and also depending on how much headroom you need for applying EQ, this may not be sufficient.

It does not fulfill the general "rule of thumb" of a system that's capable of 110 dB peaks (85 dB average SPL, 20 dB crest factor, 5 dB headroom for EQ)

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

What is your opinion of the HE6SE?
Do you also consider this model to be an absolutely exceptional product?

After owning almost every high-end model out there, this Hifiman has really emerged as my number one, regardless of the price.
But the real sensation is the current price of around €400.

I don't consider anything that came after the HE6SE to be technical progress.
What headphones boast such distortion?!

Where is the proof that these stealth magnets,
or an even thinner diaphragm, reduce distortion?! And where is the technical progress proven by measurements?! It seems to me that this is limited to reducing power consumption. As I said, I don't consider anything that came onto the market after the HE6SE to be progressive...

My opinion is reinforced by the current Unveiled models. Where is the technological progress?
It seems to me as if HifiMan has taken up some modders' idea of removing the grills.
This is now being sold to us as technological progress?!

 

[solderdude]

IMO the only one doing technological improvements with magneto planar drivers is @Dan Clark.
Rinaro is trying too with isodyamics combined with planar magnetic where the isodynamic part is pointing to the ear entrance. Seems more gimmicky than real progress though.
If only he could get the efficiency up but reckon it is restricted by the driver-coil distance.

The rest of them is doing small variations on the same theme (magnets and configurations/shapes, trace shapes etc) and they all damp their drivers poorly as people tend to think peaking treble 'sounds so highly detailed'.

IMO the early HE-6 is the best one they did. It was cheap too. Seems like a money grab now with every new model and then dumping the previous line (their stock)

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Yes, I see it the same way. Dan Clark deserves special mention here. But my comment was directed at Hifiman. I don't see any progress there, let alone innovation. Unveiled is the height of unimaginativeness for me...

 

[AryaStealth]

What is your opinion of the HE6SE?

It looks like it works only for some people who hear large 4khz peaks similarly to GRAS so you can EQ it out to some degree. For me it was extremely uncomfortable (compared to he6se v2 with a capraaudio comfort strap) and unpleasant/inaccurate/unbalanced sound. I tried EQ from Amir and from Oratory and still experienced a massive ear fatigue (I suspect some narrow 4k resonances may be more than 10db). He6se v2 sounds great to me after EQ with in ear mics, however on my head they have at least 5db dip around 6khz, and GRAS shows that area as a peak (on my head I think this peak is between 7 and 8khz)

Perhaps after the Unveiled there will be the Unveiled 2026 edition with some new fancy ear pads on glue. Unveiled probably reduced the usual Hifiman 5-6db treble boost/peaks to more sensible 2-3db.

 

[Curupira]

IMO the only one doing technological improvements with magneto planar drivers is @Dan Clark.

And the only one with tangible innovations as well, vs. undamping the driver even further, hoping it'd better, or just hoping that it'd make sense to customers.

ModHouse also seems interesting with their new planar, but I'm thrown out by the difficult-to-drive aura around it, that heavily appeals to audiophile folklore, and the high price tag, that besides being a barrier itself, also appeals to the "high-end" aura for people who don't know about the concept of economies of scale in manufacturing.

 

[shinbojan]

My current setup is rPi4>Mojo 2>Aune s17 Pro Evo>he6sev2. I've asked ChatGpt to approximate Amir's PEQ and got this:

Mojo 2 EQ Approximation:​

Mojo 2 Band	Suggested Gain	Reason
20 Hz	+2 to +3 dB	Helps reflect the 80 Hz +7 dB boost. Not perfect, but Mojo 2 doesn’t have a closer low-end band.
125 Hz	+1 to +2 dB	Matches your +1 dB @120 Hz. Adds warmth and balances the 20 Hz gain.
3 kHz	+1 to +2 dB	Compromise between +4 dB @2 kHz and -3 dB @4 kHz. Boosts clarity while softening the peak.
20 kHz	-2 to -3 dB	Matches your -3 dB @10 kHz; rolls off treble edge and sharpness.

---

Rationale:​

• Mojo 2 can’t target 2 kHz and 4 kHz independently, so a moderate 3 kHz boost is a balanced compromise.
• You lose some precision, but tonal intent is mostly preserved: added bass, vocal clarity, and smoother treble.

So not ideal, as I cannot fix both 2kHz and 4kHz.