Review: Hifiman HE6SE – Iconic

Solid State

The Ukrainian Flux Acoustic Labs Atlas puts out 1700mW RMS per channel at 50Ohm, so it’s just under Hifiman’s recommended power output, but it actually does a real nice job driving the HE6SE from its balanced output.

When I received the Hifiman HE-6SE I wasn’t really convinced with its sound but the Atlas has made me change my opinion on it. Even in SE mode you get great clarity and precision with in an incredibly clean delivery. The sound stage is wide, the presentation spacious and natural. Voices are so beautiful, bass is tight and treble energetic. Piano and violins sound incredibly good and everything is just at a really high level. Bass heads should look elsewhere unless they are satisfied with the increase in body the balanced mode brings. The HE-6SE sounds a little softer, smoother and even wider/deeper in balanced mode as well, and that’s something many of you will probably like. I for one love the HE-6SE in both modes on the Atlas.

The solid state Atlas and HE6SE combo sounds great but the timbre, layering and musicality of the Nirvana and US4+/HE6SE combo is less present here. You get the typical neutral high end solid state kind of sound with good linearity and balance. The spaciousness is there but not as much as with the Nirvana/US4+, and the same goes for the decay and extension. It’s just neutral solid state vs tubes and musical solid state in this case, to each his own.

With the German Niimbus Audio US4+ from Lake People/Violectric the volume control goes up quite a bit, yet it’s still perfectly doable without extra gain. You might prefer it with a higher gain level, but that’s a personal choice.

In balanced mode the HE-6SE gets good bass body and impact but all this in a civilized, tight and fast way. Bass has excellent layering and texture, and it has a really nice kick to it. Bass goes really low when needed but doesn’t exaggerate end it perfectly connects to the mids. These mids are spacious, precise and have really lovely texture, extension and decay. Layering and dynamics everywhere are really good and the voices sound soft and very textured. Treble isn’t sibilant but energetic, dynamic and precise.

In Single Ended mode the HS-6SE gets less body and sounds flatter, more neutral. The difference is quite remarkable. The HE-6SE still sounds incredibly good, just lighter and flatter and it doesn’t always make the above mentioned characteristics as easy noticeable, but they’re there.

The US4+’s sound signature is very different from that of the Atlas: it’s a little warmer and fuller but the amplifier is also more in control of the bass. The US4+ combo sounds more spacious, deeper and better layered. The timbre, layering and musicality of the Niimbus/HE6SE combo is almost as good as that of the Nirvana. The spaciousness is also closer to that of the Nirvana, and the same goes for the decay and extension. The US4+ & HE6SE

So in the end it depends what kind of presentation you prefer. Even though the neutral Atlas/HE6SE performs really well, I prefer the less neutral pairing with the US4+ more because of the musicality and better technicalities. Looking at the tube amps, I like the Nirvana and HE6SE combo most.

Speaker amp

When hooking up the HE6SE to my vintage 1991 Kenwood speaker amplifier (80 watts per channel into 8Ω (stereo) with the provided adapter, the HE6SE transforms again.

The extra power brings great presence, spaciousness, detail and an excellent sound stage, but the bass level is a bit too much for me, especially as it isn’t as controlled and tight. That’s one of the Kenwood’s least good points so the HE6SE really isn’t to blame.

I also tried it with my custom built 300B speaker/headphone amp (2 x 15W) and while the volume had to go all the way up, it sounded really good with great clarity and linearity. Tight fast bass, natural mids with lovely timbre and extended, energetic treble.

Does the HE6SE sound good from speaker tamps: absolutely yes! That means that you don’t really have to buy a dedicated headphone amp if you already have a good, powerful speaker amp at home. The Hifiman HE6SE likes power and Hifiman isn’t making the speaker adapter for fun, just try it at home and you’ll be very impressed.

Conclusion

With the right (powerful) solid state or tube headphone amplifier the Hifiman HE6SE absolutely impresses. It’s neutral reference at its very best and if you like technicalities, you’ll be in heaven for sure. And it gets even better, if you already own a good speaker amp, you can just hook it up to the speaker taps and enjoy it like that. Fact is though that you need to properly amp your HE6SE and even more, you have to make sure the synergy between the amp and headphone sits right. But do that and it will wow you.

The original HE6 is an icon and the new HE6SE extends that certificate for another 10 years. If a linear, balanced and neutral tuning with a musical presentation is your thing, then you owe it to yourself to listen to the HE6SE, it will surprise you in the good way for sure. In fact, you better start saving up already.

The HE6SE has left me with a big smile on my face every single time I listened to it. It’s precise, a technical marvel and it does all that with a musical and engaging touch. How can you not love it?

Of course the Hifiman HE6SE goes straight to the Best Full Sized Headphone list with all our other recommended buys. It’s in good company.