HiFiMAN HE600 Headphones
HIFIMAN HE600 HEADPHONES REVIEW
Oscar Stewart rocks out with the HE600 headphones from HiFiMAN, costing £719.
HiFiMAN have been making planar magnetic headphones for years; a fan favourite and still sought after to this day, has always been the legendary HE-6. The HE-6 is a brilliant headphone, and HiFiMAN decided to make a similar-sounding headphone, but easier to drive, in the form of the HE-500, a headphone I’ve owned for a long time.
This brings us to now, and the HE600. HiFiMAN revised the HE-6 in the form of the HE-6 SE and HE-6 SE V2, which used a similar driver to the HE-6, but they were still incredibly hard to drive. The new HE600 tries to capture some of the original traits of the HE-6, but in a new design that is easier to drive, which is why the HE-500 comes to mind.
Anyway, that’s a bit of backstory.
This is a £719 pair of headphones that were released last year and aim to give you a slightly more engaging sound than merely another take on the Harman curve; let’s take a closer look.
BUILD AND FEATURES OF HE600
The new build quality of these headphones is largely great; they have a comfort strap headband that’s got a metal upper band and some cosmetic plastic pieces to make it look a little nicer. The earcups and grilles are metal; the yokes are metal and pivot as well as extend, and these use the same 3.5mm detachable cable HiFiMAN have been using for a while (I like it when brands stick to one type of connector for detachable cables). The out-of-the-box cable is pretty average, similar to the one they use on their more affordable models, and not as nice as the black fabric-coated one they use on their more premium models.
They feel well built; however, there is a caveat to this new HiFiMAN design language, and that comes in the form of comfort. Now, the earpads are good, and I like comfort strap headbands; however, I find myself using the yokes at nearly fully extended to get these to fit well. This doesn’t bode too well for those with a slightly larger noggin, and the clamping force out of the box is a little on the high side; this can be remedied slightly by trying to bend the metal headband out a little. So, whilst I do like the look and feel of the new design, the comfort strap needs to be a little longer, as do the yokes, along with a slightly looser clamping force to make them excel on the comfort front.
I managed to get them to be comfortable for my head size, and could use them for period of a couple of hours without any issues.
These don’t have any special features as such. The earpads are replaceable, as is the cable. The driver uses their Gen 2 Neo supernano diaphragm, alongside some enhanced magnets. They are nice and lightweight at only 389g.
These have a rated impedance of 28 ohms, which is quite low; they do have a rated sensitivity of 92dB/mW though, and this puts them on the lower end of sensitivity. They do benefit from a good desktop amp that can deliver plenty of current to drive them properly.
SETUP AND USE
As is usual for my headphone reviews, my reference desktop setup was used, which includes the SMSL D6S DAC running into an iFi Audio iCAN Phantom headphone amp. I did also use them with the new Luxsin X8 DAC/Amp for a period of time, and will add some notes towards the end. Source wise I use ROON with a mix of streamed music via Qobuz and local FLAC CD rips.
SOUND QUALITY
From the first time I heard these last year, shortly after their release, I knew these were going to be my kind of headphones. They have that more “old school” HiFiMAN tuning that is engaging and energetic, with a great deal of punch without missing any of the finer detail.
Kicking things off with Childhood Eyes by Yellowcard, an upbeat and nostalgic pop-punk anthem that has great groove and energy to it. The articulate bass line is easy to pick out and follow, whilst the kick drum has good attack and punch. It’s the snappiness of these headphones that stands out, with the snares sounding tight and, well, snappy, and there is great layering overall. These don’t aim to give you a huge soundstage like some other HiFiMAN models; instead they aim to be a little more intimate whilst retaining fantastic separation between instruments. Yellowcard are famous for having a brilliant violinist in the band, and this layer never gets muddled within the mix; vocals are well centred with guitars surrounding them, and every little instrument within the mix gets its own space. Tonality-wise, these are not a thick, organic-sounding headphone, nor are they strictly neutral; there is a little additional energy from the bass, with a fairly balanced midrange and exceptionally clear treble without sounding bright.
They do well with dynamic music and can handle any genre you throw at them; they do, however, sound best when given more engaging music due to their more up-front presentation. Take Overcast by Bury Tomorrow, from their album Black Flame, which has quite thick, dense mastering. The HE600 manage to not make this track sound like mush, instead giving each element room to breathe. Double kicks have weight to them, and the downtuned guitars give it a heavy, weighty sound, without coming across dark. The transient response once again becomes the star of the show when the breakdown hits, hitting hard and clean. The ending of the track has a quieter passage, with drums, and they have excellent impact and depth.
Onto a slightly different, yet equally dynamic song, Black Vultures by Halestorm kicks in, highlighting Lzzy Hale’s epic vocals and the fact is that these headphones can sound rather clean when called for. The HE600 handle female vocals without issue; there are no sibilance issues, and the treble here is crisp, detailed, and extended without sounding edgy or bright. The resolution of the treble is especially good; cymbals have great energy, yet the way they are rendered is void of harshness or fatiguing peaks. Halestorm are a blast to listen to, and these headphones do them justice, giving you the kind of presentation that gets you headbanging along to the music.
Good Girls by CHVRCHES was up next, and this is very different from the previous rock tracks, yet it is equally enjoyable through the HE600. The pulsating bass doesn’t miss a beat. The vocals remain clear, detailed, and natural; each layer has space, and the higher-pitched synths are rendered without harshness. One thing I will note is that the HE600 are not “quite” as full, and don’t quite hit as hard as the HE-6 or HE-500, but they do feel a little spritelier and a tad cleaner overall. They still have excellent impact and depth down low when needed, and do sound very engaging with the right music.
G.O.A.T by Polyphia is a track that needs a bit of everything from a system. The uber-technical guitar playing mixed with deep bass lines and cymbals crashing all around is a superb system tester. And this track sounds sublime through the HE600; the deep bass rumble is easily audible, and the drums that require punch have great weight with superb transient response, allowing them to never lag or get in the way. The guitars swirl around the soundstage; the layering is once again spot on, and the cymbals crash around with plenty of sparkle and energy without becoming the centre of attention. I do know that a few brands at shows use the song Playing God by Polyphia, and it’s great to hear more progressive tech-metal type music at shows – put it on, you’ll likely recognise it.
Lastly, a throwback to some Deathcore from 2007, in the form of Hands of a Killer by Suicide Silence – just cos. This is fairly extreme music, and it can come across as pure noise to most people, yet dig beneath the surface and the guitar work and drumming are brilliant, and a headphone like the HE600 is needed to bring out the best in this style of music. Mitch Lucker was a superb vocalist; his range of screams was truly epic, and the switch between low growls and higher screams was so seamless. The HE600 make light work of this music, allowing you to hear each element in its own space; they are such a responsive and snappy headphone, yet their more up-front sound does lend itself to more extreme genres in the best way possible. The original HE-6 and HE-500 were both excellent headphones for metal, and the HE600 follow in their footsteps. There are plenty of headphones out there that do jazz very well, or classical, yet fewer seem to be able to do justice to more extreme genres, and that’s where models like the HE600 come into their own; if you enjoy metal, I highly suggest you give these a listen.
Now, I mentioned that I used these a bit with the Luxsin X8. This is a DAC amp that works very well with these headphones; however, I did still find the iCAN Phantom a better match sonically when used in solid-state mode. The benefit of the X8, though, is the built-in PEQ – which can be used with AI to create your own profile for headphones. I did manage to get these to sound ever so slightly better for my personal tastes with the PEQ enabled, yet I highly enjoy the out-of-box tuning with the iCAN Phantom. So, system matching makes a bit of a difference here; the most important thing is having an amp that has good current delivery – as the HE600 like a fair chunk of power to sound their best.
QUIBBLES
The comfort is not the best; this is an area for improvement.
CONCLUSION
You may have noticed that I have used slightly heavier music for a lot of this review, and that’s because I enjoy it, as well as the fact that these are headphones that simply do that kind of music justice. Now, I know it may not be the music a lot of “audiophiles” listen to, however those who do and want a pair of headphones that work well with those genres, could do a lot worse than the HE600.
Yes, you can listen to Diana Krall through these and it’ll sound great, but if you want to really listen to what these can do, listen to something a little heavier. They come into their own with more engaging music, showing off their sheer energy and ability to keep up with demanding music.
The HE600 are a great headphone to grab when you want to rock out; I found myself getting into my heavier tracks when using these. They are a fun headphone with the right music. Technically, they can deliver punchy, full bass, a clear midrange, and well-presented treble with great detail retrieval and layering. They don’t deliver a huge soundstage; rather, they treat you to excellent transient response and layering to give instruments space.
AT A GLANCE
Build Quality And Features:
Solid build quality, albeit at the expense of comfort
Detachable cable, replaceable earpads, all standard for a headphone of this calibre
Sound Quality:
Energetic, engaging, dynamic, and punchy
Hard hitting bass, clear midrange, airy and crisp treble
Value For Money:
I’d say they are good value for the level of sound you get
We Loved:
The overall sound, and its presentation
We Didn’t Love So Much:
The comfort
Elevator Pitch Review: This is a headphone for those who want a punchier, more energetic sound signature that still retains a high level of detail retrieval and control. These hit hard, dig deep, yet overall deliver a fun and engaging sound that is a blast to listen to. No, they don’t have a huge, airy soundstage for classical. They do middle-of-the-road jazz fine, but put on some metal, and they will treat you to an experience that few other headphones manage to. This is a headphone that puts a smile on my face when listening to heavy music; I think that sums them up quite nicely.
Price: £719
Oscar Stewart
SUPPLIED SPECIFICATIONS
- Frequency Response – 8Hz – 65kHz
- Sensitivity – 92dB
- Impedance – 28Ω
- Weight – 389g
