A quick answer... I'm still at work and these buggers actually expect me to work today!?   

I have the HE-60, but not the HEV70.  From what I hear I'm not missing much by not having the HEV70...  Depending on condition etc... that price seems reasonable from what I've seen them trading for, but I'm far from expert on prices.

From a few impressions around here I was not expecting much, in fact I was expecting to get rid of them quickly.  I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised with the HE60.  As far as I am concerned, the pair I have are keepers.  Specifically my pair do not have the seeming horribly painful treble presentation.  In fact, they are pretty flat, leaning towards warm.  I'd actually say they are a step closer to the HE90 presentation than the 007 or 009.  Don't confuse that with me saying they sound as good as the HE90...   Which all makes me wonder if there are some variations out there, or if some have been modified in a not so good way?

1.  I can't say too much here until my BHSE arrives or I finish the KGSSHV, but from the GES and 917 the 60 is very good.  It's better than the Lambda stuff, but not quite up to the 007 Mk I or MK II.  I don't have the 009...

2.  "Quite different" would be my best answer.  Not sure how to quantify this one as I think it comes down to what you're looking for, but a general quick statement would be to say that the HD800 from the ZDSE is "technically better".  That said, I'd probably choose the HE-60 from the GES for general listening... tube selection helps here, but that's probably more my personal preferences showing than anything else.

3.  The HE60 is much better than the ESP950 from the GES and 917.

4.  Good question.... I don't know, but I'm not finding anything too distracting and haven't felt a need to fiddle around.  I also have to admit that because these are becoming harder to come by I am a bit more hesitant to modify them unless is completely reversible.  For me, old stuff that is stock and as good as new is attractive.

When it comes to these older collectables one can always ask if they are worth the premium over headphones produced today at a similar price.  That's a tall order to fill.  I don't think I would consider keeping the HE60 over the 007 MKI, but it would be far from the first to go.  As long as I can keep a few stats in the collection the HE60 is going to one of them.

I'm sure you'll get more on this... I'll chime in with more if it's helpful. 

Good luck!

I've owned the HE-60, but never with the HE70.  All my thoughts are with my BHSE.


1. Much less air than top of the line Stax, a little punchier in a dynamic-y kind of way, less ethereal, much brighter than any of the top tier Stax.
2. Only had the HD800 with the BA, but the HD800 with the Anax mod was more expansive and detailed and had better imaging.  The HE-60 sounded a bit smoother in presentation than the (more resolving) HD800 which is nice, but they were more bright than even an un-modded HD800. 
3. I liked the ESP950 unit with the stock energizer but it really had no bass. I'm told the Electra helps with this though.  Build quality on the Koss leaves quite a bit to be desired, but their sterling warranty is super awesome, especially when shipping is cheap in the US (I can just drive it over if I have a problem, 5 mile drive to headquarters.)  Can't comment vs HEV70 package as I've never tried it.
4. I haven't seen any measurements that reflect what I was hearing with them at all.  It's got a lot of energy higher than that too.  Tyll's graphs didn't reflect on what I heard.  The cups are like the HD6XX series, there's just not as much room to mod.  I would not buy it thinking any mod would ever be released.


It's possible it would sound better with other amps, or maybe Spritzer's modding did something to it (dust covers + resistor to bump up bias), but after reporting my findings everyone I queried who had heard the headphones had somewhat similar thoughts. [Edit - apparently not ship]  I do not think they are worth the price they command, and there are multiple electrostatic units cheaper than the HE60 that I would buy before it.


This is all a really nice way of saying I hated these headphones, and they were the worst stat purchase I ever made.  I like the HE-90 and the HD800 though.

The general consensus seems to be no. Although I'm glad that at least someone enjoys them (cough... Chris... cough)
I'll put those savings in a designated SR009/Electra fund.


Thank you Changstar for saving my wallet. 


Hope someone else gains from your insights too. It's a jungle out there and the HE60 "to be or not to be" was for me uncharted territory.

/V

My and Blue's opinion was the same pair.  I think some of the red's from the left coast had some similar experiences though, that would have been with a different pair.  Blue has also had the chance to hear my old pair with multiple amps.


I doubt its the mods, but I brought it up as a possibility anyways.