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HifiMAN HE-6 Planar Magnetic Headphone
Oct 22, 2014 at 3:17 PM Post #15,166 of 21,868
That looks gorgeous! I would love to hear it.
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 3:28 PM Post #15,167 of 21,868
mp1968 said:
  I don't know if there HE-6 owners who can help me with this question.  Given their low sensitivity I have read that some people connect them directly to the speaker sockets on their integrated amplifiers.

I'm contemplating doing this with my amp (a Chord CPM2650), but thought I'd seek advice from this forum first. My amp is rated at 120 Watts rms per channel into 8 ohms (170 Watts rms per channel into 4 ohms).

If I use the HE-6 directly off the 2650 is there a chance I'll blow the headphones up, even if I keep the volume low? I'm concerned that the amp may simply be too powerful. 
 
I have contacted Chord directly to see if they have any advice, but haven't heard back yet. 
 
Any advice is appreciated. 
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I'm running off the speaker taps direct on my Pioneer Spec 2 amp..................250wpc rated and tested at 309wpc before clipping.  I think you'll be ok.  Just start with the volume all the way down and work your way up. 
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 3:40 PM Post #15,168 of 21,868
OK, that's all very interesting.  I had contacted Hifiman directly with my question, and their response was 'If you use your amp, it will overdrive your HE-6 because the resistance is only 8 ohms and the electric current will break the drivers. The output of EF-6 is 5 watt per channel into 50 ohms. It's better you find a amp which is near to this output.'  
 
I did then enquire whether using the HE adaptor would help, but apparently it only supports amps up to 30 watts.
 
I was trying to reconcile this info with the fact that I knew from numerous posts that Head Fiers were using stereo amplifiers to drive the HE-6 directly from the speaker sockets, and I hadn't read of anyone having broken their drivers using this approach.
 
The responses I've just had give me confidence to try this.  I'd always intended turning the volume all the way down to zero before connecting the 'phones, and I couldn't quite see how there'd be a risk of damaging the drivers if I was careful.  
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 5:13 PM Post #15,170 of 21,868
This is the combo I use now.  250 watts into 8 ohms.  I think it's the highest watt amp I've used so far.
 

 
 
Plus this
 


Plus this
 

 
 
The headphones have since been modded so they look different now - I need to take new pictures...
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 9:37 PM Post #15,171 of 21,868
cradon said:
That looks gorgeous! I would love to hear it.
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Thanks. The Sansui sounds nice and I enjoy the presentation. However, the Shindo Laboratory F2a Sinhonia monaural amps...now that's some good listening right there. 
 
The HE-6 gets leashed to the Shindo mono blocks 80% of the time.
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 2:03 AM Post #15,172 of 21,868
mp1968 said:
  OK, that's all very interesting.  I had contacted Hifiman directly with my question, and their response was 'If you use your amp, it will overdrive your HE-6 because the resistance is only 8 ohms and the electric current will break the drivers. The output of EF-6 is 5 watt per channel into 50 ohms. It's better you find a amp which is near to this output.'  
 
I did then enquire whether using the HE adaptor would help, but apparently it only supports amps up to 30 watts.
 
I was trying to reconcile this info with the fact that I knew from numerous posts that Head Fiers were using stereo amplifiers to drive the HE-6 directly from the speaker sockets, and I hadn't read of anyone having broken their drivers using this approach.
 
The responses I've just had give me confidence to try this.  I'd always intended turning the volume all the way down to zero before connecting the 'phones, and I couldn't quite see how there'd be a risk of damaging the drivers if I was careful.  
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They're full of it...just trying to push their EF-6 which is a massively overpriced and at best very mediocre amplifier imho.  I'm typing this with my 6 plugged into the headphone out of my SX-1980 receiver which delivers about 20W into 50 Ohm via the headphone out, currently listening to a C.P.E. Bach concerto on the radio and I can assure you that there are no smoking fragments of drivers flying about.  On the contrary, it once again becomes clear how much clean power the HE-6 require to really shine and how they scale up.
 
BTW:  Prep, if you're reading this, I managed to buy F1 boards and other components, love my F5 clone but had the possibility to listen to an F1 and I like its presentation just a hair more though I can imagine it might be a bit too clean/much for some.  Whatever you do, don't sell yours (or if you decide to sell, send me a pm first :wink:
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 3:37 AM Post #15,173 of 21,868
shayson1357 said:
  you surely wouldn't hurt the drivers if you were careful, but manufacturers can't rely on the prospect that their customers would be careful all of the time and thus would not recommend it.
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Very true.  And on a related note I did hear back from Chord who basically advised against it (as I might blow the drivers) and then went on to suggest that I solve the problem by buying their Chord Hugo product (combined DAC + headphone amp) at £1400.................
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 8:54 AM Post #15,174 of 21,868
mp1968 said:
  OK, that's all very interesting.  I had contacted Hifiman directly with my question, and their response was 'If you use your amp, it will overdrive your HE-6 because the resistance is only 8 ohms and the electric current will break the drivers. The output of EF-6 is 5 watt per channel into 50 ohms. It's better you find a amp which is near to this output.'  
 
I did then enquire whether using the HE adaptor would help, but apparently it only supports amps up to 30 watts.
 
I was trying to reconcile this info with the fact that I knew from numerous posts that Head Fiers were using stereo amplifiers to drive the HE-6 directly from the speaker sockets, and I hadn't read of anyone having broken their drivers using this approach.
 
The responses I've just had give me confidence to try this.  I'd always intended turning the volume all the way down to zero before connecting the 'phones, and I couldn't quite see how there'd be a risk of damaging the drivers if I was careful.  
Click to expand...

I remember reading a post directly from Dr. Fang in this tread where is said that connecting the HE-6 directly to an amplifier up to 70-100 watts/ch into 8 ohms will be OK. More than 100 he recommended the box. There are a lot of HE-6 users with amplifiers higher than 100 watts/ch not using the adapter box. You just need to be careful with the volume to not over drive them.
 
I personally used to have them connected to a 50 watts/Ch Class A and now to the McIntosh MHA100 speaker tabs with no problems at all. I remember demoing them at CanJam in Chicago some years ago and Dr. Fang was driving them with a Threshold T400A 100 watts/Ch Class A amplifier with an adapter box.
 
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Oct 23, 2014 at 11:22 AM Post #15,175 of 21,868
we have to admit that this is the same with speakers too, you can damage them if you run them over the manufacturer's rated power handling capacity.... but then again I've seen large speakers more efficient than the he-6's drivers so I think you're good as long as you control the volume while wearing the headphones 
biggrin.gif

 
Oct 23, 2014 at 12:08 PM Post #15,176 of 21,868
musicman59 said:
   
I remember reading a post directly from Dr. Fang in this tread where is said that connecting the HE-6 directly to an amplifier up to 70-100 watts/ch into 8 ohms will be OK. More than 100 he recommended the box. There are a lot of HE-6 users with amplifiers higher than 100 watts/ch not using the adapter box. You just need to be careful with the volume to not over drive them.
 
I personally used to have them connected to a 50 watts/Ch Class A and now to the McIntosh MHA100 speaker tabs with no problems at all. I remember demoing them at CanJam in Chicago some years ago and Dr. Fang was driving them with a Threshold T400A 100 watts/Ch Class A amplifier with an adapter box.
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Looking for another excuse to play inside the listening room, tonight I'll hook up the box to the monster Sansui G-22000 just to see if there's an audible difference. Sounds good naked, tho. 
biggrin.gif
 
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 12:09 PM Post #15,177 of 21,868
shayson1357 said:
  we have to admit that this is the same with speakers too, you can damage them if you run them over the manufacturer's rated power handling capacity.... but then again I've seen large speakers more efficient than the he-6's drivers so I think you're good as long as you control the volume while wearing the headphones 
biggrin.gif
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I wonder if using the adapter will allow me to crank it! 
very_evil_smiley.gif
 
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 2:45 PM Post #15,179 of 21,868
Oct 23, 2014 at 3:49 PM Post #15,180 of 21,868
shayson1357 said:
  many people say that the he-6 sounds better directly from the taps, wonder why 
confused_face_2.gif
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I definitely thought so.  Not sure why but even out of the HE adapter it didn't hit that sweet spot till I went, as Silent One is known to say, naked. 
 
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