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Amp/DAC for Hifiman HE-500

post #1 of 5
12/8/11 at 8:22pm
Thread Starter 

Would the Nuforce HDP be a well suited Amp/DAC for the Hifiman HE-500? Any other suggestions are welcome. --Thanks

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post #2 of 5
12/9/11 at 8:11pm

i tried the hdp, its quite analytical and bright, so i don't think it would be a very good pairing with the he500. i found that the he500 sounded a bit thin on the amp and slightly sibilant. if ur looking for a dac/amp combo, i reckon u should try the dacmini, although its more expensive, or the burson 160ds

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post #3 of 5
12/13/11 at 2:13am

I just bought the HE-500 in Canada from the headphone bar, and the guy had it hooked up to a nuforce HDP. It sounded good, but I almost felt like it wasn't enough.

 

I'm considering a few of these as well since they're cheap:

 

Asus Xonar Essence One

Apex Butte

Fiio E17/E9

 

 

Its so hard to tell though without hearing it. They sound pretty neutral on my current STX setup, but I'd like them to sound a bit warmer and richer, which rules out the Butte.

 

I think the E1 might be a good choice for this one considering what I've heard the STX do with it.

 

Ideally something in that $500.00 range would be ideal.

 

 

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post #4 of 5
12/13/11 at 8:03am

While they are better than most orthos in this regard, the HE 500 needs power to sound at its best. Why not look into a vintage receiver paired with a decent little DAC. Easily obtainable around 500 bones.

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post #5 of 5
12/14/11 at 8:17am

think something like a marantz 2226B would do the trick?

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