Quote:

preproman said:

 
You have good experience with the V200 - correct?  Now, I would say take a listen to say the Mjolnir.  I think you will see the differences can be more than subtle - at times.  

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I haven't heard the Mjolnir, or indeed that many amps, so I might just be a massive n00b here.  But one of the learning moments I've had to go through since I got into head-fi is the experience of receiving a new amp or source on the basis of descriptions on these forums and then being surprised at how subtle the differences really are.  All my headphones sound VERY different, while the differences between all the amps I've heard are very subtle in comparison.  And while the HE-500 'needs' a good amp to sound great, and is lovely through my Violectric rig, it actually sounds very good out of my Leckerton too.  So I think we're doing a disservice to new folks by overemphasising the need for exotic equipment to enjoy these headphones.  But again, my experiences are limited so I could be talking out of my rear-end.  

I recently got a DT880 to play with while I decide where I want to go next. I bought it to pair with my new Beresford amp. The beresford has a very warm smooth sound with huge bass! So pairing it with the Beyers made sense to me. Anyways, my point is.. The sound I'm getting from this mid-price match is much more appealing to me than any HE500/amp that I've tried. Maybe I didn't spend enough on the HE500's.
Matching is the important thing. Time and time again this has proved to be so. Even the LCD2's that are, to quote preproman "an amp person" still need a good match and you will not be getting you money's worth until you find this. Yes I'm sure it will sound good out of any amp, but not $1000 good.  

Quote:

kendoji said:

 
I haven't heard the Mjolnir, or indeed that many amps, so I might just be a massive n00b here.  But one of the learning moments I've had to go through since I got into head-fi is the experience of receiving a new amp or source on the basis of descriptions on these forums and then being surprised at how subtle the differences really are.  All my headphones sound VERY different, while the differences between all the amps I've heard are very subtle in comparison.  And while the HE-500 'needs' a good amp to sound great, and is lovely through my Violectric rig, it actually sounds very good out of my Leckerton too.  So I think we're doing a disservice to new folks by overemphasising the need for exotic equipment to enjoy these headphones.  But again, my experiences are limited so I could be talking out of my rear-end.  

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No your right to some extent.  However, sometimes "we" are out for that last bit of improvement.  That's what you would get in all the impressions you read.  Not to be confused with a night and day difference that you won't get in any mid fi or high fi gear.

I'd much rather have the HE-500 unamped than the HD650 amped. The differences in headphones is just that much greater than an amp can provide..

lol...  I feel for those who like a the distorted sound of a phone over the clean transparent sound at the upper volume levels of a desktop amp.

Quote:

lugbug1 said:

I recently got a DT880 to play with while I decide where I want to go next. I bought it to pair with my new Beresford amp. The beresford has a very warm smooth sound with huge bass! So pairing it with the Beyers made sense to me. Anyways, my point is.. The sound I'm getting from this mid-price match is much more appealing to me than any HE500/amp that I've tried. Maybe I didn't spend enough on the HE500's.

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 "Appealing" is the key word here. I've been having trouble deciding between the DT880 Pro and HE-500, not of course on technical grounds, where the HE-500 is clearly superior, but on grounds of which is most appealing, which one I most feel like reaching for on my favourite music. I don't know, but there's just something about the HE-500 that lacks appeal. I noticed it on first listen and haven't been able to shake the feeling. It just sounds cold and flat and rather closed-in to me, whereas the DT880, for all its faults (a little grainy by comparison, not as detailed) sounds warm and open and inviting. I was listening to a new recording of some dramatic film music the other day ("Battle of Valencia" from El Cid) and switching back and forth between phones trying to clarify points of merit when it suddenly hit me--hey, the HE-500 just isn't as exciting! It was giving me more detail, defining the instruments more precisely, but it just wasn't letting the excitement and drama of the music through; I didn't really care who won the battle. I'm sure people will tell me I'm not using the right amp with the HE-500 and I'm not, but I'm just not prepared to invest hundreds more in the "right" amp; I just don't believe it should be necessary. Currently I've tried a number of amps including a Muse dedicated and NAD C326BEE integrated and the HE-500 sounds pretty much the same on all of them. Will it suddenly change character with a $600 dedicated amp? I very much doubt it, and I don't care anyway because I can't afford that sort of money (plus I don't really believe that amps can make that much difference).
 
I still haven't decided. I'm still hoping something will change and the HE-500 will suddenly show its true luxuriant colours. I'd hate to sell this phone and then find out the secret ingredient! Then again, it is damn heavy, and will never beat the 880 in the comfort stakes, and that's important. Probably will never be as resilient or reliable either. Very hard to decide....hmm...

Quote:

preproman said:

 
You have good experience with the V200 - correct?  Now, I would say take a listen to say the Mjolnir.  I think you will see the differences can be more than subtle - at times.  

Click to expand...

Only problem is not everyone want to run all their phones balanced. I dont want to re-cable my AT3000 for that amp. I am going through this now with the hE500 and LCD2 both here in the house. its not a cut and dry decision which one should go. I need to first burn in the lcd2 and then do ab testing and just plain serious listening to both and then make a decision. I can see this experiment taking a couple of weeks to decide. I need to see how long I have to return one pair. I really like both but the n would have 4 flagships if I kept the two ortho's. I do like them on the V200. The Violectric amp is seriously good with  both of them. I like switching and especially need the V200 for the AT3000ANV as I wont re-cable or mod them.

Quote:

preproman said:

 
 
Zoom,
 
Is the mini X your main amp for the LCDs?

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I finally got my balanced cables for LCD-2 today, although had to send in my LCD-2 for repair yesterday. So won't know for another week how the Emotiva works with it. The O2 was sounding quite nice actually with the LCD-2 so I really wasn't bothered with not running it off speaker taps right away. Plus the HE-500 recently started to get a bit boring after listening to them for an hour. So I was on the LCD-2 more. After sending them for repair, I've actually been spending a lot of time with D2000. They are so comfy!
 
I just really wished that HE-500 had more depth and more of a center stage, especially for movies.

Quote:

kendoji said:

I'm not so sure.  I know we all like our amps and fancy sources, but I was surprised at how good the HE-500 sounded straight out of my phone and my little portable amps. I've heard the HD-650 and it's nice, but I'd recommend to get the best headphone you can get straight away and then maybe think about other stuff later.  You don't need a lot of really expensive equipment for the HE-500 to sound good.  And I definitely think the HE-500 is the better headphone.

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I would have to agree with this, within a reason. If the person is on a budget and knows that he/she won't be able to spend anything for quite some time, then better to get a more balanced rig. Although if you are getting something soon, even up to 2 months, I can totally justify that. I used an E10 for few months before getting the O2 and then later the Emotiva. In terms of power rating, we are looking at 100 mW to 500 mW to 50 Watts. Of course the O2 and Emotiva take the O2 to it's optimum, but the E10 was quite good with it. So yea I agree with that.

You mean like this?
 
 

 

 
 
Quote:

frank i said:

Only problem is not everyone want to run all their phones balanced. I dont want to re-cable my AT3000 for that amp. I am going through this now with the hE500 and LCD2 both here in the house. its not a cut and dry decision which one should go. I need to first burn in the lcd2 and then do ab testing and just plain serious listening to both and then make a decision. I can see this experiment taking a couple of weeks to decide. I need to see how long I have to return one pair. I really like both but the n would have 4 flagships if I kept the two ortho's. I do like them on the V200. The Violectric amp is seriously good with  both of them. I like switching and especially need the V200 for the AT3000ANV as I wont re-cable or mod them.

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Thats what I mean. i wont do that LOL. I like my stuff as is. The hd800 I do have a balanced cable for but I bought the v200 for the at3000anv mostly and frankly it sounds fantastic with both of the orthos.

All my headphones go through the re cable process.  All my amps are balanced.

Quote:

preproman said:

All my headphones go through the re cable process.  All my amps are balanced.

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Not saying one ways is better than the other. its just my preference. I am running the Oppo with an XLR to the V200 but single ended is what I us for all my headphones and my primary amp for my hd800 is single ended. I did have one balance audio gd nf6 which was not really a top tier amp. I still prefer tube amps especially SET.

Quote:

pp312 said:

 
 "Appealing" is the key word here. I've been having trouble deciding between the DT880 Pro and HE-500, not of course on technical grounds, where the HE-500 is clearly superior, but on grounds of which is most appealing, which one I most feel like reaching for on my favourite music. I don't know, but there's just something about the HE-500 that lacks appeal. I noticed it on first listen and haven't been able to shake the feeling. It just sounds cold and flat and rather closed-in to me, whereas the DT880, for all its faults (a little grainy by comparison, not as detailed) sounds warm and open and inviting. I was listening to a new recording of some dramatic film music the other day ("Battle of Valencia" from El Cid) and switching back and forth between phones trying to clarify points of merit when it suddenly hit me--hey, the HE-500 just isn't as exciting! It was giving me more detail, defining the instruments more precisely, but it just wasn't letting the excitement and drama of the music through; I didn't really care who won the battle. I'm sure people will tell me I'm not using the right amp with the HE-500 and I'm not, but I'm just not prepared to invest hundreds more in the "right" amp; I just don't believe it should be necessary. Currently I've tried a number of amps including a Muse dedicated and NAD C326BEE integrated and the HE-500 sounds pretty much the same on all of them. Will it suddenly change character with a $600 dedicated amp? I very much doubt it, and I don't care anyway because I can't afford that sort of money (plus I don't really believe that amps can make that much difference).
 
I still haven't decided. I'm still hoping something will change and the HE-500 will suddenly show its true luxuriant colours. I'd hate to sell this phone and then find out the secret ingredient! Then again, it is damn heavy, and will never beat the 880 in the comfort stakes, and that's important. Probably will never be as resilient or reliable either. Very hard to decide....hmm...

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I feel for you pp.. It's a tough call. All I know is that I'm not really missing my HE500's with the sound I'm getting out of the DT880's and classical. Especially orchestral. They are a bit bass light for EDM but great for ambient. Classical and ambient are my late night music  Plus they make a perfect bedside hp on account of them being sooo comfortable and light.

Quote:

frank i said:

Only problem is not everyone want to run all their phones balanced. I dont want to re-cable my AT3000 for that amp. I am going through this now with the hE500 and LCD2 both here in the house. its not a cut and dry decision which one should go. I need to first burn in the lcd2 and then do ab testing and just plain serious listening to both and then make a decision. I can see this experiment taking a couple of weeks to decide. I need to see how long I have to return one pair. I really like both but the n would have 4 flagships if I kept the two ortho's. I do like them on the V200. The Violectric amp is seriously good with  both of them. I like switching and especially need the V200 for the AT3000ANV as I wont re-cable or mod them.

Click to expand...

I found that when quickly A/Bing both, that the HE500's would often sound better. The LCD2's always need a little more adjusting time when changing from another headphone. But then it soon became more obvious which one was better for me