Denver, NC meet Impressions, January 20, 2013........AKA Charlotte area meet - Page 3  

 

I'm sorry for your loss... I hope the next meet can happen at a less stressful time.

i had the 500 running on my fairly modest set up. Simply because that's what i'm used to. So ALAC--->FiiO E10--->Matrix M Stage. 

 

The 800 was through a high end tube amp (sorry tubes are really not my area of expertise) The one down from on the right as you entered the room.  I'm pretty sure it was through a top of the line music streamer dac too.The rig as a whole was quite impressive. 

 

Good to see some CD3000 love. They are an awesome headphone that have fallen off the radar in recent years. Too bad it's near impossible to find replacement parts. I took a pair to a meet in Sydney a few months back, but no one touched them :(

any impression on comparison between the crack and 339 on hd650?

Sadly, I didn't have a chance to try the HD650 on the LaFigaro (even though they were literally sitting right next to each other) but once I heard it on the Crack I was sold, and I seriously doubt the 339 would have changed anything at all.

 

I used to think that the HD650 sounded great on my Darkvoice 3322, and it still does, but damn that Bottlehead just energizes the HD650...I've never really understood or put much stock into the whole "synergy" thing, but I suppose that's what the Crack and HDE650 have boatloads of....synergy. And VC's Bottlehead build didn't even have the Speedball upgrade!

 

I've talked my wife into letting me order the Bottlehead Crack for my birthday, (even she liked how it sounded) so I'll be starting my build around mid-March.

I would argue about that 

The 339 and Crack are completely different with the HD650.  The 339 amplifies a more lush, romantic jazz-oriented sound signature that is innate in the HD650, while the Crack speeds up everything and makes the HD650 a better all-rounder type of headphone.  For dxanex's preference of music, the Crack pairing was perfect.  I'd still really like to know what it would've sounded like had I received and installed the speedball upgrade to the amplifier.

 

Congrats on brainwashing the wife ;).

 

You're welcome to argue it, but I own all of the pieces of equipment I wrote about in the above post and have done extensive A/B tests on each setup.  I only write exactly what my ears hear, nothing more, nothing less.

Good job guys, it is great pleasure reading the thread here!

Thank you soo much. I really appreciate your sympathy.

 

I found the HE-6 to be quite a bit overhyped over here... I haven't heard them myself but statements like "HE-6 driven by a speak amps can almost rival SR009" sound pretty odd to me. Especially since all the websites like innerfidelity, headphonia etc. happen to prefer HE-500.

I never wrote a statement like that seeing as how I've never had an opportunity to hear the SR-009, but this is from David Mahler's own words: "you can purchase an HE-6/EF6 combo and get fairly close to the fidelity offered by a well-powered SR-009. On the other hand, if you are seeking technical-perfection at any cost, the SR-009 is going to be the one you want."  

 

However, I can attest to the fact that the HE-6 certainly sounds more neutral and natural compared to the HE-500, which is what most people consider 'better' these days.  While I enjoy both headphones a very large amount, the HE-500 seems to have a warm-silky bubble encompassing it, which gives it a bit of a muffled effect.  Don't believe me?  A/B a pair of with HE-500 with LCD-2, and you will see what I mean.  

 

Headphones will always be hyped up based on user bias.  That's why meets like this exist, where you can try different combinations and verify for yourself whether the hype is real, or just a load of nonsense.

I have the HE-6 and have heard the HE-500 (albeit not at this week's meet). I think they're quite similar, the differences being mostly in extent and degree: The HE-500 is revealing, the HE-6 slightly moreso; the HE-500 has detailed bass, the HE-6 slightly moreso...

The HE-500 is considerably less demanding of power, which makes it more versatile and compatible with most headphone-oriented listening systems. This, along with how much less it costs than the HE-6, makes it the better recommendation for anybody who isn't inclined to pay hundreds of dollars more for subtle improvements, and possibly set the stage for wanting a new headphone amplifier as well.

As for people who compare the HE-6 to the SR-009, I haven't heard them sound a lot alike; I couldn't tell you why other people do. In general it is difficult to directly compare electrostatic headphones to non-stats; different equipment is needed to drive them, so changes cannot be isolated to the headphones alone.

Just noticed we made the front page on Head-Fi. Someone's got some friends in high places...

iv'e owned he 500s and thought they weren't revealing at all, actually they sounded muffled. compared to grado sr350s, they weren't even close. the 500s had a deeper smoother bass, but no detail in the mids, and highs

I own the HE-400 and i decided that in order to not have to sell a kidney someday, ill better stay away from meetings and shops where you can test monsters like those...

Well, maybe just once... :D.