[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

Thanks, Steve Eddy, for your detailed explanation. However, my ears tell me easily, that the bass is tighter on both my SS amps, which has less than 1 Ohm output impedance, than through my tube amps headphone output, which has a quite high output impedance.

If it isn't the difference in output impedance making the bass thight on my SS amps and clearly less so on the tube amp, what makes the difference then?

 
Well, tube amps typically have transformer or capacitor coupled outputs which can potentially result in significant low frequency roll off. Plus it's a bit difficult to make meaningful comparisons between two amps unless you take care to level match them (which can't be done too reliably "by ear"). Listening to one at a bit lower level than the other can result in a perceived reduction of bass due to the way we hear (see equal loudness contour curves).
 
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[LarsHP]

What I am hearing is primarily less tightness in the bass, not roll off. Roll off would make it sound leaner and thus perhaps subjectively faster, but not less thight IMO.

If output impedance and bass roll off caused by the transformers isn't messing with the bass quality, then I wonder if the resistor before the headphone jack is limiting current, which then perhaps could cause less control in the bass?

Thinking about it, my HM-801 with Balanced amp (which sounds surprisingly wonderfull with the HE-6), also has less control/tightness in the bass than Soloist and Master-6.

This could point to the same thing: less current reserves makes a less tight bass. Is this possibly the reason?

 

[gjc11028]

Quote:

What I am hearing is primarily less tightness in the bass, not roll off. Roll off would make it sound leaner and thus perhaps subjectively faster, but not less thight IMO.

If output impedance and bass roll off caused by the transformers isn't messing with the bass quality, then I wonder if the resistor before the headphone jack is limiting current, which then perhaps could cause less control in the bass?

Thinking about it, my HM-801 with Balanced amp (which sounds surprisingly wonderfull with the HE-6), also has less control/tightness in the bass than Soloist and Master-6.

This could point to the same thing: less current reserves makes a less tight bass. Is this possibly the reason?

That is similar to what i hear when i compare higher watt hybrid (tube input but transistor output) to my tube mono blocks.  pretty similar to the difference i hear with same amps on speakers.  it may be that there is more distortion with the tube amp; but they definitely sound different

 

[LarsHP]

I checked again - and now with LCD-2 instead of HE-6 - and ... ta-daaa ... the bass is just as tight from the headphone output of the Leben as the SS amps. This, however, is not the case with HE-6 - to my ears. This does in fact indicate that the limited power from the headphone output reduces the bass quality / tightness since the HE-6 needs 22.6 times as much power as LCD-2. Or am I making wrong conclusions? Steve Eddy?

 

[Steve Eddy]

Quote:

What I am hearing is primarily less tightness in the bass, not roll off. Roll off would make it sound leaner and thus perhaps subjectively faster, but not less thight IMO.

If output impedance and bass roll off caused by the transformers isn't messing with the bass quality, then I wonder if the resistor before the headphone jack is limiting current, which then perhaps could cause less control in the bass?

Thinking about it, my HM-801 with Balanced amp (which sounds surprisingly wonderfull with the HE-6), also has less control/tightness in the bass than Soloist and Master-6.

This could point to the same thing: less current reserves makes a less tight bass. Is this possibly the reason?

 
When you get into squidgy subjective terms like "tight," then there's not a whole lot to go on from a technical point of view.
 
Yes, the resistor before the headphone jack is limiting current, but has nothing to do with "control" in the bass. It simply attenuates across the board.
 
se

 

[SoupRKnowva]

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/job/1.html

started reading up on the JOB 225, i like its small footprint. perfect for my coffeetable.

After doing quite a bit more reading about this guy, I think it would probably be a pretty excellent amp to at least give a shot with the he-6s. Not too much has been written about them, but what little there is is all very good. Baring the grounding issues that have since been fixed. If I were looking into getting an he-6 and didn't want to spend first watt money this is probably where I would start

 

[preproman]

Quote:

After doing quite a bit more reading about this guy, I think it would probably be a pretty excellent amp to at least give a shot with the he-6s. Not too much has been written about them, but what little there is is all very good. Baring the grounding issues that have since been fixed. If I were looking into getting an he-6 and didn't want to spend first watt money this is probably where I would start

started reading up on the JOB 225, i like its small footprint. perfect for my coffeetable.


 
 
This amp is getting some pretty good reviews.  It sells on Amazon

 

[SoupRKnowva]

I think one of its only downsides would be its rather high gain, gonna require more attenuation then you're used too I think

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

started reading up on the JOB 225, i like its small footprint. perfect for my coffeetable.


 
 
This amp is getting some pretty good reviews.  It sells on Amazon

 
Haha I was wondering when you'd put your interest in that one 

 

[preproman]

I'm good for now - Thanks to Soup.  Next step up would have to be a tube amp.  You know I'm SS all the way.  I was also looking at the Klaus stuff.  Odyssey amps.  The Cyclops integrated.

 

[Silent One]

The preproman express...

 
Time to get some glass, baby!

 

[Solude]

A good tube amp is something everyone should experience.

 

[LarsHP]

I think the 3D qualties of my Leben CS300 (and perhaps all HQ tube amps) is very nice - especially with headphones. This is probably one of the two major reasons going tube-amp with HD800. I am waiting for a set of NOS tubes for it and two 10 Ohm power resistors ... HE-6 might like that!

 

[alota]

Quote:

The preproman express...

 
 

the express that never stops

X1

 

[elwappo99]

Hey, did any of you ol' HE-6-ers manage to hear this PA-2-160 from Sherbourn/Emotiva?
 
http://www.sherbourn.com/products/pa2160