[148124]

copy of my post from HE-4 thread - I think you might be interested:
 
"I have just powered up my new emotiva a-100 and HE-4, oh boy what an amp, first notes and I already know it is mighty as hell, very refined and so effortless, no hiss under any conditions (when there is no music and there is quiet in my room very slight hiss starts at about 1 o'clock but that's with my ultra sensitive hearing for any noise/hiss/buzzing etc so this is really great - I will never go for that volume + when there is music playing it would be undetectable anyway), volume range when using 2,5V rms level output from dac is at about 8-10 o'clock but the power can be felt immediately - the same impression like listening to the LYR, it is less bright than EF-5 which is very good for HE-4, very neutral
 
no sign of distortion because of running out of power, compression effect or clipping with high dynamics peak, 8-10 o'clock is like on Lyr's full power, so this is a freaking little monster amp
 
it is actually better to switch to 1.25V rms (usable range is then from 9-12 o'clock so I can skip some slight channel imbalance at the beginning of the pot about 7-8 o'clock and have wider volume range)
 
damn this amp might be nice with HE-6 indeed pumping some power and should be amazing combo with HE-500"

 

[koiloco]

Glad to see another happy Mini-X owner. 

 

[148124]

this amp is neutral throughout the spectrum
 
doesn't have such punch like Lyr on HE-4 with drum kick - it is dead flat, no sign of sibilance from EF-5 on vocals, no upper mids peaks
 
nice soundstage - almost like on Lyr, much better than on EF-5, sound is very natural, neutral from bottom to the top, separation of instruments is great - reveals real character of HP, I might now try HE-6 or HE-500 because the bass is a bit weak for me now on HE-4 (even on EF-5 there was more punch and weight)

 

[john57]

It may be possible that the bass on the Mini is tighter, sharper and cleaner that may give the impression of less. I noticed that on some of my tube amps the drums have more of a boom and a bit of an overhang. You can apply some EQ to the bass and see what you can come up with. Personally I do not understand the aversion of some users to apply any even slight EQ and rather to keep changing the hardware for better perceived bass.

 

[robrob]

  It may be possible that the bass on the Mini is tighter, sharper and cleaner that may give the impression of less. I noticed that on some of my tube amps the drums have more of a boom and a bit of an overhang. You can apply some EQ to the bass and see what you can come up with. Personally I do not understand the aversion of some users to apply any even slight EQ and rather to keep changing the hardware for better perceived bass.

 
Then it's not bit-perfect! Oh the humanity!

 

[bhazard]

   
Then it's not bit-perfect! Oh the humanity!

Bit-perfect goes out the window once converted to analog anyway. 100% bit-perfect digital hearing would be quite something. 

 

[148124]

just need some time to try different sources to post more opinions

 

[nehcrow]

Would the HE-500 need a 500-ohm resistor to help tame the volume down?
Or will it be ok? 
Would there risk to damaging my headphones if I, god forbid, accidently turn the volume on max or something? Also the damage to my ears would be bad lol

 

[davidsh]

^the headphone might or might not take damage. They can indeed take quite a lot of juice. If you push it to max, I think they'd be very very loud even if you are not wearing them on. Like speaker loud...

 

[nehcrow]

^the headphone might or might not take damage. They can indeed take quite a lot of juice. If you push it to max, I think they'd be very very loud even if you are not wearing them on. Like speaker loud...

 
Oh damn, that would be insane haha
Guess I'll just have to be cautious

 

[Ethereal Sound]

I just have a quick question. I have 1/4 to banana plugs adapter and I was wondering if I needed anything for common/shared ground? To be honest, I don't really know what shared ground is but appears to be something that some people in this thread need to address and I was wondering if I might given that I am using an adapter.

 

[bhazard]

  I just have a quick question. I have 1/4 to banana plugs adapter and I was wondering if I needed anything for common/shared ground? To be honest, I don't really know what shared ground is but appears to be something that some people in this thread need to address and I was wondering if I might given that I am using an adapter.

If you use that adapter on the Mini-X, you'll be fine. (shared ground)
 
If you use that adapter on the Lepai, SMSL, or any other amp you aren't 100% sure has a shared ground, you will fry the amp and possibly ruin your headphones. (not shared)
 
This is why it is very important to know this.

 

[john57]

Yes there is quite a few Tripath Class-T and BTL class-D amps that do NOT have a shared ground. With balanced headphones using balanced connections not much of a problem. It is with single ended connections that share the ground can be a problem. Not all manufactures state this in the ads. Loudspeakers usually do not share ground so these amps work just fine for that purpose.

 

[robrob]

  This is just for the Mini-X though. It would do damage if someone did this with the Lepai or everything else without a shared ground.
 
While Speakon is not standard, it is so much nicer, quicker, and easier to work with than soldering to XLR. If noise becomes an issue with speaker cable (it shouldn't), one can always switch to XLR and a shielded cabled easily. Most people would not see a difference, and a screw on Speakon to 4 banana plugs won't kill anyone's amp/headphone. Having another speakon on the headphone side of the cable allows quick interlocking connections between multiple end types.
 
This also allows anyone who can't solder to create a safe DIY cable on their own for cheap.

 
With all the computer RFI many of us have to deal with I disagree with, "Most people would not see a difference," statement. Interference noise is much more important than cable "fidelity." People buy unbelievably expensive balanced cables for superior sound quality then connect them to single ended sources and end up with absolutely no noise protection. Single ended interconnects and headphone cables should always be shielded for RFI protection.
 
A screw on Speakon to 4 banana plug adapter can fry a balanced amp if a TRS plug is connected to it. I know this doesn't apply to the Mini-X though.
 
XLR connectors are interlocking too.
 
The no solder point is valid.
 
Rob

 

[koiloco]

   
With all the computer RFI many of us have to deal with I disagree with, "Most people would not see a difference," statement. Interference noise is much more important than cable "fidelity." People buy unbelievably expensive balanced cables for superior sound quality then connect them to single ended sources and end up with absolutely no noise protection. Single ended interconnects and headphone cables should always be shielded for RFI protection.
 
A screw on Speakon to 4 banana plug adapter can fry a balanced amp if a TRS plug is connected to it. I know this doesn't apply to the Mini-X though.
 
XLR connectors are interlocking too.
 
The no solder point is valid.
 
Rob

+1