Heya,
So I've been listening between amps all morning. The Emotiva Mini-X A-100 is here. I'm using my Audio GD NFB12 as a DAC via USB outputting to the Emotiva. The HE-500 is of course attached via the custom speaker tap cable that Brian over at BTG Audio made for me (thanks Brian, top notch work as always).
Emotiva Mini-X A-100:
Some notes on the amplifier itself. Well packaged (double boxed), simple, not flashy. Included is the amplifier, power cord, extra fuses, and some paper work. The amp itself is quite attractive, I like that, I don't like things that are ugly or too unrefined looking. It's nice to have a little style. But that aside, the amp is also quite nice for this setup due to it being
very quiet. It has a fan inside, I've had it running for hours, and it's not audible at all (I put my ear up to it). That was one of my concerns when getting the amp, was a noisy fan or something. So it's a big relief, it's dead silent. The unit is not overly large, smaller than the AVR's I was testing with, but larger than most of the headphone oriented amps I was using. The rear is simple. On/off switch, voltage, power cord (detachable), a switch to allow the amp to be on always, off, and "auto" where it senses a signal and stays on, but goes into standby mode when it doesn't get a signal for a while (it seemed to do that after maybe 5~10 minutes of no activity). Speaker output ports are well labeled, and there's input and output from the amp so it can be a pre-amp or power amp depending on how you want to use it; obviously for this, it's going to just be the power amp. There's
not a switch to turn off the LED on the front, unlike some of their other amps. When receiving signal, the LED around the volume knob glows blue. When it's in standby, it glows green. The amp "clicks" on and off when signal is received or when it goes into stand by. I allowed it to happen with the volume up at listening level with the Headphones attached to see if the on/off click was letting a surge hit the circuit; but I heard nothing from the headphone itself, just from the amplifier as it went from on to off and vise verse (good relay I suppose?). There is no audible noise when adjusting volume with the knob unlike other amps I've used, it's dead silent. The knob itself is very easy to turn, and has no markings. My current listening level ranges from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock consistently between low volume classical to some pop/electronic. So it's got enough room with the power to still have volume adjustment that isn't
micro level adjustment, it's about the same as any other higher powered amp I've used in that sense, which is also a relief.
Listening via HE-500 on speaker taps from the Emotiva Mini-X:
Two things really stick out when listening on there compared to other amps I've used. One, is sound stage, it is very nicely separated, no blurred lines, very nicely distinct. Two, the low frequency range is more pronounced than some other amps I've used, so this amp is warm, though it's not over the top or anything. Treble is not rolled off, it's a pretty warm but still sparkly sound, so it's not killing the treble of the HE-500, but on that note, it's not also obnoxiously bright either (I've had some issues with bright amps in the past with some other headphones). So far, the synergy between the HE-500's tone and the amp's tone combined is a very lush, warm, slightly sparkly sound that is
realistic and
natural sounding. It's not too aggressive, it's not laid back, it seems to be able to handle everything at any speed. There is
no noise floor at all, unless it's in the recording itself. It's dead silent with volume at moderate and moderate-low levels. There is plenty of black space which is one of my favorite things about planar magnetics, and with this level of recovery of the driver, it just leads to that wonderful sound stage separation and crispness or tightness of the sound. It's not boring or blurred, it's crisp. But it's not analytical by any means. It's simply very natural sounding, not overly lush, not too warm, it's not boomy at all to me, but it's not lean or thin. Merely the warm side of neutral with some good visceral punch and reverb in mid-bass and sub-bass. The texture on a cello is absolutely stunning from this setup.
Compared to some other equipment, some more notes. The NFB12 for example sounded a little more cold/metallic to me, which was probably the mids being pulled down a touch, and it seemed slightly brighter to me, but only very slightly. The low end is warmer compared to the NFB12's presentation. My Schiit Lyr is the closest thing so far to the Emotiva in terms of sound. Both were warm, rather transparent sounding, and not rolled off with the treble, but not overly bright either, with what I like to think of as natural or very realistic mids which is the hall mark of any planar magnetic in my opinion. I have to say I actually feel a little crisper/tighter listening via the Emotiva than the Lyr, but this may or may not be real and may just be my psychology. I'll have to give it more time. Its' definitely a fist full better than the NFB12 amplifier however. And definitely warmer, and tighter than the Schiit Asgard and not quite as bright, I always found the Asgard to be slightly bright. So again, so far, the Schiit Lyr and Emotiva Mini-X seem very similar, both warm, both transparent, both with great separation and tightness. However, I will give a slight nod to the Emotiva in warmth and sound stage, it just seems a little better, the black space, recovery, and speed just seems a little improved. Maybe it's due to having quite a bit more current, or it's just my imagination/infatuation with a new toy. Time will tell. I will say however that at $219 for the Emotiva compared to the $450+tubes, the Emotiva sounding about the same, or slightly better even, is quite the better deal in that sense for a planar magnetic (though you have to consider the cost of the speaker taps, which should still be less than the cost of the Lyr unless you go after something like I did, which was overkill for a cable, surely you can do the same for less than $100, I simply went two extra miles on my cable).
I find the ultimate test of sound stage, noise floor, harmonics, signature synergy and speed to be well tested with Classical and Acoustic. So I'm listening heavily to some Yo-Yo Ma, Brahms, Ani Difranco, The Piano Guys, Keith Jarrett, Louise Rogers, Jazz at the Pawnshop, Cassandra Wilson, Ben Harper. While also testing some more poppish stuff and electronic. So far, I've had goose bumps a few times, which is a strong indicator that the emotion of the classical is coming across so realistically that my body responds without consciousness. In a word, amazing.
Much more testing to be done. However, I will say, this has been worth every penny so far. Anyone looking for an excellent bang-for-the-buck way to get top notch output from their HE-500, this is an excellent way so far and very affordable. Dare I say Hifiman was made for speaker amps. But, then again, I've not tried enough speaker amps to truly make that statement, and this is
not the HE-6. It doesn't need all that power. I think using something more than 50wpc at this point would likely be too much without using a pre-amp to govern volume or some resistors or something. More impressions to come.
Feel free to post requests for photos or impressions of various music, if I have it, I'll test it out and give opinions.
Some of the previous equipment I was using:
The Emotiva Mini-X A-100 speaker amplifier:
Very best,
