Sorry, I don't know much about tube amps. but I do believe the upgrade in question refers to the capacitors. Whether the valve is included or not I can't be sure. In one sentence he talks about the capacitors and then refers to it in more detail as follows:     'The benefit of  having the...

Big thank yous to Painterspal, Project86 and Spudharris for helping me in making the decision to order one (the upgraded version). I really appreciate the time they took to reply to my PMs and this helped explain a lot of my queries. The unit is on the way at this very moment! As regards the hum...

Yes, those drum notes are there! It is not right at the beginning but 11 seconds into the song. If that's what you are referring to then I do hear them with the HE6. It's more distinct if I were to use the Emotiva to control the volume. It helps too if I were to increase the volume. Thanks again.

Thanks for the response. Now that you have confirmed it I will try it with different hphones (Denon AHD 7000 etc.). I thought the HE6 has great if not decent bass.I believe this is also the view of the author who compared the 50 flagships. Thanks again.

Thanks for the wonderful review of the Grant Fidelity Dac. Just one thing - you mentioned the distinct sound of the bass drums in the opening section of "Tears in Heaven". I don't hear any such thing with my headphones (!) - just Clapton's guitar. Am I missing it with my system ? - HE 6 with...

Quote: How does it compare with your previous set-up-LDVI+ and MDAC? Is the MDAC really that good? Good reviews are aplenty. Thanks.

Very helpful review. Learned a lot about the HE6 from your review. Thanks.

Thanks for the useful advice. Looks like I am all set to go!!

Quote: Hi, on option no. 2 you suggested using the m903 for volume control. I wrote to Grace Design and this is their response -       "You shouldn't have to make any specific changes to the m903's setup to use it as a dedicated DAC. I would recommend that you set the volume on...

Thank you C Martens. I will carefully read the information you directed me to and see if it makes sense to me.       On another matter - is there any risk of damage to the Grace Design M903 if I were to use the HE6 with it? My emotiva mini amp isn't here yet so I thought I would try it...

Quote: Thanks. Would it affect my situation if I use the emotiva mini amp with the HE6 and the adapter (4wires to amp and the other side XLR terminated?). What if I use HE6 adaptor box or 4 wires to amp with 1/4" headphone jack adaptor? Thanks.

Quote: Sorry, what is amp having a "common ground"? I may use a HE 6 adaptor or 4 speaker wires connected to the amp and terminated with XLR. Thanks.

Wow! You guys are so helpful. Thank you so much!!