[Articnoise]

Penned a review on two amps with the HE6 here. The Pass Labs XA25 (25 wpc at 8ohms) and the First Watt F7 (20 wpc at 8 ohms). Both designed and sold by Nelson Pass.

theheadphonelist.com/pass-labs-xa25-vs-first-watt-f7-the-two-newest-nelson-pass-amplifiers-go-head-to-head/

Nice review!

 

[Thenewguy007]

Penned a review on two amps with the HE6 here. The Pass Labs XA25 (25 wpc at 8ohms) and the First Watt F7 (20 wpc at 8 ohms). Both designed and sold by Nelson Pass.

theheadphonelist.com/pass-labs-xa25-vs-first-watt-f7-the-two-newest-nelson-pass-amplifiers-go-head-to-head/

Do you think the extra the extra 5 watts of power the XA25 has over the F7 is what made the XA25 sound more powerful & dynamic? I mean technically 5 watts is what most headamps wish they could output.

For that matter did you try the 200W Hegel H20 amp in your signature with the HE-6? Did it compare to Nelson made gear?

 

[Thenewguy007]

Hey guys,

Please may I have your advise?

Tomorrow (all going well) the front door bell will ring and a delivery driver will hand me a box containing an HE-6

Included in the box is a cable that will allow me to connect the HE-6 to the speaker taps of my old Arcam AVR 350. In Direct (2 Channel) Mode the Arcam will push 120W into 8ohms.

After reading up (here in this thread and the HE-6 dedicated amp thread) I'm 99% certain I can connect my HE-6 directly to the Arcam's speaker taps and as long as I'm mindful of the volume control (my DAC also has volume control) the HE-6 will suffer no ill effects.

Is this correct?

Wondering myself.
If DAC didn't have a volume control would a pre-amp be absolutely necessary? Like can I just connect the HE-6 to the speaker taps with a cable adapter & then the amp to a DAC & just control the volume with foobar?

Would that not be advisable?

 

[cskippy]

That could make for a VERY bad day with one little lapse of concentration. Is it worth destroying your HE-6 and or hearing over getting even a cheap preamp such as a SYS or Control Freak?

 

[jerick70]

Wondering myself.
If DAC didn't have a volume control would a pre-amp be absolutely necessary? Like can I just connect the HE-6 to the speaker taps with a cable adapter & then the amp to a DAC & just control the volume with foobar?

Would that not be advisable?

That a very bad idea. You'll most likely melt down your HE-6s.

 

[Thenewguy007]

That a very bad idea. You'll most likely melt down your HE-6s.

Even with the lower wattage power amp? Like 20-ish watts into 4 ohms?

I wouldn't dare try it with the 400 - 600 watt monsters.

 

[LarsHP]

Even with the lower wattage power amp? Like 20-ish watts into 4 ohms?

I wouldn't dare try it with the 400 - 600 watt monsters.

Don't. Even if it's a relatively low powered amp, letting out the full power could damage your hearing and possibly the headphones too in just a second.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

lol this is why i prefer integrateds

 

[jerick70]

Don't. Even if it's a relatively low powered amp, letting out the full power could damage your hearing and possibly the headphones too in just a second.

Yes I agree.

Even with the lower wattage power amp? Like 20-ish watts into 4 ohms?

I wouldn't dare try it with the 400 - 600 watt monsters.

Yes even with a lower power amp, don't do it.

 

[peter123]

Since searching on this new site is not working very well and this is a very large thread I'll post my question here and if it's been asked before I apologize.

I'm considering buying a HE-6 and wonder if anyone has experience with pairing them with one or more of the following amplifiers: Burson Conductor V2+, Project Ember II and Nuforce HA-200 x 2 (balanced setup)?

 

[Velomane]

I'm considering buying a HE-6 and wonder if anyone has experience with pairing them with one or more of the following amplifiers: Burson Conductor V2+, Project Ember II and Nuforce HA-200 x 2 (balanced setup)?

I've paired my HE-6's with a balanced HA-200 setup. This worked very well. Very quiet background, enough power to drive the headphones which sounded very good. Armaegis posted a review of this setup: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/review-nuforce-ha-200-affordable-class-a-monoblocks.724153/

 

[peter123]

I've paired my HE-6's with a balanced HA-200 setup. This worked very well. Very quiet background, enough power to drive the headphones which sounded very good. Armaegis posted a review of this setup: https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/review-nuforce-ha-200-affordable-class-a-monoblocks.724153/

Thanks a lot! Funny, I actually red that review back when I decided to get the HA-200's but didn't remember that he used the HE-6. I'm using a Dacmagic Plus as pre amp/dac for them and it output 4.2v from the xlr pre outs so that should give enough volume.

That's great news though as I already know that the V2+ and Ember are able to drive them, there's a good chance that I enjoy them with at least one of these setups.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Can someone tell me the differences between the 4 screw version & the 6 screw version?

I read here while ago that the 6 screw version was the newer revision & better headphone, but a month or two back I read on one of the HE-6 threads (this one or the amp HE-6 pairing thread) that the 4 screw version was superior. I tried finding that post, but couldn't dig it up. Can anyone who heard both give a definite answer?

 

[jarnopp]

Can someone tell me the differences between the 4 screw version & the 6 screw version?

I read here while ago that the 6 screw version was the newer revision & better headphone, but a month or two back I read on one of the HE-6 threads (this one or the amp HE-6 pairing thread) that the 4 screw version was superior. I tried finding that post, but couldn't dig it up. Can anyone who heard both give a definite answer?

2 screws.

But seriously, start here and you should find as comprehensive answer as is out there:
https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/h...etic-headphone.493214/page-1255#post-12633051

 

[raindogtrombone]

Hi everyone, sort of new to posting here, but long time lurker. I picked up some HE-6s a couple of months ago. They are the 4-screw version, and looked like they had a bit of cosmetic wear, especially on the attached velour pads. I finally got around to replacing the pads with Focus Pads, figuring that they would work well. They perform nicely soundwise, but I don't find they fit that well - they move around a little bit (not so much when I'm listening but if I move too much they shift and squeak). Thoughts about the compatibility? Apologies if this has been discussed before.