[Senn-Fi]

I had tried previously with my HE-6:
 
Woo Audio WA-22 with stock 6080 tubes (not able to drive it well)
Bryston BHA-1 with balanced input (able to drive it quite well)
W4S STI-500 integrated amp (able to drive it VERY well)
Hypex NC400 monoblocks (able to drive it BEST)
 
I just got in some Western Electric 421a power tubes for the WA-22 and they make the amp much more powerful.
 
At this point, the WA-22 drives the HE-6 at least as well as the BHA-1, maybe better.  I would not hesitate to purchase HE-6 if either the BHA-1 or WA-22 is your amp (although if you are running the 6080's you will need to upgrade power tubes to either a WE421a or Tung Sol 5998).
 
Yes, the speaker amps drive them a bit better, but they are certainly competitive with other Flagships off of the BHA-1 and WA-22 IMO.

 

[fejnomit]

Anyone try it with the Woo WA-5?
Either 4-pin or speaker post?
Thanks

 

[catfish]

Anyone tried a P-P EL-34 amplifier?  The picture I'm getting from this thread is go SS or go for the HE-500 ?

 

[ecapsretliab]

Folks, I own an Ayre AX7-E (60W fully balanced integrated)   http://www.ayre.com/ax7e.htm
 
Need to switch over to headphones,  but would like to keep my Ayre for future speaker use.
 
It has those frustrating cardas binding posts (spades or bare wire only) and is balanced on the output end.  
 
Any thoughts about this as a setup with the HE-6?
 
Thanks.

 

[Rossliew]

Quote:

Folks, I own an Ayre AX7-E (60W fully balanced integrated)   http://www.ayre.com/ax7e.htm
 
Need to switch over to headphones,  but would like to keep my Ayre for future speaker use.
 
It has those frustrating cardas binding posts (spades or bare wire only) and is balanced on the output end.  
 
Any thoughts about this as a setup with the HE-6?
 
Thanks.

If you have the pigtail extensions to drive the HE-6 directly off the speaker taps, then it's very possible they will sound good since the full 60W is used and not wasted as heat (e.g. when you use the resistor box where power output is reduced to about 10% of the stated output). Just ensure the volume knob is turned all the way down before you attempt this. From my personal experience, these cans need a hella lot of power to drive them well and of course, synergy counts too

 

[audiosceptic]

Someone in this thread stated the Decware Taboo really didn't drive the HE6 well. What do people think about the new Taboo Mk. III? The blurb on Decware's site indicates it will drive the LCD-2 "and other planars".
 
http://www.decware.com/newsite/TABOO.htm

 

[jazzerdave]

Quote:

Someone in this thread stated the Decware Taboo really didn't drive the HE6 well. What do people think about the new Taboo Mk. III? The blurb on Decware's site indicates it will drive the LCD-2 "and other planars".
 
http://www.decware.com/newsite/TABOO.htm

 
I'm not sure how the new Taboo will hold up, but I for one know that the old Taboo really has issues driving the HE-6.  I could have sworn that either the HE-6 or the Taboo was broken.  I love the old Taboo already with the LCD-3, Mad Dog, and even the HD650, but it's not a good pairing for the HE-6.  The new Taboo is spec'd at 4.6 watts into 8Ω.  I sincerely doubt that it will be enough of an improvement to make the HE-6 sing.  I'd love to be proven wrong though...

 

[figaro69]

The taboo cannot drive the HE-6 at all...I am a witness to this since I own the taboo.  The taboo drives all my headphones extremely well (driven by the CSP2 preamp) except for the HE-6.  With the LCD-2 its a match made in heaven. The great Frank I told me in another post that the new taboo is, compared to the older version, the same dog with a different collar (i.e., the different collar being that you can connect balanced headphones to it, which is cool).  The HE-6 headphones are the biggest nightmare I've ever had in my life when in comes to headphones.  Not even the EF-6 headphone amp designed specifically for it by Fang can adequately drive the beast.  The Burson Soloist, Lyr, and Mjolnir are also roadkill as far as I am concerned.  The problem is that I listen almost exclusively to classical music.  Large orchestral pieces like Mahler's fifth and sixth symptonies become blurry and mildly distorted when the instruments go from soft to loud, especially when the orchestra is in full swing.  I tend to use the Dies Irae section of Verdi's Requiem with the timpani hammering away (i.e., the Robert Shaw Telarc recording of the piece) as a barometer regarding whether or not a headphone amp can drive a pair of headphones adequately.  All of the above headamps, which review after review says that they can drive the HE-6 "with authority" CANNOT/WILL NOT/REFUSE TO drive these maddening headphones adequately with these large orchestral pieces (i.e., it wil do chamber music fine, though).  Potential buyers beware of the slippery slope you are about to get into if you take the plunge and purchase the HE-6. The quest for the adequate amp will be like trying to find the Holy Grail, Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, Sasquach, El Chupa Cabra, and El Dorado at the same time.   My last hope (i.e., hoping it will be the Indiana Jones of headphone amps) with regard to these headphones is the Ray Samuels Darkstar, which I ordered a couple of weeks ago.  I just hope this black-caped crusader can finally slay the beast...when they finally meet in a couple of weeks THERE WILL BE BLOOD one way or another.  If the Darkstar fails, I vow to destroy the HE-6 headphones with a sledgehammer, burn the remains to the ground, and bury them in an unmarked pauper's grave...this beast deserve no less.  Just avoid all the pain and anguish and start saving for the Blue Hawaii and Stax SR009 combo, which could finally be the end of the journey for many of us head-fiers...believe me, it will ultimately be cheaper than getting into the HE-6 game. 

 

[playitloud]

I 100% agree with figaro69. Although I do not use the Hifiman HE-6, but the AKG K1000. They are, I agree, a little worse to drive but not by much. I use a 300B speaker amplifier with 9 watts at 8 Ohms (equal to almost 1 watt at 100Ohms), and this is clearly NOT sufficient for large scale orchestral works like Mahler and Bruckner. Even piano works like the ballades of Chopin are problematic. I have read that the EF-6 amp distortion level is 10% at the rated 5 watts. It only has  a 'clean' 1 watt output. NOT enough for large orchestral works. As Figaro69 states, peaks become blurred, ill defined, messy, and clearly distorted. Don't be fooled, if you like orchestral works at realistic levels you should never ever underestinate the amount of power you need from your amplifier, especially if you use inefficient headphones like the Hifiman HE6 and AKG K1000. The Telarc recording of Requiem Verdi with conductor Shaw, and especially the dies irae is indeed a very good recording to test your amp/headphones dynamic capabilities. This piece of music is great but the dynamic peaks are really frightening. I gave up on the AKG K1000 on large orchestral music a long time ago....

 

[zenpunk]

Before you destroy your HE-6 you could also try the Little Dot MKVI+ which can swing 70V p-p into 120 Ohms according to the manufacturer. I haven't heard the DS or EF6 yet but I have tried various amps , including vintage, Mojlnir and speaker amps and the LD remains my favourite so far.
I am not a big Classical fan but Mahler symphonies are great to stress test amps. 

 

[Rossliew]

Vintage monster amps pair very well with it. Try pioneer sx1250, 1280, 1980. Even from the headphone jack, the cans are driven admirably. Or just drive it straight off the speaker tape. You will not regret it.

 

[Rossliew]

Vintage monster amps pair very well with it. Try pioneer sx1250, 1280, 1980. Even from the headphone jack, the cans are driven admirably. Or just drive it straight off the speaker tape. You will not regret it.

 

[Happy Camper]

Dear brother Figaro, take them to your choice of A/V stores with quality amping for speakers. If you like the extension of the soundfield to be held in place while all the band is fired up, that's the thing I find most rewarding about speaker amps. They have the current reserves to maintain that increased demand. The ability to present a speaker like presentation is what impresses me most with the 6s. There are a few other amps made for the 6s as well. http://www.audionotekits.com/he6headamp.html

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

The taboo cannot drive the HE-6 at all...I am a witness to this since I own the taboo.  The taboo drives all my headphones extremely well (driven by the CSP2 preamp) except for the HE-6.  With the LCD-2 its a match made in heaven. The great Frank I told me in another post that the new taboo is, compared to the older version, the same dog with a different collar (i.e., the different collar being that you can connect balanced headphones to it, which is cool).  The HE-6 headphones are the biggest nightmare I've ever had in my life when in comes to headphones.  Not even the EF-6 headphone amp designed specifically for it by Fang can adequately drive the beast.  The Burson Soloist, Lyr, and Mjolnir are also roadkill as far as I am concerned.  The problem is that I listen almost exclusively to classical music.  Large orchestral pieces like Mahler's fifth and sixth symptonies become blurry and mildly distorted when the instruments go from soft to loud, especially when the orchestra is in full swing.  I tend to use the Dies Irae section of Verdi's Requiem with the timpani hammering away (i.e., the Robert Shaw Telarc recording of the piece) as a barometer regarding whether or not a headphone amp can drive a pair of headphones adequately.  All of the above headamps, which review after review says that they can drive the HE-6 "with authority" CANNOT/WILL NOT/REFUSE TO drive these maddening headphones adequately with these large orchestral pieces (i.e., it wil do chamber music fine, though).  Potential buyers beware of the slippery slope you are about to get into if you take the plunge and purchase the HE-6. The quest for the adequate amp will be like trying to find the Holy Grail, Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, Sasquach, El Chupa Cabra, and El Dorado at the same time.   My last hope (i.e., hoping it will be the Indiana Jones of headphone amps) with regard to these headphones is the Ray Samuels Darkstar, which I ordered a couple of weeks ago.  I just hope this black-caped crusader can finally slay the beast...when they finally meet in a couple of weeks THERE WILL BE BLOOD one way or another.  If the Darkstar fails, I vow to destroy the HE-6 headphones with a sledgehammer, burn the remains to the ground, and bury them in an unmarked pauper's grave...this beast deserve no less.  Just avoid all the pain and anguish and start saving for the Blue Hawaii and Stax SR009 combo, which could finally be the end of the journey for many of us head-fiers...believe me, it will ultimately be cheaper than getting into the HE-6 game. 

 
Have you any knowledge if the WA5/HE6 (via K1000 port) can handle difficult Orchestral passages?

 

[dleblanc343]

Quote:

The taboo cannot drive the HE-6 at all...I am a witness to this since I own the taboo.  The taboo drives all my headphones extremely well (driven by the CSP2 preamp) except for the HE-6.  With the LCD-2 its a match made in heaven. The great Frank I told me in another post that the new taboo is, compared to the older version, the same dog with a different collar (i.e., the different collar being that you can connect balanced headphones to it, which is cool).  The HE-6 headphones are the biggest nightmare I've ever had in my life when in comes to headphones.  Not even the EF-6 headphone amp designed specifically for it by Fang can adequately drive the beast.  The Burson Soloist, Lyr, and Mjolnir are also roadkill as far as I am concerned.  The problem is that I listen almost exclusively to classical music.  Large orchestral pieces like Mahler's fifth and sixth symptonies become blurry and mildly distorted when the instruments go from soft to loud, especially when the orchestra is in full swing.  I tend to use the Dies Irae section of Verdi's Requiem with the timpani hammering away (i.e., the Robert Shaw Telarc recording of the piece) as a barometer regarding whether or not a headphone amp can drive a pair of headphones adequately.  All of the above headamps, which review after review says that they can drive the HE-6 "with authority" CANNOT/WILL NOT/REFUSE TO drive these maddening headphones adequately with these large orchestral pieces (i.e., it wil do chamber music fine, though).  Potential buyers beware of the slippery slope you are about to get into if you take the plunge and purchase the HE-6. The quest for the adequate amp will be like trying to find the Holy Grail, Noah's Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, Sasquach, El Chupa Cabra, and El Dorado at the same time.   My last hope (i.e., hoping it will be the Indiana Jones of headphone amps) with regard to these headphones is the Ray Samuels Darkstar, which I ordered a couple of weeks ago.  I just hope this black-caped crusader can finally slay the beast...when they finally meet in a couple of weeks THERE WILL BE BLOOD one way or another.  If the Darkstar fails, I vow to destroy the HE-6 headphones with a sledgehammer, burn the remains to the ground, and bury them in an unmarked pauper's grave...this beast deserve no less.  Just avoid all the pain and anguish and start saving for the Blue Hawaii and Stax SR009 combo, which could finally be the end of the journey for many of us head-fiers...believe me, it will ultimately be cheaper than getting into the HE-6 game. 

My recently acquired McIntosh 225 literally obliterates anything else I owned prior. It made the Mjolnir and BHA-1 sound mid-fi within the first seconds of listening. I can tell you it was a pleasant surprise, my HE-6 are scaling a level above my HD800's right now; plus they're not aggressive (and this is with LCD3 pads which open up the sound but brighten things up because of loss of bass).