[Tobes]

  Can the Almarro A318a drive the HE6's direct from the speaker taps?
 
here's the specs of the amp.
 
A318A single-ended triode integrated amplifier
Class of operation: class A, zero feedback, cathode-coupled
Tube complement: 2x6C33C, 1x6SL7, 1x6SN7
Connections: 3 RCA inputs, 4/8-ohm outputs
Frequency response:
Output power: 18wpc
Power consumption: 260w
 
Thanks!

 
That's a transformer coupled tube amp optimised for 8 or 4 ohm loads. Not likely to be that happy with the 50ohm HE6.
A 10ohm parallel resistor would bring the load with the HE6 down to around 8 ohms - but of course power delivery to the HE6 will be reduced by the ratio of the resister to the HP, so there is no free lunch.
There will likely be ~3W available at the HP - enough to drive the HE6 well but perhaps not optimally.
Of course if you were in love with the sound of this amp, you might find that carries the day - if buying unheard it might be a bit of a gamble.

 

[Rockin_Zombie]

Slightly off-topic, anyone knows why First Watt amp power ratings are opposite? J2 supposedly provides 30W into 8 Ohm and 15W into 4 Ohm. How come? 
 
 
This amp is the bomb though, can't keep my headphones off. Adding better speakers too. The rabbit hole never ends..

 

[potterma]

  Slightly off-topic, anyone knows why First Watt amp power ratings are opposite? J2 supposedly provides 30W into 8 Ohm and 15W into 4 Ohm. How come? 
 
 
This amp is the bomb though, can't keep my headphones off. Adding better speakers too. The rabbit hole never ends..

Its because the J2 power spec is given at the max current limit for 1% THD.  30 W @ 8 ohms is 15.5 V @ 1.9 A.  15 W into 4 ohms is 7.75 V @ 1.9 A.

 

[sahmen]

A few questions along the lines of head-amps vs speaker amps : I already have a Violectric V281, and an audiogd Stack (Ref. 5.32 DAC + NFB1amp) both of which do a very decent job driving the He-6.
 
Recently, I have also acquired a recently refurbished/restored Bryston 2b LP, which does a great job driving the He-6. Personally, I think I would be satisfied with these options, if I was not reading these He-6 threads on Head-fi, which are very good at making one feel inadequate about whatever one has for driving the He-6. In short, I am still wondering how much of an upgrade in performance I can squeeze out of the He-6 with another amp.
 
Now, I have an opportunity to pick up a fully functional Krell KAV 250A for around $1200, or maybe even a little less, but I cannot imagine how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have for driving the He-6.  One appeal of this Krell is that, I could also use it to drive actual speakers in a 2-channel stereo system, so there is that.  The con is that, the seller cannot really tell me how old it is.  He only says he purchased it 5 years ago, and used it regularly for only one year, after which it was retired to relatively light use (about 3 months every year).  I am unable to decide whether this is a worthy investment, and I would like the to benefit from the collective wisdom of forum members in resolving this problem.
 
One more option which has got me thinking is the Ifi Pro ican headamp, but here too, I am not able to evaluate how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have, especially, in comparison to my Violectric V281, which is already an all-round competent and very able amp.
 
Any helpful thoughts, comments?  To Krell or not to Krell, that is the question.
 
Thanks.

 

[heart banger-97]

  A few questions along the lines of head-amps vs speaker amps : I already have a Violectric V281, and an audiogd Stack (Ref. 5.32 DAC + NFB1amp) both of which do a very decent job driving the He-6.
 
Recently, I have also acquired a recently refurbished/restored Bryston 2b LP, which does a great job driving the He-6. Personally, I think I would be satisfied with these options, if I was not reading these He-6 threads on Head-fi, which are very good at making one feel inadequate about whatever one has for driving the He-6. In short, I am still wondering how much of an upgrade in performance I can squeeze out of the He-6 with another amp.
 
Now, I have an opportunity to pick up a fully functional Krell KAV 250A for around $1200, or maybe even a little less, but I cannot imagine how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have for driving the He-6.  One appeal of this Krell is that, I could also use it to drive actual speakers in a 2-channel stereo system, so there is that.  The con is that, the seller cannot really tell me how old it is.  He only says he purchased it 5 years ago, and used it regularly for only one year, after which it was retired to relatively light use (about 3 months every year).  I am unable to decide whether this is a worthy investment, and I would like the to benefit from the collective wisdom of forum members in resolving this problem.
 
One more option which has got me thinking is the Ifi Pro ican headamp, but here too, I am not able to evaluate how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have, especially, in comparison to my Violectric V281, which is already an all-round competent and very able amp.
 
Any helpful thoughts, comments?  To Krell or not to Krell, that is the question.
 
Thanks.

Hi, I can't answer your questions but I have questions that I wish you gave me some answers.
 
Can you describe differences between he6 and t1?
I'm driving my headphones from nfb28 and I think I like T1 more. I think t1 has a more euphonic and 3d stage. There is a chance that nfb28 would not able to drive he6, so I'm thinking of getting an speaker amp. Do you think that head-amped he6 would be so inferior to a speaker-amped he6?
 
Thanks in advance

 

[Rockin_Zombie]

  A few questions along the lines of head-amps vs speaker amps : I already have a Violectric V281, and an audiogd Stack (Ref. 5.32 DAC + NFB1amp) both of which do a very decent job driving the He-6.
 
Recently, I have also acquired a recently refurbished/restored Bryston 2b LP, which does a great job driving the He-6. Personally, I think I would be satisfied with these options, if I was not reading these He-6 threads on Head-fi, which are very good at making one feel inadequate about whatever one has for driving the He-6. In short, I am still wondering how much of an upgrade in performance I can squeeze out of the He-6 with another amp.
 
Now, I have an opportunity to pick up a fully functional Krell KAV 250A for around $1200, or maybe even a little less, but I cannot imagine how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have for driving the He-6.  One appeal of this Krell is that, I could also use it to drive actual speakers in a 2-channel stereo system, so there is that.  The con is that, the seller cannot really tell me how old it is.  He only says he purchased it 5 years ago, and used it regularly for only one year, after which it was retired to relatively light use (about 3 months every year).  I am unable to decide whether this is a worthy investment, and I would like the to benefit from the collective wisdom of forum members in resolving this problem.
 
One more option which has got me thinking is the Ifi Pro ican headamp, but here too, I am not able to evaluate how much of an upgrade it will represent over what I already have, especially, in comparison to my Violectric V281, which is already an all-round competent and very able amp.
 
Any helpful thoughts, comments?  To Krell or not to Krell, that is the question.
 
Thanks.

Do you think the Bryston 2b does a better job than V281? If you don't feel there's a difference, I don't think it's worth getting the Krell. 
 
The only way to justify getting it is if you will be driving speakers as well. But I would be careful buying used, there are things that can go wrong if the amp is really old. 250A was released almost 20 years ago. 

 

[sahmen]

  Do you think the Bryston 2b does a better job than V281? If you don't feel there's a difference, I don't think it's worth getting the Krell. 
 
The only way to justify getting it is if you will be driving speakers as well. But I would be careful buying used, there are things that can go wrong if the amp is really old. 250A was released almost 20 years ago. 

Re : Bryston 2b LP vs V281 :  There are slight and subtle differences in the SQs they produce, but it will take extensive A/B listening to nail them down.  Incidentally, I get to listen to the Bryston 2b LP more, simply because I can move it around the house more easily, whereas the V281 is stationary, because it is integrated into my HT system (along with the Schiit Yggy with which it is paired) for two-channel stereo duties.  There are times when I think the 2b LP produces very slightly meatier bass than the V281, but again, I have not done much extensive HP listening with the V281 to give a final judgment on this question simply because it is more convenient for me to use the 2b LP for everyday listening in my couch, while I am trying to get some work done on my laptop... So that is that.  On the few occasions on which I have listened to the He-6 on the V281, I have found it to be very competent and able on its own (that is when I am not trying to compare it to any other amp).  It is possible that the bass on the v281, while slightly leaner, as compared with the 2b LP, would have relatively more texture... But all of this remain to be decided.
 
On the KRELL:  I admit that the possibility of trying it on my speakers for 2-channel stereo listening is a bigger point of attraction than what it can do for He-6, now that I think about it.  But you're right that the unknowns about it are probably far too much to justify the risk of investing in it.  The more I think about it, the less I am inclined to pull the trigger, I should say.
 
And by the way, thanks a lot for your input.

 

[Armaegis]

And you realize that the Bryston 2B is perfectly capable of drivers speakers as well right?

 

[sahmen]

  And you realize that the Bryston 2B is perfectly capable of drivers speakers as well right?

You're right about that, except that I have not had the opportunity to try it on any speakers yet.

 

 

[Armaegis]

Speaking as the guy who started off the whole 2B + HE-6 pairing, I think the Bryston is the value proposition to beat in that price bracket, with the bonus of being very compact and rack mountable. My current primary amp is the B60 which is the integrated version of the 2B and I have not felt a need to upgrade in a while.
 
Also, that's not a great price on the Krell... unless it was recently serviced and recapped, it should be coming in under 1k.

 

[sahmen]

  Hi, I can't answer your questions but I have questions that I wish you gave me some answers.
 
Can you describe differences between he6 and t1?
I'm driving my headphones from nfb28 and I think I like T1 more. I think t1 has a more euphonic and 3d stage. There is a chance that nfb28 would not able to drive he6, so I'm thinking of getting an speaker amp. Do you think that head-amped he6 would be so inferior to a speaker-amped he6?
 
Thanks in advance

I had the T1 before, and liked it whenever I used it on my gear, but for mostly logistical reasons, I tended to listen more to the He-6 on my rigs (especially the Audiogd Ref 5.32/NFB1amp), and developed an attachment to it which I could not equally devote to the T1.  Eventually, I decided to sell the T1 only because I was barely using it, and I thought it was an excellent pair of cans which deserved better TLC.
 
I have never used the NFB28 before, so I cannot comment on it, but my on my Reference 5.32 and NFB1amp combo connected via ACSS, I did prefer the performance of the He-6 for all kinds of music over the T1, which is not to say that the T1 was necessarily a slouch.  I just happened to reach for the He-6 more often.

 

[sahmen]

  Speaking as the guy who started off the whole 2B + HE-6 pairing, I think the Bryston is the value proposition to beat in that price bracket, with the bonus of being very compact and rack mountable. My current primary amp is the B60 which is the integrated version of the 2B and I have not felt a need to upgrade in a while.
 
Also, that's not a great price on the Krell... unless it was recently serviced and recapped, it should be coming in under 1k.

I hear you, loud and clear

 .  To be fair, I was not planning on paying the asking price either.  For now, I am more inclined to pass on the Krell altogether.

 

[jelt2359]

  I hear you, loud and clear

 .  To be fair, I was not planning on paying the asking price either.  For now, I am more inclined to pass on the Krell altogether.

Speaker amps are just like headphone amps. Looking at the quality of an amp just by the amount of power it gives out is wrong. It's a necessary step, but hardly the most important.
 
The problem is that you're probably shopping in the value segment of speaker amps, and comparing them against rather good headphone amps. Once you start stepping up your speaker amp budget, I think you'll start seeing a much bigger improvement in the HE6. Unfortunately that also means you're bidding against two channel speaker owners by this point...

 

[Armaegis]

Two amps that I've had across my desk for review recently that actually did quite well with the HE-6 are the Neurochrome HP-1 and Wolf Ear Makoyi, both fairly new Canadian companies. I will have reviews posted up in the next week or so, but in brief:
 
The Neurochrome is a measurements beast and one of the most clean/neutral/detailed amps that I've ever heard. Available in DIY or completed form. It doesn't reach quite as deep as a full fledged speaker amp, but really nothing does that other than beastly amps. The HP-1 is also tiny, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Feeding it from my mixer on low gain, I could push to easily loud levels.
 
The Makoyi is a big honkin' SET tube amp and dwarfs the HP-1 for size and weight. Not nearly as detailed, but so much of the "stereotypical" tubey goodness and responds very well to tube rolling. In fact, I would say upgrading the tubes is mandatory on this thing. I had people comparing the two amps back and forth at a recent meet and almost universally the HP-1 was the "technical" one and the Makoyi was the "fun" one.

 

[potterma]

  Two amps that I've had across my desk for review recently that actually did quite well with the HE-6 are the Neurochrome HP-1 and Wolf Ear Makoyi, both fairly new Canadian companies. I will have reviews posted up in the next week or so, but in brief:
 
The Neurochrome is a measurements beast and one of the most clean/neutral/detailed amps that I've ever heard. Available in DIY or completed form. It doesn't reach quite as deep as a full fledged speaker amp, but really nothing does that other than beastly amps. The HP-1 is also tiny, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Feeding it from my mixer on low gain, I could push to easily loud levels.
 
The Makoyi is a big honkin' SET tube amp and dwarfs the HP-1 for size and weight. Not nearly as detailed, but so much of the "stereotypical" tubey goodness and responds very well to tube rolling. In fact, I would say upgrading the tubes is mandatory on this thing. I had people comparing the two amps back and forth at a recent meet and almost universally the HP-1 was the "technical" one and the Makoyi was the "fun" one.

Very cool!  I've got a Neurochrome HP-1 due in later this month from @Tomchr.  Good to see his stuff getting some head-time. 
I also built his Mod86 speaker amp and configured it as a headphone amp.  Its another measurement beast, though not to the level of the HP-1.  Really liking the Mod86.  Trying to find something that my F1 does better, and can't yet.  Need more dedicated comparison time, but, boy howdy!  This thing will give just about anything a run for its money.
Looking forward to your impressions of the HP-1.