[Silent One]

Quote:

 
 
Wait until CAF.  Bring your HEs and an adapter cable.  We should have a ball, if they let us use our headphones on their amps that is.

 
Can't wait to get your updates from the show... in real-time. 

 
Okay, we'd want you to enjoy yourself so, maybe the next day. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Pass Labs amps look amazing! The price tag though is out of this world. 
 
 
@ Preproman, 
 
How much are those SimAudio amps. i did a quick query but no prices are coming up. You Happy Caper heard those amps though, if I remember correctly. How much were they at the dealer?

 
 
The one we heard and liked the most was $8K.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
Can't wait to get your updates from the show... in real-time. 

 
Okay, we'd want you to enjoy yourself so, maybe the next day. 

 
 
You got it SO..

 

[givemevinyl]

Any First Watt J2 users here?

 

[gjc11028]

Once you are willing to use a speaker amp there are plenty of very good options used or as dealer specials. The blue circle I am using now retails for almost 11k but was less than 1/2 that used. And if you do not like what you get it is a lot easier to get much of your money back when you sell.

 

[jazzerdave]

Question....which decware tube headphone amp that can drive this he6 spectacularly? 
 
edit...found this
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/general/messages/58/584048.html
 
not sure if opinions have shifted. 

 

Spoiler: ...

 

 
====================================================================
 
meanwhile i am gonna improvise...
laptop..>audiogd dac....> DV336se......>.Cambridge340amp.....>.HE-6
and see if the tubes will add some organic flavor 

 

 
 

 

 
I have both the Taboo mk2 and CSP2+, and neither does a good job of driving the HE-6.  The Mini Torii might work, and the Zen Torii mk3 would certainly do well (with an impedance adapter from the speaker taps), but neither of those is really a headphone amp.  I split my time with the HE-6 between a Cavalli Liquid Glass and a modified Dynaco ST-70 speaker amp - both are leagues better with the HE-6 than either Decware amp I own.

 

[twizzleraddict]

Quote:

And it is nit 10 K! Thanks for sharing!

 
Plinius are definitely in the list as I've always liked them driving speakers. They don't get much love but they have a LOT of grunt to them to drive pretty much anything. HE-6s should NOT be a problemo at all.

 

[Lorspeaker]

I have both the Taboo mk2 and CSP2+, and neither does a good job of driving the HE-6.  The Mini Torii might work, and the Zen Torii mk3 would certainly do well (with an impedance adapter from the speaker taps), but neither of those is really a headphone amp.  I split my time with the HE-6 between a Cavalli Liquid Glass and a modified Dynaco ST-70 speaker amp - both are leagues better with the HE-6 than either Decware amp I own.

Thank u jazzer.....i will think about sellg my pet koi for the zentorri

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Owners of both HE-6 and SR-009: have you found any amp (probably speaker amp) that can approach the clarity and detail of SR-009 (powered by let's say a BHSE or LL2 or Electra)?  I have both cans, but have been hesitant to commit to a ~$5K stat amp without some level of certainty that a 009/TOTL stat amp combo is clearly worth it over either a HE-6/high-end speaker amp or HD800/GS-X MK2 combinations.  (I chose GS-X MK2 since it appears to have a reputation for transparency and detail.)  I should note that while I own a pair of 009, I've yet to hear it.
 
For any HE-6 owner: which speaker amps have you tried that have clarity and detail as the primary traits?  Given HE-6's specs, are there any type of speaker amp (no matter how high quality) that I shouldn't even bother looking at due to a technical mismatch?
 
The other point of hesitancy is the fairly widely accepted notion that the SR-009 is best suited for classical/jazz/acoustic music.  I listen to electric rock/pop/alt-country 70% and acoustic pop/folk/country/jazz 30%.  I'm not sure spending $10K on 30% is going to be worth it.  Hmm, I seem to be talking myself out of it...

 
This is not an easy question to answer. I've only read two comments in the past that stated that the HE-6 with a modified cable and some amp can approach the 009 but may not actually reach it. Like the 009 needing a BHSE to be at its best, the HE-6 also needs a matching amp to sound its best but nobody has ever claim such a pairing, though many here are happy with the amp that they have. I'm quite happy with my amp with it.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
This is not an easy question to answer. I've only read two comments in the past that stated that the HE-6 with a modified cable and some amp can approach the 009 but may not actually reach it. Like the 009 needing a BHSE to be at its best, the HE-6 also needs a matching amp to sound its best but nobody has ever claim such a pairing, though many here are happy with the amp that they have. I'm quite happy with my amp with it.

The closest to the pure "clarity" I've heard approach the SR009s are my HD800s powered from my GS-X MKII. That said, they are still a whole league below the SR009/HeadAmp KGSS combination. Baka1969 (a huge HD800 fan by the way) was up here in Toronto for a visit a month ago and was totally aghast and just how transparent and detailed they were...enough to say the HD800s were muddy in comparison. And I would rank the HD800s ahead of the HE-6s (used to own) in terms of clarity, detail and transparency (and neutrality). That said, the HE-6s are likely in the top 5 headphones I've heard/owned of all time. So that's still some pretty hardy praise.
 
Sorry, but the only way to approach what the SR-009s can do is to listen to a pair of SR-009s. 

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

The closest to the pure "clarity" I've heard approach the SR009s are my HD800s powered from my GS-X MKII. That said, they are still a whole league below the SR009/HeadAmp KGSS combination. Baka1969 (a huge HD800 fan by the way) was up here in Toronto for a visit a month ago and was totally aghast and just how transparent and detailed they were...enough to say the HD800s were muddy in comparison. And I would rank the HD800s ahead of the HE-6s (used to own) in terms of clarity, detail and transparency (and neutrality). That said, the HE-6s are likely in the top 5 headphones I've heard/owned of all time. So that's still some pretty hardy praise.
 
Sorry, but the only way to approach what the SR-009s can do is to listen to a pair of SR-009s. 

 
I wouldn't dispute this. The HE-6 still has limitations and those two, transparency and detail, are two that I can tell. I've never listened to an 009 nor the 800 but would not surprise me if they better the HE-6. Like I said, these were comments from headfiers who have listened to both 009 and 6 so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
I wouldn't dispute this. The HE-6 still has limitations and those two, transparency and detail, are two that I can tell. I've never listened to an 009 nor the 800 but would not surprise me if they better the HE-6. Like I said, these were comments from headfiers who have listened to both 009 and 6 so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

The closest to the pure "clarity" I've heard approach the SR009s are my HD800s powered from my GS-X MKII. That said, they are still a whole league below the SR009/HeadAmp KGSS combination. Baka1969 (a huge HD800 fan by the way) was up here in Toronto for a visit a month ago and was totally aghast and just how transparent and detailed they were...enough to say the HD800s were muddy in comparison. And I would rank the HD800s ahead of the HE-6s (used to own) in terms of clarity, detail and transparency (and neutrality). That said, the HE-6s are likely in the top 5 headphones I've heard/owned of all time. So that's still some pretty hardy praise.
 
Sorry, but the only way to approach what the SR-009s can do is to listen to a pair of SR-009s. 

OK. I have followed your posts for a while and totally respect you and your opinions so I feel a little bad about saying this but I disagree. IME HE6 has all the detail HD800 have. I have both cans and did the comparison a number of times as the issue has come up in the past. To me off an amp like F3 their detail retrieval is totally comparable and sometimes on some tracks HE6 is even better. HE6 is more up front and immediate IME. ALL this is by a fraction, but it is there. 
 
I agree though that 009 and BHSE is the system to be beat but I have not heard HE6 off Sim Audio moon series amp that some say is just amazing. Time will tell. 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

OK. I have followed your posts for a while and totally respect you and your opinions so I feel a little bad about saying this but I disagree. IME HE6 has all the detail HD800 have. I have both cans and did the comparison a number of times as the issue has come up in the past. To me off an amp like F3 their detail retrieval is totally comparable and sometimes on some tracks HE6 is even better. HE6 is more up front and immediate IME. ALL this is by a fraction, but it is there. 
 
I agree though that 009 and BHSE is the system to be beat but I have not heard HE6 off Sim Audio moon series amp that some say is just amazing. Time will tell. 

It's ok to disagree....that's a Head-fi tradition. 

 I have never found a dynamic or ortho headphone as revealing of upstream gear as the HD800s. They are the toughest nut to crack so to speak. But with regards to details, I simply can't agree with you...the HD800s are detail monsters and only beat (quite thoroughly as it turns out) by the SR-009s. That's not saying the HE-6's are bad, as mentioned, they are in my top 5 headphones of all time with the LCD-3s and TH-900s. But in the end, the SR-009s stand at the top of the heap.

 

[erikfreedom]

I did a 10 hours listening session with my 3 channel b22 and he 6 and the conclusion of this epic journey is that the b22 has been officialy put to rest by the he 6.  b22 is fried. d'ont know yet what I am gonna do with the thing, but it is totaled. I am probably gonna keep the cases and that is it. maybe one day I will rebuild a b22 in the same configuration. the power supply is fine but the amp is fried. I am not impressed with rockhopper audio build quality though. they are kinda cheap b22 builds. even the cases are crappy. but, it was my first experience with the famous b22. even though it was not the best of the breed amongst b22 I have very much loved this amp and will certainly get my hands on another b22 amp. but next time a much better built one.
 
I hope my ef6 will not suffer the same fate. my lyr has been an incredibly tough amplifier. I have to give that to schiit audio. I have tortured that thing with the he 6 quite a bit and it has always did the job, even though it is a barely adequate amp for the he 6.
 
he 6 is an amplifier torturer.