[MattTCG]

Quote:

Properly amped, the HE-6 can be the best headphone in the world. It was the HE-6 that made me buy a SX-1980, originally. I wanted to be able to deliver enough power right from the headphone jack. And the HE-6 paired with the SX-1980 is pretty special as a combo, I will tell you.

 
The sx-1280 is the first amp that I feel gives the he-4 enough power to sound like it's capable of. I thought that the lyr was enough...it wan't. Even the 9090db can match "excite" the he-4 like the sx-1280 is able to. This combo is the first real "Ah, I've arrived" moment that I've had in quite some time. 

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

So it turns out that my recapped Sansui AU-417 had distortion in the right channel.  I contacted the seller, and he had me try Deoxit (and I also did a DC offset check), but no joy.  So, he had me send it back to him (it turns out that he does the recapping & glue cleanup himself as a hobby - his feedback is full of various AU-x17 amps).  
 
He received it and he reports that it was a broken solder joint.  When he re-soldered the joint, the distortion went away.  He readjusted the DC offset and bias and has shipped it back to me.
 
So, the morale(s):
 
* If you are looking to fix an audio problem in vintage electronics, be sure to look for bad or broken solder joints.
 
and
 
* Shipping of old gear is liable to shake something loose.
 
And it is cool that the guy wanted to stand behind his work...

That's great news and I'm glad it worked out for you. It's really nice to see sellers stand behind what they sell, instead of trying to absolve themselves of all responsibilities such as in my case with the 2325. And speaking of that, I tried my best to get the seller to make things right with me because I would have had to wait over a week for ebay to step in to resolve things themselves which what ended up happening. All I asked him for was a return label so that I could send it back for a refund. I would have much rather did that instead of waiting for ebay to decided.
 
Well things didn't work out well for that seller. I guess he didn't realize ebay have access to all messages sent and received. After I escalated, the seller was beyond rude and used profanity against me, and it was very uncalled for. Not once did I get nasty or rude with him. He just couldn't understand why I would hold him responsible when he advertised one thing and shipped me something completely different. Well since he refused any type of compromise, ebay just refunded me and I don't have to send it back. Normally I would have offered to send it back if the seller paid for shipping. But given how rude, ugly, and his unwillingness to work things out or take responsibility for his actions, I'm not doing anything.
 
I will take much of what I paid him and get this thing fixed myself.  I have some very nice vishay sprague caps power supply caps on the way now. Then at least I will end up with a working receiver. This thing has been sitting in a box for two weeks because I wouldn't dare plug anything into it for fear it would fry both my speakers and headphones.

 

[bce22]

Quote:

So it turns out that my recapped Sansui AU-417 had distortion in the right channel.  I contacted the seller, and he had me try Deoxit (and I also did a DC offset check), but no joy.  So, he had me send it back to him (it turns out that he does the recapping & glue cleanup himself as a hobby - his feedback is full of various AU-x17 amps).  
 
He received it and he reports that it was a broken solder joint.  When he re-soldered the joint, the distortion went away.  He readjusted the DC offset and bias and has shipped it back to me.
 
So, the morale(s):
 
* If you are looking to fix an audio problem in vintage electronics, be sure to look for bad or broken solder joints.
 
and
 
* Shipping of old gear is liable to shake something loose.
 
And it is cool that the guy wanted to stand behind his work...

Awesome story.
 
 Does it break any forum rules to list the seller's name?  I think that in the world of vintage electronics it's nice to know that someone on "The Bay" operates like that.  I'd surely buy something from him rather than another seller knowing how he treated you.

 

[audiosceptic]

Quote:

Properly amped, the HE-6 can be the best headphone in the world. It was the HE-6 that made me buy a SX-1980, originally. I wanted to be able to deliver enough power right from the headphone jack. And the HE-6 paired with the SX-1980 is pretty special as a combo, I will tell you.

 
My Pioneer A-27 Integrated that I had Hamad from Amplifier Surgeries rebuild and the HE-6 are a special combo as well. I'm very happy with this setup.
 

 

[kstuart]

Quote:

Awesome story.
 
 Does it break any forum rules to list the seller's name?  I think that in the world of vintage electronics it's nice to know that someone on "The Bay" operates like that.  I'd surely buy something from him rather than another seller knowing how he treated you.

When it actually arrives, and I try it and it works fine, then I will post it for you. 

 

[Meewoo]

Quote:

 

Wow, rare class A Pioneer A-27, 1st in this thread!

 

[petemac110]

Glad to hear that he fixed it! I've got a feeling that I know exactly who the seller was. My father and I recently repaired an AU-717 which suffered a similar fate during the journey from the US to Australia. The soldering wasn't quite up to scratch and a broken solder joint was the result.
 
Enjoy your 417 - they are a nice 'gateway drug' into the Sansui AU-X17 sound.
 
Quote:

So it turns out that my recapped Sansui AU-417 had distortion in the right channel.  I contacted the seller, and he had me try Deoxit (and I also did a DC offset check), but no joy.  So, he had me send it back to him (it turns out that he does the recapping & glue cleanup himself as a hobby - his feedback is full of various AU-x17 amps).  
 
He received it and he reports that it was a broken solder joint.  When he re-soldered the joint, the distortion went away.  He readjusted the DC offset and bias and has shipped it back to me.
 
So, the morale(s):
 
* If you are looking to fix an audio problem in vintage electronics, be sure to look for bad or broken solder joints.
 
and
 
* Shipping of old gear is liable to shake something loose.
 
And it is cool that the guy wanted to stand behind his work...

 

[5aces]

Nice try Matt but they are very different beasts.

The 6 handily out classes a lot of headphones, I listened to the 500 and the 6 together and it was a huge difference. There was no competition between them.

I listened to the HE-6 on a 2012 matching HiFiMAN Amplifier vs. HE-500 on a 2012 NuForce DAC-9 and honestly preferred the HE-500 with this match up.
Long ways from vintage, just saying the headphones readily present themselves very differently on alternative gear.

 

[kstuart]

Quote:

Quote:

Properly amped, the HE-6 can be the best headphone in the world. It was the HE-6 that made me buy a SX-1980, originally. I wanted to be able to deliver enough power right from the headphone jack. And the HE-6 paired with the SX-1980 is pretty special as a combo, I will tell you.

 
The sx-1280 is the first amp that I feel gives the he-4 enough power to sound like it's capable of. I thought that the lyr was enough...it wan't. Even the 9090db can match "excite" the he-4 like the sx-1280 is able to. This combo is the first real "Ah, I've arrived" moment that I've had in quite some time. 

The 9090db is 125 wpc while the SX-1280 is 185 wpc.  Do you think the 50% greater power is responsible for the difference with your HE-4 ?  Or something else ?

 

[kstuart]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audiosceptic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
My Pioneer A-27 Integrated that I had Hamad from Amplifier Surgeries rebuild and the HE-6 are a special combo as well. I'm very happy with this setup.
 

Wow - someone on AK had this amazing praise for that amp:
Quote:

I have one of these Pioneer Series 20 A-27's and I consider it the best amp in my collection!

I also have in my collection for comparison; Sansui AU-9500, AU-20000, AU-919, CA-F1/BA-F1, Pioneer Elite A-71, A-91D, Pioneer SA-9100, SA-9900, SPEC 1/SPEC 4 and several high end receivers from; Marantz, Mcintosh, Pioneer, Sansui and Yamaha.

I'm sure you recognize that all the equipment I have is highly regarded and represents quality at or near TOTL for their time but the Pioneer Series 20 A-27 stands above them all. The Pioneer Series 20 pieces will be the very last gear I sell if ever! Even the Series 20 tuner I have sounds better than my Sansui TU-X1! It is phenominal equipment that was built by Pioneer to make a statement and it does so with authority. I have done a lot of side-by-side listening in different rooms of my house with several pairs of speakers and the Series 20 gear always seems to come out on top!

 

[moodyrn]

The 9090db is 125 wpc while the SX-1280 is 185 wpc.  Do you think the 50% greater power is responsible for the difference with your HE-4 ?  Or something else ?

I can't speak for Matt, but I will say the totl pioneers I've owned have by far the most powerful headphone out I've encountered. Great for orthos but hisses with most everything else. But they can drive orthos from the headphone out like no other. IME that has a lot to do with it. My 907 sounds better than the 1280, but for my he6, I use the speaker taps and the sound is exceptional. Speaker taps aren't needed for the pioneer. But I prefer the 907 from the speaker taps though.

 

[claybum]

My best HE6 rig is my only high end dac, the Antelope Zodiac> Pioneer SA9800> HE6 using stock cable from headphone out. I'm amazed at the bass texture and nuances, smooth midrange and treble and lots of detail. I have an adapter on the way for speaker tap listening so it will be interesting to see what benefits I get with that configuration. Even with my vintage iron and high end cans, I believe my dac to be super important to my setup. It is a step above the mid fi dacs I tried and really makes the vintage units sing.

 

[Silent One]

Which Zodiac DAC metal do you have, Silver, Gold or the new Platinum?

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

The 9090db is 125 wpc while the SX-1280 is 185 wpc.  Do you think the 50% greater power is responsible for the difference with your HE-4 ?  Or something else ?

 
Honestly, I'm not sure but yes that would be my guess. The other difference between the two receivers is that the sx-1280 seems to have the implementation of the tone controls down perfectly. I'm able to adjust the bass and treble without distorting any of the other signature and it just sounds "right." I can't pull this off with the Sansui. 

 

[scottiebabie]

Quote:

 
Honestly, I'm not sure but yes that would be my guess. The other difference between the two receivers is that the sx-1280 seems to have the implementation of the tone controls down perfectly. I'm able to adjust the bass and treble without distorting any of the other signature and it just sounds "right." I can't pull this off with the Sansui. 

could be wrong here but i seriously doubt the difference is due to wattage. im guessing its more a synergistical match up to one's preferences thangy. also dont forget that even though both are of similar vintage, the time sensitive components -esp caps- may not be of similar wear&tear. 
 
that said, ive always found Sansui more suited to brighter cans & vice verse for Poineers.