[ckhirnigs113]

Has anyone used the IHA-6 with a Meze Elite? I just bought this amp to have as a SS option when I don’t want to fire up my tube amps. I know some Empyrean owners like the combo, but I was wondering if there are any Elite owners using this amp. I assume the best settings to use with the Elite are high current/low gain from the balanced output. I’ll test out all the combinations once the amp arrives though.

I also have a ZMF Auteur that I’ll try on the high impedance SE output. We’ll see if it can compete with my tube amps.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Quick follow-up, the iHA-6 sounds excellent with my Meze Elite. I’m using high current/low gain out of the 4-pin XLR balanced output. Bass is as good as I’ve ever heard from the Elite. I’m happy to have such a great solid state option to use when I don’t want to hassle with tubes.

 

[AnamCeoil]

Really interested in this amp. I have the Zmf Atticus, lcd-xc and HD 600 and would love to know if this would work well with all of these - or whenever something in the same price bracket, like the Lake People G111 MKii would be better.

So many options...

 

[capetownwatches]

The iHA-6 is designed to drive all headphones to their full potential.

High impedance dynamics like your Atticus and HD600 are easily driven with voltage to spare.
Most low impedance Planars such as your LCD-XC sound especially good using the Cayin's high current setting.

At the price I haven't heard a solid state amp I prefer. Remember, YMMV!
The Lake People, competent as it is just doesn't compete. It's not balanced for a start.

Which amp do you currently use if I may ask? You have some very fine headphones!

 

[AnamCeoil]

The iHA-6 is designed to drive all headphones to their full potential.

High impedance dynamics like your Atticus and HD600 are easily driven with voltage to spare.
Most low impedance Planars such as your LCD-XC sound especially good using the Cayin's high current setting.

At the price I haven't heard a solid state amp I prefer. Remember, YMMV!
The Lake People, competent as it is just doesn't compete. It's not balanced for a start.

Which amp do you currently use if I may ask? You have some very fine headphones!

Hi there, many thanks for your quick reply. I confess I don’t really understand the nuances around current and voltage so your insights are very helpful.

I currently use the IFI Zen Dac (V1) and Zen Stack to drive the Atticus, and the Project Ember ii hybrid amp which I actually love the LCD-XC on. My HD 600 go on both, and I use the Qudelix K5 for the HD 600 around the house. I’m also building a BHC but that is taking it’s time due to other commitments…

Looking for a “one and done” SS amp if possible…was thinking of the Violectric 202 or 222 but can’t really justify that amount, knowing that I will need to upgrade my dac as the next stage ( thinking of the denafrips ares or Schiit bifrost). Was looking at the RME Adi-2 as an all-in-one, but don’t think the amp section will really give the power and oompf I would like to feel.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Ok, I getting a prominent background hiss sometimes with my Meze Elite. I’m using high current/low gain out of the 4-pin XLR. The strange part is that the noise isn’t there every time I use the amp. Most of the time, the amp is quiet, but other times there is an obvious background hiss. When the noise is present in low gain, I can switch to high gain and the hiss will get a lot louder. I can’t figure out why the noise isn’t present all the time. That would at least make sense. Anyone get to bottom of this inconsistent amp noise issue with their iHA-6?

 

[skeeb23]

Ok, I getting a prominent background hiss sometimes with my Meze Elite. I’m using high current/low gain out of the 4-pin XLR. The strange part is that the noise isn’t there every time I use the amp. Most of the time, the amp is quiet, but other times there is an obvious background hiss. When the noise is present in low gain, I can switch to high gain and the hiss will get a lot louder. I can’t figure out why the noise isn’t present all the time. That would at least make sense. Anyone get to bottom of this inconsistent amp noise issue with their iHA-6?

Have you tried moving the amp to a different spot? I know I got that issue with an amp before and it was some of my electronics interfering. The iHA-6 is supposed to shield from that with the aluminum casing around it, but could be worth a shot to try.

Back to your original question on the iha-6 with the Elite - I actually just did a video covering the iha-6 and I have been pairing the Elite up to it. I do like the combination of the two quite a bit as it does lend a tube-like sound to the Meze. XLR sure thing - but also try the SE low imp and high current option. I found that to also sound very nice with the Meze.

Just posting this in case you care to see my thoughts. I wanted to also do a video comparing the Elite to the Caldera. Both are fantastic headphones!

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I’ll move the amp and see if that affects anything the next time the noise is present. It’s a bit ironic that I’m getting noise from my solid state amp since one of the reasons I got it was to avoid all the random noise issues I was dealing with on my tube amp.

In another twist, I might have fixed the mysterious noise with my tube amp by tightening some loose metal prongs in one of the tube sockets. As things stand, the iHA-6 is the noisier amp (albeit intermittently).

 

[skeeb23]

I’ll move the amp and see if that affects anything the next time the noise is present. It’s a bit ironic that I’m getting noise from my solid state amp since one of the reasons I got it was to avoid all the random noise issues I was dealing with on my tube amp.

In another twist, I might have fixed the mysterious noise with my tube amp by tightening some loose metal prongs in one of the tube sockets. As things stand, the iHA-6 is the noisier amp (albeit intermittently).

Very strange. I'd be interested to find out if you resolve this and what fixed it. It is a pretty incredible amp (albeit without noise).

 

[ckhirnigs113]

Very strange. I'd be interested to find out if you resolve this and what fixed it. It is a pretty incredible amp (albeit without noise).

Just turned on the iHA-6 and plugged in my Elite to the 4-pin XLR. I immediately noticed the background hiss. I connected my XLR to 1/4” adapter and tried the low SE output. The background noise was the exact same as from the balanced output.

I’m using the RCA inputs on the amp. I decided to see if unplugging them made a difference in the background hiss/hum. It did not change it at all. Weirdly, if I push the input button and switch to XLR in, the background noise goes away completely. This means the issue is specific to the RCA input. The fact that unplugging the interconnects makes no difference, leads me to believe the issue is in the internals of the amp. Now I’m tempted to invest in some XLR interconnects to use between my BF2 and iHA-6. I’d love to find a solution that doesn’t involve buying more cables though.

 

[xtiva]

Just turned on the iHA-6 and plugged in my Elite to the 4-pin XLR. I immediately noticed the background hiss. I connected my XLR to 1/4” adapter and tried the low SE output. The background noise was the exact same as from the balanced output.

I’m using the RCA inputs on the amp. I decided to see if unplugging them made a difference in the background hiss/hum. It did not change it at all. Weirdly, if I push the input button and switch to XLR in, the background noise goes away completely. This means the issue is specific to the RCA input. The fact that unplugging the interconnects makes no difference, leads me to believe the issue is in the internals of the amp. Now I’m tempted to invest in some XLR interconnects to use between my BF2 and iHA-6. I’d love to find a solution that doesn’t involve buying more cables though.

i have had issues with hum/hiss with the amp but it was due to stacking the amp. Initially had AMP under DAC, D70s, and that create so much hum but then I changed it to sit on top of the DAC, no more hum from the device....

looks like the device can a little susceptible to noise... so try moving the device and see how it goes

 

[capetownwatches]

I'm currently using my iHA-6 with a Resonessence Concero into a Bifrost Uber via coax.
All single ended and if I max the pot (with no music playing, obviously) using 4 pin balanced Ananda...total silence.

Similarly running a balanced DAC - I have only ever heard some hiss with ultra sensitive IEMs at 3/4 volume or more.

I really don't believe the iHA-6 has a general sensitivity to noise, be it RF or EMI or electrical.
FWIW I use a Furman AC-210 to power the amp and DAC.

 

[ckhirnigs113]

I'm going to unplug it tonight and move it to another part of the house. The noise is present even with no input connected, so I'm just going to plug in my Elite and see if it happens to be related to where the amp is currently located and plugged in. At the very least, it will rule out one more possible cause of the noise.

 

[capetownwatches]

I'm going to unplug it tonight and move it to another part of the house. The noise is present even with no input connected, so I'm just going to plug in my Elite and see if it happens to be related to where the amp is currently located and plugged in. At the very least, it will rule out one more possible cause of the noise.

If we optimistically assume that the problem does not lie with the amp itself, it will hopefully be fairly easy to isolate by process of elimination.

That's what this hobby is all about...even the smallest tweak can bring unexpected benefits.

I hope you sort it out fast and can get back to enjoying music again with this great amp!

 

[capetownwatches]

I might mention that my gears reside on a custom wood and steel rack on my desk and there is about 6 inches space between components.
I don't like stacking gear!

That said, there is a big PC under the desk and 2 large monitors on the desk as well as an IP phone.
It's likely that I might hear some noise if the iHA-6 were susceptible to it.