HE-6 Loaner Program

[MacedonianHero]

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I heard them with Dared mono block tube amps yesterday and the 40 watt Nad 316BB. To be honest they were congested with the Dared amps. I thought the sound stage shrunk and sounded better on the NAD IMO. The Leben is 18W and should be a good match. I will say this on the NAD I liked the sound of the HE6 and look forward to my loaner audition

Hi Frank:
 
How did you and Ross find the comfort of the HE-6s? Where they heavy, clamped?

 

[Frank I]

They do not clamp tight. They are a little heavier than the T1 but they did not feel uncomfortable. I actually liked the comfort level and thought they sounded nice. The more watts you feed them the better they sound pretty much like Maggies with the power. Should be fun with my Outlaw thumping some watts into them. No clamping like the vice of the LCD2.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

They do not clamp tight. They are a little heavier than the T1 but they did not feel uncomfortable. I actually liked the comfort level and thought they sounded nice. The more watts you feed them the better they sound pretty much like Maggies with the power. Should be fun with my Outlaw thumping some watts into them. No clamping like the vice of the LCD2.

Cool thanks Frank!

 

[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MacedonianHero  


" Hi Frank:
How did you and Ross find the comfort of the HE-6s? Where they heavy, clamped?"

I found the clamping force to be tight. I think because the headband is similar to how Grado does it with the metal wire in the headband, that can be adjusted easily. They feel heavier than the HD800 and feel even heavier on the head. I think the overall comfort is fair.

 

[NaturalMusic]

I want to echo baka' observation at the NJ meet: Upgrading to more powerful speaker amps produced large postive changes in the both the HE-5 LE and in the HE-6.
 
As in the case of any good speaker, both these phones will deliver the inherent sound signature of the pre-amp and amplfier combination that you chose.
 
If you are evaluating these two headphones,you owe it to yourself to hear them driven over diferent speaker amps. Your choice of speaker amp can also impact your preference order between the two great headphones.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

Quote:
Originally Posted by MacedonianHero  


" Hi Frank:
How did you and Ross find the comfort of the HE-6s? Where they heavy, clamped?"

I found the clamping force to be tight. I think because the headband is similar to how Grado does it with the metal wire in the headband, that can be adjusted easily. They feel heavier than the HD800 and feel even heavier on the head. I think the overall comfort is fair.

Thanks Ross.
 

 

[immtbiker]

Quote:

I heard them with Dared mono block tube amps yesterday and the 40 watt Nad 316BB. To be honest they were congested with the Dared amps. I thought the sound stage shrunk and sounded better on the NAD IMO. 

     Quote:

Even the HE-5LE really benefits from a speaker amp. At the NJ meet this was becoming apparent. The difference between even a powerful headamp and a speaker amp was substantial. 

 
You guys should have had me over to take a listen to the NAD. I would have been interested in the difference.

 

[baka1969]

Quote:
Originally Posted by immtbiker  


     Quote:
" You guys should have had me over to take a listen to the NAD. I would have been interested in the difference."

Aaron it was an open bar. I had vodka, tequila and wine. LoL. I thought you were going to stop by.

Even though the HE-6 needed (much) more juice to drive it, both planars really benefit from the power of a speaker amp. I had the HE-5LE to well above 95db with no ill effects at all. It just got louder and stayed smooth. On my Gilmore Lite and Little Dot they seemed to get a little unruly when cranked up high. I haven't heard the EF-5 amp with the HE-5LE but I wouldn't be surprised in the least that a nice speaker amp would do better. I always felt the HE-5LE was being held back a little with the head amps I've listened to them through. If you read between some of the lines in the HE-5LE thread you might even see that with other owners. More than one I've see where they weren't optimal for low volume listening. There are other similar things said about the 5LE too. I think an amp with even a modest 10 watts might do wonders for it.

 

[mrarroyo]

On Saturday, July 24th I listened to Ron's (HiFlight) HE-5LE and it sounded IMO much better than the HE-5. The top end is much smoother while improving on the clarity and detail, I am anxious to listen to the HE-6!

 

[Frank I]

 
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     Quote:
 
You guys should have had me over to take a listen to the NAD. I would have been interested in the difference.

Aaron please do try a solid state with the He6. Planars in general prefer hir current high power amps. My Maggies use all the power the Outlaw 2150 gives. 190w into the 4ohm MMG and I can put the volume all the way up and no clipping. The He6 appears to me to like much of the same. NAD is always conservative in power ratings and I am not a NAD fan because of their QC issues but it did sound very good on the HE6

 

[immtbiker]

Hi Frank,
I originally tried to use my Cary Cinema 5 S/S (high current), but it is 350 w.p.c. times 5 and I used the EF-5 as a pre-amp, and I could only use the volume knob to 8:30. I gave it to my son Jazzy as a stereo with a Adcom GTP 400 Tuner/pre-amp, but
he uses his portable stuff mostly. I will post my findings.
It was great meeting you on Saturday, old man, it's nice to have other people in their 50's beside Bozebuttons. 

 Wish we had more time.
2 hours over the GW Bridge at 10:30 pm was more than any man can stand, Buzz kill.

 

[Frank I]

 
Quote:

Hi Frank,
I originally tried to use my Cary Cinema 5 S/S (high current), but it is 350 w.p.c. times 5 and I used the EF-5 as a pre-amp, and I could only use the volume knob to 8:30. I gave it to my son Jazzy as a stereo with a Adcom GTP 400 Tuner/pre-amp, but
he uses his portable stuff mostly. I will post my findings.
It was great meeting you on Saturday, old man, it's nice to have other people in their 50's beside Bozebuttons. 

 Wish we had more time.
2 hours over the GW Bridge at 10:30 pm was more than any man can stand, Buzz kill.

Lucky kid. I wish my daughter were more involved. My 24 yr old appreciates the gear but she still listening to ipod with cheap buds. I hate that bridge. Good meeting you too and Boze was a trip. He is still a equipment maniac. LOL Great time

 

[Edwood]

Western US HE-6 Loaner has arrived safely in my hands today. 
 
Sound has definitely improved a bit from the already excellent sounding prototypes at CanJam.   Most noticeable changes are better imaging, tighter bass and treble.  Will post more as I get some quality quiet time to listen.  Along with pics as well. 
 
-Ed

 

[immtbiker]

What amp are you using, Ed?

 

[Shahrose]

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It's too soon for me to get into more detail about the LCD-2 sound, until I have more hours on them and have spent more time with them on more amps with more music.  Sorry.

Any updates Larry? Your opinion is valued.