[Music Alchemist]

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[expatriate]

levap (et al) - any experience with the Fidelio x2? I've heard it's fairly similar to an HD 600, but doesn't require as much amping. I'v skimmed through the thread, but didn't see it addressed/reviewed directly.
 
Cheers!

 

[d4rkch1ld]

  levap (et al) - any experience with the Fidelio x2? I've heard it's fairly similar to an HD 600, but doesn't require as much amping. I'v skimmed through the thread, but didn't see it addressed/reviewed directly.
 
Cheers!

To me they sound very diferent X2 has more bass slam and better extension, wider and deeper soundstage. HD 600 has more forward mids and smoother treble.
To me X2 is better can for metal.

 

[Rdrcr]

Best. Bass. Evar. Seriously. Pull the trigger, amp it right and ascend directly to audio heaven.

Awesome!  Thanks for the response.
 
Folks here seem to be pretty happy with the HE-6.
 
I have a Bryston BHA-1 which I can run fully balanced.  Is that going to be enough juice?
 
Mike

 

[Music Alchemist]

By the way, guys, they changed the official company name from HiFiMAN to HIFIMAN (I confirmed this with them), and they also removed the dashes in the product names.
 

 
Since many people are curious, here are the power requirements for the HE6:

 

 

[Fearless1]

   
 
I have a Bryston BHA-1 which I can run fully balanced.  Is that going to be enough juice?
 
 

The BHA-1 is an excellent amp, but not for the HE6 they are going to sound thin and lifeless.
 
When I first picked them up I was very disappointed, my higher powered  (headphone)amps I had on hand were the culprit (LYR, EF-6, Emotiva mini)
 
 After some research and trail and error I went with a vintage receiver (tapped) and heard what they are capable of. Then came the Firstwatt J2 and it was like a window of sound was opened, visceral bass, mids and perfect treble. 
 
I prefer them to everything I own including the SR007 and the HD800(though they both have a place in my collection).

 

[flipper2gv]

   
Odd thing is, it's the only headphone I've heard that didn't give me any noticeable problems in the frequency response. It wasn't overly bright or dark. Not sure if it was strictly neutral per se, but it certainly sounded that way. I'm trying to decide whether I should get the Schiit Ragnarok for it when the time comes or perhaps a fancier speaker amp, since I want to add the HE-6 to the collection too. Gotta strategize for the future. I know @preproman uses a really high-end speaker amp for his Abyss. I would also probably have to send it in to Joe (owner of JPS Labs and Abyss Headphones) to get it custom-fitted, because when I auditioned it at a store, I couldn't get it to fit me right no matter what I tried. Had to hold it up to keep it from digging down on my ears, and had to push the pads closer to my ears to get enough of a seal to prevent the extreme distortion that occurs when the gaps in the pads are too large.

 
Yeah. Not sure I'll have the cash for Abyss and a deserving TOTL setup in my lifetime. I mean it would be around 10k for the kit.

Soon I'll be finally done with school (doing a second bachelor's), but other stuff will have to be prioritized. It's weird that my spending power is at its highest when I'm a poor-ish student.

 

[levap]

Another dumb question, sorry I'm a noob when it comes to cables. Is the stock cable already balanced?

They come with balanced 4-pin XLR cable and adapter for common non-balanced connection.

 

[levap]

  levap (et al) - any experience with the Fidelio x2? I've heard it's fairly similar to an HD 600, but doesn't require as much amping. I'v skimmed through the thread, but didn't see it addressed/reviewed directly.
 
Cheers!

Sorry, no experience with X2.

 

[levap]

 
Awesome!  Thanks for the response.
 
Folks here seem to be pretty happy with the HE-6.
 
I have a Bryston BHA-1 which I can run fully balanced.  Is that going to be enough juice?
 
Mike

BHA-1 have no enough juice for HE-6 that makes their balanced output technically useless (  
But if we are talking about less demanding cans, you can have a bit different sound flavour out of balanced output and that's definitely is a plus.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Yeah. Not sure I'll have the cash for Abyss and a deserving TOTL setup in my lifetime. I mean it would be around 10k for the kit.

Soon I'll be finally done with school (doing a second bachelor's), but other stuff will have to be prioritized. It's weird that my spending power is at its highest when I'm a poor-ish student.

 
I'm so crazy. Planning on spending at least $20K on audio gear in the next year, if things go according to plan. Only reason I don't have all the headphones on my wish lists already is because I'm lazy. I made $900 the other day and bought the STAX from that, putting the rest toward living expenses. I pretty much do a tiny bit of work, then goof off the rest of the time.
 
Which amp and DAC would you want?
 
In case you didn't know, there is a Lite package for $4,495 instead of $5,495. It just doesn't come with some of the unnecessary accessories. JPS Labs also have a new upgrade cable called the Superconductor HP. Not sure about the price yet, but it's bound to be pricey.
 

  They come with balanced 4-pin XLR cable and adapter for common non-balanced connection.

 
Did it always? I would have sworn it only came with a 1/4" cable in the past. Then again, the one I auditioned had an XLR cable. My bad.

 

[levap]

   
Don't worry, after the SR-009, I'm getting the Abyss!

I like your style! It's really, really worth to go step-by-step and enjoy every step. It makes no sense to teleport to the top and miss the fun ))

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I like your style! It's really, really worth to go step-by-step and enjoy every step. It makes no sense to teleport to the top and miss the fun ))

 
I'm at the point in my journey where I've heard (and owned) many headphones and want to just get the best out there now, then collect lots of others later on for the sake of variety. Thought it was funny how the more affordable STAX SR-207 and Yamaha HPH-MT220 are my current favorites. I prefer the MT220 in some ways, because it has more punchy bass and is more engaging than the SR-207, though the SR-207 has much better overall sound quality.
 
I was wondering, how did you get your hands on those TOTL headphones to review them? Did you borrow them from a friend?

 

[flipper2gv]

   
I'm so crazy. Planning on spending at least $20K on audio gear in the next year, if things go according to plan. Only reason I don't have all the headphones on my wish lists already is because I'm lazy. I made $900 the other day and bought the STAX from that, putting the rest toward living expenses. I pretty much do a tiny bit of work, then goof off the rest of the time.
 
Which amp and DAC would you want?
 
In case you didn't know, there is a Lite package for $4,495 instead of $5,495. It just doesn't come with some of the unnecessary accessories. JPS Labs also have a new upgrade cable called the Superconductor HP. Not sure about the price yet, but it's bound to be pricey.
 
 
Did it always? I would have sworn it only came with a 1/4" cable in the past. Then again, the one I auditioned had an XLR cable. My bad.

 
I'd love the Auralic Taurus mk2 with an Yggdrasil. All of this with the Abyss. I know about the Lite package.

It's just it's quite selfish to spend that much money on audio equipment when I could be traveling the world with my girlfriend.
 
I'll see, maybe quite a bit later in life when I'll have golf money or whatnot (I don't play golf).

 

[Hansotek]

 

I don't know. I'd go with some randomn cable off ebay like this one

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/6-Foot-Custom-HifiMan-Balanced-Headphone-Cable-4-Pin-XLR-Connector-/111735658270?hash=item1a03f6d71e
 

Another dumb question, sorry I'm a noob when it comes to cables. Is the stock cable already balanced?

 
If you bought from HiFiMan (thru Head-Direct), the accessories should include the OCC Single Crystal Copper 4-pin balanced cable (which also includes a single-ended 6.5mm adaptor). If that's the one you got, I can tell you that cable is absolutely fantastic. It's a $150 cable, if you buy it separately. I use it for my HE500 and I also used it to demo the HE-6. I love it. Very sturdy. Sounds great. Never tangles.