[modulor]

 

 
ab111

 

[148124]

all I can say in this thread to summarize all - I have had all hifimans for about 2 months now ;] - yes I am crazy ;]
 
you might find it strange but the one I kept is HE-4, was thinking about he-400 too but just couldnt stand that strange and annoying upper mids peak - awful to my ears and sent it back too
 
the best thing in HE-4 is it sounds different on different amp but always with that amazing clarity, speed, natural bass response with amazing texture +  that openess/airness to die for (even he-6 doesn't sound like that in this aspect)
 
I let emotiva a-100 run for some time and I guess I used to it now, It's very neutral in my system - I think I liked ef-5 better (better bass kick, and more details + holography) but the power reserve and effortless of emo are amazing, it is very smooth sounding amp but without losing the details, soundstage is wide as in Lyr but not so 3D and holographic like in Lyr
 
good speaker amps are the way to go with this headphone, there are plenty on the market so this is gonna be long road I guess (I would be interested only with some small ones like 2x50W or even 2x25W but all in pure A class - can you recommend some ? it is hard to find something these days on the market brand new and some normal price)
 
btw he-500 was the only headphone that sounded nice and doesnt scale up with better amp (even speaker amp) when I plug it to nfb-10es2 balanced output - It drove it amazingly if u want some all in one solution ... emotiva sounded the same with it but showed some buzzing because of its high sensitivity so no go for me ...
 
cheers guys

 

[priler]

  Very interesting and useful thread,thank you.
 
  I have a question. I'm working my way up on headphones and i'm wondering if anyone here might have a clue how the HE-4 might pair up and sound with my 20+ year old Pioneer VSX D1S receiver/amp? it's not exactly in the vintage category,at least not as mentioned in this thread,but it is old.
 
  if you need the specs,let me know and i'll give what I know. BTW,it has two modes. Mode A is said to output: Front-130W,R-40W,C-40W. Mode B: F-70W,C-70W,R-50W. Although these are for the surround sound modes,i wonder if it makes a difference? Also,it's been said that this receiver/amp can output more than the claimed 130W for the fronts despite the specs. Since i'm thinking the headphone jack is using the speaker amp with resistors,i wonder if this makes a difference?(I'm thinking no,since I use headphones with that function off or in stereo mode,which should be the fronts),...or would it be advisable to use speaker tap cables in the rear for the HE-4?(admittedly,that makes me nervous). (I believe,iirc,there's a second set of taps in the back for a second pair of front speakers,which I've never used,..should I use that or stick with the HP jack?)
 
  thanks.

 

[MattTCG]

Hmm...well, many of the older receivers use the same amp section for the hp jack as for the speakers. But I'm honestly not sure about the one that you mention. Everything on the vintage Pioneer line from the sx 850 and up will pair with the he-4 beautifully. I've personally had the sx890/1050/1250 paired with the he4 and they all sounded fantastic. 
 
As an alternate, if you're old Pioneer doesn't work out, consider the emotiva a100 for about $169 on sale.
 
gL!!

 

[ab111]

Primer you'll need to do some research to see if the speaker amp section shares the same amp as the headphone. The best bet would be to find a service manual and look at the schematic.

I hate to repeat myself but I have a lower end pioneer than what Matt has mentioned,sx-680. Its a 30 watt amp and shares the same amp section as the headphone out. The headphone out doesn't deliver enough power so I ended up using speaker taps and wow it completely changed compared to the Schiit Lyr.

I've only heard great things with the emotiva but also you can search crqigslist/kijiji for a vintage pioneer. I picked mine up for 60 a few months ago and 0 issues and 0 restoration needed.

ab111

 

[priler]

  i'm not sure if it makes a difference but the VSX D1S was Pioneer's (THE) top-of-the-line model back then. I think there was one more but the difference was practically insignificant. this was somewhere about 1992,93 or 94 when I bought it brand new. iirc,the MSRP was about $1300/1400 or there about. the problem is that the receiver's you guys are talking about are 80s,70s and perhaps 60s. I think those older ones use tubes,if i'm not mistaken. I'll have to look but i'm pretty sure my VSX D1S is SS. that could make a difference right there.
 
  ...plus,..
 
  I'm thinking those older ones from 80s(even more so the older they are) should probably have higher impedance at the HP jack. mine probably conforms more/closer to modern standards for integrated. I have found no specs on that,..could be 50 ohms,100,150,200,250,..i have no idea.
 
 
  I have been told several times by home theater fans that my model was the last of the greats from Pioneer,supposedly QC and materials went down from there. It's still working too,only thing missing,of course,is HDMI and that optilink,..but I get around that.
 
 
  man,you guys are sure breaking that 1/8 impedance "rule". I'll tell you what,sure works pretty good with my AD900X. I have to keep the volume down though,about no more than 30% and then use the volume control on whatever media player i'm using(usually about 50%). Any more than that,imho,is causing hearing damage.
 
  thanks. I guess trying is the only way to know for sure.

 

[hemipowered007]

If your receiver is from early 90s, it isn't using the same amp as the normal speaker outs. Maybe if you use taps it'll sound good. For what its worth, none of the older pioneer models any of us have mentioned are tubed, they're all ss, they just have a tube sound to them.

 

[ab111]

Primer, I'm not sure how much of a "purist" you are but media player should be at 100% then using the volume pot on your amp to control but ideally using wasapi to completely bypass windows audio processing so that your dac does it all (assuming you are using Windows).

While logically you would think a totl speaker amp would put in a good headphone amp/share it with the speaker amp section this is not always the case. I still stand by finding the service manual or someone knowledgeable specifically with that amp to check if it does share the same amp section rather than a cheap op amp. I know the folks over at audiokarma are very knowledgeable in speaker amps so possibly they could help out.

I do admit that I have to be a bit careful with the volume pot as it gets really loud very fast.

Gl the he-4 are very underrated and a great gem when amped properly.

ab11

 

[Rinx7]

Well I just got a pair of HE-4s for an absolute steal ($300 shipped!) used and still under warranty. They shipped today can't wait to get ahold of them.

 

[MattTCG]

That's a good price, but Senn recently offered them for less around black Friday. 

 

[kenshinhimura]

  That's a good price, but Senn recently offered them for less around black Friday. 

you post this in right thread? im guessing Senn = Sennheiser

 

[MattTCG]

 
you post this in right thread? im guessing Senn = Sennheiser

 
Oops...sry 

 

[kenshinhimura]

happens to everyone

 

[ignt]

How hefty exactly of an amp do these require? I own an Audioquest Dragonfly ... is this insufficient for laptop use?

 

[kenshinhimura]

considering most people use speaker amps or old vintage 30+ watt per channel stereo receivers its definitely not enough