[gugman]

The only amp that gave me a "WOW" moment so far has been the BH Crack with the HD-800, I was using a Ember and Lyr2 when I got the HD-800 and it sounded flat without any dynamics.

For the HE-400i almost any decent amp like the Lyr2/Ember/HA-501 will give you great sound.  I was able to try the HE-400i at my friends house with a AudioGD Master 7 and Cavalli Liquid Gold / Chord Hugo TT, there was a very small difference in the soundstage and the bass went a little lower but at price of those 3 components you are really in the area of diminishing returns.  The HE-560 did benefit a lot more than the HE-400i with the upgraded gear but IMO its to far in to the diminishing returns also, I'd rather get a few more different headphones and more music to enjoy.

"Wow" more as an all arounder amp, all my headphones sound so much better with it, i did not mean only he400i

 

[Semont]

So my unit's left diaphragm stopped producing sound when turned at certain angles.
 
Upon inspection, I found out that pushing against the earpad would either momentarily restore or take the sound away.
 
So I took off the earpad and undid a screw which made the sound come back a bit more.
 
After some more inspection, I found out that the support frame that lies on top of the housing structure and diaphragm can cause it to malfunction if too much pressure is placed on top of it.

 

[Jbmorrey]

The only amp that gave me a "WOW" moment so far has been the BH Crack with the HD-800, I was using a Ember and Lyr2 when I got the HD-800 and it sounded flat without any dynamics.

For the HE-400i almost any decent amp like the Lyr2/Ember/HA-501 will give you great sound.  I was able to try the HE-400i at my friends house with a AudioGD Master 7 and Cavalli Liquid Gold / Chord Hugo TT, there was a very small difference in the soundstage and the bass went a little lower but at price of those 3 components you are really in the area of diminishing returns.  The HE-560 did benefit a lot more than the HE-400i with the upgraded gear but IMO its to far in to the diminishing returns also, I'd rather get a few more different headphones and more music to enjoy.

So I am considering selling my Little Dot II++ and magni2 modi2 combo to get a better amp, you mentioned 3 amps above that would give the HE-400i great sound lyr2 ($500) Ember($300) and HA-501($800) . I currently have the HE40i and Denon D2000, Fostex T50rp, is it my understanding that a $300 ember is close to the HA-501, or is it that there is only just so much you can get from the 400i, and the ember can drive it To its fullest potential just as the others. . I assume you can upgrade your headphone much higher with the HA-501? I do not see my wallet allowing me to upgrade much higher than the 400i, and would like to know which step up amp would be best(desktop).

 

[DavidA]

So I am considering selling my Little Dot II++ and magni2 modi2 combo to get a better amp, you mentioned 3 amps above that would give the HE-400i great sound lyr2 ($500) Ember($300) and HA-501($800) . I currently have the HE40i and Denon D2000, Fostex T50rp, is it my understanding that a $300 ember is close to the HA-501, or is it that there is only just so much you can get from the 400i, and the ember can drive it To its fullest potential just as the others. . I assume you can upgrade your headphone much higher with the HA-501? I do not see my wallet allowing me to upgrade much higher than the 400i, and would like to know which step up amp would be best(desktop).

Go with the Ember, gives you the most flexibility.  The Lyr2 with some headphones and different tubes can sound better than the Ember but if you are not going upward of HE-400i I wouldn't spend the extra, for me either one drives the HE-400i quite well.  The HA-501 I just tried in Japan and while its a great SS amp and lets you adjust the damping factor to better match headphones I think you can get the Polaris for less than half the cost and it would be really hard to tell the difference.

 

[Jbmorrey]

Go with the Ember, gives you the most flexibility.  The Lyr2 with some headphones and different tubes can sound better than the Ember but if you are not going upward of HE-400i I wouldn't spend the extra, for me either one drives the HE-400i quite well.  The HA-501 I just tried in Japan and while its a great SS amp and lets you adjust the damping factor to better match headphones I think you can get the Polaris for less than half the cost and it would be really hard to tell the difference.

 


Ok, so I don't want to open a whole can of worms here, but it seems as though the Ember might be a little hard to find used, I can be cheap like that. I would be willing to spend $300 range used, are there other simular amps to the Ember to keep an eye out for, I would prefer a tube amp as it seems to warm things up a bit.

 

[Fearless1]

   


Ok, so I don't want to open a whole can of worms here, but it seems as though the Ember might be a little hard to find used, I can be cheap like that. I would be willing to spend $300 range used, are there other simular amps to the Ember to keep an eye out for, I would prefer a tube amp as it seems to warm things up a bit.

An EF-5 pairs well with the 400i, they come up used often for under 300.

 

[PacoBdn]

Cita:

Iniciado por velvetx /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Acabo de escuchar a estas hoy y el hombre era yo impresionado. Vendí recientemente mi par de HE-500 debido a problemas con la comodidad. El 400i es tan ligero y la definición del sonido es increíble. El bajo se inicia igual que el HE500.
 
Yo sólo podía escuchar a estos durante todo el día sin problemas.

+1.

 

[DavidA]

 

  Go with the Ember, gives you the most flexibility.  The Lyr2 with some headphones and different tubes can sound better than the Ember but if you are not going upward of HE-400i I wouldn't spend the extra, for me either one drives the HE-400i quite well.  The HA-501 I just tried in Japan and while its a great SS amp and lets you adjust the damping factor to better match headphones I think you can get the Polaris for less than half the cost and it would be really hard to tell the difference.

Ok, so I don't want to open a whole can of worms here, but it seems as though the Ember might be a little hard to find used, I can be cheap like that. I would be willing to spend $300 range used, are there other simular amps to the Ember to keep an eye out for, I would prefer a tube amp as it seems to warm things up a bit.

Take a look at the Solstice, $250 built w/ 5 yr warranty, with shipping its still under $300, uses most of the same tubes as the Ember, only have to change the heater voltage manually depending on which family of tubes being used.

 

[torta]

  Take a look at the Solstice, $250 built w/ 5 yr warranty, with shipping its still under $300, uses most of the same tubes as the Ember, only have to change the heater voltage manually depending on which family of tubes being used.

I drive 400i with fiio 07k. What could I expect from Ember or Solstice? Anyone with experience to share?

 

[DavidA]

 
I drive 400i with fiio 07k. What could I expect from Ember or Solstice? Anyone with experience to share?

I never tried 07K so I can't say what improvements you will get with the Ember or Solstice.  I can say that going from my fiio X3 to the Ember the soundstage is a little wider, bass extends lower and has a little more weight, mids don't seem to change much, highs are a little more extended and a tad smoother to me.  Its not like a night and day difference but it is noticeable and also depends on the genre of music that I listen to.  The differences are more noticeable with well recorded jazz, classical and new age.  For rock, classic rock, J-pop, K-pop and easy listening the difference is harder to notice, this is just me, others may feel otherwise.

 

[abhijollyguy]

Has anyone tried HIFIMAN EF100 considering both the products are from the same company so it would be a better match?

 

[DavidA]

  Has anyone tried HIFIMAN EF100 considering both the products are from the same company so it would be a better match?

I think you are the first to mention the EF-100 on this thread that I know of.  It doesn't seem to be very popular since I haven't seen it mentioned on this or HE-400 thread.  I've stopped going to HE-560 thread for a while now so it might have been mentioned there.

 

[money4me247]

nope. I think the lyr 2 & gustard hp10 are the two most popularly discussed amps for the he-560 in that thread. not much discussion on the ef100.

honestly, it shld be fine if u like it. i demoed it briefly & worked well.

 

[abhijollyguy]

nope. I think the lyr 2 & gustard hp10 are the two most popularly discussed amps for the he-560 in that thread. not much discussion on the ef100.

honestly, it shld be fine if u like it. i demoed it briefly & worked well.

 
What is the sound signature of EF100 and how is it compared to Lyr/lyr2, project ember, little dot MK IV?

 

[Daveed84]

Thank god they're using a new connector. I've had my pair for all of two weeks and I've gone through TWO cables -- one cable was DOA, and the sound would cut out in one speaker if I moved the 3.5mm connector the wrong way, and now the replacement cable just disconnected from the part where it screws on (the cable itself came apart, not where it connects to the headphone) after just less than two weeks of use. Guess I'm just unlucky...