[mrarroyo]

Any of you that have the EF5 own an AKG K1000? If so try the K1000 w/ the EF5 (assuming you have an adapter pigtail) you will be surprised at how well the EF5 drive the K1000.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I compared my HE-5 today to Blutarsky's HP-1000 with SAA Equinox cable, and I enjoyed the HE-5 more than the HP-1000.

No joke. I felt the HP-1000 were more forward than I card for, with a smaller in the head soundstage, and maybe slightly more fatiguing than the HE-5 (using Samsung DVD coax > Apogee mini-DAC > EC ZDT amp).

I also compared them to my K1000 and although the K1000 had a more open soundstage they had less deep bass, more midbass, and rolled off highs (same source/amp). I'll have to try the HE-5 and K1000 side by side with the SAC KH1000 and the EF5 amps and see if the HE-5 still wins.

 

[mrarroyo]

Interesting observations Larry. No doubt the HE5 is a killer sounding can, and the matching EF5 sure drives it well at a very reasonable price. Heck for $900 you would be very hard press to find a better sounding combo, and unless you go the used market route I still say it will be hard to beat the combo w/ a dynamic can/amp combo.

However, IMO the K1000 is more satisfying unless the user craves lots of bass. BTW, the K1000 sounds very nice out of the EF5.

 

[mrarroyo]

Fang, I see you are back from China. Will the longer cables for the HE5 be available soon? Thanks.

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoide /img/forum/go_quote.gif That wouldn't be so bad then. How do you know when it's time to change it? Does the sound degrade over time or does the tube simply go bad and the sound goes out?

Anybody?

 

[saisunil]

The tube can last upto 10,000 hours depending on how hard the amp drives it.

It would be safe to say that a NEW or Like New tube will last thousands of hours of usage in EF-5 amp ...

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saisunil /img/forum/go_quote.gif The tube can last upto 10,000 hours depending on how hard the amp drives it. It would be safe to say that a NEW or Like New tube will last thousands of hours of usage in EF-5 amp ...

Do they perform optimally until they fail, or does the sound gradually degrade towards the end of the tube's life?

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

It depends on why the tube fails. If it is because of natural use performance will gradually fall (channel imbalance, duller sound), however, if there was a small error in production they might die instantly. At least that is my experience with tubes. Generally not something to worry about with the EF1/EF5 design since there are plenty of NOS 12AU7s (or equiv) for sale, plus the EF1/EF5 sound alright even with cheap modern production tubes.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grokit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do they perform optimally until they fail, or does the sound gradually degrade towards the end of the tube's life?

Generally, a tube performs pretty optimally over its lifespan until it fails, although tubes may get noisy or badly microphonic a good bit before they would actually fail, making them undesirable for audio use. Even still, most tubes will provide many more hours of service than their owners generally demand from them in the hi-fi world.

 

[grokit]

Thanks guys

 

[perrew]

Thinker, what cable do you have on phones?

Quote:

Originally Posted by thinker /img/forum/go_quote.gif i dont have compared it with EF-5.Singlepower MPX3 with plug was not good not enough power.Trends audio PA headphone amp with plug was not good.Otl diy amp with plug was not good.Krell monoblocks on speaker terminals TERRIFIC.Moth s2a3 on speaker terminals best headphone combo that i have ever heard not from this world.So there should be some amount of difference how you hook the phones up.Until now i see no other report here from members who have tried it out so im waiting for reports

 

[thinker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by perrew /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thinker, what cable do you have on phones?

i use Cardas headphone cables.I got the HE-5 from the first batch and i havent changed my mind.The HE-5 sounds best from speaker terminals with 8 Ohm output(better than 16 Ohm !).Hook the HE-5 phones up with a big fat tube amp and enjoy your life

 

[perrew]

I have a big fat 300B and HE5s coming next week so will try to enjoy life

 

[ygm]

After hearing some occasional crackling and lower volume in the left earpiece noticed that the cable terminal is loose. Tried tightening it but I an see the "rod" rotating behind the metal grill. Has anyone else encountered this and is there any way to tighten it? (The metal grill doesn't look like its easily removable) =(((

 

[mrarroyo]

Yes, very carfully use a needle nose plier to hold the portion you are bolging too (on the outside) while you tighten the connector. A properly size wrench would be much better.