[Loevhagen]

The Violectric is specified having a damping factor of 800 for a 50 ohm load. HE-500 is 38 ohm. I guess that should indicate an output impedance of 0.05ohm. Anyway, the HE-500 is quite nice on the V200.

 

[K3cT]

 
Probably texture details, conveying different senses of weight (as in everything tends to sound light with the Lambdas), and proper foundation of notes. The last one is a bit hard to describe but it's like notes, sounds etc. just kind of float outside your head in a Lambda without proper "roots" in the soundstage so the overall result is a diffuse kind of presentation. 
 
I currently have the SR-202 and an SRM-1/MK2 and I honestly think that this is the way to go as far as price/performance goes in the Lambda world. I used to have the 404LE but once I had heard the LCD2 for the first time, I never looked back. 

 

[plin]

Quote:

The Violectric is specified having a damping factor of 800 for a 50 ohm load. HE-500 is 38 ohm. I guess that should indicate an output impedance of 0.05ohm. Anyway, the HE-500 is quite nice on the V200.

 

Thank you for your answer. Yes, this is a very low output impedance headphone amplifier. Do you still perceive that HE-500 is inferior to LCD-2 (both versions) even using V200 as the source?
 
You have also said numerous times that you perceive HE-500 to be much harder driven (meaning that they need more power) than the majority of the initial reviews here and elsewhere stated. You were even thinking of using a speaker amp, as normally one will use for HE-6.
V200 is capable of providing an impressive 2 Watts in 32 Ohm Load. Do you think that HE-500 will benefit by even more power?
 
 

 

[Loevhagen]

I have never used the word "inferior". Just that it smoothen things a bit more compared to the LCD-2.
 
I've tried the HE-500 with a balanced 9W-10W amp using balanced cable and balanced source (DAC). That was a revelation. Truly. Infected Mushroom was "speaker like" on the HE-500.
 
I perceive to get "80%" of that benchmark with the V200 (using the same DAC). However, since those 80% are quite good already, I have no rush in pursuing a speaker amp solution .. but I'm intrigued and it lurks in the back of my head. Some day. Some day...
 
It is a shame. I feel the HE-500 does not get enough attention. It is really a top tier headphone. It gets lost in the HE-6 or LCD-2 tango...

 

[plin]

Quote:

 
It is a shame. I feel the HE-500 does not get enough attention. It is really a top tier headphone. It gets lost in the HE-6 or LCD-2 tango...

 
 
You are quite right, but pricing doesn’t help either for US (it is almost the same to the LCD-2). But for EU pricing does give an advantage to HE-500.
 
I live in EU, and although it seems that LCD-2 v2 could be better match to my amp/dac (CEntrance DACmini) the almost 200euro price difference in favour to HE-500 is significant. Also there is a significant discount (15%) for members of hoved-fi from odysseyaudio.dk at the moment.
 
 
 

 

[Happy Camper]

The problem for researchers in these ortho threads is people trying to convince others theirs is best without having any standards of gear, power, etc. Decay, damping factors, wattage, impedance, cables, etc. is all over the board. The makers are trying to convince the headphone market that their amp will be fine when fine is so subjective. If a watt is all that's needed for optimum performance, why are some of us using 100+ watts to get "higher performance" from them? Every maker is trying to get a piece of the action any way they can and small budgets are trying to get away with less than required to get audio perfection. The 500s are more efficient than the 6 and can be used with headphone amps. Sure they can but are they at their optimum, no. The Lyr can drive anything on the planet, not. The balanced SR-71(x) is better than speaker amps, not. Speaker amps are the end all for optimization, not. So we keep chasing circular reasoning with no conclusions. This is frustrating for a potential buyer because there is nothing that can be neatly put into a formula that equals the right answer. Synergy is a term slung around to explain why something doesn't meet someone's expectation but then try to get a definition to correct the synergy and you get a run around.

In the end, you have to put them on your head and determine for yourself what all this stuff means. You have to spend some money to determine your own standards, there is no scientific equation for synergy. If life were so easy..... :rolleyes:

Runs and ducks for cover.

 

[ardilla]

Do you have some more info on this? A link perhaps? 
 
Quote:

...Also there is a significant discount (15%) for members of hoved-fi from odysseyaudio.dk at the moment.
 

 

 

[Alghazanth]

Quote:

 
Generally I find the HE500 to have a more forward midrange but its decay trails longer than the LCD2 so the attack/impact is blunted or so to speak. 
 

 
Sounds about right.

 

[Gradofan2]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sphinxvc /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Quote:
 
Comfort & weight are also things the Lambdas do better.  I wonder if the SR-507 improves on the bass weight the vintage/lower end Lambdas lack in comparison to the HE-500, HE-6 and LCD-2.
 
Any other areas the HE & LCD-2 trio trump the Lambdas for you?  (Other than bass weight/impact?)

While I found the 507's to excel in most areas, particularly their balance through all frequencies, and their excellent clarity and resolution... they did not have the bass weight and impact that my "new version" HD650's, RS-1's, or AD2000's have - so, I don't think you'll find their bass weight much better in comparison to the orthos.   
 
 

 

[plin]

 
Quote:

Do you have some more info on this? A link perhaps? 
 

 

 
 
The 1st post in Head-Fi about this discount is this.
 
In the below post of Danish forum Hoved-fi:
http://hoved-fi.dk/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=89&p=5614#p5486
the Danish distributor of HiFiman products is offering 15% discount for HE-500 till August 31, 2011. 
 
If you are considering purchasing HE-500 and you live somewhere in EU and you are a member of Hoved-fi (or plan to be), I strongly suggest to email him at once in this email address:
odysseyaudiodk@hotmail.com

 

[plin]

Quote:

The problem for researchers in these ortho threads is people trying to convince others theirs is best without having any standards of gear, power, etc. Decay, damping factors, wattage, impedance, cables, etc. is all over the board. The makers are trying to convince the headphone market that their amp will be fine when fine is so subjective. If a watt is all that's needed for optimum performance, why are some of us using 100+ watts to get "higher performance" from them? ..... This is frustrating for a potential buyer because there is nothing that can be neatly put into a formula that equals the right answer. Synergy is a term slung around to explain why something doesn't meet someone's expectation but then try to get a definition to correct the synergy and you get a run around.

In the end, you have to put them on your head and determine for yourself what all this stuff means. You have to spend some money to determine your own standards, there is no scientific equation for synergy. If life were so easy.....

 

So true....
 
Unfortunately, trying gear is not always an option for all of us who don’t live in US. We have to by gear and then try it. This has some risk....
 
 

 

[Happy Camper]

There are loaner programs in the EU. Perhaps you could get on board for a free listen.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I find this post extremely interesting. Do your DACmini has the stock option of 10 Ohm output impedance? If yes, I suspect this is the reason for not driving HE-500 as well as SR-71B. Let me explain my theory:
 
As others said, HE-500 benefits from a more powerful amplifier. But is SR-71B really more powerful than DACmini?
According to DACmini specs, its output power is 0.75W at 32 Ohm.
According to SR-71B specs:
[size=10.5pt]"It can swing in balanced mode more than 26V p-p." [/size]
[size=10.5pt]This gives a theoretical power of 1.1W at 32 Ohm. [/size]
 
[size=10.5pt](Of course HE-500 has a little more nominal impedance (38Ohm), but the relative power difference should be the same.)[/size]
[size=10.5pt]This power difference is very little, just 1.67dB. I do not think it justifies the difference on sound quality noticed by HeadphoneAddict. Even Eddie Current ZDT has 0.8W at 32 Ohms which is almost the same as DACmini.[/size]
 
[size=10.5pt]But there is another technical difference that maybe justifies the perceived sound difference: output impedance. DACmini’s output impedance is 10 Ohm. SR-71b output impedance is not specified, but its single ended brother has measured output impedance less than 1 Ohm according to this . For ZDT there is no specified output impedance.[/size]
 
[size=10.5pt]Small output impedances make the bass much more controlled in dynamic drivers. Of course, planar magnetic drivers are quite different in this area. [/size]
 
[size=10.5pt]I do not know if someone uses a low output impedance amplifier for driving both LCD-2 and HE-500. [/size]It would be very interesting to hear their impressions on relative sound quality, but it seems to me that HE-500 greatly improves by driving it with power amplifiers with low output impedances.  
 

I am using the stock DACmini with no alteration to output impedance or gain.
 
I seem to recall that Craig Uthus told me the ZDT will output approximately 2W @ 32 ohm.

 

[plin]

Quote:

There are loaner programs in the EU. Perhaps you could get on board for a free listen.

 
Ι am indeed on board. It is very generous opportunity offered to us Europeans from Hifiman and sieveking-sound.de. 
 
 

 

[plin]

Quote:

I am using the stock DACmini with no alteration to output impedance or gain.
 
I seem to recall that Craig Uthus told me the ZDT will output approximately 2W @ 32 ohm.

 
 

[size=10.5pt]My bad, sorry. In the technical specs page of the 2A3 which replaces ZTD it does state 800mW, so I assumed it was the same for ZTD.[/size]