[Stonephace]

I've actually read that the o2 should be good from a technical standpoint. However, miceblue had his o2 and I've also read reviews and can definitely say (even the guy in this thread I think, with a star as his pic) that it doesn't power the he500 well enough. It has been known to have iffy bass and sharp highs. Both signs of not enough juice.

 
I can also add an anecdata point to that. "Iffy bass and sharp highs" is a spot on description of how I found my HE-500s through my O2 (my other phones all sound pretty good through it though). I found the Asgard 1 could handle the 500s a bit better and the Lake People G109S can handle them a lot better. I've also heard them through an Audio-Gd SA31SE and I'd place it somewhere behind the 109. I really need to hear them through the Emotiva, just to see what all the fuss is about...

 

[Zoom25]

I've actually read that the o2 should be good from a technical standpoint. However, miceblue had his o2 and I've also read reviews and can definitely say (even the guy in this thread I think, with a star as his pic) that it doesn't power the he500 well enough. It has been known to have iffy bass and sharp highs. Both signs of not enough juice.

 
Damnit, that's not how you were supposed to respond!!! But yeah, O2 isn't the best thing for planars in general. Although at it's price, it really does push for details and transparency. It's super clean in the mid range.
 
 
On a side note, if things go well, I'll have another speaker amp tonight to compare with the Emotiva.

 

[koiloco]

 
Haha you and the Lepai. After buying it myself and just using it just for comparison purposes, it's been tucked away since. Seeing I'm not using it at all, it's only fitting that I gift it to you. Just pay for the shipping cost (which is like 50% the value of the amp itself) and promise to do an impression/review on it for our entertainment, and it's yours. Just me know if you're interested.

+1 Give it to him, Sonido.

 

[hifimanrookie]

+1 Give it to him, Sonido.

As long u dont give it to me its okay by me :veryevil:

 

[Zoom25]

As long u dont give it to me its okay by me

 
Oh, but we will. 

 
 
You just won't recognize it when it arrives at your door from Canada.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Oh, but we will. :veryevil:  

You just won't recognize it when it arrives at your door from Canada.

Oh i will..dont worry...my poor back for sure will know if it has a blue circle or not in the middle when i have to carry it into my home to the place its destined to shine as far i know now the package will be 40lbs... But it all depends on what the builder comes up with until its finished..it keeps on getting fatter and fatter with every new update he comes up with on my amp... :eek:
And yes i will know if u put rocks inside the box

 

[Sonido]

On second thought, I'm totally cool with giving it away, and paying the shipping cost, as long as the recipient does the same and passes it on to someone else with the same rules, and so forth. That way we get to all experience this Lepai and bring about much entertainment and amusement for all of us on here. Just imagine hifimanrookie forced to do a review between the Lepai and Blue Circle for the Code-X and trying to describe how the the Blue Circle is 250x times better to justify the price, or StanD explaining how the bass and treble boost on the Lepai is blasphemous from an objectivist standpoint. Or koiloco who will probably get rare opamps and other parts costing many times more than the Lepai itself to improve the Lepai, and realize that the Lepai is now on par with the WA22 for the HE-500. But of course it would still pale in comparison to the Emotiva. Of course nothing will top Nimzerz's video review when he shows us that plugging his HE-500 into a potato battery sounds better than the Lepai.

 

[Oregonian]

All this talk about needing more power and I don't see anyone talking about using vintage amps.  May be the best speaker amp power-wise available.
 
Who IS using an old Pioneer/Sansui/Kenwood?  I've been considering an HE-6 or HE-500 but tho the guys on the HE-6 thread are using vintage iron (Silent One/Lug Bug) I don't see you HE-500 fans using them..............comments?

 

[hifimanrookie]

All this talk about needing more power and I don't see anyone talking about using vintage amps.  May be the best speaker amp power-wise available.

Who IS using an old Pioneer/Sansui/Kenwood?  I've been considering an HE-6 or HE-500 but tho the guys on the HE-6 thread are using vintage iron (Silent One/Lug Bug) I don't see you HE-500 fans using them..............comments?

We had been talking about vintage amps for a few pages long on this thread in the past....just before people started to talk about the emotiva..at that point everyone started to stop talking about vintage amps..vintage amps sound wonderful but have one big negative (expensive caps etc.) ..at a certain moment u need to overhaul the amp because of the age..and that repair can be very expensive..and a restored vintage amp can be pretty expensive also..but i agree..although i dont like the looks of most of them..some (marantz and macintosh for instance) can sound really wonderful!)

 

[Sonido]

  On second thought, I'm totally cool with giving it away, and paying the shipping cost, as long as the recipient does the same and passes it on to someone else with the same rules, and so forth. That way we get to all experience this Lepai and bring about much entertainment and amusement for all of us on here. Just imagine hifimanrookie forced to do a review between the Lepai and Blue Circle for the Code-X and trying to describe how the the Blue Circle is 250x times better to justify the price, or StanD explaining how the bass and treble boost on the Lepai is blasphemous from an objectivist standpoint. Or koiloco who will probably get rare opamps and other parts costing many times more than the Lepai itself to improve the Lepai, and realize that the Lepai is now on par with the WA22 for the HE-500. But of course it would still pale in comparison to the Emotiva. Of course nothing will top Nimzerz's video review when he shows us that plugging his HE-500 into a potato battery sounds better than the Lepai.

I forgot to mention that before all of that, I will first have to do a review myself showing how adding the Quickie in front of the Lepai is akin to transforming the sound of the Beats Solo into the HD800.

 

[Oregonian]

We had been talking about vintage amps for a few pages long on this thread in the past....just before people started to talk about the emotiva..at that point everyone started to stop talking about vintage amps..vintage amps sound wonderful but have one big negative (expensive caps etc.) ..at a certain moment u need to overhaul the amp because of the age..and that repair can be very expensive..and a restored vintage amp can be pretty expensive also..but i agree..although i dont like the looks of most of them..some (marantz and macintosh for instance) can sound really wonderful!)

And some just look reallllyyyy good..............
 

 

[Nimzerz]

Lol, you guys are cracking me up. But, as much as I want to say that vintage amps are great, I have to disagree. I tried my cousins vintage mcintosh amp side by side with the emotiva and even though the vintage mcintosh had 200wpc peak, the emo beat it. It's probably synergy and that's the biggest thing about the emotiva. Even if it fails in power and quality compare do others, it still wins in synergy with the he500.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Lol, you guys are cracking me up. But, as much as I want to say that vintage amps are great, I have to disagree. I tried my cousins vintage mcintosh amp side by side with the emotiva and even though the vintage mcintosh had 200wpc peak, the emo beat it. It's probably synergy and that's the biggest thing about the emotiva. Even if it fails in power and quality compare do others, it still wins in synergy with the he500.

Well i as much i wanna say the emotiva is da bomb and endgame material for the he500 i have to disagree with u also..i still think a good built dedicated powerful (and most of the times expensive) headphone amp is still the way to go for a he500 or any other he headphone of hifiman ...and no..the improvement in sound compared to the emotiva wont be worth the pricedifference...i know that

 

[koiloco]

As long u dont give it to me its okay by me

You are too rich.  We are not giving you anything! ever .... 

 

[hifimanrookie]

You are too rich.  We are not giving you anything! ever .... 

Not even a headphone stand? I need a nice one for my code-x..and because of all the purchases the last months i am deadbroke now..so help this poor guy out