[Drrizzt]

Hi all!
 
 
I just got the little dac sabre, hooked on the Project Sunrise to feed my he 500...and it's absolutely fabulous, this smoothness, big notes, bass tightness and texture. Bliss
 
 
The thing is, i still have A LOT of sound distorsion when i push up the volume more than 12 o' clock on the sunrise, not really a problem as the volume is already quite loud when i get this disto but tough, i wonder what's the problem...that is quite annoying to not being able to push the volume :/

 

[ThurstonX]

  Hi all!
 
I just got the little dac sabre, hooked on the Project Sunrise to feed my he 500...and it's absolutely fabulous, this smoothness, big notes, bass tightness and texture. Bliss
 
The thing is, i still have A LOT of sound distorsion when i push up the volume more than 12 o' clock on the sunrise, not really a problem as the volume is already quite loud when i get this disto but tough, i wonder what's the problem...that is quite annoying to not being able to push the volume :/

 
I'm not sure the Sunrise has the current to drive the HE-500s properly.  Don't the Garage guys recommend the Ember for such cans?  I know loads of Head-Fiers are diggin' that combo.
 
re: your DAC, is that the HiFimeDIY Sabre U2?  For the price, I'm really impressed with mine, though it doesn't get a ton of time these days.  Handy to have, for sure.

 

[Drrizzt]

I don't think it's a matter of power, the listnenable volume is reached at about 11 o' clock on the sunrise and it has 1W power @ 32ohm. 
 
I previously hooked a fiio e17 and i thought the disortion was because of the E17...
 
I bought the headphone in here, i just hope its not a defect one.

 

[Ultramus]

It is likely the amp, as stanD mentioned above, and surprisingly something I feel he and hifiman would agree with, is you need an amp with an output transformer for the 500s, I feel like all the amps I've used or heard that were OTL were a bit lacking. I'm not familiar with the sunrise but if it may not have a large enough power supply to swing voltage at the 12 and up volume, and so distorts.

 

[StanD]

  Hi all!
 
 
I just got the little dac sabre, hooked on the Project Sunrise to feed my he 500...and it's absolutely fabulous, this smoothness, big notes, bass tightness and texture. Bliss
 
 
The thing is, i still have A LOT of sound distorsion when i push up the volume more than 12 o' clock on the sunrise, not really a problem as the volume is already quite loud when i get this disto but tough, i wonder what's the problem...that is quite annoying to not being able to push the volume :/

 
This graph is for the Project Sunrise III. Which resistance setting did you have it on?
 

 

[Drrizzt]

It's the first Project Sunrise, i only have 10 ohm resistance and 68omh on jumpers.
 
I've seen a couple of guy owning this couple and none of them complained of this sound issue...

 

[hifimanrookie]

It is likely the amp, as stanD mentioned above, and surprisingly something I feel he and hifiman would agree with, is you need an amp with an output transformer for the 500s, I feel like all the amps I've used or heard that were OTL were a bit lacking. I'm not familiar with the sunrise but if it may not have a large enough power supply to swing voltage at the 12 and up volume, and so distorts.

I agree most otl's are not for planars..but some do very well..but tend to be huge and heavy because of the big transformers and huge caps they use to push out enough power/current

 

[shayson1357]

is there a headphone amp which can drive the he-500 as good as the emotiva speaker amp can while remaining in the same price category (sub $500) ? 

 

[ThurstonX]

  is there a headphone amp which can drive the he-500 as good as the emotiva speaker amp can while remaining in the same price category (sub $500) ? 

 
Never heard the HE-500s on a speaker amp, but my Lyr drove them very, very well.  Given the two amps, I'm sure a few people can give direct comparisons.

 

[daerron]

   
Never heard the HE-500s on a speaker amp, but my Lyr drove them very, very well.  Given the two amps, I'm sure a few people can give direct comparisons.

 
I've sold my Mini-X today and am planning on getting the Garage1217 Project Solaris amp, or something else TBD.
 
Regarding the Project Sunrise 2, I have to say 12 o'clock is getting pretty darn loud. I remember the sound getting glassy when pushed to high volume but only with certain tubes, I suspect the amp starts running out of current then. I guess the Project Ember with the heater upgrade would be a better choice if you require valves.

 

[StanD]

  is there a headphone amp which can drive the he-500 as good as the emotiva speaker amp can while remaining in the same price category (sub $500) ? 

The following Schiit should do fine. Lyr2, Asgard 2, Magni. Priced high to low. If you're on a budget, the Magni actually sounds very good with the HE-500 and it's scary low in price, built well too, not a glob of plastic. You might not even get another amp, unless you're out for having some fun with your wallet.

 

[Ultramus]

I would recommend another Schiit amp, but it isn't under $500
 
I haven't heard a lyr to this day, admittedly I haven't really heard many tube amps with the HE-500, wish I could hear some of the DNA models. I have heard the Magni, for a budget amp it was pretty cool.

 

[Drrizzt]

The Project Sunrise does a very good job with the He 500, i grab it for 120€ second hand, such a bargain for an amp of this class...

 

[shayson1357]

Lyr 2 // project ember // hifiman ef-5

any reason to pick one over the other for the he-500(or even other low impedance "dynamic" headphones) ?

 

[richard51]

  Lyr 2 // project ember // hifiman ef-5

any reason to pick one over the other for the he-500(or even other low impedance "dynamic" headphones) ?

i have read  about these three before i bought the Ember... Except for sound quality, all the three has his crowd, the versatility of the Ember if you read about for the price, is one of the best bargain in audio.... For exemple i used his pre-amp function with my speakers....You can tweak the Ember with any headphones and the sound of the Ember has no detractor i think.... best regards