[wdahm519]

Looks like it outputs 67mV into 8 ohms.  That's only 0.595mW.  Not nearly enough to drive headphones like the HE-500's, but those numbers seem suspect.  0.595mW isn't enough to drive many headphones at all.  Especially since even the lowest impedance IEM's are only 16 ohms (lets say...), which means that those tiny IEM's are only getting 0.2975mW.  
 
If a very efficient IEM were to be used with that unit:
 
dBSPL = Sensitivity in dB/mW + 10 * LOG ( Pmax in mW) = 118 (JH16 Pro) + 10 * LOG (0.2975) = 105dB (just barely loud enough to power a tiny IEM).  
 
 
I don't like that spec of 67mV into 8 ohms.  It seems way too low?  Surely it would be higher than that.

 

[plin]

I guess you mean its headphone output. Of course one can use its speaker output. According to its user manual it can output 25W/8Ohm or 5 solid watts at 40 Ohm, quite good for HE500, or even HE-6! 5W are not too much, so a direct connection to speaker taps is possible (but, please, check always before for any excessive DC voltage).

 

[sregor]

I am looking to jump ship to a Schiit Mjolnir and Gungnir for my HE-500s when they come out. They Mjolnir is pumping 45V P-P typ. Into 32 ohms, or 8W RMS into 32 ohms, 5W RMS into 50 ohms. Which should be plenty of power for the HE-500, and will be running balanced. Yummy

 

[wdahm519]

Quote:

I guess you mean its headphone output. Of course one can use its speaker output. According to its user manual it can output 25W/8Ohm or 5 solid watts at 40 Ohm, quite good for HE500, or even HE-6! 5W are not too much, so a direct connection to speaker taps is possible (but, please, check always before for any excessive DC voltage).

 
Yes I meant headphone output.  You could use the speaker output of course, however I don't know if the OP of that question had the right cable for that or was willing to Hari Kari their current cable.

 

[FlySweep]

I know it's been thrown around a little bit, and I've tried searching HeadFi like mad for more info.. but what have people's experiences been with pairing the HE500/HE-6, etc. with Class-T amps?  More specifically.. the DTA-100a.  There's been a lot of praise for Class-T amps.. but not a whole lot of info I can find on those who have paired them with the orthos.
 
I've read the thread about build issues some had with the DTA-100a a while ago.. but it doesn't seem widespread.. and for $90, it seems worth it to take a chance.  I'm wondering about performance from those who ran an ortho off the RCA/speaker outputs on the back (not the Headphone Out on the front).

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Yeah, it's a shame they were this bad. I wish Amazon made exchanging them easier than it's going to be, but there's nothing I can do about it I guess. 
 
After spending some time with the Cans that are going back in a box to Amazon tomorrow, I'm realizing that I might need to re-think my strategy on music. I have, not a ton, but quite a lot of iTunes music that has, up until this point, sounded pretty good in my 225's and 555's. That is NOT the case with the 500's. At all. 
 
I downloaded Saeglopur by Sigur Ros a long time ago. It's one of my favorite "relaxing" songs to play. It sounds like a muddled mess. There are what I can only assume to be compression artifacts clicking and popping in the background. It's not that great. It's pre iTunes + so its 128Kbps. Blah. All my Lossless ripped stuff sounds great, but man-oh-man, am I going to have a hard time finding acceptable replacements for some of the music I have downloaded. It's going to cost thousands to rebuild from a CD perspective. Ouch. 
 
S-

 
If you sign up for iTunes match, once your library is scanned you can delete the 128K versions and re-download them as 256K.

 

[Yuceka]

Quote:

I am looking to jump ship to a Schiit Mjolnir and Gungnir for my HE-500s when they come out. They Mjolnir is pumping 45V P-P typ. Into 32 ohms, or 8W RMS into 32 ohms, 5W RMS into 50 ohms. Which should be plenty of power for the HE-500, and will be running balanced. Yummy

More than plenty which borderlines on ridiculous and unnecessary for the HE-500 maybe?

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

I guess you mean its headphone output. Of course one can use its speaker output. According to its user manual it can output 25W/8Ohm or 5 solid watts at 40 Ohm, quite good for HE500, or even HE-6! 5W are not too much, so a direct connection to speaker taps is possible (but, please, check always before for any excessive DC voltage).

How can I check for DC?

 

[plin]

Quote:

I know it's been thrown around a little bit, and I've tried searching HeadFi like mad for more info.. but what have people's experiences been with pairing the HE500/HE-6, etc. with Class-T amps?  More specifically.. the DTA-100a.  There's been a lot of praise for Class-T amps.. but not a whole lot of info I can find on those who have paired them with the orthos.
 
I've read the thread about build issues some had with the DTA-100a a while ago.. but it doesn't seem widespread.. and for $90, it seems worth it to take a chance.  I'm wondering about performance from those who ran an ortho off the RCA/speaker outputs on the back (not the Headphone Out on the front).

usually output filter on Tripath designs are designed for speaker loads 4-8 Ohm and not for such high loads as 40 Ohm, but you better ask the manufacturer.

 

[plin]

Quote:

How can I check for DC?

 
With a voltometer, but if you do not know how, you better ask a friend to help you. Checking for high DC output voltage is always a good precaution when bying old equipment. Common power amplifier malfunctions lead to high DC voltage in the output, and this is bad for every speaker or headphone. Of course, if you trust the vendor then there is no need to check.

 

[scud80]

i've run headphones off the speaker posts of a virtue one T-amp, both the lcd-2 and he-6.  it works just fine, though the noise floor was a little higher than on amps designed for headphones.  i didn't actually measure it, but it wasn't really a big deal when music was playing.  just make sure you're using only balanced wiring from the headphones to the amp or you *will* destroy it.

 

[sregor]

Quote:

More than plenty which borderlines on ridiculous and unnecessary for the HE-500 maybe?

I don't think so. It leaves room to upgrade to anything else I would desire. The Lyr is a fantastic amp for my HE-500 now, but I don't want to bound to it and if I ever get the upgrade itch to another headphone I won't worry about driving it.

 

[floorpug]

Hi,
 
Has anyone compared HE500s to K701s?
 
Running balanced out of my NFB-10SE, I've thoroughly enjoyed my K701s' detail and open natural sound for about 9 months now. When I compared my 701s to the HD650 & HD800s, T1s, Ultrasone Pro2900 & Edition 10s, ATH M50s, Audeze LCD 2.1/2.2 & LCD3s, I found that none of them had the same natural soundstage and realism in the mids and top end.
My 701s were perfect monitors when I re-panned the 2009 Beatles stereo into 'Wide Mono' a couple of months back.
 
However, I want a pair of headphones that are good for 70s Prog-rock, Heavy-metal music like Black Sabbath and Tool, Experimental music like Mika Vainio & Michael Stearns, Electronica like Dubstep, David Guetta, Bella Sonus, and for Binaural Beats. Basically, I want some cans that are extremely flat/tight/impactful in the bass and sub-bass (20 - 150Hz) department.
It's painful to listen to Jambi by Tool because of the bright recording, analitical NFB-10SE, and somewhat boosted treble & lack of bass impact of the 701s.
 
Has anyone tried listening to this sort of music on the HE500s?

Would the Denon D2000/5000 or Beyer DT880 600ohm be better suited to my needs?
Regards

 

[BleaK]

Quote:

Hi,
 
Has anyone compared HE500s to K701s?
 
Running balanced out of my NFB-10SE, I've thoroughly enjoyed my K701s' detail and open natural sound for about 9 months now. When I compared my 701s to the HD650 & HD800s, T1s, Ultrasone Pro2900 & Edition 10s, ATH M50s, Audeze LCD 2.1/2.2 & LCD3s, I found that none of them had the same natural soundstage and realism in the mids and top end.
My 701s were perfect monitors when I re-panned the 2009 Beatles stereo into 'Wide Mono' a couple of months back.
 
However, I want a pair of headphones that are good for 70s Prog-rock, Heavy-metal music like Black Sabbath and Tool, Experimental music like Mika Vainio & Michael Stearns, Electronica like Dubstep, David Guetta, Bella Sonus, and for Binaural Beats. Basically, I want some cans that are extremely flat/tight/impactful in the bass and sub-bass (20 - 150Hz) department.
It's painful to listen to Jambi by Tool because of the bright recording, analitical NFB-10SE, and somewhat boosted treble & lack of bass impact of the 701s.
 
Has anyone tried listening to this sort of music on the HE500s?

Would the Denon D2000/5000 or Beyer DT880 600ohm be better suited to my needs?
Regards

Hey! I have the HE500 and running it balanced from NFB-10SE. I listen to alot of your genres (Tool, 70-prog and other prog/rock/metal as well) and I must say every genre, song and album I throw at the HE500 it just makes it sound marvelous! Coming from the K701 I think you will miss some soundstage width, but in 3D presentation I have never heard a can than best the HE500.
I also think you will enjoy electronica better with the HE500, the sub-bass is just very good textured.

 

[wdahm519]

Quote:

Hey! I have the HE500 and running it balanced from NFB-10SE. I listen to alot of your genres (Tool, 70-prog and other prog/rock/metal as well) and I must say every genre, song and album I throw at the HE500 it just makes it sound marvelous! Coming from the K701 I think you will miss some soundstage width, but in 3D presentation I have never heard a can than best the HE500.
I also think you will enjoy electronica better with the HE500, the sub-bass is just very good textured.

 
Yes, the bass region of the sound signature will be very different.  My experience with the k701 showed me that the k701 had tight bass that was present, but a bit recessed.  It also doesn't reach deep down into the sub-bass region.
 
The HE-500 delivers a truly rich sub-bass with a very linear bass region in general.  There's so much presence down there, but its never over-emphazied; always in perfect balance with the rest of the music.