HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) Proving to be an enjoyable experience in listening.

[Solude]

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Solude, you're a big advocate of the 6SN7 tubes, what's your take on the 2A3?

 
Advocate isn't the right word.  I've rolled a few and know their character which means if I buy another 6sn7 amp I can roll the tube I want in without spending money again.  But the 6SN7 tube is really fragile and getting a good one was not fun.  Luckily I bought from a good reseller so I was able to exchange tubes that got damaged in shipping or went belly up early.  There are some rugged 6SN7 varieties that also sound great though.

 

[Frank I]

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What are the amps that you have to drive the HE-500?
 
I don't mind to spend on the V200 but I would want to see all the options that I have. 
 
I kinda like the La Figaro 339 after reading from the reports here.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/643439/denver-nc-meet-impressions-january-20-2013-aka-charlotte-area-meet

I will use the  V200 to drive the hE500 also the Pioneer SX650 will do a nice job nut the V200 is my number one choice. The Dec ware can drive them but will clip with demanding passages and really is better  suited for more efficient headphones. Not sure about Lafifaro but keep in mind those two partners now run different companies so not sure abiut the quality anymore on Lafigaro and it may not be best suited to drive the hE500. While not as demanding as the hE6 the hE500 will best be served IMO by amps putting out 1W or more into their load.

 

[preproman]

A balanced M^3 and the B22 does a great job with the HE-500.  They both will take full control of bass on the HE-500s.  
 
I'm waiting to see how the new GS-X handles it as well.  It will no doubt do a wonderful job and will add more transparency that will make the 500s more clear, clean and crisp sounding.

 

[kasimoa]

Need advice currently I am powering my HE 500 with the Audiolab M-Dac that comes with the built in class A amplifier. The volume is very good and the Amplifier can get loud enough where it's become uncomfortable to listen. However I am thinking if I should go with a dedicated Amplifier like the Schitt Lyr will it bring on more detail. I have now reached the 100hrs mark with the He 500 but somehow feel something is missing from the sound. The vocals are very forward so much so that sometimes the background instruments can get overshadowed. Looking for advice? 

 

[pongagt]

If anyone wants to build a copper headphone cable with Mogami W2534 cable, you can order the cable from the Guitar Center Baton Rouge, LA store and have it shipped for free to a store around you. They have a huge spool of red cable in stock and they will ship any amount you want as long as you pay in advance. I was told the cost was $1 per foot. I am using the stock silver wire with my new HE-500 but i thought i would try copper considering how cheap it can be built with the included extra connectors and a Neutrik NP2X-B from daleproaudio for $3.84 with free shipping.

 

[rezolver]

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I have experience with a speakers amp, Single Ended Triode ( SET ) 2a3 using 6SN7 as the driver tubes.

The SET sound is really out of this world. Very airy and lush vocals and epic dynamics!

Sounds like an 'end game' tube combination.  Time to save my shackles.
 
Quote:

 
Advocate isn't the right word.  I've rolled a few and know their character which means if I buy another 6sn7 amp I can roll the tube I want in without spending money again.  But the 6SN7 tube is really fragile and getting a good one was not fun.  Luckily I bought from a good reseller so I was able to exchange tubes that got damaged in shipping or went belly up early.  There are some rugged 6SN7 varieties that also sound great though.

I was sure it was you who said that if Schiit's Reference amp uses 6SN7 tubes, you're in

 
 
An amp with 2A3's sounds perfect.  Any more impressions?

 

[rdaneel]

Hi folks - I'm a pretty happy HE-400 owner, but am toying with the idea of trying the HE-500s.  I'll take a listen to both and see which I prefer.  BUT (and this is my question for the group), I'm also in the market for an amp.  I'd like to make sure whatever I buy now will satisfy either the 400s or 500s.  The new Burson Soloist SL is what I have my eye on (it was going to be the Soloist, but saving $300 sounds nice).  The SL offers 2 watts into 16 ohms.  Do you guys find a bit under 2wpc adequate?  I don't think we all need EF-6 power for these cans, but I'm not sure where we cross the line into "enough power that you aren't giving anything up."
 
Thanks!

 

[Acapella11]

Quote:

Need advice currently I am powering my HE 500 with the Audiolab M-Dac that comes with the built in class A amplifier. The volume is very good and the Amplifier can get loud enough where it's become uncomfortable to listen. However I am thinking if I should go with a dedicated Amplifier like the Schitt Lyr will it bring on more detail. I have now reached the 100hrs mark with the He 500 but somehow feel something is missing from the sound. The vocals are very forward so much so that sometimes the background instruments can get overshadowed. Looking for advice? 

Yes, the volume gets very loud, treble and bass extension are very nice and it does sound fairly good in a neutral way. I find the spatial representation a bit flat though, not overly detailed too and it sounds a tad too sterile for me. Not the sound that really involves me, although it is not bad as such. I would surely suggest a dedicated amp and there are a lot of suggestions here at the moment. The Lyr is a safe suggestion but there is more and there is not a collection of reviews of a large variety of amps with the HE-500. Actually, that should be amazing to do =).  So, there is no "best" answer and every answer must be biased by personal preference too. The best sound I heard from the HE-500 was on a Schiit Mjölnir, and then I heard also the Lyr. I heard the V200 too, but unfortunately much later and with a different DAC.

Read a bit back and check out reviews on amps to get a feeling for the gear and best case scenario, check out local meets or shops.

 

[jamato8]

The Lyr, with so many choices of tubes, works extremely well with the HE-500. It doesn't break the bank and you can truly enjoy some fine sounds.

 

[kiwirugby]

Since we're on the topic of amps, what would be the optimal battery-drivem portable amps for the HE-500s?

 

[jono454]

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Since we're on the topic of amps, what would be the optimal battery-drivem portable amps for the HE-500s?

My C421 (op227) seems to do a decent job at it.

 

[MrTie84]

So reflecting on the month I've owned my HE500s and I really enjoy them but there a few things that stick with me. I'm currently running them with an Essence St as DAC & Emotiva Mini-X as amp. I'd say they can be downright amazing with the right music, and for 70-80% of what I listen to I love them. That said, on some certain albums a few things drive me crazy, horns/brass sound quite muted to my ears, the treble is literally too polite, plenty of detail sure, but almost lifeless, certain rough recordings also take on this smoothed over feeling that I kinda find less then great, I know some would say why complain if it makes poor recordings sound more smooth? Well while a valid point as any it takes the bite out of some poorly recorded albums I own and almost feels like filter over them which annoys me. Am I crazy or is this just Ortho voodoo at work? Either way I really enjoy them for most things, but I think the Magnums will be staying for the time I need a bit more ruthless treble and for lofi stuff.

 

[pp312]

I find them kind of strangely muted as well. For the last month I've been a/bing them with the DT880/250, and I prefer the 880. According to everything written in these threads I shouldn't, but I do. That's the difference between theory and practise.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

So reflecting on the month I've owned my HE500s and I really enjoy them but there a few things that stick with me. I'm currently running them with an Essence St as DAC & Emotiva Mini-X as amp. I'd say they can be downright amazing with the right music, and for 70-80% of what I listen to I love them. That said, on some certain albums a few things drive me crazy, horns/brass sound quite muted to my ears, the treble is literally too polite, plenty of detail sure, but almost lifeless, certain rough recordings also take on this smoothed over feeling that I kinda find less then great, I know some would say why complain if it makes poor recordings sound more smooth? Well while a valid point as any it takes the bite out of some poorly recorded albums I own and almost feels like filter over them which annoys me. Am I crazy or is this just Ortho voodoo at work? Either way I really enjoy them for most things, but I think the Magnums will be staying for the time I need a bit more ruthless treble and for lofi stuff.

If you want oodles more 'bite' in the treble but still a planar, look no further than HE400. Sometimes when I'm bored with music out of my HE500s, the HE400s just wake my right up.
 
While both HE500 and HE400 are Hifiman orthos, their behaviour for the upper half of FR is almost perfectly complementary; HE500s have a forward upper mids, raised treble followed by suppressed upper treble, HE400s have depressed upper mids, tame treble followed by elevated upper treble.

 

[Kendoji]

Quote:

So reflecting on the month I've owned my HE500s and I really enjoy them but there a few things that stick with me. I'm currently running them with an Essence St as DAC & Emotiva Mini-X as amp. I'd say they can be downright amazing with the right music, and for 70-80% of what I listen to I love them. That said, on some certain albums a few things drive me crazy, horns/brass sound quite muted to my ears, the treble is literally too polite, plenty of detail sure, but almost lifeless, certain rough recordings also take on this smoothed over feeling that I kinda find less then great, I know some would say why complain if it makes poor recordings sound more smooth? Well while a valid point as any it takes the bite out of some poorly recorded albums I own and almost feels like filter over them which annoys me. Am I crazy or is this just Ortho voodoo at work? Either way I really enjoy them for most things, but I think the Magnums will be staying for the time I need a bit more ruthless treble and for lofi stuff.

 
I can relate to some albums sounding slightly muted and unsatisfying.  But I largely attribute that to the recordings themselves, rather than the headphones or other equipment.  The HE-500s are the most neutral headphones I own, and it can be shocking sometimes when I listen to an album that I really love and find it to come across a bit flat and lifeless (compared to how it sounds on highly coloured headphones like the V-MODAs).  But this is something I've seen reported by many people on these forums - that really good equipment can be a double-edged sword, in that it can completely turn you off certain albums that aren't particularly well recorded and produced (and that therefore only sound satisfying through coloured equipment that boosts the bass and/or treble).