[Ron12]

   
That's great, but then with all that power, won't you be tempted to hear the HE-6 properly driven?  And then you'll have a dilemma

  

 

 
Yeah... Why he even sold the HE-6 in the first place? He could just buy the SA31SE for it and be happy...

 

[tuna47]

I find lyr and bifrost uber a real good combo for 560
It's strange the 560 seem to need more volume than 500

 

[MattTCG]

I like the lyr and bifrost uber with the 560 also (telefunkens). I don't see that they need more volume on the pot though...like the he4 did. 

 

[conquerator2]

Yeah... Why he even sold the HE-6 in the first place? He could just buy the SA31SE for it and be happy...

I had the Mini-X (solid 8-10w @50ohms) and did not like the HE-6 as much as I do the 560, even on my current setup...
Take that as you will

Zero temptation, the comfort alone is worth it... A HE-6 successor, on the other hand...

 

[d4nim4l]

   
I owned five of the Audio GD amps and enjoyed them all except the nfb-6. SE it sounded dreadful. Balanced was somewhat better. Took me forever to sell it. 

 
 

I'd much more recommend the SA31SE... That thing was made for Hifimam orthos, kinda... You can even adjust the warmness!
It has a big sound too, distortion and stuff.
I just ordered mine and I bet it'll kick my Compass2 amp ass.
C2 will stay as DAC. Still a very decent DAC I might add

 
Do you guys (or anyone else) have an opinion on the reference 10.32, particularly as a pairing with the HE560?  I have read the entire reference 10 thread, but there isn't much information.  I currently have and NFB-10SE which is a wolfson 8741 chip DAC - based on what I have heard from the HE560, I don't want to think I want go with a more analytical sabre DAC.

 

[ThePianoMan]

I heard it with a 10.32
I actually think the warmness of the amp balanced well with a colder DAC like the Sabre. 560 sounded stellar on every Audio-gd I tried it with.

 

[conquerator2]

I heard it with a 10.32
I actually think the warmness of the amp balanced well with a colder DAC like the Sabre. 560 sounded stellar on every Audio-gd I tried it with.

+1 on both...
Hence why I am getting the SA31 to go with the Sabre, for example :] Clemmaster's recommendation as well 

 

[tinyman392]

   
I don't think the PM-1 has more bass than the 560.

 
Really, when I auditioned them they did :/  OK. 

 

[Clemmaster]

Yeah... Why he even sold the HE-6 in the first place? He could just buy the SA31SE for it and be happy...

No, the SA-31 is not very good with the HE-6. Surprisingly.

 

[conquerator2]

No, the SA-31 is not very good with the HE-6. Surprisingly.

However, it is pretty good with the 560
Bam! The answer. Dingdingding!
I might go with a 6/26 gain to be on the safe side, or stock 3/20... Or something what Kingwa recommends in between... Regardless, it is paid 

 

 

[d4nim4l]

So opinions on these two options:
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB27/NFB27EN.htm
 
vs.
 
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Reference10/RE10EN.htm

 

[rgs9200m]

What, you don't want a Hugo?

 

[barihunk]

It's a busy weekend but in my brief listen to the HE-560 it appears to be a superb performer in all of the genres I listen to - classical, opera, electronica, jazz, etc etc. I can concur that is seems to be very balanced and sounds good with the tracks I've tested it with. I'll need more time to form a better complete picture but signs are all very good right now. I do prefer a leaner, brighter sound typically but right now it seems like the HE-560 gives the best of both worlds – in short balanced. 
 
One issue though - I have a HUGE head (I can barely find a helmet or cap that fits on me) and the headband is barely big enough even at full extension — the headphones sit slightly too high on my head even at full extension. Anyone have a similar problem and a potential way to fix this? 
 
That said though (in just brief listening) it is more comfortable than the HE-400, though not quite as comfy as the HD600.
 
just my 2c.

 

[rgs9200m]

  It's a busy weekend but in my brief listen to the HE-560 it appears to be a superb performer in all of the genres I listen to - classical, opera, electronica, jazz, etc etc. I can concur that is seems to be very balanced and sounds good with the tracks I've tested it with. I'll need more time to form a better complete picture but signs are all very good right now. I do prefer a leaner, brighter sound typically but right now it seems like the HE-560 gives the best of both worlds – in short balanced. 
 
One issue though - I have a HUGE head (I can barely find a helmet or cap that fits on me) and the headband is barely big enough even at full extension — the headphones sit slightly too high on my head even at full extension. Anyone have a similar problem and a potential way to fix this? 
 
That said though (in just brief listening) it is more comfortable than the HE-400, though not quite as comfy as the HD600.
 
just my 2c.

Your're not Rob Ford by any chance, are you?
I have a medium to large head and I need the next to smallest setting, just for comparison. Is it the clamping or lateral width that is the factor here? They are the teeniest bit clampy, but less than several other phones, and maybe they can be bent a little (I have not tried it,
but most phones I have found can be adjusted this way).
I actually found the HD600 too tight and clampy and more uncomfortable.
Maybe Hifiman could chime in with suggestions for adjustment...
If you want comfort for a big head, I find the big Grados very accommodating (and I really like the GS1000 and there is a new 'e' version out now).

 

[AgentXXL]

 

   
Too bad the SA31SE isn't a fully balanced amp... even though it has a 4 pin XLR connector for balanced headphone hookup, it still uses a single-ended topology internally (from input to output). I figure if you're spending over $300US, why not try to get an amp that has both balanced and single-ended outputs? Of course the Lyr 2 is just SE as well. And if you step up to the Mjolnir, it's a purely balanced amp - and you can't use SE adapters with it (read the product FAQ for the warnings).
 
I'd look at the NFB6 - it has both SE and balanced headphone outputs and is a fully balanced design. And it costs a little less than the SA31SE as well. The only advantage I can see on the SA31SE is the volume control with it's much finer resolution. I'm going to continue saving my money and eventually pick up a Bryston BHA-1 - that's the best solid state headphone amp I've heard yet. One of these days I'll make it to a big Head-Fi meet or something like RMAF/CanJam and get to try/hear the Headamp GS-X Mk 2. The GS-X is quite a ways out of the price range I'd normally look at, but from everything I've read, it's the "cat's meow" of solid state amps, able to drive any headphone with impressive neutrality and power.
 
Sigh, so many options, so little money...
 
Dale

 
 
Are you sure the BHA-1 is a balanced amp from input to output?  

 
Too my knowledge, the BHA-1 is balanced from input to output when using the balanced inputs, but I'm not sure about the single-ended inputs. I seem to remember reading that they immediately convert the SE inputs to pseudo-balanced and then it uses the same path as the balanced inputs. Of course the BHA-1 also has a SE output but again this is downconverted from the balanced path at the last output stage. James Tanner from Bryston stated that you can use all outputs at the same time so theoretically you can feed a balanced in and then hookup one headphone to the 4 pin XLR balanced, another headphone to the dual 3 pin XLR balanced and a 3rd headphone to the 6.3mm SE output. I'm fairly confident that James confirmed this in one of the threads about the BHA-1. Regardless, I've tried the BHA-1 at a couple of local Head-Fi meets and I really like how it matches with my HD800s. I've never been a tube fan myself, so I prefer to stay solid state.
 
Dale