[K_19]

I think the perception on the laid back issue would depend on how one views "laid back".  I do think that it has a slightly laid back lower midrange compared to LCD-2 and such for example so if he means in that particular area then he has a case, but if one perceives "laid back" term in terms of the treble then they are in now way laid back as they're quite prominent.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

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Well, I tried the HE-6 wi the Leben this morning, and it drives them effortlessly from the headphone Jack. I'm able to get 85dB peaks with ease, at only 11:00 on the volume control. And the combination also sounds excellent.

Of course I basically bought the Decware Mini-Torii to use with the HE-6, but I won't get to try that combination until Monday.

Sorry to go off-topic but I'm intrigued. Is the Leben a headphone or speaker amplifier?

 

[jamato8]

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Well, I tried the HE-6 wi the Leben this morning, and it drives them effortlessly from the headphone Jack. I'm able to get 85dB peaks with ease, at only 11:00 on the volume control. And the combination also sounds excellent.

Of course I basically bought the Decware Mini-Torii to use with the HE-6, but I won't get to try that combination until Monday.

Sorry to go off-topic but I'm intrigued. Is the Leben a headphone or speaker amplifier?

I believe it is both but I don't know which model is being referred to. I have gone to the website. 
 
What model is being used? I love tubes but just too hard to do on the island and all of my tubes are in storage in Arizona. 
 

 

[Maxvla]

By laid back I meant exactly what I said. It is a passive headphone that does nothing to excite you or get you into the music. I think the HD600/650 is similar, but not to the same extent. The HE-6 is more aggressive in it's stance, but the extreme clarity means it retains a pleasing, smooth sound. It isn't in any way aggressive like a Grado, but certainly more than any of the main line Senn phones.

 

[.Sup]

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 The HD800 is far too laidback, even more so than the HD600/650. When I auditioned the 800s, they weren't engaging at all. If you have listened to a HD600 and liked it, you will love the HE-6.

The HD800 is laidback?
 
I don't get it.
 

i don't get this part either

 

[Maxvla]

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 The HD800 is far too laidback, even more so than the HD600/650. When I auditioned the 800s, they weren't engaging at all. If you have listened to a HD600 and liked it, you will love the HE-6.

The HD800 is laidback?
 
I don't get it.
 

i don't get this part either

 
Perhaps I should have just said boring. I didn't realize people had other definitions of laid back. My view of laid back is a headphone that, as the word goes, lays back and is lazy with the sound, making everything sound boring and uninteresting.
 

 

[.Sup]

For me HD600 are laid back, maybe because there's not enough treble but I don't find any boring (HD600, HD800). When I listen to music with these two cans I almost always tap my feet against something
HD800 are such dinamyc cans because of its wide soundstage and nice treble presence that I really can't see how could they be boring
 
each to their own I guess

 

[JIGF]

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Were there issues with the HE5 and cracked wood?  If so how common was this?  Is the construction of the HE variants similar?
 

I was mistaken about there being two with wood cracks, I thought muppetface's pair had presented that issue. Peanuthead's pair is the only one that has cracked so far.
 
The HE5 did have a more common issue with cracked wood, it was about 5% of the production. After that they changed to plastic, which has not cracked yet.

 

[tvrboy]

I also bought the 507s, LCD2, and HE6. So I will be interested to hear your comparison, muppetface... hope you get your replacement LCD2 quickly!

 

[.Sup]

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Were there issues with the HE5 and cracked wood?  If so how common was this?  Is the construction of the HE variants similar?
 

I was mistaken about there being two with wood cracks, I thought muppetface's pair had presented that issue. Peanuthead's pair is the only one that has cracked so far.
 
The HE5 did have a more common issue with cracked wood, it was about 5% of the production. After that they changed to plastic, which has not cracked yet.

At the end it doesn't really matter what part cracks- something cracks. The material isn't durable enough and it would seem it wasn't tested properly.

 

[MuppetFace]

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Well, I tried the HE-6 wi the Leben this morning, and it drives them effortlessly from the headphone Jack. I'm able to get 85dB peaks with ease, at only 11:00 on the volume control. And the combination also sounds excellent.

Of course I basically bought the Decware Mini-Torii to use with the HE-6, but I won't get to try that combination until Monday.

Sorry to go off-topic but I'm intrigued. Is the Leben a headphone or speaker amplifier?

I believe it is both but I don't know which model is being referred to. I have gone to the website. 
 
What model is being used? I love tubes but just too hard to do on the island and all of my tubes are in storage in Arizona. 
 

 
It is both a speaker and headphone amplifier made by a Japanese fellow using a German name. I believe Skylab has the CS-300X. I will be getting the CS-300XS in a few weeks.

 

[Maxvla]

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For me HD600 are laid back, maybe because there's not enough treble but I don't find any boring (HD600, HD800). When I listen to music with these two cans I almost always tap my feet against something
HD800 are such dinamyc cans because of its wide soundstage and nice treble presence that I really can't see how could they be boring
 
each to their own I guess

Perhaps it is the large sound stage. It certainly made me feel like I was on the back row at the concert hall. I listened to them on my amp, a B22, and a DIY FET project, all of which have more than ample power, and the HD800 just sounded lifeless.
 
I'm extremely critical with headphones though, so maybe I'm overreacting to the HD800. I try to give decent headphones the benefit of the doubt, but if it doesn't strike me just right, I find I have little interest in trying them or even reading/speaking about them. After I tried the HD800, I pretty well ignored any thread dealing with them.
 
As I'm listening to these HE-6, I think they do almost everything very well, but I still recognize there is room to improve. One could say I'm never satisfied. I'll post a comprehensive review after I've had more time with them.

 

[MrSpenkelink]

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Well, I tried the HE-6 wi the Leben this morning, and it drives them effortlessly from the headphone Jack. I'm able to get 85dB peaks with ease, at only 11:00 on the volume control. And the combination also sounds excellent.

Of course I basically bought the Decware Mini-Torii to use with the HE-6, but I won't get to try that combination until Monday.

Sorry to go off-topic but I'm intrigued. Is the Leben a headphone or speaker amplifier?

I believe it is both but I don't know which model is being referred to. I have gone to the website. 
 
What model is being used? I love tubes but just too hard to do on the island and all of my tubes are in storage in Arizona. 
 

 
It is both a speaker and headphone amplifier made by a Japanese fellow using a German name. I believe Skylab has the CS-300X. I will be getting the CS-300XS in a few weeks.

Just read a review of it at 6moons. It's a Japanese integrated stereo amplifier (15 watts per channel) with headphone output. Beautifully put together, compact, with a fetching retro look and costing over three grand. 

 

[DavidMahler]

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For me HD600 are laid back, maybe because there's not enough treble but I don't find any boring (HD600, HD800). When I listen to music with these two cans I almost always tap my feet against something
HD800 are such dinamyc cans because of its wide soundstage and nice treble presence that I really can't see how could they be boring
 
each to their own I guess

Perhaps it is the large sound stage. It certainly made me feel like I was on the back row at the concert hall. I listened to them on my amp, a B22, and a DIY FET project, all of which have more than ample power, and the HD800 just sounded lifeless.
 
I'm extremely critical with headphones though, so maybe I'm overreacting to the HD800. I try to give decent headphones the benefit of the doubt, but if it doesn't strike me just right, I find I have little interest in trying them or even reading/speaking about them. After I tried the HD800, I pretty well ignored any thread dealing with them.
 
As I'm listening to these HE-6, I think they do almost everything very well, but I still recognize there is room to improve. One could say I'm never satisfied. I'll post a comprehensive review after I've had more time with them.

Yes I figured you meant a sorta wide / distant soundstage.
 
Laid back would generally mean a slow transient response or a rolled off treble region, which are not usually how people perceive the HD800.  The sound-stage however of the HD800 is a bit distant in approach (but for me this is a good thing)....the sound is less-so forward right up to the ear, and more spacious, but I could understand how this characteristic could attribute to some feeling bored and possibly even a bit laid back.  I was really curious about your definition because I thought maybe your pair of HD800 was different or you had a very unusual amping experience.  
 
In terms of soundstage, there really is nothing specific I look for, sometimes a closed in soundstage is preferable......I feel the HE-6 has a very forward and closed in soundstage when compared against the LCD2, HD800, K1000, K701 and R10.  I can see how this would be greatly enjoyed.  
 
I never liked the O2 soundstage at all, and for me that was almost a dealbreaker.  More than any other headphone the O2's felt like the sound was coming from around my head....like a lot of the instruments were behind me.  Some may love this, I don't.  
 
By comparison though, the HD650/600 has a very small soundstage when compared to the angled and spacious design of the HD800.  I would love for Hifiman / Audez'e next flagship to involve angled drivers.  It's really the only thing that I feel could possibly improve the Orthodynamic flagships.  For my money, both Fang and Sankar/Alex got the signatures exactly right.  It's going to be very hard for them to improve the tonal balance.  Instead of variable tonal balances in the future, more work put into the soundstage aspects would be basically the only thing I see as necessary.   I think also that Audez'e specifically needs to improve the headband design still, whereas Hifiman feels more "finished".  Other than that, I don't think there are going to be vast improvements in the designs of either of their flagships for many years unless there's a major jump in design understanding that hasn't be unleashed to the world yet.
 
But I want to publicly commend these two companies.  Both are newcomers, both have so much less $ than all the other big players, and both put out flagships that equal or surpass the big players in performance.  That is commendable!
 

 

[grokit]

 
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At the end it doesn't really matter what part cracks- something cracks. The material isn't durable enough and it would seem it wasn't tested properly.

The durability explanation works for the plastic but not the wood. With polymers it's just a question of formula; you put more of the appropriate (and usually more expensive) ingredients in and the resulting plastic will be stronger, more UV/freeze resistant, flexible, etc. With wood it's a question of properly kiln-drying or otherwise curing it, and then sealing the wood properly to prevent the re-introduction of moisture so it will be impervious to changing environmental conditions.