[shayson1357]

  you should pick an amp that you like.  the he-6 is pretty transparent.  do you need a preamp?

yes I do,since I'm eyeing a complete system here....
head-fi suggestions are all too confusing though...... see people prefer an allnic HPA5000 +he-500/6 to the stax setup, people worshiping the hd800 and considering it the best headphone ever made.....etc.....etc..... too many opinions based on personal preference, can't take anyone's word for anything,I just have to listen and decide for myself I guess, but alas I don't live in an english speaking country in the first place for me to attend the meets you guys organize 

 

[Oregonian]

Might try a Pioneer Spec 1 preamp and either Spec 2 or 4 amp for separates.

Rare.........unique and that great Pioneer sound. Out of the speaker taps drives the HE-6 incredibly well.

 

[Happy Camper]

IMHumbleO, the HE-6 offers world class performance for the value. I love the highs of a stat and the mids properly amped also hold high esteem. Bass is tough for a reduced surface panel. While it theoretically can get the frequency, it doesn't bring the meat. The 6s are the best bass for me because it can give you very accurate bass with any instrument. Organ, drum, guitar, piano, you name it, it's done with a fullness and decay weight that's realistic and can be heard without a lot of db (though a good amp that will go to eleven makes those special moments ).

There are a lot of very good headphones out there and a properly built system around any of them will reward you. But a used 6 (modded) and a quality vintage speaker amp can give you said world class performance for under $2k. That number is (relatively) much more palatable than said stat rig.

The big question is recommendation. I've heard people rave over vintage receivers that (in the day) were average at best (flagship receivers exempt. Pioneer, etc. were built with the power supply necessary for the current demand and damping control of 5 way speakers). I will say it's not so much the amount of power as it is the power supply( component choice). To me, a 100 watt (8ohm) is pretty good. I use 125 watt per channel to great satisfaction. I've heard some terrible sounding 100 watt and some great sounding ones. The great sounding ones were typically heavy. You could almost replace watts for pounds.

 

[Silent One]

Just moved and will have to wait 10 days or so before I can unwrap and slide my gear into place...can't wait. On the glass side, the Shindo Laboratory F2a Sinhonia monaural amps want to take the HE-6 out for fine dining. On the chip side, the Sansui G-22000 wants the HE-6 to ride shotgun for something hot, something fast to wolf down. 

 

[punit]

Has anyone tried the new Hifiman Crystalline balanced Cable ?
 
http://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=211

 

[goldenSHK]

  Hmmm. this is quite interesting 

what amp was the he-6 in question running from ? and what speaker amp would you recommend for them ?

Sometimes I plug them directly into a DAP like this:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Clip-Player-Black/dp/B002MAPT7U/ref=zg_bs_1264866011_1
 
They sound really good. 
 
But, if you want them to really shine they have to be powered with a really beefy amp. The smallest amp that I know of that powers them is the RSA Intruder. http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/intruder
 
Otherwise, just make yourself a speaker tap cable and you'll be set. They can run off a lot of different speaker amps from the mid tier and small sized chinese T amps to some pretty high end and extremely expensive speaker amps. 

 

[Shazb0t]

I ran a search but wasn't able to find a definitive answer to these questions:
 
Is there any way to prevent the stock HE-6 OCC cable from oxidizing?  Does the oxidation effect the cables sound?  I recently picked up an HE-6 and was hoping there was a preventive measure to counter this from occurring.

 

[preproman]

Nope.  I think the oxidizing still occurs if it has a sleeve on it.

 

[Canadian411]

I am not sure if is OCC or OFC but it all depends on the quality of the sleeve.

 

[Greed]

Not exactly, quality of wire and coatings are key. If the wire isn't properly treated before being sleeved (regardless of sleeve)... the wire will degrade. (Oxidation, etc)

It also depends on climate in your local area. If moisture is high or the wire is exposed to heavy moisture (ie stage monitors) degradation is almost inevitable. How long depends on above.

 

[Canadian411]

Not exactly, quality of wire and coatings are key. If the wire isn't properly treated before being sleeved (regardless of sleeve)... the wire will degrade. (Oxidation, etc)

It also depends on climate in your local area. If moisture is high or the wire is exposed to heavy moisture (ie stage monitors) degradation is almost inevitable. How long depends on above.

yape that make sense too.

 

[shayson1357]

how much of a difference is there between the he-6 being driven out of the audio-gd master 10 for example vs some boutique ultra high-end tube or ss speaker amp(is the difference marginal or enough for you to regret getting into this hobby as you pull out your wallet 

  ? )

 

[preproman]

It can and will be both.  You will pay a lot for marginal gains. 

  how much of a difference is there between the he-6 being driven out of the audio-gd master 10 for example vs some boutique ultra high-end tube or ss speaker amp(is the difference marginal or enough for you to regret getting into this hobby as you pull out your wallet 

  ? )

 

[Armaegis]

  I ran a search but wasn't able to find a definitive answer to these questions:
 
Is there any way to prevent the stock HE-6 OCC cable from oxidizing?  Does the oxidation effect the cables sound?  I recently picked up an HE-6 and was hoping there was a preventive measure to counter this from occurring.

 
The only way is to cover yourself and the cable in a coating of petroleum jelly. There may be some slight discomfort, but on the plus side your seal with the earpads will increase greatly.

 

[goldenSHK]

I use 1 of these moisture packets in my hifiman wooden box to make sure nothing is too moist and the drivers/1 cable I store in the wooden box in there are always at optimum dryness levels. I highly recommend people do the same because a simple $5-$10 of silica gel packets can prevent the headache of "Are my $100+ cables degrading? What about the hifiman drivers??" If you have any packets lying around from shoes or other items you can also just harvest those and use them, otherwise it's like $5. I drop another gel packet in my other bag that I store my many other cables. Always better safe than sorry when it's premium gear.