[jamato8]

That is an amp I really want to get. What I am looking at is the Virtue 2.2. I know Ron (HiFlight) is very impressed and I have read nothing but good reports on the Virtue amps. 

 

[Audio Addict]

Quote:

I just received my Whiplash balanced cable for Ray's SR-71B to connect to the HE-6. I am amazed that a small portable amp can power the HE-6 so effortlessly. I don't undersand how some full size amps can't power the HE-6 to it's fullest potential and yet the SR-71B makes them come alive with the greatest of ease.
I have the SR-71B gain set to high and yet the volume only needs to be at 12:00. So far I've listened to Gene Ammons "Boss Tenor" and Paula West "Come What May", but I can honestly say that his three piece combo sounds better than when using my Luxman through the headphone port, and the speaker taps on my Dareds.

I am having Whiplash Audio reterminate a 10 foot original TWag for the HE-6s and am looking forward to listening to the improvements.  So are you using the new TWag v2?

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

I recently replaced my failing Alesis RA150 with a Virtue Audio One.2, which I have about 40 hours of break-in time on. The SQ improvement is substantial. Most notable is depth and soundstage. I'm listening to Coltrane's "Ballads" album right now. Sense of depth, and space around instruments, has greatly improved. The 5 to 10 degree "blank space" in the sound stage is now filled in. Aux percussion in Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier" hangs out there in space, somewhat reminiscent of my MarkL-modded D7000's.
 
Treble is also now better controlled, previously harshly sibilant recordings are now easily tolerable. I'm hesitant to say "rounded", because no detail or extension has been lost. Just more pleasant, in an "expensive-sounding" sort of way, to turn a phrase.
 
Now I have not heard the Lebens or other higher-end amps with the HE-6's, but the little Virtue amp does everything I would want it do with these cans. Coming at roughly 1/6th the size of the Alesis, my stack of HP gear doesn't look quite so ridiculous. It stays relatively cool, and looks very nice. Not bad for three hundred bucks.

 
That's saying quite a bit, as I think the RA150 does an admirable job powering the HE-6. The volume pots are somewhat noisy on it, but that's my only complaint. Also I obviously didn't select the right T-Amp to audition the protos with, as the 20 wpc Citispot I tried with them clearly wasn't up to the task. I thought it may have been the generic power supply at the time, but maybe the T-amps need to be rated higher as your ONE.2 is rated at 87 wpc, twice that of the Alesis even. Congrats on finding a good match to power your HE-6 with at a reasonable price.

 

[Baird GoW]

Quote:

I received my HE-6 on Monday. I ordered January 15th to take advantage of the promo pricing. When installing the cables I swear I looked all over the cups for a R vs. L indication and didn't see any. I just winged it and connected them the way I thought was most comfortable. Today I noticed the R and L labels on the round part above the cup and I had them wrong. Go figure.
 
I really like these headphones. I'm a big Magneplanar and stat fan and thought the HE-5LE and HE-6 delivered that quick, detailed sound I appreciate. I've been comparing these with the LCD-2 and have decided to keep the HE-6 and sell my LCD-2. While the LCD-2 are easier to drive I prefer the HE-6.

HAHAHAHA same thing happened to me I looked all over it for like 2 minutes before seeing it. Luckily I didn't hook the cables up before I found them.

 

[Frank I]

There is zero distortion and I may have figured out what caused it. I have a Sub plugged in to the CSP-2 preamp and it was on which may have caused an issue when using the headphones. Since I shut it off I have played all recordings with zero distortion and the Taboo is delivering and has enough power and then some to drive the HE6. They also have a few more hours on them.

 

[csholtmeier]

I'm not saying the RA150 is a bad amp by any stretch. I probably would not have replaced it but the left channel started acting up, and the bench fee alone was half the cost of the amp.
 
The RA150 does a far better job with the HE-6's than my C2, which cost 3 times what the Alesis did.
 
This has got me thinking. If an electronics-repair minded person wants to reimburse me for shipping, I would simply give them the RA150. All I ask is that it's a member who has the HE-6, but no speaker-level amp to drive them.
 
Quote:

 
That's saying quite a bit, as I think the RA150 does an admirable job powering the HE-6.  

 

[Skylab]

That is really good news, Frank!  I was having a hard time imagining that the Taboo did not have enough power for the HE-6, and it sounds like it does.  Excellent.

 

[immtbiker]

Anything in a chain can cause a problem. The hard part is figuring out which part it is.

 

[Frank I]

^ I have heard no distortion anymore so I assume it was that sub in the chain and it is off and they sound great. The amp is driving them with power to spare and I have listened still at levels above normal but in the end I do like what I am hearing

 

[musicman59]

I picked up the Pass Labs Aleph 3 yesterday. Here is the configuration I am running. Squeezebox using iTunes files in WAV. SPDIF output to my Genesis TimeLens. XLR digital from the Genesis to my modified PerfectWave. XLR analog to my Threshold T2 preamplifier. Single Ended to the Aleph 3.
Zeus bananas to female XLR adapter and Zeus balanced cable to the HE-6.
 
Even that my WA5-LE drives the HE-6 very good with the volume knob around 10 the extra power of the Aleph really made changes for the good. The main one probably is in the soundstage. It really got wider and deeper but theca changes were not just in size but also in presentation. Each instrument, each voice has it own place and space in it. The other big change is the bass. It really got deeper, tighter and faster. In general the whole sound presentation got cleaner with not perceivable floor noise at all.
 
I was listening to Diana Krall's "The Look of love" and it was like she was there in front of me.
 
This headphones really excel with strong and clean power. The investment in a good (small) speaker amplifier was well worth.

 

[Badd99]

Im glad to see you like it Jose! My grandpa has a vintage Mcintosh MA6100 Preamp/amplifier and I really wonder how the HE-6 would sound out of that. Im going to be bringing my rig to his place this weekend and seeing how my LCD-2 pair with it! 
 
Quote:

I picked up the Pass Labs Aleph 3 yesterday. Here is the configuration I am running. Squeezebox using iTunes files in WAV. SPDIF output to my Genesis TimeLens. XLR digital from the Genesis to my modified PerfectWave. XLR analog to my Threshold T2 preamplifier. Single Ended to the Aleph 3.
Zeus bananas to female XLR adapter and Zeus balanced cable to the HE-6.
 
Even that my WA5-LE drives the HE-6 very good with the volume knob around 10 the extra power of the Aleph really made changes for the good. The main one probably is in the soundstage. It really got wider and deeper but theca changes were not just in size but also in presentation. Each instrument, each voice has it own place and space in it. The other big change is the bass. It really got deeper, tighter and faster. In general the whole sound presentation got cleaner with not perceivable floor noise at all.
 
I was listening to Diana Krall's "The Look of love" and it was like she was there in front of me.
 
This headphones really excel with strong and clean power. The investment in a good (small) speaker amplifier was well worth.

 

[sunneebear]

HOw's the heat? My class A amps run pretty hot and the class A/B amps are being driven into clas A constantly with the HE6. I have to lowee the thermistat in the room cause the heat is imense on these big 100w power amps.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

HOw's the heat? My class A amps run pretty hot and the class A/B amps are being driven into clas A constantly with the HE6. I have to lowee the thermistat in the room cause the heat is imense on these big 100w power amps.

If you have a class A amp that goes into class A/B, it would be driven into class A/B from class A. The class A would be in the lower poser range, and for most music would be the mode of operation. But to drive into higher output, would of course, create more heat as you are delivering more current though a strictly class A amp is hotter than a A/B of the same power. 

 

[sunneebear]

No, I have  few amps class, A and A/B.  The class A amps are always hot which is normal.  The class A/B amps which usually run in class B with speakers at low to moderate volumes are just warm.  With the HE6 plugged in and at low to moderate volume, I think the amps are forced into class A because they are always hot.

 

[Happy Camper]

I'm running a GTA SE-40 and am thrilled with the sound. Using Sovtek 5881 and Tung Sol 6sn7s.
 
Tubes + ample current reserves = magic.