[alota]

Quote:

 
HE-6 is bright, sibilant and bassless
 
 

are you sure????

 

[moodyrn]

Beta lovers with never believe how much more capable the he6 is than off a beta at any gain. I think the beta is a wonderful sounding amp with anything else. Yes it can make them go insanely loud, but loud and properly driven are two different things. I do like the the beta though.

 

[alota]

Quote:

Beta lovers with never believe how much more capable the he6 is than off a beta at any gain. I think the beta is a wonderful sounding amp with anything else. Yes it can make them go insanely loud, but loud and properly driven are two different things. I do like the the beta though.

i tried the HE-6 with my beta(8X gain) in the E.U. loaner program and i don´t keep a good memory.
now i bought one HE-6:i want to see if my memories were correct or not

 

[sivart]

Quote:

Yes, you can connect it directly to the posts, no need for the adapter. Start with the volume all the way down and slowly increase it until you find the right listening volume. I've used a 250W /ch amp with my HE-6s and it was fine.

 
Incredible!! Thanks for the confirmation Magick Man, twas exactly what I was hoping to hear.

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

 
That is definitely not the case, the amp also went to ear splitting levels, it just couldn't hold its composure at, high though not earsplitting levels, into the HE-6s. Of which all 3 speaker amps we tried did. The b22 is an amazing amp, it performs beautifully with the LCD-2s, but its just not quite enough for the HE-6s.

 
Quote:

 
 
The gain is set at 8X  The Beta sounds really good with the HE-6.  It's just that the speaker amp gives you more of a soundstage and it opened the HE-6s up more.

 
 
Thanks for clarifying. The original comment I responded to made it seem like it was just a matter of volume.
 
I've only tried integrated amps with the HE6 in terms of speaker gear...won't comment on the monoblock comparison until I hear one.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

Hi SoupRKnowva
 
That amb b24 amp you heard driving the HE-6's; were the phones connected directly to the binding posts or was there a HE-adpater mediating between them?
 
I'm keen to know because I'm just about to finish building a 150w per channel power amp for my speakers that should be on a similar level to the b24 (it's a SKA gb150d in dual mono configuration) and just yesterday bought a pair of HE-6's (will do away with the connectors hardwire a homebuilt cable to the drivers).
 
Would love to be able to use this amp to drive them, without risk of damaging them. I'd rather do without the HE-adapter as in my mind it isn't going to help the sound one bit. Is this wise? Cheers

 
As was already mentioned, you can definitely connect your HE-6s directly to the binding posts. Just be careful with the volume the first time you plug them in, i would lower it all the way down and then bring it up slowly just to make sure you dont blow a hole in your HE-6s or your eardrums

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

 
 
 
Thanks for clarifying. The original comment I responded to made it seem like it was just a matter of volume.
 
I've only tried integrated amps with the HE6 in terms of speaker gear...won't comment on the monoblock comparison until I hear one.

 
Sorry bout that 

 its not that it doesnt sound good, it sounds great even, at lower volumes. I just like rocking out, and it cant maintain everything that makes it so amazing at higher "rocking out" volumes 

 

[Shahrose]

Quote:

 
Sorry bout that 

 its not that it doesnt sound good, it sounds great even, at lower volumes. I just like rocking out, and it cant maintain everything that makes it so amazing at higher "rocking out" volumes 

 
Oh, I was actually referring to Happy Camper's comment above yours on the previous page.

 

[Happy Camper]

I was amazed at how good the LCD-2 & T-1 sounds on the 22. I wish we had a HE-500 to hear on it cause that was an extremely clear presentation. The 22 is a very robust headphone amp. The 6s (IMO) play their best out of an amp with enough power supply to drive speakers. The areas of improvement are the soundstage presence and the dynamics when you start listening at moderate levels. The soundstage gets larger, the center opens up, and every note is heard with a fullness, nothing dominating the presentation. The music becomes excitiing. If this makes sense, a speaker amp does to the sound in SE what going balanced does. Is that because of the extra power or not is still a question. I believe as we went up in power, those two items improved. I didn't think it was going to get better than our 125 w amps but the 300 watt amp did improve the presence.

I'll say this, when you get into this territory of gear, there is a much greater amount of alike than difference and it becomes a matter of personal preference. Any configuration is certainly enough to make anyone happy.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I'll say this, when you get into this territory of gear, there is a much greater amount of alike than difference and it becomes a matter of personal preference. Any configuration is certainly enough to make anyone happy.

 
 
Happy Camper,
 
How did you like the HD800 on the Single Power.  I thought it sounded a bit better on that than the Beta, not as sharp.

 

[Happy Camper]

Happy Camper,

How did you like the HD800 on the Single Power.  I thought it sounded a bit better on that than the Beta, not as sharp.

Agreed. Tubes softens / SS hardens in a very general sense. The tube amp filled the bones of the 800s. Gave it some weight. Between them and the T-1, I think I'd rather do the T-1 but there is something that sucks you in on those 800s. A bright source or amp though and it just kills them. I'd really like to hear the 800s on the ZD. Every Senn I've heard on that amp sounds excellent.

 

[alota]

Quote:

Agreed. Tubes softens / SS hardens in a very general sense. The tube amp filled the bones of the 800s. Gave it some weight. Between them and the T-1, I think I'd rather do the T-1 but there is something that sucks you in on those 800s. A bright source or amp though and it just kills them. I'd really like to hear the 800s on the ZD. Every Senn I've heard on that amp sounds excellent.

the beta-22 and hd-800 is a good combo but i agree with yourobably the tubes are the best solution

 

[kixxit]

Quote:

Nice thread..
 
From the headphones discussed here.. Ive heard the HE-6, LCD-2 and SR-009 (driven from a very high end tube amp, and the SR-009 was driven from a Blue Hawaii I think). I have to say.. my favourite ones were the HE-6. I heard them even from my Schiit Lyr and it was a rather satisfactory result. It sounded noticeably better from the better amp, however it wasnt a night and day difference. I dont remember exactly how it sounded.. but i believe it was very detailed and very balanced. Excellent bass texture without too much bass slam. I remember listening to familiar songs and discovering a new world of sounds within them, very revealing.
 
The Stax was brilliant, but it didnt leave such an impression on me as other cans did.
 
I haven't heard the LCD-3, but from what Im reading.. I suppose they aren't really worth the difference in price between them and the LCD-2. Everyone keeps saying that they arent that much different. Also, I didnt really like the sound signature of the LCD-2. Not only were they too dark for my taste, their midrange was too recessed.
 
Now... these cans are still out of my league for two reasons. I have other financial priorities since im still a student and its impossible for me to safely transport that much gear as I have to move every 6 months. However, I decided to look into a pair of HE-500.. how do you guys think it will pair with the Lyr?

I have this particular combo, and I find the background to be a bit grainy.  I've heard this is a tube thing.  However, with certain music, the sound is fuller than with my Burson.

 

[LDfan13]

Thanks to the folks at The Cable Company, I will be able to compare the two this weekend with my Algorhythm Solo, ALO RX Mk3B combo.  I've had the LCD-3 for a few days now, and like it best with a bit of a treble boost.  I listen mostly to classical.  I know that the HE-6 will take more juice, but Mike over at Headphonia liked the synergy.  So it will be interesting.....

 

[LDfan13]

To update:
 
I received the headphones today.  The HiFiMan came with a Cardas cable and the Audeze with the stock single ended cable.  I had no trouble driving either phone with the ALO Rx-3B amp.
 
Tonality:  I found the LCD-3 to sound a bit dark.  It sounded much better with a treble boost.  Conversely, the HE-6 sounded better to me with a bass boost.  Go figure...thank goodness the IPod Classic made this easy.
 
Bass:  Deeper on the LCD-3.  But there were times (as with some of the organ notes on the Munch/BSO Saint Saens Organ Symphony) where the attacks were clearer on the HE-6.
 
Midrange:  Both were excellent.  There were times during the 1st movement of the Mozart 28th symphony (Szell/Cleveland) where the violins sounded crisper on the HE-6.  Maybe the LCD-3 was capturing more hall resonance?
 
 Treble:  Surprisingly, I didn't notice much of a difference.
 
 Soundstaging:  More precise with the LCD-3.  I listened to some experimental stereo Toscanini/NBC recordings that are notorious for wide stereo spread with a "hole in the middle."  The HE-6 caused a few instruments to bleed into the middle.  More forgiving of a bad recording, but not as exacting as the LCD-3.
 
  Ergonomics:  Here is where the LCD-3 excelled.  I really appreciated the elongated soft ear pads and the forward facing headphone cord jacks.  I wasn't able to tip my head down without hitting a  cord with the HE-6.
 
  Summary:  Both the LCD-3 and HE-6 are top end phones that define the SOTA.  My preference is for the LCD-3.