[ruthieandjohn]

How does the Schiit Mjolnir compare to the HiFiMAN EF-6 in driving the HE1000? I have the EF-6, but have need for a lower output impedance amp for my balanced Grados, and don’t really have space for both amps.

Thanks!

 

[LouisArmstrong]

I haven't panned out my desktop rig for a while, but then last night I suddenly took out my HE1000v2 system for a listen. Wow. Just wow. Simply amazing. But it also makes me wonder how and whether the three current kings (excluding Shangri-la and HE-1), namely the Susvara, the LCD4 and the Utopia do beat HE1000v2 by a big margin. FYI I came from BHSE+SR009 combo. The BHSE was half a year's wait but in the end I sold it with the SR009. Electrostats aside, the only sound I have heard which is more revealing than my current HE1000 setup (Weiss DAC 202 -> Liquid Fire) is my SP1000Cu -> Tia Fourte combo.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I haven't panned out my desktop rig for a while, but then last night I suddenly took out my HE1000v2 system for a listen. Wow. Just wow. Simply amazing. But it also makes me wonder how and whether the three current kings (excluding Shangri-la and HE-1), namely the Susvara, the LCD4 and the Utopia do beat HE1000v2 by a big margin. FYI I came from BHSE+SR009 combo. The BHSE was half a year's wait but in the end I sold it with the SR009. Electrostats aside, the only sound I have heard which is more revealing than my current HE1000 setup (Weiss DAC 202 -> Liquid Fire) is my SP1000Cu -> Tia Fourte combo.

I don’t know how ANYTHING can be MUCH better than HEK V2. I love those cans.

 

[eee1111]

I haven't panned out my desktop rig for a while, but then last night I suddenly took out my HE1000v2 system for a listen. Wow. Just wow. Simply amazing. But it also makes me wonder how and whether the three current kings (excluding Shangri-la and HE-1), namely the Susvara, the LCD4 and the Utopia do beat HE1000v2 by a big margin. FYI I came from BHSE+SR009 combo. The BHSE was half a year's wait but in the end I sold it with the SR009. Electrostats aside, the only sound I have heard which is more revealing than my current HE1000 setup (Weiss DAC 202 -> Liquid Fire) is my SP1000Cu -> Tia Fourte combo.

They don’t in my experience
HeKv2 is right up there with them

I find that the heKv2 is fantastic but of course you need to listen to the others with YOUR gear

I’d have to say that in the end the listener is the one who makes that choice

As far as I can say if you have endgame equipment.....it depends on what kind

It’s very wrong to be telling people their opinions are invalid...if they prefer a utopia or a lcd-4 its totally legit. Its kinda funny how when you get to around 2,000 dollars the difference in quality is totally up to your ears if its worth it.

 

[tuna47]

I need help is the Rupert neve an upgrade over the jot using mojo as dac
Can someone please give me an option

 

[sheldaze]

I need help is the Rupert neve an upgrade over the jot using mojo as dac
Can someone please give me an option

I preferred the Jot over the RNHP for the HE1K.

To put it in context, I liked the explosive power of the Jot combined with the somewhat relaxed sound of the HE1K. On high gain, I could really lite up the HE1K, liven it up in a nice way. Yes, I'm keeping my RNHP, but for a different headphone (Utopia). There are many other sonic differences between Jot and RNHP, but in the short and simple - I did not prefer RNHP to Jot for the HE1K.

 

[SilverEars]

HEK doesn't take much to be driven properly, but there can be some minor variations to amp/dac combos, but shouldn't be as much as some of the dynamic drivers. Even out of Mojo, it should be pretty much sufficient, although Mojo is pretty laid back if that's the sig preferred. Of course if you want more of a punch, it should be paired with a more aggressive DAC/Amp combo. It's not characteristically laidback all on it's own I find, an amp can bring more forwardness to it's sig. Neutral on it's own perhaps?

Personally I like to keep HEK laidback myself with good amount of depth, resolution, and low end presense(but not so punchy, same for the treble area). It's really a fun can, and I think with listeners, the draw should be felt pretty early on when listening to it(I don't think it needs times for ears to adjust compared to certain cans).

 

[SilverEars]

I preferred the Jot over the RNHP for the HE1K.

To put it in context, I liked the explosive power of the Jot combined with the somewhat relaxed sound of the HE1K. On high gain, I could really lite up the HE1K, liven it up in a nice way. Yes, I'm keeping my RNHP, but for a different headphone (Utopia). There are many other sonic differences between Jot and RNHP, but in the short and simple - I did not prefer RNHP to Jot for the HE1K.

Have you tried various DAC with RNHP and is there a consistant characteristic that is attributed to RNHP?

 

[tuna47]

I appreciate the help still it sure what to do
I love the hek2 want to get the most out of them

 

[omniweltall]

I tried both versions, and still prefer the V1's sub bass rumble and warm tonality. Makes female vocal sound romantic.

 

[TheAttorney]

Update on my HEK V2 port experiments:

I couldn't find the exact 5/32" washers as used by @Max134 for his "Feilian port" mod - because most of the world outside of USA went metric about 200 years ago. So I ordered a mixed set of metric sizes (under £3 for 50 assorted neoprene washers from UK supplier via ebay). None of the metric sizes were the same as the Max originals (in particular they had larger inner diameters), but I went for M6 size, which at least had the same 1.6mm thickness, even though they had larger both inner and outer diameters.

I cut 2 pairs of M6 washers to make them look much the same as Max's and fitted them easily enough, taking great care not to drop anything onto the delicate driver membrane. At the end, the pads looked to be more apart than Max's photo, even though the washer thickness (2 x 1.6mm) were meant to be the same. Anyway, my initial listening session was disappointing - at best this mod resulted in a different, rather than better sound. So I had a second go, this time the washer pair consisting of M6+M5, which resulted in reduced thickness (1.6 + 1.0mm) and I cut smaller outer diameter than before. The second listening session was more promising - now I felt the mod gave an incrementally improved, not just different, sound.

But then things got a bit weird when I added my glasses mod by, erm, putting on my glasses: This further improved the SQ by at least the same margin as it had previously done prior to the Feilian mod. The two mods combined gave me a minor wow moment - as if I had stumbled across a HEK V3 implementation before Fang had even thought of it. Whilst both mod SQ improvements seemed to be incrementally across the board, my glasses mod gave two particular further improvements: Firstly, increased depth where the sound images stretched forward slightly out from my head. Secondly, a punchier bass with increased both quality and quantity. Yes, that surprised me too.

At least there is some science behind the Feilian mod, but I can't think of a rational explanation for my glasses mod. Maybe my version of the Feilian mod is not yet optimal. Maybe 2 ports are better than one? Maybe the location of my glasses port immediately in front of my ears matters? Maybe my glasses mod is nothing to do with air gaps and is something else. like localised pressure on the pads? I just don't know. What I do know is that the HEK continues to scale higher with both upstream and local improvements.

 

[ruthieandjohn]

Glasses mod science: “When you see better, you HEAR better!”

Q.E.D.

 

[sheldaze]

Have you tried various DAC with RNHP and is there a consistant characteristic that is attributed to RNHP?

DACs which I specifically recall using with RNHP:

• Mojo
• 2Qute
• Yggy
• (Current) PSaudio PerfectWave

I may have used more, but do not recall. I saw your thread concerning DACs. Did not reply there because I try to keep my responses brief - concise (in person, you can talk about subtleties. Online it often gets lost in a long post). If you look at my profile, I've gone through about a dozen DACs. What I've settled on as desirable might not suit everyone. But I don't generally think about the DAC. Yes, there's a difference between Yggy and PW, but both play sound through RNHP.

A consistent character of the RNHP - yes, unfortunately it depends on the headphone. I would characterize the RNHP as fast dampening. It matches the fast character of the Utopia (which is not the topic of this thread). When using the HE1K, I would prefer a basic, strong solid state, such as the Jot. Reading your post, Ragnarok is probably better, because it is slightly less lively (not dead - only very slightly less lively). Rag is plenty powerful. There are some unobtanium amplifiers that I liked more. In the still available category, Simaudio Moon NEO 230HAD, using just the amplifier portion, was very good. I could also sit with a MicroZOTL2 and the HE1K all day. That was when I was using Mojo as my primary source.

 

[SilverEars]

DACs which I specifically recall using with RNHP:

• Mojo
• 2Qute
• Yggy
• (Current) PSaudio PerfectWave

I may have used more, but do not recall. I saw your thread concerning DACs. Did not reply there because I try to keep my responses brief - concise (in person, you can talk about subtleties. Online it often gets lost in a long post). If you look at my profile, I've gone through about a dozen DACs. What I've settled on as desirable might not suit everyone. But I don't generally think about the DAC. Yes, there's a difference between Yggy and PW, but both play sound through RNHP.

A consistent character of the RNHP - yes, unfortunately it depends on the headphone. I would characterize the RNHP as fast dampening. It matches the fast character of the Utopia (which is not the topic of this thread). When using the HE1K, I would prefer a basic, strong solid state, such as the Jot. Reading your post, Ragnarok is probably better, because it is slightly less lively (not dead - only very slightly less lively). Rag is plenty powerful. There are some unobtanium amplifiers that I liked more. In the still available category, Simaudio Moon NEO 230HAD, using just the amplifier portion, was very good. I could also sit with a MicroZOTL2 and the HE1K all day. That was when I was using Mojo as my primary source.

I understand what you mean. HEK probably gets toward HD800 if over damped, and less damping gives it a soft character. Less damping is more towards tubes correct? Toward Lush, less treble forward and tightness(changes in tonality)? Probably also translates to softer character(which people stereotype it as), not punchy. Would we say analytical with overdamping?

I have heard HEK gets compared to electrostats, and perhaps the greater damping pushes it's characteristics to be even more like the electrostats.

HEK can be a bit forward with over damped amp I think.

 

[sheldaze]

You're probably right! I did not think about it (I actually sold and purchased RNHP again, as I hone in on setups I like). RNHP probably does not work well on planar headphones, or dynamic headphones that need a long decay (i.e. HD6x0). It works best on dynamic headphones with a fast decay (i.e. HD800, Utopia).