[Rayzilla]

Have you tried the HD 800 yet? I have it and it sounds like we may share some sound signature preferences. I also didn't like the HE1000 for the same reasons that you stated and I am also considering getting the 009 in the near or far future.
 
I thought about the HE6 as well and tried it out with the EF6 but I still preferred my HD 800 to it. Maybe with a speaker amp, my thoughts on that might change.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Have you tried the HD 800 yet? I have it and it sounds like we may share some sound signature preferences. I also didn't like the HE1000 for the same reasons that you stated and I am also considering getting the 009 in the near or far future.
 
I thought about the HE6 as well and tried it out with the EF6 but I still preferred my HD 800 to it. Maybe with a speaker amp, my thoughts on that might change.

 
In stock form with a neutral solid-state amp, I hate the HD 800 with non-acoustic music. Very strongly prefer STAX, and that's low-end STAX like the SR-207 and SR-30. Still plan on getting the HD 800 eventually, but the SR-009 has priority, since it's better in most ways, yet similar. And yeah, in my book, there's no point buying an HE6 without a good speaker amp. Even from a very high-end ultra-powerful headphone amp, it did not impress me, and sounded nothing like the serious owners describe. (And they generally agree that it's nothing special from most headphone amps.) My guess is that it just needs more current, which speaker amps provide.

 

[CrocCap]

deleted

 

[smitty1110]

TL;DR - HE-6 is better than the 507, though my stat amp sucks.
 
It's usually agreed by ortho experts that the HE-6 needs an amp capable of 6 WPC into 50 ohms for best performance. Not that you should run said amp at full power, that would probably implode your eardrums. That's about 350 mA of current into a 50 Ohm load, which is a good deal more than most headphone amps can output. The emotiva should be just fine, and if you're like me and have sensitive hearing you won't really stress the amp too much in terms of volume. Plus, the lower the listening volume, the closer to Class A you should be, which should theoretically improve sound quality.
 
Personally, the best Stax I've heard under $1k was the 404LE, which had better bass extension and has a slightly better top end. And it's cheaper. That being said, both get blown away by my SR-007A, so if you really want stax, just save your money of the high-end stuff. the HE-6 has not been compared to the 007A because a Woo WEE does not compare to custom-built SET amps running 1930's vintage globe tubes (the preamp with 27's and the power amp with 45's) in terms of sound quality, but a properly modded he-6 is a really solid set of cans. If the pair you're looking at isn't modded, try to find how to perform the damping, grill, and fuzzor mods. They're seriously worth it.

 

[Asr]

How about neither.

The ENIGMAcoustics Dharma D1000 currently flying under the radar on Head-Fi might be a better option.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  How about neither.

The ENIGMAcoustics Dharma D1000 currently flying under the radar on Head-Fi might be a better option.

 
In what ways is it better than the HE6? Impressions I've read made it seem that it isn't even as good as the HE6.

 

[Asr]

I haven't heard the HE-6, so I can't say. Well actually I have heard the HE-6, but that was too long ago and not for long enough. Anyway, just meant to point out the Dharma if you weren't aware of it already. And it's still pre-production too, so its sound could be further subject to change....

 

[Cortazar]

If accuracy is your priority then go stax! I know both HP and find hifiman tricky to find the proper amp (i would suggest a strong tube amp and a use od hifiman adapter or speaker output).
I would also suggest to hunt for a stax lambda signature with a ultra thin membrane. It is a remarkable HP for much less then 507. A real bargain.
If you want to stick to stax go and buy yourself an LRT or LST and a good speaker tube amplifier later on. It is the best you can get from a HP. (better then woo audio WES or KGSSHV)
 
Pawel

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I haven't heard the HE-6, so I can't say. Well actually I have heard the HE-6, but that was too long ago and not for long enough. Anyway, just meant to point out the Dharma if you weren't aware of it already. And it's still pre-production too, so its sound could be further subject to change....

 
It's been on my wish list since I first heard about it, but the impressions I've read don't impress me, so it's on my wish list for the remote future.
 

  If accuracy is your priority then go stax! I know both HP and find hifiman tricky to find the proper amp (i would suggest a strong tube amp and a use od hifiman adapter or speaker output).
I would also suggest to hunt for a stax lambda signature with a ultra thin membrane. It is a remarkable HP for much less then 507. A real bargain.
If you want to stick to stax go and buy yourself an LRT or LST and a good speaker tube amplifier later on. It is the best you can get from a HP. (better then woo audio WES or KGSSHV)
 
Pawel

 
I explained before in this thread that I have already decided on the HE6, since I also want the SR-009 later, so the SR-507 would be redundant. (Though I would like to collect every STAX ever made someday. I have owned the SR-207 and SR-30 so far.)
 
As for amps...I somehow doubt an LRT or LST (whatever those are...you did not specify and I couldn't find info when I did a search) could beat the best electrostatic amps such as the DIY T2.

 

[Cortazar]

Sorry i have not read the whole post. If you like you can google LRT Peter Rill to read about LRT. LST is simply the bettered version of LRT.
Here some pics of my system (totaldac was being replaced with lampizator big 7)


Well i can not say anything about DIY T2 as i did not hear it, but...
LST + good quality SET is 2 classes better then woo audio wes or kgsshv IMHO and...
a friend of mine have heard original T2 and can not confirm that it is better then his system (LST +  Accuphase power amp- an old one, not that expensive)
And once again stay lambda signature costs about 300 euro and equals in some areas 009 (detail, speed)
What HE-6 concerns i would suggest you an 300B SET directly via speaker output - you will be delightend. A friend of mine Piotr Ryka (see hifiphilosophy.com) heard them with audion amp on 300B and was very impressed, and i still regret to have sold my abyss and sun audio 300BSE. It was a match  made in heaven.
 
Pawel

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Sorry i have not read the whole post. If you like you can google LRT Peter Rill to read about LRT. LST is simply the bettered version of LRT.
Here some pics of my system (totaldac was being replaced with lampizator big 7)

Well i can not see anything about DIY T2, but...
LST + good quality SET is 2 classes better then woo audio wes or kgsshv IMHO and...
a friend of mine have heard original T2 and can not confirm that it is better then his system (LST +  Accuphase power amp- an old one, not that expensive)
And once again stay lambda signature costs about 300 euro and equals in some areas 009 (detail, speed)
What HE-6 concerns i would suggest you an 300B SET directly via speaker output - you will be delightend. A friend of mine Piotr Ryka (see hifiphilosophy.com) heard them with audion amp on 300B and was very impressed, and i still regret to have sold my abyss and sun audio 300BSE. It was a match  made in heaven.
 
Pawel

 
The DIY T2 is generally regarded as the ultimate electrostatic headphone amplifier, surpassing the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE. Kevin Gilmore recently came out with a new design called the Nanotube, which also piques my interest. But with both the HE6 and SR-009, I wanted to start out with an affordable amp, then eventually upgrade to the best amp I can get. I'll have to put a lot of thought into it. I don't think any of the 300B amps are affordable. (Think under $300.)

 

[Happy Camper]

Looking for something to make sound, any amp will work. Want the higher end of what the HE-6 can do, go with an SS amp without that adapter. It negatively impacts the sound. If you like the sound of tubes, put them in your source.

IMO

PS- the Emo mini falls into the "makes sound" category.

I own stat speakers. Went through many amps before I found one that could drive them loud without destructing. Unless you can power the stat headphone with a quality amp with speed and power delivery, stay with a dynamic. Stats tickle the ear, the HE-6 punches it.

 

[Shazb0t]

Looking for something to make sound, any amp will work. Want the higher end of what the HE-6 can do, go with an SS amp without that adapter. It negatively impacts the sound. If you like the sound of tubes, put them in your source.

IMO

PS- the Emo mini falls into the "makes sound" category.

I own stat speakers. Went through many amps before I found one that could drive them loud without destructing. Unless you can power the stat headphone with a quality amp with speed and power delivery, stay with a dynamic. Stats tickle the ear, the HE-6 punches it.

Emo mini-x powers the HE-6 and stays in class A mode.  It sound good IMO, not a largely flavored amp, neutralish.  Stating something like it "makes sound" as opposed to other expensive speaker amps is disingenuous.  There are other flavors out there, but from a standpoint of capability to drive the HE-6 across it's full range there isn't a question mark in the equation.  It's not going to be some night and day difference that you might see between a $20 dollar T amp or portable battery powered headphone amp against the best class A power amp ever made.  Remember that you're dealing with the opinion of summit-fi audiophiles before writing it off Music Alchemist.  That is also IMO obviously.  

 

[Happy Camper]

Emo mini-x powers the HE-6 and stays in class A mode.  It sound good IMO, not a largely flavored amp, neutralish.  Stating something like it "makes sound" as opposed to other expensive speaker amps is disingenuous.  There are other flavors out there, but from a standpoint of capability to drive the HE-6 across it's full range there isn't a question mark in the equation.  It's not going to be some night and day difference that you might see between a $20 dollar T amp or portable battery powered headphone amp against the best class A power amp ever made.  Remember that you're dealing with the opinion of summit-fi audiophiles before writing it off Music Alchemist.  That is also IMO obviously.  

http://www.head-fi.org/t/529873/amps-that-can-drive-the-hifiman-he-6-planar-headphones/2955#post_10682841
http://www.head-fi.org/t/529873/amps-that-can-drive-the-hifiman-he-6-planar-headphones/2940#post_10681981

Type mini-x into the search engine for http://www.head-fi.org/t/529873/amps-that-can-drive-the-hifiman-he-6-planar-headphones

 

[Rhamnetin]

Now that I think about it, have you ever considered the Sennheiser HE60?  But of course you'd have to go through the trouble of obtaining one and then acquiring a Stax adapter or recabling it.