[Chuy24]

@classymaillot What about the RME ADI2 made it a good pairing for the HEKSE?

 

[Anouk]

Hi everyone, Pretty sure that I want to buy the he1000v3stealth from hifiman. Was all set on the ef600 ad a dac/amp combo for it but then of course I read about this newer model.
the serenade. Anyone know why its not available in Europe?Dont see it in any of the usual Dutch dealer stores that do ship the ef600..
Anyone able to compare the serenade and ef600 with some of hifimans headphones for synergy's sake?
Choices, choices...
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[Chuy24]

Enjoy your HEKv3 loved it while I had it

 

[lucanato]

I just received a serenade after a long wait (8+ weeks as it was OOS). While waiting, I tried a couple other AIOs and settled on one of them (RME ADI2 which I found to be a good match with HE1000SE and DCA Expanse). So I ended up not opening the serenade (part of me does not want to to start comparing options again). I will post the Serenade up for sale (brand new in box). I’m in the US. DM if interested

I'm interested, I own the hekse and seeking for a fabulous ampli for them, I'm reading here that serenade push a bit forward the mids and this could be good for the hekse. Why are you enjoying your rme?

 

[WDitters]

Note: There is also a Serenade JR version. Basically identical to the Serenade minus bluetooth and analog inputs. Remainder of the specs seem to only marginally differ in favor of the full Serenade ... Price difference roughly $200

 

[godmax]

Note: There is also a Serenade JR version. Basically identical to the Serenade minus bluetooth and analog inputs. Remainder of the specs seem to only marginally differ in favor of the full Serenade ... Price difference roughly $200

Nice find, but there seem to be further differences internally:

Serenade:
Himalaya Pro
4000mw@32Ω BL Output
vs.
Sernade JR:
Himalaya LE
3000mw@32Ω BL Output

 

[WDitters]

Nice find, but there seem to be further differences internally:

Serenade:
Himalaya Pro
4000mw@32Ω BL Output
vs.
Sernade JR:
Himalaya LE
3000mw@32Ω BL Output

Which from where I sit (highly sensitive low impedance headphones) is marginal... But for others that difference indeed is absolutely significant So good find as well...

 

[WDitters]

I'm interested, I own the hekse and seeking for a fabulous ampli for them, I'm reading here that serenade push a bit forward the mids and this could be good for the hekse. Why are you enjoying your rme?

Hi Luca, did you order the Serenade already? There is also the higher-end Prelude, which is an amp-only (without DAC or streaming capabilities) but purely balanced class-A

 

[JeffJ]

Both Serenade and Prelude have confusing lineups:

(discontinued) Serenade amp
(discontinued) Serenade amp+dac (9038pro)
current Serenade amp+dac (Himalaya Pro)
current Serenade JR amp+dac (Himalaya LE)

current Prelude amp
current Prelude dac (ak4499)
current Prelude amp+dac (ak4499)
current Prelude Pro amp
current Prelude Pro amp+dac (ak4499ex)

 

[WDitters]

Both Serenade and Prelude have confusing lineups:

(discontinued) Serenade amp
(discontinued) Serenade amp+dac (9038pro)
current Serenade amp+dac (Himalaya Pro)
current Serenade JR amp+dac (Himalaya LE)

current Prelude amp
current Prelude dac (ak4499)
current Prelude amp+dac (ak4499)
current Prelude Pro amp
current Prelude Pro amp+dac (ak4499ex)

Correct. Since Hifiman just did a takeover and purchased Golden Wave my educated guess is that the entire old Golden Wave lineup has been replaced by their own new Himalaya R2R lineup

 

[JeffJ]

Correct. Since Hifiman just did a takeover and purchased Golden Wave my educated guess is that the entire old Golden Wave lineup has been replaced by their own new Himalaya R2R lineup

In the near future, the Prelude lineup might keep the AKM chip. I forgot the exact words but in a Chinese forum JinBo from GoldenWave said he is happy with the current Prelude tuning with AKM chips, and he sees no room for improvement (with Himalaya chips). He is working on a Prelude Pro dac-only with ak4499ex.

For Serenade he think Himalaya version sounds better than the ESS version, so he made the switch.

 

[WDitters]

In the near future, the Prelude lineup might keep the AKM chip. I forgot the exact words but in a Chinese forum JinBo from GoldenWave said he is happy with the current Prelude tuning with AKM chips, and he sees no room for improvement (with Himalaya chips). He is working on a Prelude Pro dac-only with ak4499ex.

For Serenade he think Himalaya version sounds better than the ESS version, so he made the switch.

I am also considering the Serenade. I love the R2R characteristics of the Cayin N6II, the Hiby RS6 and the Hiby RS8. Connected to the Cayin C9 these pairings are sublime. The C9 however, although it comes close, will not replace a true desktop Amp. Together with the fact that the Serenade also offers native streaming of Qobuz and Tidal, as well as Class-A amplification I have the expectation that the Serenade will at least perform at the same level, if not better than the aforementioned alternatives

 

[classymaillot]

@classymaillot What about the RME ADI2 made it a good pairing for the HEKSE?

I'm interested, I own the hekse and seeking for a fabulous ampli for them, I'm reading here that serenade push a bit forward the mids and this could be good for the hekse. Why are you enjoying your rme?

I sold the serenade without trying it as I'm really happy with the RME ADI-2 DAC FS with my headphones (a HEKSE and a DCA Expanse). I didn't have time to do a fair comparison with the serenade, so I sold it BNIB.

The reasons I like the RME:

1. My preference is to minimize any coloring in the chain to render the recording as it was intended by the artist. The headphones I own are detail monsters with intricate imaging and spatial qualities, so it is important to me to have objectively measurable clean DAC and power delivery.
2. DAC: objectively measures great (see ASR review) with excellent SNR and dynamic range, and extremely low distortion and noise throughout the frequency response. My ADI-2 is a recent production, so it has an ESS chip, which on ASR measured very similar to the AKM version.
3. Built-in amp has sufficient power for my needs: The RME drives both headphones with overhead to spare. With the HEKSE, volume is usually between -50 dBr and -30 dBr (around 50%-60% on the volume bar). With the Expanse, it's between -40 dBr and -20 dBr. The amp does not auto-switch to high power mode until -15 dBr (you can override manually if you want). RME designed it with extra overhead, up to +6 dBr.
4. Built-in DSP: I find it very useful with the HEKSE. It does not need EQ with orchestral/instrumental music, but pretty much every other genre benefits from EQ. It sounds great without EQ, but sounds even better with it. I like the Expanse tuning without any EQ.
5. Quality: RME is known for reliable pro gear, and their electronic design is top notch. You can see the "pro" signature in everything, including the way the power cable is secured. That's an overkill for home users, but they did not skimp on it.
6. Most importantly, I enjoy the music with this setup, so much so that the headphones and the chain vanish.

 

[Giangi]

Hi! There's also a Goldenwave Hifiman Serenade Jr. Which differs with Serenade classic version? Thanks

 

[BlueA]

Goldenwave Hifiman Serenade Jr.

I also made reference to these one previously on the thread but not much info.
It seems colored models with R2R not sure anything else specific.