I have $1000 for audio in my new computer build. Is this my best option for that money?
Oct 2, 2014 at 10:17 PM Post #16 of 23
jodgey4 said:
I don't think you should skip a dedicated DAC (external is ideal IMHO), nor do I think you could budget one in along with an HE-6 and an amp powerful enough to drive it. The O2 will power nearly anything, the HE-6 is not on that list.
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2 questions:

Why are they so hard to drive?

What's the lowest priced, good amp that I can use to drive the HE-6? And what DAC should I pair with it? If it goes over the $1000 limit it's fine, I just want to know where I am in the price range with an HE-6 setup
 
Oct 3, 2014 at 12:03 AM Post #17 of 23
They're a planar magnetic headphone, which are low impedance, but VERY inefficient. Most headphones can reach 120 db peaks with 0.25W. To get peak levels of 120 db with the HE-6, you need ~4W IIRC. 110 db is a more reasonable goal (which would mean 0.5W), but many say the HE-6 really needs lots of overhead for a clean sound. Most amps cannot provide that kind of power, but some speaker amps can. http://www.head-fi.org/t/529873/amps-that-can-drive-the-hifiman-he-6-planar-headphones is where this is discussed. That's why the O2 explicitly states that it is not optimal for the HE-6, just because it's a freak. An integrated amp could probably be found cheap, and adapter cables for the HE-6 to go to a speaker amp should be available pretty easy. IDK, maybe just ask on the linked thread and state your budget.
 
For a DAC, the ODAC would be my personal recommendation :). It just depends on how much you want to spend. You want the DAC to make sure you're amping a clean signal.
 
Oct 3, 2014 at 3:08 AM Post #18 of 23
The emotiva mini-x would drive the HE-6. For headphone amps I imagine the schiit lyr 2 would be up to the task as well.
 
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:06 PM Post #20 of 23
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:28 PM Post #22 of 23
fateskimo said:
That's surprising lol
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The ef-6 is made for the HE-6, essentially.The ef-5 is made for the other hifiman models (HE-5/5LE/500/560/4) afaik.
 
Oct 3, 2014 at 2:48 PM Post #23 of 23
Either way, talk about an exploded budget!
 
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