Inner | fidelity - Comparing World-Class Headphone

[Chianti]

Agree that the choice of amp for the HE-6 doesn't make sense. After having tried it both ways, I would always go with a speaker amp over most headphone amps. 250 Watts into 8ohms, and you are looking at a different headphone. Nothing wrong with the review, if you only have a Pinnacle to drive the cans, conclusions might be valid?
 
My chain, consisting of
[Squeezebox Touch] - [Straight Wire Megalink II coax] - [NAD M2; impedance compensation 8ohm] - [q-audio cables] - [HE-Adapter] - [q-audio cables] - [HE-6]
has the highest PRAT I have ever heard from any system, speaker or headphones. I am finding myself constantly adjusting the volume up, because I am enjoying the music so much. Then after a couple minutes, I turn it down again in the interest of preserving my hearing ... until the next song is just too good to keep the volume down, so repeat ad infinitum

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Alright. Who wants to send me a couple of amps and I'll compare them, with the Pinnacle, and maybe a Woo?
 
Put up or shut up.
 
Edit: Must be in continental U.S.

 

[Loevhagen]

@ Chianti. 250W needed? I think that's just stigmatizing the HE-6s and scaring potential owners off
 
Edit: I "hate" bright headphones. Loving the LCD-2 and the HE-500, the HE-6 sounds surprisingly smooth and balanced with a "dark sounding" (aka Electrocompaniet-ish) speaker amp (70W). I think the amp's sound signature is well as important than just watts.

 

[ardgedee]

Tyll's review of the HE-6 indicates it was underpowered and/or underdamped; what he says seems to be common to complaints in the HE-6 threads about similar sound coming from their phones.
 
I find this interesting because I've heard all of the phones in Tyll's review except the HE-500, and otherwise agree fully with his conclusions.
 
Having heard my HE-6 on at least half a dozen different amplifiers ranging from solid-state and tubed headphone amps to T-amps to the speaker taps of 60-watt amps (and with all else being equal), I can attest to the overall balance and resolution being contingent on the amount of juice the thing's getting. I'd go so far as say that you're better off buying an economical speaker amp for these than an expensive high-end headphone amp. If you can afford better, get a better-quality speaker amp.
 
The HE-6 (and no-longer-made AKG K1000) may have to be treated like the planar electrostatics in the sense that you can't get around needing a unique dedicated amp for it, whether it's a speaker amp for the purpose or a monster headphone amp like the Dark Star.

 

[Olias of Sunhillow]

Quote:

Alright. Who wants to send me a couple of amps and I'll compare them, with the Pinnacle, and maybe a Woo?
 
Put up or shut up.
 
Edit: Must be in continental U.S.

I'd be glad to send you a Schiit Lyr, if you haven't already tested one. Let me know if you're interested.
 

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Though they were a little lack-luster in that crowd, I think I would end up liking them very much as a personal headphone.  I don't like "bright" and they were nicely laid back.  I think the only can there I really had a problem with was the HE6. 

 
I think the HE6 is nice especially with its crystalline midrange and treble (there is a bit of glare like Stax Lambda but I can live with that) but like you said in the comparison, it does have a tendency to create a "wall of sound" effect where instrument positioning becomes muddled. I also don't like how the front image is recessed which is a huge issue if you listen to a lot of vocal. 
 
But since folks here like to play the "but it's under-amped!" card, it would be interesting if you can test them out of a speaker tap once and for all. Apparently my Beta22 that can pump 5.6Wrms into 32Ω doesn't have enough juice to drive them. 

 

[Loevhagen]

Can't someone send him an Electrocompaniet speaker amp, for crying out loud. 

 ...and make the debate more of sound signature, than just watts. 
 
Quote:

Edit: Must be in continental U.S.

 

 

[Happy Camper]

A lot of us that have gone down that power hole agree that more power to the HE-6s (and 500s) benefit the sound of those headphones more than any other headphone. I think that's because they are designed like a true planar. They have characteristics of a planar speaker. The soundstage expands without wispy or diffuse boundries. The impact and sub bass is solid and reaches to the depth of the note/effect without being wooly, yet detailed and subtle when called on. I've used amps that ranged from .5 watts to 250 watts, tube and SS and my satisfaction is my current setup using two 125 w monoblocks. I'm still out to jury on the resistor issue. I think it takes some of the dynamics away for a smoother sound. I prefer the more dynamic response but have been living with the balanced load for the last few months before going resistorless and making a judgment.

I am guilty of turning it up because it sounds so damned good, only to turn it back down again until the next song grabs my attention. I notice I'll grab the knob several to many times per listening session.

 

[Chianti]

I just recalled that the lack of power from the Pinnacle to drive HE-6 had been mentioned earlier by InnerSpace: http://www.head-fi.org/t/539248/apex-pinnacle-vs-leben-cs300xs-the-awful-truth/15#post_7273652
"BTW, there is a K1000 4pin XLR on the Pinnacle, but I felt it lacked power for HE-6 purposes. I use my HE-6 straight out the back of a Bryston B60."
 
@Tyll, I assume you do have some kind of speaker amp available, so the only thing that's missing is the HE adapter? I would be surprised if you couldn't get a loaner from one of the dealers ...

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

The 009 is more than a $10k investment. If anyone thinks they can skimp on the source/DAC after throwing down 10 large on the Stax + amp is fooling themselves or crippling the system. Selling some duplicate organs might help with financing.

So using my wife's ipod nano with 128kps music as a source isn't ideal?

 

 

[baka1969]

So using my wife's ipod nano with 128kps music as a source isn't ideal?

 

 

[knopi]

Choose amp for LCD2 is not easy as well because of their darker sound character

 

[Icenine2]

knopi,
 
Cavalli Liquid Fire is an excellent amp with the LCD2!  BTW-Awesome Avatar!

 

[knopi]

Yes thanks) this avatar made my brother for me, he is webdesigner so it was easy for him.
 
From what I have read Liquid Fire is excellent with LCD2 and I also read excellent is Balancing Act with carefully choosed tubes, unfortunately both is too much expensive for me. I am sure that Cavalli made this amp with care to LCD2 which is big advantage and exactly what LCD2 needs because they really have darker thicker sound and blurred highs.
I waited for new amp which has be very powerfull and modern but I am waiting ooh very long so I decided for original Casea Lyra at this moment which wasn't good pair with LCD2 in Prague meet. But I sent my LCD2 to them one week ago and consturcter tunning special version for my LCD2. I am very curious on result.
 
eidt: great read thanks Tyll   

 

[edstrelow]

I have read through this thread, the Inner fidelity one and the one which cannot be named and seem to have missed some basic procedural information.   How exactly are the phones connected to a microphone,  by a dummy head or something else?  If  a head is used what type of frequency correction was applied to correct for ear canal and other head resonance? Is this why the raw data but not the compensated and average data  show a peak above 1kHz?  If so, what exactly is the amount of correction and is it matched to the specific head used here or is it some generic head correction?  Also what microphone was used. 
 
I apologize if I overlooked this information.