[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

This is just a great master piece. i'm looking a balance amp direct on it....still looking for a balancw amp but i feel a bit ichy to try out the shiit lyr amp
 

The SR-71b balanced amp is a good match for the HE=5 LE, although you need adapter cables to connect normal XLR outputs into it or to connect the 4-pin XLR headphone cable.
 

 

[sluker]

Has anyone tried the Darkvoice 336/339? (Skylab?) is it enough current?

 

[Skylab]

Both my Darkvoice amps were long gone before I got the HE-5LE.

 

[sluker]

OK, So I may be late to the party. But I am listening to the HE5-LE out of my La Figaro 339 and it is noticeably better than the M-stage or anything else I have. Soundstage is wide and deep with base extension comparable to the D7000, detail comparable to the K701 and a fullness I have only heard from the HD 600's.
Now I can't wait to try these out of my speaker amps, I wonder what the MiniWatt could do with them.

 

[sluker]

I will not give up.
I want to revive this thread, these are great headphones.
 I just got a 4 pin xlr to banana plug connector. Thank you HiFlight it looks and feels great.
I have three speaker amps to try out, nothing fancy mind you: the MiniWatt (tube), the HLLY Tamp 20 (got it for free as a package deal with my M-Stage), and the ADCOM GFA 5400 (my main speaker amp used to drive the B&W CM-1).
I am comparing the sound to that of my LaFigaro 339, Matrix M-Stage and the same amps through a headphone adapter that came with the MiniWatt but also works with the HLLY.
First is the MiniWatt:
WOW the BASS!
This is impressive, using the headphone adapter I need to turn the volume up to 3 or 4 to get the same volume I am getting at 11:00.
But even when volume is matched the biggest difference is the resolution. The detail on Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven of off MTV Live, is amazing. The highs are much clearer and sharper. The midrange is closer, with instrument separation that I have not heard on any of my full size phones and only comparable to the reshelled SE530's.
The bass at the beginning of Rage Against the Machine's Tire Me is clean (not muddy) and full of PRAT. I need to listen to the D7000's on this part but I think the HE5 -LE hits lower and cleaner.
One thing I do NOT notice any change in is the soundstage, volume matched, it seems fairly close to the MW through the headphone adapter and noticeably less wide and deep than the LF339 but I need to listen to some more live recording between the two.
That is all for now

 

[treal512]

I'd love to have these, but there are never any up in the FS section

 

[shipsupt]

I'll do my part! I do have to admit that my LCD-2's arrived this week and have been getting most of the head time.

Since getting the HE-5LE I've been listening mostly from a WA6SE and trying different tubes to find a combo that suits them. After receiving a set of adapters I tried the Sylvania 6DN7's and think I might have found something I like. The 6DN7's really seem to pack a punch, lows are simply powerful. The sound is pretty euphonic and I need to do some more listening to convince myself that they are not giving up details and highs, but early indications are pretty positive. I've got the Sophia rectifier in the amp now and want to see how that pairs up with these tubes and the LE's. That is if I can bring myself to put the new toy aside for awhile.

I also took the opportunity to try the Little Dot I+ with these power hungry headphones. Op amp was a 2107, tubes ef91's, and gain set to high. I have to say that the LD holds promise as an affordable amp option to drive these orthos. I really need to spend some time with different op amps and tubes to see what's possible. It's not likely to compete with some more serious amps, and I know many are say that you really need a speaker amp to do orthos justice, but what I was hearing was acceptable.

I bought the HE-5LE's because I though the wait for the LCD's was going to be very long and I was worried about driving the 6's. In spite of the LCD's showing up far earlier than I expected I am thinking that I don't want to part with these. Early listening from the LCD's is not telling me that they are simply going to replace them, and in actual fact I am still leaning towards liking the LE's better. I hope in the end I find the two can compliment each other and I live with them both as part of my collection.

@sluker, I hope you do revive this thread. The HE-5LE's are a great headphone that seem to be getting a little overlooked because of all the other fine offerings out there.

 

[kwkarth]

I was noticing that on "paper," i.e. on the HeadRoom web site (headphone.com) the HE5LE looks better all 'round than the HE6.
 
Compared to the 6, the 5LE has slightly better square wave response, better bottom end, lower harmonic distortion, etc.  The only thing I noticed awry was that it was wired 180 deg. out of phase with respect to the other hifiman cans.  Easily corrected problem.

 

[sluker]

Quote:

" Easily corrected problem."

Please elaborate.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Please elaborate.

In the 5LE sample that was tested at HeadRoom, when you overlay the plots from all three HiFiMan cans, you'll see that both drivers in the 5LE are wired backwards.  That means that either the cable was wired wrong or the drivers themselves were wired backwards.  Plus to minus (+ to -) and minus to plus (- to +) on both sides.  So it's out of absolute phase.  When any driver is in proper phase, when the voltage is positive, the diaphragm moves toward the listener, and when the voltage is negative, the driver moves away from the listener.  It's really not a big deal as 99% of listeners would never be aware of it since the left and right sides are in proper relative phase with one another, they're just both backwards.  Anal retentive types will want that corrected.  The devil is in the details...  Look at the square wave plots.

---

Edit:  I noticed that the Sennheiser  HD800 Balanced shows up out of phase, but the SE HD800 does not.  It's possible that Headroom drove the 5LE with a balanced amp and that the balanced amp is out of absolute phase and not the can.  This is a question HeadRoom will have to answer.

 

[Audio-Omega]

Is HE-5LE still available ?  Did it get replaced by HE-4 and HE-6 ?  

 

[shipsupt]

Is HE-5LE still available ?  Did it get replaced by HE-4 and HE-6 ?  

I don't know if that is the long term plan, but they are are still available at head direct and headroom.

 

[maze]

Has anyone tried the he5le with the Schitt Lyr?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Has anyone tried the he5le with the Schitt Lyr?

The HE-5 LE are so good with the standard HiFiMan EF5 amp that I can't imagine the Lyr would be worse.

 

[LingLing1337]

So if I pick a pair of these up, what termination do they come with? And what's the cheapest adapter to hook them up to speaker taps?