New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out
Nov 4, 2012 at 9:33 PM Post #5,281 of 6,017
Quote:
I'm guessing it would be better to go with the HE-400 instead of the HE-500 if all I have is the E17?

Irrelivant. It's all about sound signature. HE-500 from everything I can tell is leaning toward neutral and natural sound while the 400 is more musical and fun. Frankly for the price difference I don't see the point in HE-500, but that's me. 
 
E17 is fine, but you will need to upgrade eventually if you actually want to hear what the HE series can do, if it's just for portable use, it's fine.
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 2:26 AM Post #5,282 of 6,017
Quote:
Right now the amp is sourced from my CD player, which doesn't have EQ, but I'll keep it in mind for when I hook the amp up to my USB DAC.
Checked the sensitivity of the two, it's 98 dB/mW for the AD700 and 92.5 for the HE-400s, so that should make them about a quarter as loud I think.

 
-6dB probably won't give you that much of a drop.  You have to go down about -10dB for it to SOUND about half as loud (as opposed to -3dB being half the electrical POWER).
You could try getting some inline attenuators to put in-between the CD player and amp.  They are just like phono plugs with built in resistors.  Otherwise if you (or a friend) are handy with a soldering iron you could make up an attenuator yourself with 4 resistors and a spare interconnect lead (see the DIY forum).  When CD players first came out such things were needed to stop the CD players' higher output level overdriving the inputs on older amplifiers.
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 4:28 AM Post #5,284 of 6,017
I bought a HE400 recently (although i didn't receive due to my relevant will be here end of nov.). I will use it with E11.
 
I plan to buy a headphone amp. I wish to buy Schiit Lyr but it is expensive for this time. And also i want to go step by step to taste of the difference.
 
Could you please give me an advice for this case ? I do little search about Schiit Asgard and it looks good. Actually Asgard also isn't cheap one and I'm really open for the other options. 
Thanks.
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 7:17 AM Post #5,289 of 6,017
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There's a cheap Lyr (used) on the marketplace, if I recall...  300 bucks shipped, I think.

Yes it may be an option but i think it is ver very rare and also I'm livingoutside US. So this option is too close to impossible. I should find second hand Lyr to sell anywhere. On the other hand this option is so close to find second hand Asgard :) 
 
Main question is is it worth to buy Lyr or should i start with Asgard and after that (2-3 years later) upgrade to Lyr ? 
 
I don't want to say "I bought an Asgard but I don't feel significant difference from E11 with HE400" 
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 7:28 AM Post #5,290 of 6,017
The lyr is the right buy for harder to drive hp's like orthos. The Asgard will work pretty well for harder to drive hp's but will work best for low impedance. 
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 9:24 AM Post #5,292 of 6,017
^^ Well, paypal. That's why when you buy something or sale something here, you should never go with the "gift" options. Lot's of guys here will ask you to send the payment as a gift in order to avoid the fees. The reason that pp will drop the fees with that scenario is that they have no liability when you send money as a gift. Regular transactions with pp have protection for the buyer. 
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 9:36 AM Post #5,293 of 6,017
Basically, I'd only send payment as a gift from trusted head-fiers. Either those who have been here a long time and are active posters, or have a lot of good feedback from real head-fiers.

The non-gift PP fee could potentially keep people from buying your stuff.
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 9:50 AM Post #5,294 of 6,017
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I don't want to say "I bought an Asgard but I don't feel significant difference from E11 with HE400" 

I can't see any way in hell you would say this LOL! Seriously though the asgard has more power and a subtle warm sound. The Lyr in the long run is probably the best you can do without breaking the bank, but the asgard gets you very close. 
 
The main thing the Lyr has to offer besides being a hybrid, is tons of power which counts.
 
Nov 5, 2012 at 10:10 AM Post #5,295 of 6,017
I think the whole Lyr thing is coming back to haunt me. When I saw the listing, there were only 3 views and I very well could've bought both the Bifrost and Lyr, I guess I should've...
 

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