vvaffles
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2008
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Firstly I would just like to mention that this review is based purely on my personal option, and my amp roster has not been so large (d2-boa, maverick d1, and the ckkiii). So please take it with a grain of salt.
Source used:
Denon DCD815 -> Audio-gd dac19mk3 (coax) -> Sheer Audio HA-006++ Special Edition -> Senn HD650
Asus UL30vt -> Airport Express -> Audio-gd Dac19mk3 (optical) -> Sheer Audio HA-006++ -> Senn HD650
I would also like to mention that I can’t hear the difference between coax and optical in these setup, so that might tell you something about my critical listening skills.
Build Quality/Overall Looks
The Sheer Audio HA-006++ Special is very nicely built. The black metal chassis seems to hold the internals quite nicely, its looks and feels sturdy, with a cool blue led to boot. It gives off a nice professional look. I wouldn’t say it’s built like a tank however, there are a lot of holes for ventilation, the case will block a bang here and there but looks like it would not protect the amp from a fall (don’t understand why it should though, it’s not like it has legs to run off the table).
The amp runs quite cool for a complete class A build. Summer in Canada is pretty terrible, but the amp rarely gets hot to touch, much cooler then my old ckkiii. It’s usually cooler then the palm rest on my laptop.
Running at 450 bucks I guess it could have used brushed aluminum as the material for the chassis, but I really can’t complain here, just personal preference I suppose.
Sound Impressions (done with CD/ALAC):
Prelude to a Kiss – Alicia Keys
First I have to say this amp feels more balanced compared to the ckkiii. It tames the bass on the hd650s quite well. I love this song for the nice and clean female vocals. There are a lot of details in her voice, you can tell when shes at the end of her breath and need to take a new one because her note is getting weak, sounds that requires you to sort of pop your lips like “be” you can kind of feel the poping (im sorry I really can’t explain this any better). The piano sounds very realistic; you can hear the keys hitting the bottom of the piano when she presses on it. Very very intimate vocals, I think it is fantastic.
Hotel California (acoustic live, from Hell Freezes Over) - Eagles
First thing I noticed was the clapping was a lot clearer and more tonally balanced. It used to sound like rain hitting metal roof tops, now it sounds like actual clapping. The clapping before also has a muddy feel to it, but now it’s a lot clearer. The acoustic guitar is gorgeous, there is a lot of weight in each note, when he plucks the string, you can “feel” it happening. The tone of the drums is great; it has that hollow feel when he smacks it. I would have loved a bit wider sound stage, seems like the drums a bit too close together, but I did move from the k701s, so I guess I’m just being picky.
Fever – Ray Charles and Natalie Cole
I have never love this song as much as I love it now, the HA-006 really refines the house feel to this song, and the sound stage is done very well, from the finger snapping close to the mic to the light drumming in the background. The bass line in the song is nice and low, but never overpowering, I must say this amp really refines the sound to make it sound as realistic as possible.
Summery and Misc
The HA-006++ is a very nice amp. It has a more balanced kind of sound and does not taint the music very much. At $450 it performs extremely well and sounds fantastic with the hd650s. If you really love intimate vocals, or feel that your hd650s have too much bass/muddy, give this amp a try. My amp has a gain set to 3 from the factory, there is absolutely no amp hiss (completely black) when using my hd650s even at max volume, this is definitely a step up from the ckkiii. The special edition has a 21-step attenuator, which is quite balanced even when operating before 9 o’clock position. I’m quite impressed by this, my ckkiii and maverick was lacking when I play music at low volume, and when I sleep, I like to play soft music at low volume.
Thanks for reading! Hope this was useful to some when you are looking for a new amp.
BTW this is my first review, tips? Criticisms? Let me know!
