[JohnnyOps]

Sorry if this has been covered, but has anyone tried the HiFiMan HE-5xx with the Folkvangr? I have been a HD-6xx/HE-5xx daily driver for a long time with my Mjolnir 2/Gungnir MB, and just picked up an open box pair of Focal Clear OGs for $790 from headphones.com. I'm sorely tempted to get a Folkvangr, but I want to keep planars in the mix, and I'd like to avoid getting on the upgrade train immediately from the HE-5xx (which I love very much). And my desktop setup is great but doesn't have room for both a M2 AND a Folkvangr. So what will happen if I try to drive the HE-5xx with the FV?

Thanks!

 

[JLoud]

I drive the LCD4 as well as HE1000v2 on the Folkvangr and they sound great. No trouble driving them.

 

[JohnnyOps]

And one other stupid question.... does the volume affect the pre-outs on the Folkvangr? I kind of want to leave an auto-sensing/auto-on/off power amp plugged into the pre-outs, and when I unplug the phones have that start to drive my desktop speakers... but if I need a separate volume control that's not that great. Thanks!

 

[JLoud]

Volume control affects the pre-outs. It is you volume control for connected power amps.

 

[suponaudio]

Not providing a ton of info on sound signature (if people ask I'll try to elaborate..) but just wanted to chime in saying I got mine today and I love it - basically took everything I liked and made it better. Lots of sound stage, bass is clean and tight, mids sound natural, there's an overall appreciated speed to when sounds start and end and are overall very separated. Overall tone is warm (just what I like) and nothing is fatiguing just yet (I'm treble sensitive). I have it paired with the following:

PC>Schiit Wyrd>Schiit OG Bifrost MB>OG Loki>Schiit Folkvangr>Sennheiser HD 800 S

Previous amp was an OG Bottlehead Crack + Speedball with some nice tubes.

I have some NOS Tesla E88CC red tips, and some NOS Tesla E88CC blue tips (crossed swords) both from factory 32 on the way. I should have at least have a week of stock input tube listening which should give me a solid idea of what they sound like and how they benefit from those tubes in my chain at least.

I should have upgraded my amp long ago.. (triple digit S/N on the HD 800 S's) but hey I got into this hobby when I was broke and in my late teens!

 

[Grunt66]

Not providing a ton of info on sound signature (if people ask I'll try to elaborate..) but just wanted to chime in saying I got mine today and I love it - basically took everything I liked and made it better. Lots of sound stage, bass is clean and tight, mids sound natural, there's an overall appreciated speed to when sounds start and end and are overall very separated. Overall tone is warm (just what I like) and nothing is fatiguing just yet (I'm treble sensitive). I have it paired with the following:

PC>Schiit Wyrd>Schiit OG Bifrost MB>OG Loki>Schiit Folkvangr>Sennheiser HD 800 S

Previous amp was an OG Bottlehead Crack + Speedball with some nice tubes.

I have some NOS Tesla E88CC red tips, and some NOS Tesla E88CC blue tips (crossed swords) both from factory 32 on the way. I should have at least have a week of stock input tube listening which should give me a solid idea of what they sound like and how they benefit from those tubes in my chain at least.

I should have upgraded my amp long ago.. (triple digit S/N on the HD 800 S's) but hey I got into this hobby when I was broke and in my late teens!

Could you advise what the difference between the red and blue tip Tesla tubes are? I am contemplating picking up a set.

 

[suponaudio]

Could you advise what the difference between the red and blue tip Tesla tubes are? I am contemplating picking up a set.

I wasn't able to determine that with certainty - big reason why I picked up both. The understanding I left with was basically Tesla tubes made in factory 32 = good, and any of the tubes receiving a marked (red/blue/etc) tip indicated it was likely hand selected for some kind of application that demanded tighter tolerances and ratings such as military equipment.

I found a pretty detailed blog post that had very good things to say about the blue tips with the crossed swords specifically - comparing them to Cca variants. Being late to the game on all of these tubes those were the only ones I could "reasonably" afford.

Long story short I'd also like to know.. lol

 

[Barnstormer13]

Previous amp was an OG Bottlehead Crack + Speedball with some nice tubes.
.

I should have upgraded my amp long ago.. (triple digit S/N on the HD 800 S's) but hey I got into this hobby when I was broke and in my late teens!

IMHO you made an excellent choice. I’ve had mine since august and it still impresses me every day.

Lately I’ve been trying my older headphones (AFC and my Clear). It’s made me realize I stopped listening to them not because they were bad headphones, it was because they just didn’t play well on my WA6-SE and my solid state amp didn’t compete with the WA6-SE for musicality.

With the FV I can finally play them on a tube amp that delivers a hugely musical and engaging sound with effortless layering and detail.

 

[suponaudio]

IMHO you made an excellent choice. I’ve had mine since august and it still impresses me every day.

Lately I’ve been trying my older headphones (AFC and my Clear). It’s made me realize I stopped listening to them not because they were bad headphones, it was because they just didn’t play well on my WA6-SE and my solid state amp didn’t compete with the WA6-SE for musicality.

With the FV I can finally play them on a tube amp that delivers a hugely musical and engaging sound with effortless layering and detail.

So far I completely agree! Sometimes with audio gear you gotta sit there and really pay attention to what you might like about it, but I immediately loved what this amp did to the sound. I work from home so I get to enjoy it all day, and working late into the night yesterday wasn't really a problem like it usually is.. my wife asked if she had been replaced by tubes.. I think those are good signs.

 

[JohnnyOps]

Just wanted to ask a question... I presume the HE6seV2 is going to be hopeless with the Folkvangr? These legendary planars are on sale for $549 from Adorama right now, which is a screaming deal. But they're 50 ohms and 83.5 db sensitivity. Assuming that's a hopeless combo but want to check.

 

[tyk103]

Might have to pull the trigger on my first OTL tube amp and the Folkvangr might be the one...

 

[tafens]

Might have to pull the trigger on my first OTL tube amp and the Folkvangr might be the one...

Folkvangr is my first all-tube amp, having only used hybrid and solid state amps before. I thought things were about as good it could get with Bifrost2 and Lyr3, but Gungnir and Folkvangr told me otherwise.

Pulled the trigger on the day of release and have been loving it since first listen

 

[Barnstormer13]

Folkvangr is my first all-tube amp, having only used hybrid and solid state amps before. I thought things were about as good it could get with Bifrost2 and Lyr3, but Gungnir and Folkvangr told me otherwise.

Pulled the trigger on the day of release and have been loving it since first listen

Yup, the FV completely retired my Lyr3. I kept it around for headphones that liked a low output impedance amp, but the FV now fills that role and sounds WAY better.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Just wanted to ask a question... I presume the HE6seV2 is going to be hopeless with the Folkvangr? These legendary planars are on sale for $549 from Adorama right now, which is a screaming deal. But they're 50 ohms and 83.5 db sensitivity. Assuming that's a hopeless combo but want to check.

Sorry but no, the FV isn’t going to make them sing the way a high power amp will. On the bright side, this sounds like a good reason to buy another amp!

Edit: In theory it should work reasonably well. Hitting 113.5 dB would take about 1000 times the power required to hit 83.5 dB, or right around 1W. At 50 ohms that’s around 7V which the FV can make without a problem. That said, I’ve read 2W is a bare minimum and most tube amps are happiest running at a fraction of their rated power. YMMV.

 

[theveterans]

Just wanted to ask a question... I presume the HE6seV2 is going to be hopeless with the Folkvangr? These legendary planars are on sale for $549 from Adorama right now, which is a screaming deal. But they're 50 ohms and 83.5 db sensitivity. Assuming that's a hopeless combo but want to check.

You would be served better with pentode SET amps than Folkvangr instead