[KevM2]

Donunus, have you tried the Endorphin Ribbon power cables and interconnects? James from SAA told me that the power cable oftered just as substantial a jump as did the Equinox cables. That seemed to be validated by a fella who was describing his experiences with the cable on a B-52. I'll post the link to the thread when I can find it.

My amp won't allow for the cable upgrade, but I'll be trying out the interconnects as soon as possible.

On a slightly different note, maybe I'm hearing things, but it seems like the sound improved after I unplugged my amp from the power strip and directly into an outlet...

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is only one thing the hd600 lacks compared to cans like at ad2000s for example... raw energy snap, speed and sense of power. if it had those traits in spades, it would be hard to beat with anything in the headphone or speaker world regardless of price. Ive heard ultra expensive systems (200k dollars plus) that cannot touch the organic sound of the hd600s

But it does, with the right amp. Single Power Square Wave XL balanced, Woo WA6 maxed with Sophia rectifier, Zana Deux, Melos SHA Gold via the XLR pre-amp out, etc...

 

[donunus]

I thought the square wave were supposed to have a thick sound. by the way, what is the best amp for the hd600s for single ended configuration? dont want to replace my equinox anymore.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought the square wave were supposed to have a thick sound. by the way, what is the best amp for the hd600s for single ended configuration? dont want to replace my equinox anymore.

Nope. My 2008 Square Wave XL with Blackgate upgrade sounds just like a high end tube amp like WA6 maxed with pseudo dual PSU and sophia rectifier, Zana Deux or Melos SHA Gold.

I would pick any of the above amps for my HD600 single ended. But you do know that you don't have to lose the whole equinox, you just get the 1/4" jack replaced with balanced plugs (I did 4-pin XLR and I have a SE adapter, and a 3-pin XLR adapter).

 

[donunus]

do the darkvoice 332s for example come close? I might just sell my brand new stax 202s/252 combo (2050 system) to get an amp. the stax dissapointed me when it didn't scale well with my new dac

 

[donunus]

While I'm at it, I would also like to know if the wa6 is a big upgrade from the wa3 or 3+ if only used for the hd600

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif do the darkvoice 332s for example come close? I might just sell my brand new stax 202s/252 combo (2050 system) to get an amp. the stax dissapointed me when it didn't scale well with my new dac

My 336i was very good with HD600, and better with HD600 than many other headphones (except Edition 9 also had good synergy with it). I didn't want to upgrade for 4 months, but Ken Ball at ALO talked me into a Woo WA6 because of all the low impedance headphones I had that suffered on the 336i vs SS. The WA6 can drive low impedance phones better than the WA3, but I have read they are similar otherwise (very different tubes sets though).

When I first got my WA6 it was maxed with 40 hours on it and didn't sound as good as the DV336i. The huge Vcaps and BlackGates needed 800-1000 hours of burn-in. I put 600 hours on it between March and May and it was starting to sound better than the 336i, but having read jamato8's posts about his modded WA6 I sent mine in to Woo for the Pseudo Dual Power Supply. That isolates the power supply of the two driver tubes from each other, and that needed another 600 hours of burn-in which was done by the end of July. Then it was sounding much better than 336i but didn't have the soundstage of Blutarsky's Zana Deux or Melos SHA Gold. Adding the Sophia Princess 274b rectifier finished off the upgrades and put the amp on the level of amps costing twice as much.

 

[donunus]

extremely evil prices for driving such inexpensive headphones like the hd600

Now, what I'd like to know is the sweet spot in price/performance for the hd600 where I can start feeling like it has the right "get up and go" factor. Would you say a head direst ef-1 is adequate? I basically want to get the best sound for under $500 for the hd600s but would rather spend it on a 300 dollar amp plus upgrades like tubes, etc... than get a 500 dollar amp thats only slightly better than the 300 dollar amp. I hope you know what I mean

 

[KevM2]

I'm thinking of just skipping all of the inbetween expenditures and just going for B52. It'll take a few years possibly, but it'll save me a whole lot of money in the long run.

After I get the Equinox interconnects, I'll be done playing the upgrade game besides maybe new tubes until I can get a B-52.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif extremely evil prices for driving such inexpensive headphones like the hd600 Now, what I'd like to know is the sweet spot in price/performance for the hd600 where I can start feeling like it has the right "get up and go" factor. Would you say a head direst ef-1 is adequate? I basically want to get the best sound for under $500 for the hd600s but would rather spend it on a 300 dollar amp plus upgrades like tubes, etc... than get a 500 dollar amp thats only slightly better than the 300 dollar amp. I hope you know what I mean

I've been too spoiled to be happy with much less to drive my HD600.

If HD600 is your only concern, for a budget tube amp that will do it justice look for the Dark Voice 336i and a Sylvania "Bad Boy" 6SN7 type tube ($80) and a Tung Sol 5998 for the rear ($40). Also consider a Sylvania VT231 ($60) or RCA Grey Glass ($40) for the front tube if you can't find a Bad Boy. The HD600 is the only headphone where the 336i can beat the EF1. For low impedance Grado, Denon and Ultrasone I would recommend the EF1 over the 336i.

Other people who have heard the 337 swear that is the one for the HD600. You may find that a Millett Hybrid Max or something like that would hit the sweet spot with HD600 as well. Or, consider the new Little Dot Mk VI balanced amp for $600 (I have never heard it though).

 

[donunus]

ef-1 sounds very promising and very non fussy since it only has one tube. So all other cans sounds better on it than the 336 hmmm and with the hd600, i take it not that far behind? maybe even better when the 336i is in stock form?

 

[pabbi1]

If you can DIY at all, look at a SOHA II or a Bijou. Serious HD600 love.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus ef-1 sounds very promising and very non fussy since it only has one tube. So all other cans sounds better on it than the 336 hmmm and with the hd600, i take it not that far behind? maybe even better when the 336i is in stock form?

Don't even think about a 336i with stock tubes - they're a joke.

The EF1 is not bad with HD600 at all, I just liked the 336i driving the HD600 a little more. My WA6 maxed with Sophia Princess has a similar tonality driving HD600, but more refinement, air and space with more expansive soundstage than the EF1 or 336i.

My EF1 is stock, and the RCA clear top tube sounded better than an Amperex Bugle Boy 12AU7 that I bought. HiFlight has had good experience rolling opamps and tubes in the EF1 and thinks it rivals many amps costing 2-3x as much now that he has AD743 opamps and a JJ 12AU7 in it. The problem is my EF1 is an early model and the OP275 in the output section cannot be swapped, so I can't try my set of AD743 that are supposed to make you see God with this amp. 12AU7 are easy to find on ebay, and rolling the one tube is easy, so I will get around to trying more tubes soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pabbi1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you can DIY at all, look at a SOHA II or a Bijou. Serious HD600 love.

Tru dat. Gobs of bass too. wiatrob brought a SOHA II to the 11/1/08 CO head-fi meet, and it was nice.

 

[troubleshooter]

I got my 600s about a month ago at this point and they have sat patiently in their beautiful box waiting while I built around them so to speak, getting a quality amp and CD player with which to truly give them an opportunity to impress me when I felt ready to audition them.

Of late I had been listening to my old 212Pros through the CDP line out and was happy enough with the sound there, so, like the dork I am who had yet to own WONDERFUL headphones, I figured I would try that first with a recording I know and love.... "The Manhattan Project", a live session with a band comprised of Wayne Shorter, Michel Petrucciani, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Gil Goldstein and Pete Levin.

Slid them over my head and frankly was unimpressed. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nice fit, but thats not what I was buying these for. I plugged them directly to my amp and BAM.....

OH....MY....GOD. Yeah, these puppies DO need to be properly amped, and when amped, they will respond with a vicious desire to please the listener.Incredibly wide soundstage, wonderful separation, intricate interpretation of all the sounds required to distinguish to be called audiophile equipment...... okay, the lows aren't down in the basement low, but they aren't supposed to be and I knew that going in. I have a LOT of listening to do......

 

[KevM2]

How do I tell if i have the new model of EF1? I bought mine during the Thanksgiving sale, so hopefully I got the newer model.

I'm looking around for some op-amp replacement guides, because I want to look into replacing them on both the EF1 and the Emu 0404.