[tim3320070]

No wonder those who re-terminate never talk about using adapters. lol. I wouldn't want to fry any of my amps. Thanks for clearing that up.  Now I have to think of going the DIY route.  Sounds like some scary stuff now.

 


Its much easier than you think, try youtube. Also, if you make a mistake, it can be redone

 

[sahmen]

 

  No wonder those who re-terminate never talk about using adapters. lol. I wouldn't want to fry any of my amps. Thanks for clearing that up.  Now I have to think of going the DIY route.  Sounds like some scary stuff now.

 


Its much easier than you think, try youtube. Also, if you make a mistake, it can be redone

Thanks for the encouragement.  Do you by any chance have a link or links to any particularly helpful youtube videos to suggest.  Of course, I am going to search myself, but if do know of any I might directly check out, that would be helpful and really appreciated. Thanks.

 

[sahmen]

I'm pretty sure that is a bad idea, as you end up connecting the left and right - connectors together, each of which have dedicated amp sections. You also get none of the benefit of a balanced set up, and I think have a pretty real chance of letting the magic smoke out of your amp. I've never had success putting the magic smoke back in without new parts…

 
 

  You can use an adapter to change the headphone from balanced to single ended but not the other way around.  If you use an adapter to plug a single ended headphone into a balanced connection you get BOOM!

 
 

That's a better way of describing bass slam.

 
 
Okay guys here is one question:  I made the initial query, because I actually have an adapter which is exactly like the one I have described, and which I am using to connect my mid-fi headphones (the Hifi-man he-500, Sennheiser HD 600 and 700 etc etc.) to my Emotiva Mini-x a-100 Amp, of course, using speaker taps.  I only do this when I think I need the extra juice of that speaker amp for the cans, and the Emotiva has driven everything I have thrown at it (Mainly the he-500) with aplomb, while hooked to the cans via  4-pin xlr connectors/adapter, as  I have described... (I could post photos, if anyone would like to see them)...
 
Could anyone explain to me why the connectors/adapter work smoothly via speaker taps, but pose a risk of blowing up the amp when connected via the amp's own XLR female connector?  I am not suggesting that you might be wrong, I am just trying to improve my learning about how these electronics work, so no hidden agenda here.  Any clarifications would be highly appreciated.

 

[tim3320070]

  Thanks for the encouragement.  Do you by any chance have a link or links to any particularly helpful youtube videos to suggest.  Of course, I am going to search myself, but if do know of any I might directly check out, that would be helpful and really appreciated. Thanks.

This is helpful even though it's a Grado: http://www.head-fi.org/t/431493/balanced-xlr-conversion-howto-grado-gs1000
 
It's always good to use a multimeter to double check -+, they are cheap and I found myself using it a lot of times when experimenting with different headphones over the years.
 
This is not a XLR solder job but is helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e32rMoCEZ8c
 
Finally, Audio-gd has a step by step that is a good resource: http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/Phoenix/ModifyEN.htm

 

[gunting]

I might be wrong, but I think the risk when connecting headphones directly to the speaker outputs is not to the amp, but to the headphone. For example, the Hifiman speaker adapter you are using with the cans to connect them to the emotiva has a resistance circuit built into the speaker adapter to lower the wattage the headphone sees. 

 

[sahmen]

  I might be wrong, but I think the risk when connecting headphones directly to the speaker outputs is not to the amp, but to the headphone. For example, the Hifiman speaker adapter you are using with the cans to connect them to the emotiva has a resistance circuit built into the speaker adapter to lower the wattage the headphone sees. 

I ordered that adapter to be built myself, and I can tell you that there is no resistance built into it.  I even bought a headphone tap with in-built resistance for the purpose of using it with the hifiman, but I never used it because it turned out that I did not need it.
 
Here is the unit I purchased and never used:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151085117827?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
 
Of course, I always control the gain on the amp with its own volume dial and make sure it is never turned up beyond the 9 o'oclock position, and it works wonderfully every time.

 

[gunting]

Wow! So you opened up the Hifiman speaker adapter and fund there is no resister in it. I thought that is the goal of the product. Thanks for the info.

 

[sahmen]

  Wow! So you opened up the Hifiman speaker adapter and fund there is no resister in it. I thought that is the goal of the product. Thanks for the info.

Nope, I am talking about an aftermarket adapter I special ordered for the Hifiman HP cable, which I also replaced with an aftermarket version... I do not remember mentioning anything about a Hifiman speaker adapter... This has always been about cable terminations, and adapters that can be applied (or not) to those terminations.  I am not adept at any DIY protocols, so I do not tinker with speakers, crossovers, drivers, etc. etc. Hell, I have never even dared to unscrew, remove, or open any part of a headphone or cable in order to expose
their innards for whatever reason... yet.
 
When I purchased the head tap device, someone in the know on the Emotiva lounge advised me that the devise might simply add more to the "damping factor" on the headphone, and reduce the power of the amp on it.  He said I could use the headphone directly with the amp provided I am cautious with the volume dial, and that turned out to be exactly accurate.

 

[sahmen]

Short and very sweet:
 
I received my NFB1 amp yesterday, and hooked it up today to test it with my He-6.  I am very pleased to announce that this beast drives those power-hungry cans with authority and aplomb, leaving a lot of headroom to spare.  I have the He-500, which is no slouch either, but the NFB1 easily showed me why the He-6 is superior to the 500... I do not have the expertise to translate that into the micro-details of the usual metrics of audiophile speak : soundstage, bass extension, treble extension, mid-range properties, resolution, instrument separation, and imaging, etc. etc. etc. blah, blah, blah...
 
I shall just say this : if you have been considering the NFB1 Amp for the He-6, and have been hesitating for any reason, then this is the time to get off the fence, as there is nothing to be worried about, in my very humble opinion -- my expectations have been exceeded and left in the dust by this beautiful combo...  The synergy between the units is great, and I also like the no-nonsense military grade construction looks of the NFB1 and the special metal remote which came with it...
 
That would be all for now, my friends
 
Thanks. 
 
Now on to the other business of getting my Beyerdynamic T1 cable reterminated with the 4-pin xlr cables.

 

[Beolab]

Short and very sweet:

I received my NFB1 amp yesterday, and hooked it up today to test it with my He-6.  I am very pleased to announce that this beast drives those power-hungry cans with authority and aplomb, leaving a lot of headroom to spare.  I have the He-500, which is no slouch either, but the NFB1 easily showed me why the He-6 is superior to the 500... I do not have the expertise to translate that into the micro-details of the usual metrics of audiophile speak : soundstage, bass extension, treble extension, mid-range properties, resolution, instrument separation, and imaging, etc. etc. etc. blah, blah, blah...

I shall just say this : if you have been considering the NFB1 Amp for the He-6, and have been hesitating for any reason, then this is the time to get off the fence, as there is nothing to be worried about, in my very humble opinion -- my expectations have been exceeded and left in the dust by this beautiful combo...  The synergy between the units is great, and I also like the no-nonsense military grade construction looks of the NFB1 and the special metal remote which came with it...

That would be all for now, my friends

Thanks. 

Now on to the other business of getting my Beyerdynamic T1 cable reterminated with the 4-pin xlr cables.

Can not wait to pick up my NFB-1 Amp in Tuesday next week and hook it up for my Abyss. So if it is a perfect match i consider to cancel my LC Pre-order, because i think it going to lack a bit in headroom, and dynamic power.. But i most first have a little burn in and a long listening before i decide.

Or do you guys think the Liquid Carbon could be a collectors item in the future, and would be smart to keep it ?

 

[aamefford]

  Short and very sweet:
 
I received my NFB1 amp yesterday, and hooked it up today to test it with my He-6.  I am very pleased to announce that this beast drives those power-hungry cans with authority and aplomb, leaving a lot of headroom to spare.  I have the He-500, which is no slouch either, but the NFB1 easily showed me why the He-6 is superior to the 500... I do not have the expertise to translate that into the micro-details of the usual metrics of audiophile speak : soundstage, bass extension, treble extension, mid-range properties, resolution, instrument separation, and imaging, etc. etc. etc. blah, blah, blah...
 
I shall just say this : if you have been considering the NFB1 Amp for the He-6, and have been hesitating for any reason, then this is the time to get off the fence, as there is nothing to be worried about, in my very humble opinion -- my expectations have been exceeded and left in the dust by this beautiful combo...  The synergy between the units is great, and I also like the no-nonsense military grade construction looks of the NFB1 and the special metal remote which came with it...
 
That would be all for now, my friends
 
Thanks. 
 
Now on to the other business of getting my Beyerdynamic T1 cable reterminated with the 4-pin xlr cables.

Just for curiosity's sake, what were you driving the HE-6 with before the NFB-1Amp?  I really like the HE-6, but never wanted to build a rig around it.  I'm about 80% getting an NFB-1Amp just to have a nice complete Audio-GD stack.  I'll decide after I get the Liquid Carbon.  Or I'll just jump in.
 
Side note - Has anyone tried the Dac-19 to NFB-1 via ACSS?  I think the jury is out as to whether this is possible / advisable?  IACSS is one of my reasons for going with an Audio-GD amp.  I just want to be sure the NFB-1Amp to DAC-19 via ACSS is a possibility.

 

[sahmen]

 
Just for curiosity's sake, what were you driving the HE-6 with before the NFB-1Amp?  I really like the HE-6, but never wanted to build a rig around it.  I'm about 80% getting an NFB-1Amp just to have a nice complete Audio-GD stack.  I'll decide after I get the Liquid Carbon.  Or I'll just jump in.
 
Side note - Has anyone tried the Dac-19 to NFB-1 via ACSS?  I think the jury is out as to whether this is possible / advisable?  IACSS is one of my reasons for going with an Audio-GD amp.  I just want to be sure the NFB-1Amp to DAC-19 via ACSS is a possibility.

I just acquired the He-6, so this is the really the first amp I am using to drive it.  Before getting it, I had read plenty about its reputation as a particularly hard to drive headphone : there is plenty of testimony about that particular difficulty here on head-fi, and elsewhere.  As a side note, I have had the He-500 for a long time, and have been driving it with an Emotiva mini-x A-100, which pairs with it quite well.  I never tried the He-6 with the mini-x, because I had read that the combo is not optimal, and did not want to risk getting disappointed too quickly with the very freshly acquired He-6.
 
That being said, the He-6 + Audiogd NFB1 amp combo sounds great, even freshly out of the box...  Meaning : they sound great even without any of the two having been put through any "break-in" period...  I am scared to think how the sound will evolve after proper "break-in," that is if the "break-in" myths, about which I remain cautiously open-minded, have any merit at all.

 

[Beolab]

Burn

I just acquired the He-6, so this is the really the first amp I am using to drive it.  Before getting it, I had read plenty about its reputation as a particularly hard to drive headphone : there is plenty of testimony about that particular difficulty here on head-fi, and elsewhere.  As a side note, I have had the He-500 for a long time, and have been driving it with an Emotiva mini-x A-100, which pairs with it quite well.  I never tried the He-6 with the mini-x, because I had read that the combo is not optimal, and did not want to risk getting disappointed too quickly with the very freshly acquired He-6.

That being said, the He-6 + Audiogd NFB1 amp combo sounds great, even freshly out of the box...  Meaning : they sound great even without any of the two having been put through any "break-in" period...  I am scared to think how the sound will evolve after proper "break-in," that is if the "break-in" myths, about which I remain cautiously open-minded, have any merit at all.

The burn-in period is in my mind a real myth!

If all of the components should change in tolerances values so much so the sound was affected this should be a known problem through the hole electrical industry i can ensure every one.

When a product get old, yes the components does not measure like it was new, but if the new product did change in mesaured value after 50 hours of use, then it would be a faulty product.

So burn in a audio cable, Amp, TV, Projector, CD, DAC speakers is a big myth!

Ask the scientists a Cern at the Large hadron collider if their supra leding cables need a burn in??

 

[Solude]

if the new product did change in mesaured value after 50 hours of use, then it would be a faulty product.

 
Ding, ding, ding!  Hand this person a cookie.  Burn in is not real.  What is real is thermal stability and that is the period in which a component changes because it's temperature is changing.  I.e. leave your gear on so it's thermally stable and the performance is stable.  Also keep in mind that this change is measured in ppm so... there's that.

 

[Beolab]

Who are you try to call, the Snake-oil Dr or?

A warmup of your tubes its something else , or thermal heat of a speaker coil change the character and impedance when you are playing on the speaker, but a burn in its something else, can you show us some mesaurements on a amp that is new against burned-in would be intresting.

Or a cable that is burned-in against a new unused one.

Show us this i would be glad..