Hifiman HE-6

Probably more.

 

Does anybody who has used speaker amps or other crazy high output amps have any comments on the HE-6 with the Mjolnir 2? I've had them for a few days now and am loving them from it (I'll try to write some impressions after more time) but am curious if I'm maximizing my potential. I would assume 5W into 50ohms would be sufficient, since that's exactly what Hifiman recommends and what their EF-6 put out, but wondering if even MOAR POWER can show gains?

Also thanks @drfindley and others for the Vegan pads suggestion, I love the comfort and I think it tames the treble a bit as noted in the measurements thread. I had to tape them on with the Audeze adhesive as I couldn't get them on with the rings.

 

Ive had Schiit Mjolnir 1, FirstWatt F6 & Pass Labs INT-150 with HE-6, all at the same time.
Mjolnir makes HE-6 sound lean and sharpy/edgy, less control and less space/airy sound.
Its not only about watt, its about voltage aswell. The FirstWatt F6 only deliver like... 3W @ 50ohm.

 

Thanks, yeah I've read that about the 1, but I'm running the 2 with tubes and am wondering if it's any different, either because of the generation change or the tubes.

 

You probably have a good answer to this.
So whats required to drive the HE-6 to its full potential?
Ive read that some FirstWatt amps work well and some doesnt, and they had speculated that it was because of the voltage swing or something.
It was something like... The FirstWatt amps with above a certain voltage, sounded good, but the ones with less dident. They had distortion etc

 

I am new here but had he-6 for a couple of years. I think it is worth it to get a pigtail or an adapter (you need some resistance if listening to some tube amps) and head to your local hifi store to listen to the he-6 with different high end speaker amps. I have listened to the he-6 at shows with some different headphone amps ( most vendors do not try because they know it does not sound very good) and they generally fall short, the exception being the crayon cha1 which really is amazing and ridiculous. Forums are great but you have to listen and it is not that hard because most big towns have a store with some decent amps. Once you know the potential (and the depressing fact that these things reward quality which costs money) you can think about where you want to be.

 

I'd wait Ohhg's answer here. Probably a Krell Clone.
I personally am not believer in 10x power headroom, but I liked HE-6 more with my Ehha than EC 2A3. Ehha is more powerful at ~8W for 50 Ohms though.
Still with these two HD650 easily outclasses slightly/not adequately modded HE-6 for my taste and music. With techno, trance, dnb HE-6 could be better.

 

Heard an HE6 on a First Watt F1J at a meet a few years ago. Still my favorite setup I've ever heard.

 

FirstWatt F6 with HE-6 is pretty magical too. It was just so smooth, never heard such a smooth sound from headphones

 

The power is the easy part: http://www.changstar.com/index.php?topic=1275.0

Even the Vali 2 has enough power to get to loud listening levels. There is something else at play here. Maybe the power supply or current sustainability of speaker amps is what makes them preferred?

 

I've said this a lot over the years: what the HE6 misses in tonal balance/FR (it's a bit bright), it makes up for in physicality. I've heard it off a few good rigs and everytime it impresses me. This is something I can't quite describe but IMO it sounds more 'real' than an HD650 or 800. It is the only headphone that I've had this experience with, although my HE400 was similar. I'm still saving right now for a 650 rig as getting an HE6 rig is way out of my budget, but I do feel that the 650 sounds a bit more like headphones than the HE6. I've been lead to believe the Abyss also has this character, but sadly I haven't gotten to listen to it yet.

 

Do you mean this ratio?

(max power out @50ohm)/(power drawn (630.5mW if 105dB -- using the chart))

i.e. you have an amp that does 5 watts into 50 ohms and a normal listening level of 105dB, then you'd have 5000mW/630.50mW = 7.93.

This ratio would help show the amount of overhead that the amp can provide at given listening level, is this what you're talking about?

I have a hard time understanding the use of overhead power. If you are listening to quiet recordings, sure, you will need to turn the amp up more, removing some overhead. But if you still have overhead, what's the point?

It seems this audio axiom could be reworded to say: less use of the volume knob = better sound.

 

@purrin The best 800 rig I've heard was off a Singlepower amp, forget the model. As for the 650, I've heard them almost always on Schiit gear, so no Eddie Current amps. I should clarify, the 650 and 800 sound better overall, but the HE6 just sounded more alive if that makes sense. The bass slammed harder which contributes to a more speaker like sensation, but the 800 certainly beat it in stage/image. I just like the way the HE6 presents music, sorry if I'm not making much sense as its hard to explain.

 

How does the EC 2A3 MKIV do, for driving the HE6?