Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2012 20:58:05 GMT
Have these for a few days to audition, first impressions are VERY :Dfavourable for all three, will post some photo`s and further impressions tomorrow, after i complete Javiers CHamp enclosure.
Mick.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2012 21:15:16 GMT
I never heard the HE-6 but did audition the HE-500 and have a sneaky suspicion you might like the HE-500 over the LCD-2/3. The HE500 is probably closer to the PS1000 than LCD2/3 are. Although all are ortho's and share some similarities they are also quite different in presentation.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2012 21:45:49 GMT
Hi Frans,
I can tell you now that i prefer the 500`s to the LCD2`s, but the HE-6 driven by the EF5 Amp its to die for. And yes you are right, very similar sound signiture to my PS1000 which i love, but so far these HE-6`s do it for me, there bl""dy fantastic, SQ and build quality, even driven by my Panda(without output resistors) but could do with a little more power, for those little "got to have it really loud moments"
The EF5 Amp drives them a treat, looks wonderful with its matching PSU, its beautifully made , with adjustable slider gain control( set to max for these) but only medium for the 500`s.
Going to be a late night, they are just superb on all genres of music to my ear, after about 6hrs of listening i just cant fault them so far.
Mick.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2012 22:03:44 GMT
Hi Mick,
The HE500's were good but the LCD2(rev1) I preferred overall. The highs of the HE500 were 'nicer' and the lows/mids of the LCD2 were better. Would have loved something in the middle of it (bass and mids LCD2 and highs between the LCD2 and HE500) Later on I modified my SFI filter circuit to do just that. The SFI can't reach the deep bass though and certainly won't go as loud but for a quiet listen it's ecstasy (not the drug).
Perhaps the HE6 is the more perfect - over the counter - 'ear-drug' paired with a powerful amp.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2012 12:06:53 GMT
|
|
|
Post by covenant on Feb 12, 2012 14:45:15 GMT
1 have the HE-400 ordered. Doesn't need powerful amplification apparently. How do the Hifiman sonic signature compare to the fully modded Superlux 681's (as they are the only other can's I own)? You don't get the fancy case with the 400's.
|
|
mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
|
Post by mrarroyo on Feb 12, 2012 20:31:57 GMT
Very nice collection you have there and glad you are enjoying them. I no longer have the HE-6 nor the EF5 but I love the HE500 and the HE300 (dynamic). Fang (pres/owner of Head Direct) has done a marvelous job with the line of orthos.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2012 21:29:28 GMT
1 have the HE-400 ordered. Doesn't need powerful amplification apparently. How do the Hifiman sonic signature compare to the fully modded Superlux 681's (as they are the only other can's I own)? You don't get the fancy case with the 400's. Hmmm!! to be quiet honest it would be impossible to compare these to the 681`s, the HE-6`s are in a different league. They do everything my Grado PS1000 do, but the presentation is totally different with a more extended bass, lovely forward mids and with a top end which is the most accurate i have ever heard. Im sure your find the 400`s to be different also, but these were not available for me to hear. I don`t go into intricate explanations on how HP`s sound, as everybody hears different, to me they just sound superb to my ear, better than the LCD3`s, and cheaper to.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2012 21:57:49 GMT
Mick,
How was your time with the 2 and 3 ?
Ortho's (the better ones, much less so for the T50RP e.t.c.) are completely different from 'normal' dynamic headphones. The presentation is more relaxed, natural, real, soothing. Electrostatic (also the better ones) and magnetic planars. Electrets usually are a small step below the electrostatics. You can notice it directly but becomes painfully obvious when coming from ortho and put 'normal' cans on. Even HP's you liked very much before are suddenly unrevealing and coloured. Coming from HE500 or LCD-2 immediately back to HD681, Denon D7000 or Beyerdynamic T1 was a terrible experience.
Funny thing is though when not having listened to ortho's for a few hours, dynamic headphones sound 'good' again until .... I can still enjoy the HD681, but not directly after an ortho.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2012 22:36:37 GMT
Loved the LCD2s, and 3`s, prefered the 3`s, but they certainly wasn`t worth the price hike of just under £800 from the 2`s, bl""dy rip off if your asking me. If the pricing had have been more reasonable, i would have purchased them, that`s why i decided to try the HiFIMAN`s similar offerings, pleased i did.
Having said that, they are very nice sounding and looking phones, very similar to the HE500 and HE-6`s, and to me the price hike of 500HE to HE-6 of £200 is well worth it, and much more in line with the positive SQ increase.
Yes i think we have said before Frans, going from one HP you like to another shortly after can be very negative, but leave it for a day or two, and you soon recover your interest again. I think the same applies to Amps as well.
I`m lucky, i can enjoy all my range from Portapro`s to these HE-6`s as and when the mood takes me with equal pleasure, although some i don`t listen to hardly at all now, and i think its time to move those on.
These HE-6`s have superb bass, can actually feel it in my head on some of the very low notes, to say nothing of the mids and highs, these are certainly a reference standard phone.
Mick.
|
|
XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
|
Post by XTRProf on Feb 13, 2012 2:01:18 GMT
The big question again. How is the sound of the HE6 wrt to the HD800 or the LCD 3 or 2 (preferably 3 as it's the brighter and more SS sounding and should be more comparable to the HE6 signature). This is for a point of reference to those that have not heard the HE6.
|
|
|
Post by covenant on Feb 13, 2012 13:00:42 GMT
Thanks Mick and Frans. No matter how good they are I don't think I will ever fall out with my 681's. They look lovely with the ringset, they sound good with the filter and they feel comfortable with the velour pads. I will just quietly retire them and keep them for special occasions.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2012 13:52:06 GMT
The big question again. How is the sound of the HE6 wrt to the HD800 or the LCD 3 or 2 (preferably 3 as it's the brighter and more SS sounding and should be more comparable to the HE6 signature). This is for a point of reference to those that have not heard the HE6. Hi Chong, The LCD3`s have MARGINALLY better bass than the HE-6`s, but to my ear almost identical in the mids and highs, they look even nicer and are slightly more comfortable than the HE-6`s and are relatively easier to drive, however, that comes at £600 more than the HE-6`s, which makes the HE-6`s a bargain in comparison. I kind of agree with Frans on the LCD2 compared to the HE500`s, both are excellent HP`s and easy to drive, either one i would be more than happy to live with, however the HD800`s and PS1000`s fit in with those quiet nicely regarding SQ, hence the reason why niether of those would i now consider. The HE-6`s require a lot of power to drive them, Panda (without output resistors does just about) but they sound spot on with the EF5 Amp, so that has to be considered regarding total cost. None the less i have ordered the latest HE-6`s, which now comes with leather and velour pads + the EF5 Amp, still at a decent price saving over the LCD3`s, so its a no brainer for me. These are my impressions, which by what i have read tie in pretty well with reviews given by other people. The only way, if your spending this kind of money, is to audition them and make your own judgement by what YOUR ears and pocket tell you. Mick.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2012 19:15:54 GMT
The LCD2(rev2), LCD3, HE500, HE6, HD800, T1 etc are all very good cans. As Mick says you have to listen yourself. It's totally pointless to rely on other peoples opinions as they may prefer different things or think certain aspects weigh heavier in their decision. For really good sound ortho's are the way to go (not the cheapies) and VFM or price may set the limits. here is some graphs of HD800 vs LCD3 vs HE6. (shamelessly taken from the headroom site) I drew in the 'ideal' line which is slanted in the left part because of lack of physical input from the body (in case of speakers) and tilted downward on the highs part because of the way the graphs are processed at headroom. Notice how the lows of the HE6 exactly follow the line up to 1.5khz. The LCD3 has about +8dB at 10Hz but at 20 Hz they are the same already. Lowest frequencies in normal music is about 32Hz. Some organs reach 16Hz but with special 'tricks' they can even reach 4Hz by intermodulating low frequencies. The LCD3 and HE800 are about 4dB above 'the line' between 100 and 700Hz making the lows and midlows to be a tad more prominent on those. This is partly 'masked' by the highs by the way. Notice how well the HE6 and HD800 follow the line above 1 kHz and move around it right to 20kHz. HE500 doesn't differ much from HE6 but appears to have more refined highs, level is about the same. The LCD3 drops a bit more below the black line and indicates the LCD3 is marginally 'darker/warmer' than the other 2. The T1 has a considerable peak in the highs b.t.w. When one were to advice one on graphs alone the HE6 would be the best. Closely followed by HE500, and depending on taste (warmer or more analytical) LCD3 (LCD2rev2) or HD800. But as Mick says... it must be your ears and taste that needs to decide.
|
|
XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
|
Post by XTRProf on Feb 15, 2012 6:26:20 GMT
If we look closely overall, the HE6 and HD800 follow almost each other. So if anyone have a HD800, might as well have a LCD 2 or 3 for a different flavour. Frans, anyway to superimpose the LCD 2 and T1 responses to the graph as well. I'm sure these are the HPs most in the minds of people now looking for a highend HP. Oops, O2 or 3?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2012 7:46:03 GMT
Here you can make your own comparisons: www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.phpHE6 and HD800 almost follow each other above 1 kHz. below it there can be a 4 dB difference which is quite noticeable in that area. Also what the graphs don't show is the ease/gentleness/trueness/fidelity of the signal reproduction. This you can only hear/appreciate by auditioning as it cannot be shown in graphs. Even waterfall, impedance, impulse and step response included will merely 'hint' in certain directions of that particular aspect. Notice how smooth and straight everything between 20Hz and 1kHz is in the HE6 compared to dynamic headphones which all battle resonances in the 90hz area. Taste (flavour) determines which of all headphones one prefers. Might be T1 for this person and LCD2 for another. I know which one I prefer but someone else may sure feel different. Stating this or that headphone is THE best is nonsense, one of them may, however, suit someone best.
|
|
XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
|
Post by XTRProf on Feb 15, 2012 8:15:31 GMT
Stating this or that headphone is THE best is nonsense, one of them may, however, suit someone best. I concur. There is no best. Best is relative in Hifi. That's why usually hifi nuts have different HPs and systems in their houses to suit their music. Same for woman. Er, I don't mean me, ok. My boss ........ ? Miguel?
|
|
mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
|
Post by mrarroyo on Feb 15, 2012 11:18:28 GMT
Currently listening via the HE500 and loving it!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 10:06:03 GMT
There is nothing to dislike about them to my ears Miguel, easy to drive look superb, beautifully made and compared to the competition well priced. It was a difficult decision for me between the HE500 & HE-6`s, but when ever i changed between the two, i was definitely finding a positive SQ increase with the HE-6`s which made the moderate price increase (compared to the huge hike between LCD-2-3) acceptable. Mick.
|
|
mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
|
Post by mrarroyo on Feb 16, 2012 11:26:13 GMT
I agree Mick, I had the HE6 on loan from Fang and loved it even more. However the HE500 is significantly cheaper thus making my decision easier.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2012 12:39:59 GMT
Yes Miguel,
The guy who runs HiFIMAN, Fang is it!! certainly knows how to make and market his products, has it spot on IMHO.
Audeze should take a leaf out of his book, nice HP terrible marketing.
How they can possibly warrant a price difference of nearly 100% between their two models defies belief. The LCD3 certainly has the edge over the 2, but its just an edge and not night and day, which should be the case at the asking price of almost double.
Taking the p"ss from my point of view, and its cost them a sale, as i certainly like all other aspects of there products.
Mick.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2012 0:07:07 GMT
My HE-6`s have arrived along with the EF5 Amp and psu. HP`s now come in a really nice fabric sculptured transport case, with leather and velour pads, leathers are fitted. EF5 Amp now has the gain slider switch fitted on the underside of Amp. Same tube and op-amp, by what i have read the OPA 627 really makes this Amp sing, Jesus sounds bl""dy fantastic as is. Been running for 6hrs now, these HP`s are truly astonishing better than sex (well at my age almost anything is!! ). Really happy bunny . Mick.
|
|
mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
|
Post by mrarroyo on Feb 18, 2012 13:54:11 GMT
" … truly astonishing better than sex …" specially since you don't have to have a conversation with them afterwards.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2012 17:07:29 GMT
I`ve changed the op-amp in my EF5 Amp from the standard OP275 to a LME 49990 today, its made a difference but can`t quiet figure out what the difference is yet as its not night and day. However, it sure sounds the business now, producing superb SQ through the HE-6`s. Mick.
|
|
XTRProf
Fully Modded
Pssst ! Got any spare capacitors ?
Posts: 5,689
|
Post by XTRProf on Mar 2, 2012 7:57:29 GMT
Any idea how much power the HiFiMAN EF5 AMP gives out? Anybody?
|
|