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Author Topic: Hifiman EF-6  (Read 1899 times)

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knerian

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Hifiman EF-6
« on: December 27, 2014, 01:31:04 AM »
So I have this EF-6 amp now.  The only other amps I have to compare it to are the CEntrance Minidac and little dot mark iv se, both I think are poorly regarded?

Anyways, I am listening to the HE-560 and HE-6 through it.  My source is a macbook pro.  I run the headphone jack directly to it, and also run it from the CEntrance minidac, playing mp3s and flacs.

So you know my background, In the new member thread I mentioned I am a noob, don't know much about a lot of gear, don't really know what to listen for in comparisons.  I think the EF-6 sounds better than the other two amps I have, but I don't have any other amps to compare it to.

How is the EF-6 as an amp, compared to good amps to drive the HE-6/HE-560?  I don't see it mentioned much here, and other places I don't see much praise either.
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LFF

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #1 on: December 27, 2014, 01:35:44 AM »
What's your budget?


I think the general consensus here is that the EF-6 is a decent amp for the HE series of orthos but you can get MUCH, MUCH better.
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knerian

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #2 on: December 27, 2014, 01:53:50 AM »
Quote from: LFF on December 27, 2014, 01:35:44 AM
What's your budget?


I think the general consensus here is that the EF-6 is a decent amp for the HE series of orthos but you can get MUCH, MUCH better.

Budget is good, I can spend a few thousand.  I can still return or exchange the EF-6 so I'm not married to it.  What are some good amp choices for the HE-6 then?
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LFF

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2014, 01:55:42 AM »
Quote from: knerian on December 27, 2014, 01:53:50 AM
Budget is good, I can spend a few thousand.  I can still return or exchange the EF-6 so I'm not married to it.  What are some good amp choices for the HE-6 then?

Return it and get this!
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knerian

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2014, 02:14:46 AM »
Quote from: LFF on December 27, 2014, 01:55:42 AM
Return it and get this!

It seems everyone here is raving about this now. 

Before the Ragnarok what was/is a good amp to drive the HE-6?  I read the Lyr and Darkstar as pairings just due to the power requirements, haven't seen much else though.
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JoelT

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2014, 02:32:15 AM »
Quote from: LFF on December 27, 2014, 01:55:42 AM
Return it and get this!

Agreed.

I've really been enjoying the Ragnarok with my modded HE-6. It not only has plenty of juice to drive the HE-6, but ample resolving power and effortless presentation without harshness. I tried it with friends LCD-3, which also paired very well with the amp; very smooth and clean with everything I've tried with it, including my HD800.

Quote from: knerian on December 27, 2014, 02:14:46 AM
It seems everyone here is raving about this now. 

Before the Ragnarok what was/is a good amp to drive the HE-6?  I read the Lyr and Darkstar as pairings just due to the power requirements, haven't seen much else though.

Based on my reading, it seemed that most folks were actually using speaker amps.
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knerian

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #6 on: December 27, 2014, 02:58:52 AM »
Quote from: JoelT on December 27, 2014, 02:32:15 AM
Agreed.

I've really been enjoying the Ragnarok with my modded HE-6. It not only has plenty of juice to drive the HE-6, but ample resolving power and effortless presentation without harshness. I tried it with friends LCD-3, which also paired very well with the amp; very smooth and clean with everything I've tried with it, including my HD800.

Based on my reading, it seemed that most folks were actually using speaker amps.

What mod did you do to your HE-6?  IS it the jerg one to the pads?

I got the HE-adapter but no speaker amps, I guess I could dig one out of my parents' garage.  It comes in a nice little shitty case covered in black wallpaper like the HE-6's case.  I'm just kidding, the packaging and case obviously means nothing, just means that HiFiman is concentrating on the important R&D stuff.
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JoelT

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #7 on: December 27, 2014, 03:41:23 AM »
Well, modding the HE-6 is a whole can of worms. Doing it "right" isn't as simple as what's prescribed on head-fi, to my ear at least. Here's the abbreviated version: Removed damping material from the back side of the driver. Replaced the stock grill on the outside of the driver with a thin mesh. Damped the front of the driver with a partial "fuzzor" mod a la Jerg - the exact quantity/placement of damping has yet to be finalized, as small additions/removals begin to make significant differences once you hit a certain point. Replaced the stock pads with Audeze microsuede pads. Modified the pads to remove any pad-induced sub-bass loss and a lower treble dip. I'm still waiting on a replacement cable to replace the horribly constructed stock cable they included.

Yeah, I agree that the presentation and aesthetics of the HE-6 are poor. :-\
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knerian

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #8 on: December 27, 2014, 03:52:04 AM »
Quote from: JoelT on December 27, 2014, 03:41:23 AM
Well, modding the HE-6 is a whole can of worms. Doing it "right" isn't as simple as what's prescribed on head-fi, to my ear at least. Here's the abbreviated version: Removed damping material from the back side of the driver. Replaced the stock grill on the outside of the driver with a thin mesh. Damped the front of the driver with a partial "fuzzor" mod a la Jerg - the exact quantity/placement of damping has yet to be finalized, as small additions/removals begin to make significant differences once you hit a certain point. Replaced the stock pads with Audeze microsuede pads. Modified the pads to remove any pad-induced sub-bass loss and a lower treble dip. I'm still waiting on a replacement cable to replace the horribly constructed stock cable they included.

Yeah, I agree that the presentation and aesthetics of the HE-6 are poor. :-\


Jesus...  How much better do they sound?  Have you A/B'd them with non-modded HE-6?
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JoelT

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Re: Hifiman EF-6
« Reply #9 on: December 27, 2014, 04:07:42 AM »
I'm honestly not a huge fan of the HE-6 stock. To me the stock version sounded over-damped, spatially compressed, with some etch in the treble. No, I don't have any way to A/B them, as I don't own a second unmodded pair. Nor do I have a measurement setup, so my impressions and tuning are completely subjective. That said, yes, I do think they sound significantly better. How much better? I have no real way to quantify that. They're more spacious, the treble is much more organic and to my ear, more linear (based off of listening to music, and using my HD800 as a reference point). They're also significantly more comfortable. Ultimately I can only say it's working for me. I'm sure other people will have their own preferences.
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