The Subjective Part: High End Ortho Impressions
Hifiman HE-6
The Hifiman HE-6 is extremely relaxed. This headphone has such a smooth tone and presentation at all times, even with heavy Dubstep and fast PRaT tracks. Wider than the HE-500 by a noticeable degree but also more distant. Immensely clear but still retains the typical Hifiman background type, which is slightly monitor like. The Dial needs to be turned all the way to a 3-4 O’clock position on high gain, which is quite high. I noticed a potential short between 3 and 4 o clock on the dial where left channel volume is higher than on the right until 1 more click is added to raise the volume. It then evened out. This happens on all the headphones I have tested on the EF-6 and I am sure it is just my unit, it is a loaner and does have some scuffs so I assume maybe the volume wheel is a bit funky but only on this 3 o clock click. This headphone is closer to monitor tonality than natural or warm. The mid range is laid back and the upper region is immensely clear and smooth. The most relaxing and anti-punchy experience I’ve had in many years. I highly recommend this headphone for Jazz or Acoustic music. The upper region is more clear than the LCD3 by a noticeable degree through the EF-6. It is less sibilant and smooth, effortless by stark contrast where the Audeze LCD3 has more bite and exuded some noticeable sibilance by comparison via the same track being tested. It might not be the best choice for Dubstep or heavy bass tracks. It certainly is the headphone I would choose as my main home usage open back and would go well with a glass of wine and some easy listening music choices. This set exudes style and class. Beyond those genres, Classical is good enough to make me want to sell an organ just to afford my own EF-6 and HE-6. I booted up some of my favorite John Williams Tracks that include the Imperial Audiophile remastering of Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, as well as Superman The Movie and I was blown away with the stellar lack of grain in the background. After years of getting used to that noticeable wall behind the music, I was very pleased to hear the EF-6 and HE-6 Combo clean up my favorite tracks that much. This is my favorite headphone of all time to use with Classical music.
Audeze LCD-3
Extremely forward and balanced sounding. I didn’t see that coming but I am impressed with the magnificent black background effect that is bit less prevalent in the HE-6. The upper region of the LCD3 is noticeably more sibilant and slurred than the HE-6’s upper region. Shocked that the sound stage is still poor. It is so forward that it still feels like there is a void out in front with hardly any stage-forward presentation. Like standing between two human sized mono block speakers…but immensely clear mono blocks at that. The Volume Dial needs to be toned back to about 10-11 o’ clock as it is actually more efficient than the HE-500 which always needs to be 1-2 more clicks up over the LCD3. That is good I guess but Ambient and Classical Music are a serious weakness for this headphone. The LCD3 is extremely forward and lively, with a lush and liquid mid range and smooth highs with plenty of omnipresent bass. The ear pads are much more soft than the previous versions Audeze has put out in the past. Every time I put them on my ears, I feel the small pocket of air trapped inside the ear cups to be pushing itself into my ear canal. The LCD3 is an open back headphone but traps a noticeable amount of air inside of it, which it event with a subtle suction like feeling that appears when you put them on or take them off. I have a ton of gripes about this headphone, but despite that laundry list of annoyances that I wish Audeze would fix in the next headphone they release, I cannot think of another headphone in any price tier that I find more musical. Despite that lack of a sound stage, I find this set to be the polar opposite of the HE-6 in that it is extremely fun to listen to…especially so outted by the EF-6. The more power you put in, the more you get out. Easily, my favorite musical headphone of all time and it bumped my JVC DX-1000 off the top spot for my favorite headphone to enjoy fun and fast PRaT with. For easy listening and relaxation, I’d use the HE-6. For lively and bass centered tracks from genres in Dubstep or R&B I would definitely go for the LCD3. This is purely subjective, as I have a few friends that feel the complete opposite and would choose the HE-6 for genres I might not, and the LCD3 for high immersion with Classical music, which would offer more of a “sitting inside the Orchestra” experience over the Front Row experience the HE-6 tends to exude.
Two completely different headphones, but two headphones I cannot see myself without and regard both as a true Necessity. There is no perfect headphone and unfortunately my wallet hates to hear that truth. My ears always win in the end and I manage to find some way to fund such a massive purchase that I really desire. Something that beckons and tempts me. Something that seduces me and infiltrates my dreams at night and sings its Siren song that is carried through the night air, teasing and luring me in. Ramen Noodles every day for the next few months seems fair enough of a trade off. It’s just my health, I can survive with a terrible diet…I cannot survive without the EF-6, the LCD3 or the HE-6. I can totally see one of my Kidneys being sold on the Black Market just to afford an EF-6, an LCD3 and an HE-6 of my very own. ( Does Ebay have a used Organs category? )
End Words
I don’t want to give the EF-6 Back. I cannot walk into my room and stomach not seeing it sitting there on my desk. When fed to my AudioEngine A5 speakers, the result is sublime on a level I never thought the A5 could achieve. Everything sounds great on it and its more than well fed on the low end. The A5 is more of a balanced sound with rock solid bass that is not overbearing so it is PERFECTLY suited for use with the EF-6, which itself brandishes a similar sound signature. They are a match made in heaven. Pre-amped by my Bottlehead? My my. This is the only amp for me. I’ve never said this before about any amplifier I have ever reviewed or gotten a chance to demo. Sure, the high end game end all amps in the $5,000 range are more clear and spacious, but they end up being useless on Orthos due to the staging qualities. The Price is right and the sound presentation is set up specifically for Orthos. The Dark Side is strong with this one…and I am going to cry like a little girl when I have to box everything back up and ship all the loaners back. I just cannot see myself without the HE-6 for Jazz and anything laid back, nor the LCD3 for anything Bass centered or vibrant, nor without the EF-6 for my Amplification needs. This amp was made for me, no doubt about it. I am notoriously hard to win over when it comes to amplifiers, as I really didn’t at all enjoy the Hifiman EF-5 or really most other amplifiers I’ve played with this year. The EF-6 is a win. I highly recommend giving it a listen if you ever stumble across someone at a meet who has one available to demo.
Trent_D
I think you liked this one. Just a gut feeling.
Mike
Yep I got the same feeling too.
Andre
Ok, how do we switch jobs?? This is like being a test driver for Ferrari. Great job but lets not pretend like you didn’t enjoy this one a little more than most eh 🙂
Julius
Outside of the Apex Butte and Bottlehead Crack, this Hifiman EF-6 is the only amplifier I’ve ever come across that I actually lusted for.
Julius
I’m unpaid. I do this out of love for everyone. I don’t make a single cent. 🙂
Andre
Question, have you guys ever tested the Hifiman EF2a Tube Amp/Dac combo? It’s in the same wheelhouse as the T1 and for around the same price or less. It’s a great looking little tube amp but I’m curious about how it preforms compared to the T1
Thibault Thomas
Hi Julius,
You told that you used the Aune T1 in this test.
Could you tell us more about this little DAC / amp ?
Does it worth it price ?
Thank you in advance,
Thibault
Julius
Sure. I upgraded to a Telefunken 6922 ( $150US ) and the result over the stock tube and $10 upgrade tube is significant. It is a light and airy Dac. It can be used as either a USB Dac or in Amplifier mode, RCA in and out potential. Clarity is good by itself and I was surprised it has enough output power, 1mw output into 32ohm. One of the most spacious DacS I’ve come across. Sound staging is the Dacs best feature.
Aune makes some great Schiit. Definitely worth the price. I am going to compare it with the new Schiit Modi and Fiio Dacs very soon.
Trent_D
I wish I had a reason to buy the Modi…
Julius
Meh, I’ve not heard it yet so I can’t judge.
Boun Ly
Omgosh I want one!
Julius
I have not gotten a chance to hear the Soloist yet, so I cannot compare. Maybe one of the other guys can help with that. But, I found the EF-6 to be extremely well rounded due carrying Hifiman AND Audeze house signature without any problem. Normally, you don’t find Amplifiers that can present an HE6 and an LCD3 they way they should be presented, usually one side takes a hit somewhere. Some quality lacking or “better on another amp”. I have no reservations about that at all and found Audezes to sound like Audezes should, and Hifiman headphones to sound like Hifiman headphones. That is not too common. A great neutral amplifier is needed for that, one that lacks coloration so it can let the headphone flavor handle itself without being saturated by the flavor of the amp.
On low gain mode, the EF6 made my A5 speakers sound so good…
Boun Ly
I wonder how this compares with the Burson Soloist?
Rūdolfs Putniņš
Looks like a great amp! I may have opted for a higher end volume pot instead of a stepper but that’s just me.
The review however contains some silliness.
First of all- solid state devices by themselves aren’t too prone to give off heat. Heck- any mechanism that doesn’t operate at 100% efficiency will most likely give off heat, noise or other means of “energy exhaust”. If you want extreme heat- take a look at tube amps that are also valve rectified. The mode at which they need to operate needs deliberate heating.
Secondly- “Crossover Distortion is minimized to barren levels as well, due to the effective implementation of the physical layout of the Amplifier itself: It avoids some of the messy problems found in common A/B push-pull devices.”
How does crossover distortion occur in a device that’s operating in class A? If it does- how efficient layout can reduce it?
Thirdly- “Current bouncing around is avoided due to a brilliant internal layout. It is efficient in terms of energy transfer ( It is a Class A Amplifier, this doesn’t mean it is an efficient amplifier in terms of DC current In and out ) and in turn reduces capacity coupling issues. Basically, this means the amplifier sounds clear and as distortion free as possible. There is no signal or electrical interference caused by voltage inside the circuitry itself, everything flows nicely and is properly laid out to flow into the output device. There is a 160 VA Transformer unit inside and a CLC Filter as stated by the manual. This equates to massive output power.”
Ok, this makes me go all like Jackie Chan at that one meme picture.
What electrical phenomenon are you referring to as “current bouncing”?
What is meant by “energy transfer”? I mean sure- no energy can be lost in the amp, but a class-A amp has one thing it does with utmost efficiency- space heating! Sure, space heaters by themselves are one of the most efficient electric devices but at 0W output a class-A circuit is a ~100% space heater. At full blast efficiency of class-a circuits range from 12-50% with the rest converted to heat. Now try to think how much of the time will you be driving the amp at full power and you should have an idea of how much energy you might get heat wise.
P.S. There are actually two transformers inside the case. That is something that makes the whole thing smell high-end. Very few headphone amp manufacturers do separate power for input/output stages and not that many separate power for digital and analog circuits.
P.P.S. This might actually be one of the better amps to come out this year. I congratulate Hifiman!
Julius
– Everyone wanted a comparison with the Lyr, which gives enough heat off to actually cook on its surface. I thought it was worth mentioning.
-The EF5 has a hot swap button for three device sources. There is no crossover switch distortion when switching over to something else. Efficient layout is immensely vital to reducing noise. I am not sure I follow you on that question, it kind of answers it self.
-The physical layout is like a race track. Circuit pathways are nice and clean, meaning the electricity inside the amplifier is not zig zagging between the parts inside. Its a nice straight design. In crappy amplifiers, transistors, connection points and other pieces often flow past one part, around another and into something else. This is how computer mother boards work, except in cases of very nice and expensive boards where things are actually designed properly. Example: A>B>C>D>E>F>G with each letter representing a part of the circuit board and voltage running through each piece in a nice straight fashion with no deviations around another piece. Where as other boards that are cheap look like A>G>B>C>F>E>D with a connection from A to B, B to C that run physically around G. An example of Bad design.
-You kind of answered your own question on the efficiency bit. Class A amplifiers are not efficient in taking voltage out of your wall and into the device. By Efficiency in that point in my review ( as I mentioned ) I was taking about the physical layout and how nicely everything flows from the input to the output device.
-All electronic circuity puts out an electromagnetic field that can cause distortion to other circuitry near by. Hifiman did a great job in lessening that potential and its very impressive when some amplifiers with this type of high output can stay so quiet despite having 5watts running through it.
-It definitely is one of the better amplifiers to come out recently. The low end response is immense, 3 source swapping, extremely well rounded in terms of sonic qualities. I cant name an amplifier that can showcase the T1, LCD3 and HE6s presentations and tonalities without significantly ruining something. I’ve not come across a single amplifier that could do that. It is crazy-neutral and potent on the low end. Something I have always wanted, a no mess no fuss amplifier that caters to ME instead of me catering to it. What other amplifier can do the LCD3 justice, the HE6 justice, the Beyer T1 Justice and pretty much everything you use with it? Its just an awesomely well rounded piece of equipment.
Julius
ugliest picture I’ve ever taken