E11K upgrade?
- Thread starter Spec-Chum
- Start date
I'm trying to get my head round the gain settings of this amp and getting conflicting info from searching.
According to the (poor, it has to be said) manual the amp has 4 gain settings: x3, x5 (should this be x4?), x5 and x10.
The confusion is Little Dot say you should use the higher 10x gain for higher impedance headphones as they don't pull as much power but the paper manual I've got says the opposite and I should use the, default, lowest x3 gain.
My HP200's are low impedance and fairly efficient at 35ohm, 98dB/mW according to innerfidelity: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SoundMAGICHP200.pdf
When on the default lowest gain I have to turn down the volume down at the source (Xonar DX) as there's a volume imbalance at really low volumes on the amp and it gets very loud very quickly. Will using a higher gain affect this?
Help!
According to the (poor, it has to be said) manual the amp has 4 gain settings: x3, x5 (should this be x4?), x5 and x10.
The confusion is Little Dot say you should use the higher 10x gain for higher impedance headphones as they don't pull as much power but the paper manual I've got says the opposite and I should use the, default, lowest x3 gain.
My HP200's are low impedance and fairly efficient at 35ohm, 98dB/mW according to innerfidelity: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SoundMAGICHP200.pdf
When on the default lowest gain I have to turn down the volume down at the source (Xonar DX) as there's a volume imbalance at really low volumes on the amp and it gets very loud very quickly. Will using a higher gain affect this?
Help!
Sorry, got this bit backwards: "The confusion is Little Dot say you should use the higher 10x gain for higher impedance headphones as they don't pull as much power but the paper manual I've got says the opposite and I should use the, default, lowest x3 gain."
It should say "The confusion is Little Dot say you should use the LOWER 3x gain for higher impedance headphones as they don't pull as much power but the paper manual I've got says the opposite and I should use the, default, highest x10 gain."
It should say "The confusion is Little Dot say you should use the LOWER 3x gain for higher impedance headphones as they don't pull as much power but the paper manual I've got says the opposite and I should use the, default, highest x10 gain."
I've never used it with lower impedance headphones apart form my old Denon D600 and W1000X and they sounded ok lower volumes but it's better suited to higher impedance overall.
I've never had imbalance issues with mine at lower volumes.
Maybe the MK1+ is a better option or the Vali. The MK2 pairs well with the Beyers but I wouldn't recommend it for the UE6000 and HP200.
I'd sale all them and grab the HD650 with the LD MK2 and grab yourself some Mullards and enjoy that pairing as it sounds fantastic no no issues with constantly changing the gain.
I've never had imbalance issues with mine at lower volumes.
Maybe the MK1+ is a better option or the Vali. The MK2 pairs well with the Beyers but I wouldn't recommend it for the UE6000 and HP200.
I'd sale all them and grab the HD650 with the LD MK2 and grab yourself some Mullards and enjoy that pairing as it sounds fantastic no no issues with constantly changing the gain.
I can see how that would be viable but my primary interest is using the headphones for movies and the dt990's excel at this whereas a fear the hd650 would fall a little flat, bass wise.
Loudness is more than fine, too loud if anything which is why I was just making sure I didn't have it backwards.
I'm wondering if maybe a vali2 would be better. Budget isn't really an issue but I don't really listen to music enough to spend a lot - I just wanted to experience the tube sound. I find the mids of my hp200 a little harsh and the little dot mellows them out nicely. Saying that I find the mids of my dt990 to be a bit too recessed already.
My ideal sound would be the bass and highs of the dt990's (yes, I'm one of them - I find mids to be more harsh than highs) with the tubifed mids of the HP200, can't have it all I guess lol
Loudness is more than fine, too loud if anything which is why I was just making sure I didn't have it backwards.
I'm wondering if maybe a vali2 would be better. Budget isn't really an issue but I don't really listen to music enough to spend a lot - I just wanted to experience the tube sound. I find the mids of my hp200 a little harsh and the little dot mellows them out nicely. Saying that I find the mids of my dt990 to be a bit too recessed already.
My ideal sound would be the bass and highs of the dt990's (yes, I'm one of them - I find mids to be more harsh than highs) with the tubifed mids of the HP200, can't have it all I guess lol
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HD650 flat bass? No chance, it has lot's of impact, it doesn't extend as well as my Nighthawk or the Adueze LCD-2PF but what does?
650 also has way better coherency, the 990 sounds sounds like someone has strap a driver to my ears with no regards for making the music sound whole in comparison to the 650.
Told you I was weird lol
For movies tho I much prefer the dt990's to the HP200's.
I dare say the hp200's are closer to the HD650 than they are to the dt990's.
I do often wonder how the hp200's compare to the HD650's tho.
I've started listening to the HP200's more an more on different kinds of music and they're very good but can't match the sub bass of the dt990's.
For movies tho I much prefer the dt990's to the HP200's.
I dare say the hp200's are closer to the HD650 than they are to the dt990's.
I do often wonder how the hp200's compare to the HD650's tho.
I've started listening to the HP200's more an more on different kinds of music and they're very good but can't match the sub bass of the dt990's.
I kinda have and they're supposedly very similar with the HP200's being a bit more v shaped and but I've also read there's no contest and the HD650 wins hands down.
I'm very sensitive to mids and usually prefer a more v shaped sound but the DT990's a little too recessed for some music for me, good for trance and EDM tho.
I'm very sensitive to mids and usually prefer a more v shaped sound but the DT990's a little too recessed for some music for me, good for trance and EDM tho.
I don't know why anyone would think they sound similar, complete different signature, tone to voices etc.
If you your ears are sensitive to mids you are listening to the wrong headphones
Good mids will never hurt your ears. 650's won't, no peaks 
I used to love V shaped headphones, only because I never experienced good mids. I then tried some Senn's, Audeze's and can't go back to V shaped headphones.
If you your ears are sensitive to mids you are listening to the wrong headphones
Good mids will never hurt your ears. 650's won't, no peaks I used to love V shaped headphones, only because I never experienced good mids. I then tried some Senn's, Audeze's and can't go back to V shaped headphones.
Here's 1 review I read (hopefully it's OK to paste this link?) https://passionforsound.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/soundmagic-hp200/
He puts the HP200's very favourably against the HD650 although admits he doesn't actually have the HD650's there haha. Kinda limits his authority on it.
Here's an excerpt about the mids "Switching over to Tin Pan Alley by Stevie Ray Vaughan, the guitars and the drums had beautiful texture and clarity, but were buttery smooth the way they should be. What struck me though is a level of openness that I think was lacking from the Sennheiser HD650s. People often talk about the Sennheiser veil and although I never bought into it 100%, I can understand where the term came from. To my ears, the HP200s present the same quality of silky smooth midrange for vocals and instruments, but manage to add a tiny amount of edge and attack that the HD650s never gave me. That edge takes the sound from relaxing and enjoyable to exciting and enjoyable. It does this without bringing fatigue – just excitement."
NINJA EDIT: "I really wish I still had my HD650s to compare side-by-side with the HP200s because I have a feeling that the HP200s are on par or better in every area (as long as they’re paired with the right source) and a clear winner in the treble region."
He puts the HP200's very favourably against the HD650 although admits he doesn't actually have the HD650's there haha. Kinda limits his authority on it.
Here's an excerpt about the mids "Switching over to Tin Pan Alley by Stevie Ray Vaughan, the guitars and the drums had beautiful texture and clarity, but were buttery smooth the way they should be. What struck me though is a level of openness that I think was lacking from the Sennheiser HD650s. People often talk about the Sennheiser veil and although I never bought into it 100%, I can understand where the term came from. To my ears, the HP200s present the same quality of silky smooth midrange for vocals and instruments, but manage to add a tiny amount of edge and attack that the HD650s never gave me. That edge takes the sound from relaxing and enjoyable to exciting and enjoyable. It does this without bringing fatigue – just excitement."
NINJA EDIT: "I really wish I still had my HD650s to compare side-by-side with the HP200s because I have a feeling that the HP200s are on par or better in every area (as long as they’re paired with the right source) and a clear winner in the treble region."
Here's an interesting conversation between 2 What Hi*Fi regulars:
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/headphones-etc/soundmagic-hp200
http://www.whathifi.com/forum/headphones-etc/soundmagic-hp200
There's people out there that say my Dog looks like a Dalmatian, she's an Akita....
I can guarantee you most people have not heard the 650 on a good system. I'd be confident to take a 650 and Bottlehead Crack and an Audeze LCD-2 or 3 or hell even the HE1000, blind fold em, and then tell me which one is the most expensive and hifi sounding and I would be confident that many will pick the 650 assuming they know what they are listening for. People hook them up to portable amps and then hear this rolled off n shaped sound and think this is what the 650 are. I was the same, about a few years ago I would have just thought the 650 was all mids, I always thought it was good, I just thought it was passed it's time, good mid-fi headphone.
Now I've heard it on something other than a portable amp, I think it's an end game headphone. The HP200 are not even in the same category as the 650 in any area of sound. The HD650 extracts detail better than anything I've heard outside of the HD800. At the end of the day.
I don't really know what else to tell you, it's a super headphone at a extremely cheap price.
Oh yeah, if anyone mentions the 650 veil in this day and age, they shouldn't be reviewing headphones!
I can guarantee you most people have not heard the 650 on a good system. I'd be confident to take a 650 and Bottlehead Crack and an Audeze LCD-2 or 3 or hell even the HE1000, blind fold em, and then tell me which one is the most expensive and hifi sounding and I would be confident that many will pick the 650 assuming they know what they are listening for. People hook them up to portable amps and then hear this rolled off n shaped sound and think this is what the 650 are. I was the same, about a few years ago I would have just thought the 650 was all mids, I always thought it was good, I just thought it was passed it's time, good mid-fi headphone.
Now I've heard it on something other than a portable amp, I think it's an end game headphone. The HP200 are not even in the same category as the 650 in any area of sound. The HD650 extracts detail better than anything I've heard outside of the HD800. At the end of the day.
I don't really know what else to tell you, it's a super headphone at a extremely cheap price.
Oh yeah, if anyone mentions the 650 veil in this day and age, they shouldn't be reviewing headphones!
The only time I heard this mythical veil was in the first half hour or so of listening to them after being used to AKG K702s.
That veil was just my brain adjusting to the new sound signature and after an hour it was completely gone and I was marvelling at how wonderful everything sounded (drums were first).
That veil was just my brain adjusting to the new sound signature and after an hour it was completely gone and I was marvelling at how wonderful everything sounded (drums were first).
Ryan, you're somewhat of an expert on tubes...
Possibly a daft question but how important is a matched pair?
Looking at 6ZH1P-EV tubes on ebay now and the ones that don't mentioned "matched pair" are some £6 cheaper than the ones that do. They are sold as a pair, but doesn't say matched.
Also, how important is the date? 2 from 1970 are £2 dearer than ones that state 1980; these are both matched pairs however. I know £2 is pretty much irrelevant, I'm just curious.
Possibly a daft question but how important is a matched pair?
Looking at 6ZH1P-EV tubes on ebay now and the ones that don't mentioned "matched pair" are some £6 cheaper than the ones that do. They are sold as a pair, but doesn't say matched.
Also, how important is the date? 2 from 1970 are £2 dearer than ones that state 1980; these are both matched pairs however. I know £2 is pretty much irrelevant, I'm just curious.