Hifiman ef6 headphone amplifier page 2 innerfidelity. Naming clearly isnt the forte of headdirects fang bian whose premium brand this is. In todays iage, that rings somewhat displaced and dated. I asked peter hoagland of hifimans us base why fang bian, hifimans owner and designer, who resides in china, elected to go with a planar design. This was approximated from the source output at 32. Housed in its compact attractive chassis lie three independent amplifier sections. Very early on, though, i realized those planar magnetic phones were quite power hungry and therefore could not be driven properly by just any old headphone amplifier. The ef2a provides usb input and features 16 bit 44. Nov 25, 2014 hifiman recently introduced a new headphone amplifier, the ef100, that combines tube and solidstate technology.
The ef6 was designed to provide a partnering amplifier for the companys he6 planar magnetic headphones. Im knowledgeable about home hifi, but new to the world of audiophile headphones. I think it was whatever audio software my sound card. Review and measurements of hifiman ef2a dac and headphone amp. Its small hybrid design enables it to be the perfect companion for audiophiles that can easily blend with any computer or music player. The he500 headphones are built around a planar driver a single very thin diaphragm that uses the same technology as magnepan speakers, though on a far reduced scale. Plug the hifiman ef2a into one of your computers usb ports and prepare to be impressed. According to this twitter user they found fake parts in a hifiman product or at least parts. Seems like that part is easier to get right as it is mostly inchip operations. Review by headfonia the headphone enthusiasts website. But even there, its output doesnt get accurate to 0.
The hifiman ef2a is an excellent headphone amp with my sennheiser hd600 headphones. Wider than the he500 by a noticeable degree but also more distant. I have owned the headphones for a few years and considered headphone amps before, but the hd600 sounded so good without an amp that it never became a priority. I digitally attenuate the volume from my software player by around 10% and i personally dont feel that there is any significant loss of resolution. This headphone has such a smooth tone and presentation at all times, even with heavy dubstep and fast prat tracks. Amplifier hifiman ef2a owners manual 8 pages amplifier hifiman shangrila jr user manual. What a huge improvement this amp provides to bring more out of these headphones. The dac on this unt is a basic one and doesnt do high.
Yingbin road, bacheng county, kunshan city, jiangsu prov. View and download hifiman ef5 owners manual online. The challenge was to write about the ef6 and not about the he6. I swapped the tubes out with a pair of 53 6ak5s and that made a difference in bass response. Ham radio equipment, circuit, electronics, consumer electronics. I have seen the ef2a show up in this subreddit many a time, so i wanted to run an issue i am having with mine by you guys. While this certainly isnt the first headphone amplifier hifiman has ever made, this is the first hifiman amplifier i welcomed in to my home. I bout a hifiman ef2a headphone amp which has two vacuum tubes. Thats right, im curious because whatever the reason is cost, availability, they use different xmos chips and oscillators with every revision, but in every other d30 board ive seen crystal oscillators are used, and the only one thats using silicon based ones is the 10.
Immensely clear but still retains the typical hifiman background type, which is slightly monitor like. An affordable alternative in a tubedriven headphone amplifier, the ef2a is a hybrid design, usb headphone amplifier using 6j1 tubes for its input stage and incorporates a burrbrown pcm2702 dac chip. Replacement valve tubes for hifiman ef2a headphone amplifier. Cayin idac 6 ecpbeezar torpedo iii grace m9xx size1emschiit modi multibit hifiman ef2c.
Hifiman ef2a vacuum tube headphone amplifierusb dac at. The heart of the unit is the now quite obsolete tiburbrown pcm2702 dac chip. Hifiman ef2a for a couple of years now which ive been using with my grado sr225is that i purchased from this site and want to replace the stock chinese tubes, preferably for something with a little more bass punch and less gain. Great sounding tubes for your cans hifiman has done it again, building outstanding headphone products that are priced way too low for the level of sound quality they offer. Steely dan flac hifi man ef2a akg q701 some tasty jams. Hifiman ef2a is a hybrid usb headphone amplifier using 6j1 tubes as input. Hifiman ef2a 02 owners guide thank you for purchasing the hifiman ef2a, a hybrid headphone amplifier which combines vacuum tube sound quality with solidstate technology to deliver outstanding performance. The ef2 is a headphone amplifier with an integrated dac which means that you can hook it up to your pc. Hifiman ef2a tube hybrid headphone amp shop music direct. Hifiman ef5 hybrid headphone amplifier owners guide. I just wanted to start this thread to point out how great the ef2a is as a beginner level single box desktop ampdac solution. From what im reading, these headphones arent that sensitive, and would benefit from a headphone ampdac.
Tida00715 high dynamicrange headphone driver reference. This owners guide is intended to provide a useful overview of your new ef2a and how to best install and operate it for many years of. The diminutive ef2a is a fantastic sounding headphone amp with all the sonic characteristics youd want from a headphone amp at four times the price. Nos tube upgrade kit for hifiman ef2a ef3 ef2c composed of a selected pair of 6ak55654 tubes with measurement certification. This compact digitaltoanalog converterheadphone amp bypasses your computers builtin dac and audio circuitry processing your digital music files outside the noisy environment of your computer for far better sound quality. Its just weird that they screwed up the output level of the dac. Hifiman ortho filter he4, he6, he400i, he500, he560 schematic pdf format, 81kb. The hifiman ef100 is a powerful hybrid headphone amplifier and integrated amplifier. Headdirect recently launched a new product line dubbed hifiman which currently includes only two products, the pmp and the all new ef2 usb headphone amplifier. Hifiman ef5 hybrid headphone amplifier owners guide 8 pages related products for hifiman ef6. I dont know, its not going to be easy to add shielding, since you need a metal box, and you need to hook up the ground on the circuit to the metal. What i love the most about this hybrid hifiman ef2cdacamp is the crisp and well balanced detailed music you obtain whether you are listening your favorite smartphone music list or surfing music. There is a 160 va transformer unit inside and a clc filter as stated by the manual.
Electrostatic headphone system 20 pages amplifier hifiman ef5 owners manual. What did impress me enough to buy them though was the demo set up with the hifiman ef2a tube amp. Housed in its compact chassis lie three independent amplifier sections. Check your power supply for noise diy guide, article, schematic pdf format, 116kb headphone. Hifiman ef2c overview and test of inexpensive headphone. Anyway i got the effect to go away by going into control panel sound speakers usb sound device which only showed up when i had my dacamp connected right click properties. Jan 06, 2015 impressive little tube amp for anyone interested in the hifi world or someone who is new to the audiophile realm. Hifiman ef6 manual headphone amplifier hifi engine. Jan 23, 20 i am a regular lurker and sometimes advice seeker who has been using the hd598 and hifiman ef2a for over a year now. Nov 05, 20 hi, ive had my hifiman ef2a heres a link to it for reference. The hifiman ef2a is a hybrid usbdac amplifier that promises to give you warm sound and melodies offered by vacuum tubes and solidstate amplifiers.
So, i got an email from hifiman that this is a known issue with their dac implementation, that the dac will clip at full line levels. I bought hd 650s as my first pair of high end cans, but i. If anyone is sitting on the fence about getting the hifiman he 400is they are on for a good deal at visions right now. Looking at the pictures on the previous page, one of the lm 117 3. The volume stepped attenuator is a vast improvement from the ef2a s volume control. Impressive little tube amp for anyone interested in the hifi world or someone who is new to the audiophile realm. Hifiman ef2a usb dacamp appreciation thread page 4. My setup is a pair of beyerdynamic t90 and hifiman he400 cans which i switch around.
Hifiman is a leading designer and manufac turer of high performance headphones, headphone amplifiers and portable players. Ill soon be receiving a pair of hifiman he400i headphones. Hifiman ef2a is a hybrid usb headphone amplifier using 6j1 tubes as input stage. A versatile hybrid design that combines tube and solid state technology, the hifiman ef100 is a moderately priced.
View attachment 464 as we see, the news here is quite sad. I digitally attenuate the volume from my software player by around 10% and i. Hifiman ef2a for a couple of years now which ive been using with my grado sr225is that i purchased from this site and want to replace the stock chinese tubes, preferably for something with a little more bass punch and less gain the problem is, i. Here is the belated linearity measurement for hifiman ef2a.
So what does hifiman do with the defective product. A great thing is the ability to put in your own tubes and experiment with the flavour of the sound. Designed for discriminating music listeners who demand performance and value. Nov 24, 2014 hifiman has released its newest headphone amplifier, the ef100. Ive been listening to a lot of talking heads, pink floyd, stars of the lid, and elton john lately. Hifiman ef2c usbdac headphone amplifier will ship from china before it is in stock in us warehouse sublime and organic tone from the vacuum tube combines the beautiful, warm sounding of the vacuum tube with the advantages of low distortion and high sn rate from the solidstate amplifier.
This owners guide is intended to provide a useful overview of your new ef2c and how to best install and operate it for many years of. Therefore, the hifiman ef2c is suitable for anyone who wants to diversify their collection of equipment with the tube sound of a headphone amplifier. Its nice that the price for the hifiman ef2c amplifier remains rather low. Question, have you guys ever tested the hifiman ef2a tube ampdac combo. Hifiman ef2c owners guide thank you for purchasing the hifiman ef2c, a hybrid headphone ampli. I have a gigabyte x99 gaming g1 motherboard which has 2 usb marked with yellow special. The ef2c is meticulously designed for discriminating music listeners who demand performance and value. Hardware teardown of hifiman ef2a dac and headphone. You may choose between a pair of mullard tubes, and a pair of telefunken production aeg marked tubes, carefully measured and selected. Hi, ive had my hifiman ef2a heres a link to it for reference.
Hifiman hm650 wstandard card rm 1,800 buy now hifiman gold minibox amplifier card rm 1,368 buy now hifiman iem amplifier card rm 1,050 buy now hifiman balance amplifier card rm 1,368 buy now hifiman replacement battery for 901 rm480 dac cum amp hifiman ef2a rm890 hifiman ef100 rm 2,500 buy now amp hifiman ef 6 rm. This is a small unit as you can see here, dwarfed not by. A compact desktop design with an integrated usbdac inherits the power and performance from the ef2a. For a line of ambitious chinese products, the name hifiman conjures up sonys walkman. Product overview the hifiman ef2a is a hybrid amplifier design which combines vacuum tube and solid state design. To purchase ef6 spares or accessories, please contact the company via their website or visit an authorised retailer. Jun 20, 2011 i first learned of the chinese headphone specialist hifiman through my interest in the firms cool planar magnetic headphones, including the he5le, the he6, and the new he500. Amplifier hifiman ef2a owners manual 8 pages amplifier hifiman ef2c owners manual 8 pages amplifier hifiman shangrila jr user manual. Hifiman he500 headphones and ef5 headphone amplifier the. The ef2c is the perfect match for most pcdriven headphones. Unlike traditional vacuum tube amplifiers, the ef2a significantly improves the condition of the power source which in turn increases the output power as well as prolongs the life of the vacuum tube and the amplifier. Aug 23, 2012 hifiman ef6 headphone amplifier page 2 the ef6 outputs 5 watts per channel into the 50 ohm impedance of the he6, which in my opinion is about the minimum amount acceptable for truly unfettered performance from this juicesucking can. Windows 10x64 recognized the device instantly, no driver needed. Hifiman ef2a hybrid headphone amp apartment therapy.
The problem was with the dac inside my hifiman ef2a, which can only process audio that is 16 bit and 44. Benefitting from vacuum tube technology, both headphone amplifier and. The ef100 is designed to drive both highperformance headphones and efficient. Download alexa for your windows 10 pc for free experience the convenience of alexa, now on your pc.
But there are also many qc problems that have been reported. Hifiman he 400i headphones and portable audio canuck. This website is not affiliated with or sponsored by hifiman. My suspcion is some capacitor either the 10uf or the 0. Recommend last week, we got a look at hifimans re252 inear. The hifiman ef6 amplifier, he6 and he500 headphones, the audeze lcd3, bottlehead crack using a 5998, aune t1 usb tube dac using a telefunken 6922, epiphany acoustics and kimber rca cables and lastly my audioengine a5 home speakers. Hifiman ef5 hybrid headphone amplifier owners guide 8 pages. An update of the ef2a, seems they changed the volume pot to a stepped one. Edition s edition x he he300 he400 he400i he400s he560 he6 re600.
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