Amp recommendations for Hifiman HE1000 V2

I have the Arya Stealths and I don’t think the Chord will let them completely open up as per the stereonews.net review, but the MM-500 may well work fine if you like their sound profile. 

Thank you for your input - I knew it would be marginal and was wondering if anyone actually tried it. I was also looking at the new Arya Stealth and I have seen from others it is driven well. Impedance: 32 Ohms / Sensitivity: 94dB. The Aeron 2 Noire I am using now is Impedance: 13 ohms / Sensitivity: 92dB. Also looking at the new Audeze MM-500 which is lighter than LCD-X with a signature more like the LCD-5 and can be run off a laptop with Impedance: 18 ohms / Sensitivity: 100dB but have not seen any independant reviews on it yet.

@clavace No, that’s not a good match at all. The HE1000 v2 is rated at 35 Ohms and 90dB that makes it a pretty tough load, and the Chord only puts out 600mW @ 30 Ohms that is not nearly enough to power these headphones effectively. Here’s a quote from the stereonews.net review of the Mojo 2…

“However, it needs to be said that once you are approaching its upper power levels, it will start clipping, heavily distorting its bass output and massively shrinking the stage size. I’ve got clipping with LCD-4 and Susvara and Arya Stealth wasn’t as airy sounding as I like”

These outstanding headphones really require a good standalone amp to get the best out of them. If you share what sound characteristics you’re looking for you can get some excellent recommendations here for amps that will properly drive your headphones in a way that meets with your specific tastes. Just my $0.02 FWIW.

Does anyone know if a Mojo 2 will drive the HE 1000 V2? I presently have an Aeon 2 Noire it drives well. 

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Absolutely loving my Pass Labs HPA-1 with my Arya and Silver Dragon cable.
I know you were asking about the other headphones but I'm just giving my 2 cents.

The Topping A90 is neutral but has a touch of warmth. It's a fantastic amp. Any headphone can perceivably benefit from amplification. (Regardless of impedance)

OP, my favorite amp so far with those phones has been a Yamamoto HA-03 headphone amp, rated at 1.4 watts and it drives them beautifully, the amp I run most the time is the Moon Audio Dragon/Dennise Had Inspire, also rated at around 1.5 watts. The Hifiman 1000v2s are gorgeous sounding headphones with everything I have tried them with but really do get sweet when matched well. I have settled with the HEV1000v2s as one of three sets of phones I am going to be living with and would like to get other peoples opinions of after market cables, so far I have settled on the Moon Audio Silver Dragons to be my favorites and do very well with both my Audeze LCD2s and LCD3s as well. What say you? enjoy the music

Got it. The Lumin X1 is widely reviewed which will allow for a feel of it’s "sound / personality." I’d look to pair it with an amp based on your preferences and goals which in turn is driven by where the HE1000 V2 falls for you and what you want to achieve as an endpoint.

The X1, in my opinion, is a terrific front end for your build.

No, lumin into amp as a balanced XLR, then amp out to the headphone. 

Are you considering running your 1000 V2 direct from the Lumin X1's XLR / RCA outs?

Lumin*

I was think about the aluminum X1 as my streamer/DAC. Any thoughts on this pairing?

I use the HeadAmp GSX Mk2 to drive my HE1000 V1.

As @pastorbob points out, the DAC fronting your amp/pre will be critical to overall synergy, balance, etc.

I appreciate all the feedback. I’ll take a look at that P.B. recommended. 

Didn't see a response as to budget, but since you spent on the  Hi Fi man phones, I expect you will want a comparable amp.
Also would help to know which DAC you are using.
But regardless, I would recommend the Linear Tube Audio MicroZotl.
It is an exquisite sounding piece & fits your sound profile.

Joyful blessings,
P.B.  

Hifiman made an amp that will work great with your headphones.  The EF-6 has 5 watts of class A power.  It's been discontinued, but if you look around you might be able to find one.

Fantastic headphone, you will need a powerful amp to drive them to their full potential. An amp around 6 watts will get the job done, I use a Schiit lyr 2 a 6 watt tube hybrid to drive my power hungry HE560's a great combination. 

Good luck in your search..

Cheers Dave 

I have the Hifiman HE400S so am somewhat familiar with the house sound, and if I’m you I’d be looking hard at the Singxer SA-1 amp. At only $599 it’s a fully balanced, Class-A design with plenty of power and exhibits the sound qualities you’re looking for, and you’d probably need to spend quite a bit more to get something significantly better. I believe your ‘phones come with balanced connectors so you’ll get the full benefits of the balanced design right out of the box.  Hope this helps, and best of luck.

iFi Pro iCan 

What’s your budget?