I made the trip to CES and T.H.E. last year, and had the chance to review these against the HiFiMan HE-5 and HE-6, Sennheiser HD 650 and HD 800, and the Audeze LCD-2 and LCD-3. I was looking to select a single set of dedicated system headphones, and settled on the HE-500. It has an interesting presence and warmth that I found missing from the other models, and just sounded right. Following my purchase, I later found they sound wonderful with a VTL IT-85 integrated tube amp (upgraded with KT-77s).
 
One disappointment was the Audeze products, given all the positive reviews. They just didn't sound as good, and were on the same system as the HE 500.  I realize this is subjective, and the fit/finish was superb, but compared to the other models it was clear that both had a lack of detail, and the bass was a bit bloated. 
 
I heard a few of the latest models that arrived at this year's CES, but I still don't feel the need to upgrade. Although the HE 1000 was pretty amazing...