So something interesting has been happening with my headphones throughout my burn-in process;

First, they sounded pretty good right out of the box with apparently 20 hours of burn-in after production. I then left them to burn-in for the following afternoon and night, after which I felt they sounded a bit better which I pretty well dismissed as placebo effect. I had them going on and off with my two days off I had which I tried to spend a lot of time with them to try and form a prolonged opinion, in which I felt they were quite an improvement over my previous love, the K601. Whilst going back to work, I let them burn in for an almost continuous 48 hours and after listening to them last night I felt they had almost gotten muddy and I was quite worried my connections had come loose again or I may have done some damage by burning them in whilst underpowering them through my Travagan's amp; I left for work this morning with a concern for my HE-5s, but I left them to burn in as I knew my EF5 was coming soon and I wanted to be ready.

Now then, upon listening them for the past hour or two since I got home from work, they sound bloody amazing. Just to try to force myself out of any placebo or lackthereof effects, I made detailed notes while listening to certain songs last night (during the muddy incident) to compare to later on, possibly when I got the EF5. Comparing my notes for those songs to now is ridiculous; the echoing in the voices I heard, the recessed frequencies, the over pronounced bass and strange imbalance have all passed and it's like magic!

I do believe burn-in has an effect as it was a night and day type effect with my Beyers as well, but I did not have this up and down reaction before. They definitely sound better than when I first got them and infinitely better than they did last night.

I had thought my K601s were a bargain when I first got them, and still feel that way, but the next world performance gain from the HE-5s is unreal at this point.

My music now sounds like music and I can't wait to try the EF5 tomorrow.

And I can't wait to listen the HE-5! they are still in dispatch from sorting center

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My Ultrasones have all gone up and down and back up during burn-in, usually sounding nice at first, muddy and bad in the 3rd - 4th day, and then coming back better than ever by 10-14 days (Proline 2500, HFI-780, and Edition 9 two pairs).

So, how does the HE-5 compare to Sr-202 or Koss ESP950?

Hehehehehehe mine is out for delivery.

Bullseye, I believe a few members have compared it favorably to similarly priced 'stats.

Lots to read about how they sound, now here's some more on how they look: (sorry about the dust and substandard color correction--will likely re-do when I get my good monitor back).

On a whim I plugged them into my Graham Slee Solo and they sound fantastic although I am comparing them to an EF5 that only has a little over 40 hours of burn-in (if the factory still gives 20 hours). There's something about the Solo that really makes the Bach Cello Suites (Anner Bylsma) rich, deep, and beautiful (great amp in general). On the EF5, the HE-5's comfortable volume is at least 12 o'clock for me. On the Slee, the HE-5's comfortable volume is between 12 -1 o'clock whereas normally (Grado 325) it would be 9 - 11 o'clock.

I'm hoping another 200+ hours of burn in will give me a pairing that is very different from the SR-325/Slee...and a "match made in heaven". I bought the HE-5/EF5 for some variety, but if the Slee continues to drive the HE-5 better, then I will sell the EF5 (after some tube rolling of course).

what is the current wait time for the HE-5? about a month? those are some really nice photos of the HE-5, best i've seen yet. i'm still trying decide between this and the LCD-2. but i'm leaning more towards the HE-5 because it sounds like what i'm looking for and is a better deal. i'm a bit concerned on what kind of amp i'll need to drive them with though. you just need a lot of current right?

Which end of the cable goes into which cup? I see a blue and red dot on the cable...not on the headphones...

Raez, on the wooden circle on the headband, you will see a R and a L.
R = RED = RIGHT.

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Hehe, got that.

Funny, I had not see the blue dot only the red one. Aaron, did you put your HE5 back on burn in.

Hey everyone, after reading this whole thread, I decided to pull the trigger on the HE-5/EF-5 combo. This is only a "first Impression" type of review, but with maybe 30 hours of burn in for both units...

So far I have three headphones to compare to - K701, DT 150, HD 650
And previously amped with the MKIII and (friends) HR micro amp.

Most of the things already have been mentioned, but I guess it never hurts adding some thoughts, especially for those who are still on the fence whether or not they want to buy them. Now I know this review is of little relevance with the 30 hours of burn in, but it still gives a rough estimate.

Now the build quality is great, nice leather band, beautiful solid wood, and a nice heaviness which I don't mind. The only thing that worries me is the connectors which have been mentioned before, they are very fragile, and can easily be disconnected or snapped off... The EF-5 also has great build quality, solid looking, very nice.

Now the most important element, the sound, now I am taking everything with a grain of salt here since the burn in factor. But in general the sound is forward, with great clarity and beautiful mids. The low end, is also equally satisfying, tight and well defined. The music also has an involving element to it, its hard to explain, but its almost as if you are inside the music, took some getting used to at first though. The soundstage is not so wide, but the separation and air between each note is emphasized, creating an illusion of a much more intimate experience. Though the balance is slightly weird right now, I am not sure how to put it into words, but its not optimal in this section. Also a strange paradox has developed, on some songs there is an air of warmth and no harshness, on others it can get harsh and peaky, this might be due to the recording itself, if so, the cans do a great job of presenting the details, both wanted and unwanted.

I am not a fan of burn-in myself, but in this case I will give it 100 hours before coming to any serious conclusions. So far so good though, very involving and intimate, almost erotic in nature lol! The EF-5 does a great job driving them, absolutely no problem, never over the 12 o'clock mark, unless I want hearing damage. The amp is a monster, and can push any headphone to the limits, lets hope it also has the finesse.

To come to a conclusion, this combo of the HE-5 and EF-5 is one of great value, that I hope improves as time passes, since there are some few hiccups, which should even out with more time... So far it improves on my previous cans, even out of the box, but I do really hope they progress more with burn-in... Cheers!

Burn-in is real...and I'm using bare wire out of the Moth si2A3/45 using the 45 (EML) tube....Merry Christmas all over again......Happy New Year, Valentines, Easter, Fourth of July, Memorial and Labor day with the Thanks keeping on Giving. Moar Powah!!!

The cable is Apuresound balanced with connection to a female XLR to bare-wire connector! Incredible!!

MikePio could you offer your thoughts on the HE-5 compared to 701's?

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My experience with HE-5 on the Solo SRG II: Graham Slee Solo SRG versus Solo SRGII - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio