raxx said:

  Hi all he-500 owners. I am new to the head-fi world and I am looking for an upgrade to my cheap-ass sennheiser headset which has been ok for gaming but is starting to sound worse these days. So I have been trying to think of questions that might help me. I am torn between getting the more affordable he-400 and the ( what some people say to be ) better sounding he-500. So to those who own both, or who have experience with both, which one sounds significantly better listing to such bands as Jimi Hendrix/Van Halen ( Panama, Hot for Teacher ) with David Lee Roth, Rush, Pink Floyd, and The Who. I love these bands as well as modern indie bands and dubstep as well. But I really want to know is what would I hear differently if I listened to The Wall( by Pink Floyd) if I had the he-400 vs the he-500. Same goes for Van Halen or even Jimi Hendrix/Rush/The Who. Thanks. If those bands are too old for you I also like Metallica, Nirvana, NIN, and R.E.M. Thanks. 

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daerron said:

Absolutey love all those bands on the HE-500, especially Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and R.E.M.! Heck even like the Rolling Stones on the HE-500. The HE-500 makes guitars sing and with a speaker amplifier there is some great impact and slam to the sound, right up the rock alley. There is quite a significant gap between the HE-400 and HE-500. The HE-400 competes with dynamic headphones in a lower price category and makes a number of tradeoffs to reach that price point, while the HE-500 could almost be considered a flagship headphone. There was a nice analysis for flagship headphones here on Head-fi somewhere that illustrates this quite nicely.

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nimzerz said:

  You know what I find funny? I never see a pair of HE-500's on the classifieds but I always see LCD-2's being sold. Just shows how happy people are with the HE-500

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thurstonx said:

   
I feel ridiculously lucky to have found my pair in the Head-Fi classifieds.  It is pretty damn rare.
 
Merry Christmas, Head-Fiers 

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kothganesh said:

Well said daerron. I have both HPs and listen to all the groups (and more) listed above. The 500 is really a cut above. The Jergpads by Modulor are icing on the cake.

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lucaswonder said:

  Really like my HE-500 except the imaging. Have you noticed improvement with its imaging after the mod? Have you tried the re-grill?
Thanks

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daerron said:

   
The HE-500 has very good imaging. It is better than the RS1i and Grado's are supposed to be the imaging masters.

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lucaswonder said:

  I have HD800 and HE-500 both are driven by Schiit lyr/Bifrost uber with optical from macbook pro. I know listening is a very subjective experience. But really don't want to keep both.
 
HE-500 sounds full at first listening and is very emotional. But after listening for a while, you feel tired. After I got the HD800, I would describe it as crystal clear sound and have much better dynamics. I have a pair of B&W 805s and I really love their transparency and the imaging. HE-500 sounds very good (indeed),  with very dense (full) characters, which I know a lot of people like. However, I believe this is the thing that gives me fatigue. And the worse imaging (I have only HD800 and my speakers to compare) makes some music less involving, and less affecting. Bass is definitely better on the HE-500 and the human voices sound full of emotion. It's just as a whole package, I do prefer the HE-800. But I believe I will miss the HE-500 if I  get rid of it, which is why I asked if any mod can be done to improve the imaging, and the resonance (I feel in the mid bass range) that sometimes really bothered me. 
 
My wife also tried and we have similar feelings.

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lucaswonder said:

  I have HD800 and HE-500 both are driven by Schiit lyr/Bifrost uber with optical from macbook pro. I know listening is a very subjective experience. But really don't want to keep both.
 
HE-500 sounds full at first listening and is very emotional. But after listening for a while, you feel tired. After I got the HD800, I would describe it as crystal clear sound and have much better dynamics. I have a pair of B&W 805s and I really love their transparency and the imaging. HE-500 sounds very good (indeed),  with very dense (full) characters, which I know a lot of people like. However, I believe this is the thing that gives me fatigue. And the worse imaging (I have only HD800 and my speakers to compare) makes some music less involving, and less affecting. Bass is definitely better on the HE-500 and the human voices sound full of emotion. It's just as a whole package, I do prefer the HE-800. But I believe I will miss the HE-500 if I  get rid of it, which is why I asked if any mod can be done to improve the imaging, and the resonance (I feel in the mid bass range) that sometimes really bothered me. 
 
My wife also tried and we have similar feelings.

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textfeud said:

 
If everybody could stop making me want to get the HD800 that would be great. 

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davidsh said:

  Treble hump is annoying, sound unnatural.. hd800 no good. You want 'stats 

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textfeud said:

  If everybody could stop making me want to get the HD800 that would be great. 

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hifimanrookie said:

Or more refined sound.. The emotiva is a powerhouse..but its not the last thing in details and some other thingies in sound...But we cant ask everything from an amp selling for just under 200usd. For that price its a steal.

@koiloco....am confused now.. Does that mean ur dissapointed in ur 2000usd worth of wa22? As ur saying the emotiva drives the he500 better..and if i am not mistaken u bought the wa22 to drive the he500... Right my friend?

So ur saying ur using the emotiva more then the wa22 on ur he500?

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• I bought the WA22 to drive 2 HPs : my HE500 and either HD800/T1 or another candidate. (the HD800, I've spent 2 weeks straight with on the WA22)
• WA22 overall is the better amp at 10 times the $ (more now with upgraded tubes in all sockets).  It can drive both my HE500 and HD800.  The Emotiva can only drive/pair well with the HE500.  Mini-x to my ear is not ideal for dynamic HPs such as HD800.
• To my taste and preference in sound, indeed I prefer the Emotiva driving my HE500 over the WA22.  For me, the mini-x is better with HE500 overall though not across the board better in all categories.  With that said, I do use my HE500 more on the Emotiva.  The only time I use WA22 is when I listen to genres/tracks that don't require a weighty bottom to sound right to my ears (classic jazz, string acoustics, some classical...)
• You will be surprised at how much details the Mini-X can put out and how balanced and neutral the Mini-X is.  Don't judge it if you haven't actually used it or haven't spent enough time with it.  I don't do that when it comes to your 337 either cuz I have never had the chance to listen to it myself.  
• With the power the Mini-X puts out, you will be surprised at the sound-stage on the HE500.  All I would say is that "quite comparable to WA22"
• I just spent over $500 in tubes and try to get the WA22/HE500 to sound the way I like.  I finally did it.  Then, I was shocked how close the 2 amps sound now.