HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) please post your impressions. . loan pair for UK pg. 28. - Page 159

http://www.head-fi.org/products/darkvoice-337/reviews

http://www.headfonia.com/lafigaro-339-my-fav-otl-amp/

The ladt one sounds similair as the 337 as they are siblings..

Yep everything double..can u imagine how sick i was when i wanted better power cables..good thing was i got a discount as i had to buy 2 the double volume is a pain in the ass at first..i learned to use the volume with ur eyes closed..to hear the balance right..as every mm of the knobs u change u hear the balance difference in the sound immediately...its that sensitive! But i found out that my last tubes have a little imbalance in left channel..so its good i can balance that now did u ckeck my pics? U will see the on switches are relocated to back on mine..to minimize inteference because of the huge power units. But the amp looks so sexy man! Its perfect symetrical..even inside...all is perfectly alligned ...it could be made by audi! and then the sound! Trust me..u wont believe ur ears..on a meet i attened 2 months ago a hd650 owner said he got really emotional listening to my amp through the he500's while listening to queen on lossless music. And that was with my colder sounding svetlana's am now burning in 5998's thats a whole new ballgame! I will never part with this amp..am almost sure of that now..
Ps..no channel imbalace at all...as u balance it urself to ur ears with ur eyes closed..its actually clever..as no tubes pairs are perfectly balanced!
Edited by hifimanrookie - 12/28/12 at 7:55am

I had both the HE-500 and HE-6 and through this amp they both sounded incredibly similar. The HE-6 remained slightly more transparent but the lusher mids and slight bass boost on the HE-500 was just superb.

Those Tungsol 5998s sure do sound good. I use them on my SP amp. I have the Tungsol 6080 WC (they weigh a lot) but the sexy 5998s still outperform them in bass impact and soundstage.

Well i also have a pair of super weighty! bendix 6080wb solid graphite plates .and a pair of chatham's ...all to try out and see what pairs with my tung sol or rca reds or sylvania drivertubes..so much choices..will be a long walk..but at the end i hope to have the best combo.
Edited by hifimanrookie - 12/28/12 at 1:11pm

The 6080/6as7g is a common family of tubes. Different amps use the same tube but not all amps use the same tubes. Tubes are tricksy and you need to know the operating voltages and currents a tube needs or you can damage your amp.

It's been 5 days since I have acquired my HE-500 and I love it so much, even if it's not fully burnt in yet. Details are so crisp, vocals are rich, detailed, forward and separate from other instruments and OMG! That bass response! So much impact and excellent tightness. I'm currently running it with my HP-P1 on the high gain setting which I found it produces sufficient volume but I still think it's a hair short of not enough power. Either I need to get a desktop amp or if I want to stay portable, a Rx Mk3-B but for the price I bought it, I do think it's a superb bargain and money well spent.

Here are some pics:

 

 

Some criticism that I have though is the silver cable that is too stiff and a bit annoying, either a thicker cable or a more flexible one. Build quality is great but sometimes I do feel it's a bit suspect. I found some weak points that could probably let go if not careful. Mainly it's the connector to connect the cable which I think it's not thick and sturdy enough and the plastic bit with the HifiMAN HE-500 logo.

Other than that, excellent, excellent headphone.

Tip: try the velours pads

Already did. Loving them much more. I think that the overall sound with the velour pads is a little bit more refined with the velour pads. What I hate though is installing the pads. Removing it is easy enough but installing it needs patience and delicate hands.

 

First off congrats on the HE-500 and very nice pics!!! 

 

I couldnt agree more on the cable and I cant wait to replace mine. Even though I have been saying that for about 2 months now.....lol

I just cant decide what one I want...........besides all of them. 

 

another tip: Toxic Cables Black Widows 22 AWG copper cable..i will be getting two of them for my rig..one with rca's for in between my amp and my DAP and one for my he500..i wanted the same cable allround i will put a review as soon i have them in and have some listening time on them..but the price left me speechless! check it urself.maybe it will surprise u as well...and ask all u want on that thread..the guys there will bombard u with info..