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HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) please post your impressions. . loan pair for UK pg. 28. - Page 204

post #3046 of 5126
2/8/13 at 5:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kasimoa View Post

Thanks for your opinions. Actually I might have gone slightly overboard with my criticism. I was listening to Spotify Premium/Graceland (Paul Simon) and everything was sounding so awful. I am now listening to Apple Lossless on iTunes and things seem to be much better. But imaging is still very poor. Going to get a pair of Senn HD700 next week and will do a comparison with that. 

I'm assuming you are not using the stock Hifiman pleather earpads?

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post #3047 of 5126
2/8/13 at 7:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kasimoa View Post

I have been reading reviews about the Hifiman HE 500 for about a month now, and everyone is so enthusiastic about how good they are and the awesome price factor. Frankly I disagree. I have now have had these headphones for 10 days and reaching around 100 hrs burnin time and I find them awful. The soundstage is very congested and centred. I cant delineate where the instruments are placed on the stage. Everything just jumbles together in the centre. This is coming after hearing the HD 650 where I could place every instrument on the stage with absolute certainty.

Now coming to the vocals. Oh my are they forward so forward that I feel like standing in front of the Singer and every other instrument gets lost in the background. Not like the enveloping sound you that you hear from the Sennhesier HD 650.  

Not impressed at all with the Hifiman HE 500. I think a lot of hype is created by the community regarding this particular headphone. The only good thing I have been able to find in these headphones is the bass. 

And I have tried running them from the Dac/Amp combo Audiolab M-Dac, arguably one of the best Dac's out there, and also Arcam rPac/Fiio E9K. I just dont find these headphones engaging at all. 

Anyone wants to point out what I am doing wrong then please by all means let me know. Thanks 

I would try it with a more powerful amp as well. The instrument separation on the 500 was among the best I've heard with the velours (never had the pleathers).

Even a headphone out out of an old 70's receiver if you have one.
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post #3048 of 5126
2/8/13 at 8:07am

Having owned the HE5-LE's for a year and getting tired of their bright spot in the upper mids the HE-500's are much more accurate,  the mids are full and even down thru the midrange rther than having the upper midrange dominate the spectrum with the 5LE's.   This is with an Audiogd pcm104 dac + Lyr.

 

I am admit it does make me wonder if the HE6's are a worthy upgrade,  the issue is power and I'm not a SS fan.  I am very satisfied with the HE-500's,  to the take the best qualities of Grados and Senns and just do the job better.

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post #3049 of 5126
2/8/13 at 8:21am

There is no way: 

 

1. The HE-500s  have a less bright spot in the upper mids 

 

2. The  HE-500 is noway more accurate than the HE-5LEs

 

 

The HE-5LE is way more balanced across the spectrum when compared to the HE-500.  

 

 

HE-5 / 5LE

 

 

HE-500

 

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post #3050 of 5126
2/8/13 at 8:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by preproman View Post

There is no way: 

1. The HE-500s  have a less bright spot in the upper mids 

2. The  HE-500 is noway more accurate than the HE-5LEs


The HE-5LE is way more balanced across the spectrum when compared to the HE-500

Maybe he's hearing the rolled off highs of HE-500 and 5LE's sound bright in those regions on a relative basis?
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post #3051 of 5126
2/8/13 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by preproman View Post

There is no way: 

 

1. The HE-500s  have a less bright spot in the upper mids 

 

2. The  HE-500 is noway more accurate than the HE-5LEs

 

 

The HE-5LE is way more balanced across the spectrum when compared to the HE-500.  

 

 

HE-5 / 5LE

 

 

HE-500

 


If the HE-5LE is more accurate, could you describe the HE-500 as more "fun"?  (I haven't heard the HE-5LE)

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post #3052 of 5126
2/8/13 at 9:27am

HE-5LE is not accurate.  It's quite plastic sounding, rounded and overly smooth.  It has it's fans but it's no LCD-2 replacement like the HE-500 can be.

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post #3053 of 5126
2/8/13 at 10:12am

No I find that the pleather ear pads take away some of detail in the music. Actually to be honest when I changed it to Velour it was like listening to a new headphone. 

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post #3054 of 5126
2/8/13 at 10:19am

There is a reason for that...

 

Velour

 

Leather

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post #3055 of 5126
2/8/13 at 10:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solude View Post

HE-5LE is not accurate.  It's quite plastic sounding, rounded and overly smooth.  It has it's fans but it's no LCD-2 replacement like the HE-500 can be.

 

 

I'll bet my dime to your donuts that the HE-5LE is more accurate than the HE500s.  

 

Use a amp that's up to par.  The HE-5LE has only slightly less amping requirements than the HE-6.

 

No plasic sound on the First Watts F1J watch..


Edited by preproman - 2/8/13 at 10:57am
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post #3056 of 5126
2/8/13 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by preproman View Post

There is no way: 

 

1. The HE-500s  have a less bright spot in the upper mids 

 

2. The  HE-500 is noway more accurate than the HE-5LEs

 

 

The HE-5LE is way more balanced across the spectrum when compared to the HE-500.  

 

 

HE-5 / 5LE

 

 

HE-500

 

 

 

Maybe there is no such thing as a nanotechnology mic sitting on my ear-drum?  This is what happens when folks without a background in science try to interpret measurements,  ask the guy who took them how repeatable these are when the mic is moved a few thousands of an inch,  or the correlation to real acoustics  (ever listen to a pair of tweeters 90 degrees to your head?) Answer: there is no correlation. 

 

My 5LE's are history,   the HE-500's reproduce midrange more accurate to real life,  sorry I don't try to dazzel you with a 2D plot to represent acoustics that are much more complicated than a 6th grade algebra x-y plot.  I know what a guitar sounds like,  and the HE5LE's shine a spot light on the upper two octaves.  I sure people don't master music to these plots.

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post #3057 of 5126
2/8/13 at 12:34pm

popcorn.gif

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post #3058 of 5126
2/8/13 at 1:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kasimoa View Post

 

And I have tried running them from the Dac/Amp combo Audiolab M-Dac, arguably one of the best Dac's out there, and also Arcam rPac/Fiio E9K. I just dont find these headphones engaging at all. 

 

Anyone wants to point out what I am doing wrong then please by all means let me know. Thanks 

You are using the worst AMPs to drive these things. something with only 138mW and something with >25ohms of output impedance is sure to destroy your sound.

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post #3059 of 5126
2/8/13 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by preproman View Post

 

 

I'll bet my dime to your donuts that the HE-5LE is more accurate than the HE500s.  

 

Use a amp that's up to par.  The HE-5LE has only slightly less amping requirements than the HE-6.

 

No plasic sound on the First Watts F1J watch..

 

You do love your F1J :P

 

I owned the HE-5LE while I had a black velvet B22.  Power wasn't an issue, not that 4mW is hard to muster.

 

A 12dB scoop out starting around 500Hz is not natural ;)

 

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post #3060 of 5126
2/8/13 at 3:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by catfish View Post

 

 

Maybe there is no such thing as a nanotechnology mic sitting on my ear-drum?  This is what happens when folks without a background in science try to interpret measurements,  ask the guy who took them how repeatable these are when the mic is moved a few thousands of an inch,  or the correlation to real acoustics  (ever listen to a pair of tweeters 90 degrees to your head?) Answer: there is no correlation. 

 

My 5LE's are history,   the HE-500's reproduce midrange more accurate to real life,  sorry I don't try to dazzel you with a 2D plot to represent acoustics that are much more complicated than a 6th grade algebra x-y plot.  I know what a guitar sounds like,  and the HE5LE's shine a spot light on the upper two octaves.  I sure people don't master music to these plots.

 

Yea I'd agree with that. Not to mention that each individual has their own Head Related Transfer Function along with their own hearing acuity. FR plots are quite useless, especially when the headphone FR manages to stay within 3-6 dB. At the least you need a water plot chart. Even though energy doubles at 3 dB, when you ask people to match the volume to when they think it's double of what they were hearing, it's usually around 10 dB. Psychoacoustics is a must to know.

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) please post your impressions. . loan pair for UK pg. 28.