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HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) please post your impressions. . loan pair for UK pg. 28. - Page 250

post #3736 of 5029
3/15/13 at 7:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pukeman View Post


hmm

 

I am currently waiting for my amps so I am using the HE500s un amped and it sounds...bad even worse than my M50s.

 

some songs the vocals are barely audible and half the instruments are missing in all the songs I listen to

 

Come on - you are exaggerating. HE-500 has very full, rich mids, regardless of source. Unamped, the mids can be a little muddy, but they are in no way recessed. Some detail may be harder to pick out with HE-500 when they are driven by a weak source, because the transients become smeared. But the details are still there if you listen carefully. M50 can't even begin to approach the resolving power, speed, clarity and richness of HE-500, even if it is driven by the best possible amp and source while HE-500 is unamped. The latter is simply leagues ahead technically. What is your current source BTW? Maybe you truly have an awful source, but anything half-decent like a Sansa Clip or iPhone can drive HE-500 quite OK.


Edited by Pianist - 3/15/13 at 7:45pm
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post #3737 of 5029
3/15/13 at 7:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pianist View Post

 

Come on - you are exaggerating. HE-500 has very full, rich mids, regardless of source. Unamped, the mids can be a little muddy, but they are in no way recessed. Some detail may be harder to pick out with HE-500 when they are driven by a weak source, because the transients become smeared. But the details are still there if you listen carefully. M50 can't even begin to approach the resolving power, speed, clarity and richness of HE-500, even if it is driven by the best possible amp and source while HE-500 is unamped. The latter is simply leagues ahead technically. What is your current source BTW? Maybe you truly have an awful source, but anything half-decent like a Sansa Clip or iPhone can drive HE-500 quite OK.

 

sorry my bad, updated post with edit. turns out my 1/4inch to 3.5mm jack is messed up

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post #3738 of 5029
3/15/13 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pukeman View Post

 

sorry my bad, updated post with edit. turns out my 1/4inch to 3.5mm jack is messed up

 

lol That happens. How does HE-500 sound to you now?

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post #3739 of 5029
3/15/13 at 8:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pianist View Post

 

lol That happens. How does HE-500 sound to you now?


LOL if i wiggle the jack a bit I can make it sound right and yup they do sound very nice! much more detailed, clear and open compared to my m50s

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post #3740 of 5029
3/15/13 at 9:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pukeman View Post


LOL if i wiggle the jack a bit I can make it sound right and yup they do sound very nice! much more detailed, clear and open compared to my m50s

 

Now we are talking. Welcome to the club! beerchug.gif Replace that converter ASAP.

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post #3741 of 5029
3/15/13 at 9:24pm
I will join this club soon. After hearing these at the last meet, I can't seem to let it go
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post #3742 of 5029
3/15/13 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by robm321 View Post

I will join this club soon. After hearing these at the last meet, I can't seem to let it go

 

It seems that you really like Etys too. I will be adding an HF5 to my collection soon as well. It will replace my Phonaks and JVCs. beerchug.gif


Edited by Pianist - 3/15/13 at 9:40pm
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post #3743 of 5029
3/15/13 at 10:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spark3 View Post

Just received my pair of HE500 from a user on here and I'm really disappointed by them frown.gif

They are much darker than my HD600 which I was not expecting, I am running them through an M-Stage amp and Dacmagic. The bass has improved quite a bit and lower mids sound slightly better but that's about it. The upper mids are just so withdrawn/dull and the treble is pretty much the same, metal/rock sounds lifeless on them. It feels as if I have downgraded from the HD600..I thought the HE500 were going to be good upgrade over the HD600, What do you guys think? has anyone came from HD600 to these?

I've owned the HD600s and now own the HE-500s and how anyone could think the latter is much darker than the former is totally beyond me. But we all have different hearing so I guess that accounts for most of the differences people report. IMO, the Sennheisers would be like listening to the HiFiMANs (MEN?) with an extra layer of cloth between the driver and your ears. No comparison whatsoever and from reading almost every other report I've read, most agree that the 500s are "lively" "bright" or any other adjective you want to use to describe clear highs.

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post #3744 of 5029
3/15/13 at 11:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadcykler View Post

I've owned the HD600s and now own the HE-500s and how anyone could think the latter is much darker than the former is totally beyond me. But we all have different hearing so I guess that accounts for most of the differences people report. IMO, the Sennheisers would be like listening to the HiFiMANs (MEN?) with an extra layer of cloth between the driver and your ears. No comparison whatsoever and from reading almost every other report I've read, most agree that the 500s are "lively" "bright" or any other adjective you want to use to describe clear highs.
They're definitely brighter than the HD650s with my chain. Can't speak to the HD600.

Curiously, while the treble is there, it never glares. It's the mids that captivate, however.
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post #3745 of 5029
3/16/13 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by roadcykler View Post

I've owned the HD600s and now own the HE-500s and how anyone could think the latter is much darker than the former is totally beyond me. But we all have different hearing so I guess that accounts for most of the differences people report. IMO, the Sennheisers would be like listening to the HiFiMANs (MEN?) with an extra layer of cloth between the driver and your ears. No comparison whatsoever and from reading almost every other report I've read, most agree that the 500s are "lively" "bright" or any other adjective you want to use to describe clear highs.

 

It's the upper mids that are brighter and more aggressive from what I can hear. Now I have spent more time with them and listened a lot closer, I find the treble is brighter than the HD600 and it is much more detailed. The bass and lower mids on the HE500 however is a different story, there is a quite a big difference compared to the HD600, HD600 cannot even compare to them. Still, just like everyone says the HD600 truly are amazing headphones for the price.

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post #3746 of 5029
3/16/13 at 2:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by spark3 View Post

It's the upper mids that are brighter and more aggressive from what I can hear. Now I have spent more time with them and listened a lot closer, I find the treble is brighter than the HD600 and it is much more detailed. The bass and lower mids on the HE500 however is a different story, there is a quite a big difference compared to the HD600, HD600 cannot even compare to them. Still, just like everyone says the HD600 truly are amazing headphones for the price.
What's the rest of your chain? I'm on my phone and can't see signatures if your chain is detailed in it.
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post #3747 of 5029
3/16/13 at 5:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by disastermouse View Post


What's the rest of your chain? I'm on my phone and can't see signatures if your chain is detailed in it.

 

My current setup that I am using is: Mobo coax out > Dacmagic > Matrix M-Stage.

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post #3748 of 5029
3/16/13 at 5:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by khaine1711 View Post

Many people hearing orthos for the first time are usually awed by the black background +ortho speed. When I still had the He-500, I usually think of them as HD600 on steroid - do everything the Hd600 does, with better speed. I do agree that with some metals the He500 sounds "dim" for a lack of a better word; but the speed made up for it.

Stock velour pad is 20 pounds I think. You can take the pad mounting disc and mount the Dt990 pad also - they fit. Not sure how that will affect the sound though. Other pads to try includes the Stax O2 Pad, Denon stockpad, J$ beyer pad, Lawton angle pad, jerg modded pleather pad.

Edit: and Audeze vegan/leather pad too

The hd-600 must be very slow then! The 500s are the slowest hifiman I heard (=owned) due to their smoothed treble. That don't include the 300s and 6s (the latter are faster too for sure. Prepoman and the other who heard both the 6s and 500s can say how much faster the former are).
For hard rock and metal, the 4s (and possibly the 6s) are kings!
If you want a faster 500s, get yourself the 5LEs (and a beefy amp!).
The m-stage is not fast either. The SA-31 amp is an excellent upgrade for the 500s!
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post #3749 of 5029
3/16/13 at 6:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemmaster View Post


The hd-600 must be very slow then! The 500s are the slowest hifiman I heard (=owned) due to their smoothed treble. That don't include the 300s and 6s (the latter are faster too for sure. Prepoman and the other who heard both the 6s and 500s can say how much faster the former are).
For hard rock and metal, the 4s (and possibly the 6s) are kings!
If you want a faster 500s, get yourself the 5LEs (and a beefy amp!).
The m-stage is not fast either. The SA-31 amp is an excellent upgrade for the 500s!


Yes - the sens 6xx is slow as snail. The only thing slower that I've heard is the JVC Dx1000 and D7k. I wasn't satisfied with the He500 for metal and other stuff (baroque/prog rock). Using He-6 for a while now wink.gif. I like the 4, but no reason to own one. Still looking to try a He-5 (the woodies) though.

 

I don't think the He-500 is the slowest hifiman. Just that the not-so-tight bass and the subdued treble gives the impression of being slow. Still faster than most dynamics (sans hd800) and slower than Staxes.

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post #3750 of 5029
3/16/13 at 6:51am
HE-500.

Subdued treble.

The mind reels.
Edited by disastermouse - 3/16/13 at 6:54am
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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.