Yamaha PRO Headphones. - Page 12

Originally Posted by roma101 


Very easy to drive from an iPod. Compared to the MDR-1R, SQ-wise to my ears, the PRO 500 is an overall upgrade and sounds better than any headphone I have ever heard. The 1R tonally is warmer especially in the mids, very much like a wooden headphone. The 500 has more impactful bass and more detailed as well. All the instruments have more body and sound more accurate. The mids and treble are perfectly in line with the bass to my ears and the highs sound crisp and clear without ever sounding strident. The 500 sounds more coherent to my ears and just sounds 'right.' I loved the 1R while still having them but when I first heard the 500 (on a train coming back from work) I instantly fell in love with the natural sound and ambience and knew this was the headphone I was looking for. To me, it's not just a headphone - its an audio experience and this is the first headphone that I like so much that I'll most likely write up a formal review. Drums, strings, vocals, etc. never sounded better, clearer and overall more natural than any headphone I owned before. The imaging is fantastic as well as the layering and detail. The soundstage is just as wide as the 1Rs to my ears with more depth. Sometimes I felt vocals were slightly too warm on the 1R but on these they sound just right.

As for comfort, the 1R takes the crown in that regard. Definitely lighter and more comfortable and I'll miss the style of the headphone as well since I prefer a more head-conforming headband. The PRO 500 feels more solid and is a little bigger and slightly heavier. Ear cups are on the slightly small side as well and sometimes when I move my head around I can slightly feel my left ear touching the driver. However all these issues are not really all that bad. I'm not even the biggest fan of the style (wish they were more conservative-looking I guess) but its growing on me - they don't look as gaudy to me as Beats. They feel and look more elegant. Anyway, in the end they will be keepers for life - the SQ is just too good and I give a lot of props to Yamaha for tuning such a great-sounding headphone. With other headphones, I'd be thinking about the characteristics of that headphone vs. other headphones - what sounds right, what doesn't sound right. It would bug me because music should sound one way IMO and that should be natural no matter what genre. I never thought I would find a portable that sounds as close to natural as this one and I'm glad I went out on a limb purchasing this can. When I listen to these, I stop thinking about other cans and just enjoy my music, since I don't feel anything is missing in the music. It's all there.

This headphone might not meet everyone's preferences but this is my personal experience so far. Every time I put this headphone on, I'm blown away and feel very satisfied with my purchase, even though it's the most I've spent on one headphone. I feel very lucky to have them. Anyway these are just one person's impressions and as is on HF, I'm sure everyone will have different opinions. Take this with a grain of salt.