[Fegefeuer]

First. I like the sound and tonality of the HE-500. Soundstage, mids, treble, bass. It has everything I want or expect from a great headphone. There are problems however and they are very blatant. Hifiman doesn't seem to care much about built quality or certain quality standards haven't arrived there yet.
 
In Germany they cost me around 800 Dollars. For 800 Dollars you could expect something more robust, better built, cleaner built and hardier constructed. DT770 and other much cheaper headphones are much better built. Especially brands from Germany have the typical "Made in Germany" trait. Now I am not trying to bash other countries/cultures or hype local brands but the difference is blatant. Take Ultrasone for instance. Very robust built, very sturdy and tough. Of course, they look less high end than the HE-500, they mostly sound inferior but the HE-500 are far from what one could expect from high-end gear. Right now I am in the process of sending back the second ones. First one had balance problems, left vs. right. Second one has screws that aren't properly screwed making the headband out of shape. You're excited about your Hifiman and suddenly you notice it's misformed. Of course, I can screw it myself. DIY.
 
Then the extra pads (leather) are out of shape out of whatever reason. They are misformed, they don't fit properly anymore. I might flatten them, not sure if it'll work out. Why  should I have to do this in the first place? Then inside the travel bag you see remnants of dirt, white stains on the small bag. You're buying something new (yes, it was new) and you receive something that looks like used. The contacts/connectors of the silver cable are almost removing themselves. So you get a product that comes without a proper cord by default. Of course, you can buy some magic cable for 150 Dollars and beyond.
 
So, all in all. Why does this have to happen? I am not the first one having issues with Hifiman's built quality standards. Are they reading this here? I'm not writing this to bash Hifiman, I just hope one day people can enjoy Hifiman headphones without having to worry that they break themselves after half a year or come "broken" on arrival.

 

[eltocliousus]

HiFiMAN aren't known for their durability and often have batch and general issues, that being said I haven't had any issues with any of their headphones so far (touch wood), and their customer service is top notch, you should get in contact, they're always happy to help.

 

[jerg]

I found a fix for driver imbalance yesterday (for HE400, but that is identical to HE500 except the driver itself and the colour of the shell), basically just tweak the screw tightness on the black plastic rings under the earpads.

 

[Fegefeuer]

In that price range one can demand more durability. I want to keep them for years. I am not throwing my phones around or leaving them anywhere besides their stand/travel bag. Always taking extra care, cleaning, polishing, placing gently as I do with all my gear. Now if that kinda thing (built) isn't a priority then I have to look elsewhere. It's a pity though as I really like their sound.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

In that price range one can demand more durability. I want to keep them for years. I am not throwing my phones around or leaving them anywhere besides their stand/travel bag. Always taking extra care, cleaning, polishing, placing gently as I do with all my gear. Now if that kinda thing (built) isn't a priority then I have to look elsewhere. It's a pity though as I really like their sound.

Most "boutique" headphone makers are like this, sonically great products with lower-than-optimal QC, and (typically) exceptional customer service. 

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

Most "boutique" headphone makers are like this, sonically great products with lower-than-optimal QC, and (typically) exceptional customer service. 

Yea, I agree here. For the price these and the he400 deliver an incredible sound. Most audiophiles will compromise somewhere along the line to get the sound that they are after.

 

[kfscoll]

I said the same thing when I got my HE-6s. In my case the headphones are fine but for $1300 the quality of the paint finish could be much better. Also, the first headphone case I got was damaged and the case that came with my HE-adapter was broken right out of the box. I will say that Hifiman's customer service has been great though and replaced the damaged cases promptly. Still, the quality of my Hifiman headphones is nothing like the quality of my Denons, A-Ts, or Beyerdynamics. All of those phones are impeccably finished.

However, for the epitome of shoddy quality control, look no farther than Grado. If I didn't love the Grado sound I'd have given up on Grado long ago. Seriously, the quality of the fit and finish on their products is something I'd expect of an eighth grade shop class student. And I'm talking about SR325is headphones ($300) and GS1000i headphones ($1000), not the lower-end plastic stuff. I love my Grados and am considering trading my GS1000is up for a pair of PS1000s, but for $1700, I absolutely expect perfection.

 

[reddragon]

i was thinking about getting he500 for my end game setup but now it sounds risky, im probably better off getting a pair of sennheiser hd700...

 

[MattTCG]

For me I gave up comfort for the sound of the HFM. The comfort in  not on par with Beyer or Senheiser, but I do love the sound. That's my compromise.

 

[eltocliousus]

Quote:

i was thinking about getting he500 for my end game setup but now it sounds risky, im probably better off getting a pair of sennheiser hd700...

If something was to go wrong their customer service will definitely set it right, so there isn't much of a risk at all, chances are you won't have an issue anyway as most don't.

 

[Crispy808]

Interesting thread considering QC issues are holding me back from buying a pair.  Being that the previous discussion was back in April, are these issues still prevalent? 

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Interesting thread considering QC issues are holding me back from buying a pair.  Being that the previous discussion was back in April, are these issues still prevalent? 

The new HE500s I recently purchased are absolutely perfect, good channel balance even down to 20 Hz, nothing wrong with the gimbles / yokes / etc. Paintjob is superb and so are the decals.
 
Compared to my HE400s, the HE500s have a more high-end finish. Structurally they are identical though (exact same pieces, just painted/treated differently).
 
If you are paranoid, after you buy from HeadDirect website, just shoot them an email requesting that they thoroughly test the unit they'll be shipping to you, for channel balance etc, before they actually ship it. This'll mean a couple days of delay but those guys will actually put out to perform those testing procedures.

 

[CBF-]

How about the cables? Is it still the the thin silver cable with no heat shrink at the connectors?

 

[jerg]

Quote:

How about the cables? Is it still the the thin silver cable with no heat shrink at the connectors?

I'm pretty sure it's thin silver cable still, but with transparent heat-shrink tubing at the connectors. Not sure if they've changed it recently, you could msg Hifiman customer service to confirm.
 
I kinda hate it though, I also have an older pink HE500 cable that is OCC copper, which IMO is much better, more flexible and less microphonic; in addition, it has a sweeter fuller tonality compared to the silver cable.

 

[CBF-]

The heat shrink is definitely news to me. People's cables broke at the connectors and it looks lie HFM took action to fix it. Still, I'd feel more secure with the thick Canare of the HE-400.