HiFiman HE-500 (HE as in High End) Proving to be an enjoyable experience in listening.
Dec 21, 2014 at 2:52 PM Post #15,256 of 20,414
  Wow that's ideal you've had the same headphones as me. May i ask what cans got you into this journey and how did you get to the a900x and then the he500? Also what were your first impressions of the 500 coming from the AT's?
 
I will say that i listened to them for about 7 hours straight as soon as i hooked everything up. Every time i put them on its for at least 2-3 hours. Must mean something eh haha. 

 
I had a bit of a different experience than you. I started up headphones when really the "top of the line" were the K701 and HD650. My first serious purchase was the DT770.  I slowly worked my way up the chain, and was one of the first people with a pair of Audeze LCD-2.
 
Since I had a really high end rig at the time of the LCD-2 and had been listening to the K702 for such a long time I immediately picked up on the really fine details and speed of the LCD-2. In comparison they sounded "dark" but since I had "worked my way up" I picked up on the nuances. 
 
You have a great DAC/Amp unit. Kingwa's gear is always first rate and I love his stuff. Let those HE500 melt in, and honestly you should try to venture to some new genres and see how they do. I never really liked jazz until I had the K702. I didn't care for electronic until I had a pair of Stax headphones.
 
Linn is offering free music every day. These are very high quality music files. Try to give them a listen. 
 
http://www.linn.co.uk/christmas
 
 
Maybe other people can chime in with some links to songs that make their HE500's sing. Maybe something with some bass
 
Dec 21, 2014 at 3:01 PM Post #15,257 of 20,414
   
I had a bit of a different experience than you. I started up headphones when really the "top of the line" were the K701 and HD650. My first serious purchase was the DT770.  I slowly worked my way up the chain, and was one of the first people with a pair of Audeze LCD-2.
 
Since I had a really high end rig at the time of the LCD-2 and had been listening to the K702 for such a long time I immediately picked up on the really fine details and speed of the LCD-2. In comparison they sounded "dark" but since I had "worked my way up" I picked up on the nuances. 
 
You have a great DAC/Amp unit. Kingwa's gear is always first rate and I love his stuff. Let those HE500 melt in, and honestly you should try to venture to some new genres and see how they do. I never really liked jazz until I had the K702. I didn't care for electronic until I had a pair of Stax headphones.
 
Linn is offering free music every day. These are very high quality music files. Try to give them a listen. 
 
http://www.linn.co.uk/christmas
 
 
Maybe other people can chime in with some links to songs that make their HE500's sing. Maybe something with some bass

I don't have the 500's yet, but a lot of the music I listen to has excellent bass guitar players. Esperanza Spalding, and absolutely amazing singer and electric as well as upright bass player, has superiority over almost any other artist I can think of when it comes to musical talent, let alone her singing or bassist ability. Yes, the older stuff, like Fragile, the Yes Album, and Close To The Edge have amazing bass playing. Jean-Luc Ponty has some albums that feature a lot of bass guitar solos and amazing ability. Old Kansas has a lot of good stuff as well, but if you're thinking bass as in electronic or rap, I have no suggestions other than maybe Com Truise and other artists like him, like Lazerhawk, Tycho, and Timecop1983, if you're into crazy synth experimentation.
 
Dec 21, 2014 at 3:36 PM Post #15,258 of 20,414
I just got a new pair of he500s and coming from AT a900x, the he500 sounds soft and veiled. The great mid range I've been led to believe these cans are supposed to have is simply not there, sounding distant and recessed. This is about 8-10hrs in. I'm driving them via a audio gd nfb15


Just out of curiosity did you reset any and all DSP settings in Foobar or whatever you're using?  When I 1st received my 500's I had the same reaction.  Disabled all DSP which I had consistently found pleasing across a number of HP and bam - there was the sound signature I had been expecting. Also do look up Grill and Fuzzor mods. Both can be done for less than $20 and are completely reversible. No harm in at least trying them.
 
Dec 21, 2014 at 4:43 PM Post #15,259 of 20,414
Just out of curiosity did you reset any and all DSP settings in Foobar or whatever you're using?  When I 1st received my 500's I had the same reaction.  Disabled all DSP which I had consistently found pleasing across a number of HP and bam - there was the sound signature I had been expecting. Also do look up Grill and Fuzzor mods. Both can be done for less than $20 and are completely reversible. No harm in at least trying them.

+1 i agree..those pesky programs sometimes can really mess up the sound with their 'helpful' modifications to the sound....my jriver was configed as 5.1! And had all sorts of sound modifications...i put everything off..and the he500 sounded much much better:)
 
Dec 21, 2014 at 8:21 PM Post #15,260 of 20,414
just got mine off amazon really good deal they are now my favorites and go very well with the woo wa7d + wa7tp..
 
Dec 24, 2014 at 7:22 AM Post #15,261 of 20,414
i got the g109s few days ago and brain absolutely exploded.
its meh when you like something for the first 10 min and then get used to it, but its a whole level above when you literally say wow from every sec of this setup, i literally say to myself.... holy **** man this is ******* amazing.
i enjoy every ******* second of it, and my god i didn't even started to talk about movies...
basshead.gif
 
 
Dec 24, 2014 at 9:39 AM Post #15,262 of 20,414
i got the g109s few days ago and brain absolutely exploded.
its meh when you like something for the first 10 min and then get used to it, but its a whole level above when you literally say wow from every sec of this setup, i literally say to myself.... holy **** man this is ******* amazing.
i enjoy every ******* second of it, and my god i didn't even started to talk about movies...:basshead:  


Nice. I have had my eye on this amp as a possible future purchase. Between this and the Meier Audio Classic, I think I would be set for solid state for awhile.
 
Dec 24, 2014 at 2:20 PM Post #15,263 of 20,414
Dec 24, 2014 at 2:38 PM Post #15,264 of 20,414
Grill mod experiment

Just had a random thought I want to try after holidays. What would be the effect of coating grill with rubber? I.e. Plasticoat rubber spray? To absorb any reflection?
 
Dec 25, 2014 at 4:30 AM Post #15,267 of 20,414
Just bought the He-500 a few minutes ago. Ugh, lots of money for the thing, I'm expecting great things out of them. I'll post my impressions on them in early January, and I'll decide if they need upgraded cables and pads then. I'm looking forward to them getting here, and I can't wait to hear em!
 
Dec 26, 2014 at 12:28 AM Post #15,268 of 20,414
Just bought the He-500 a few minutes ago. Ugh, lots of money for the thing, I'm expecting great things out of them. I'll post my impressions on them in early January, and I'll decide if they need upgraded cables and pads then. I'm looking forward to them getting here, and I can't wait to hear em!


Congrats! Check out Jerg's Fuzzor mod once you've made your initial impressions. For about $10 you can upgrade the sound as much or more than any cable or pad swap.
 
Dec 26, 2014 at 9:22 PM Post #15,270 of 20,414
  Can the O2 drive the he-500 to its full potential? Wanna upgrade my he-400..

Powerwise, it can't reach the full power potential of the HE-500's. It may be close enough for you, if you don't play loudly. Soundwise you will get all sorts of answers.
 

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