[grokit]

 

Quote:

When dealing with this kind of product I can't help but think that the price is set arbitrarily.  That's a 2 inch by 1/8 inch neodymium magnet for about 5 dollars a piece.  From my understanding, the magnets used in an ortho are basically just perforated disk magnets.  I'm not sure what kind of magnets, though, but it doesn't get much stronger than neodymium.  

 
Why don't you get the magnets and build your own high-end headphone with them, then let us know how that goes.

 

[drez]

he wont lower the price as long as people are willing to pay $900 for them 

 

[leesure]

The price isn't arbitrary, but it has little to nothing to do with cost of goods.

 

[brasewel]

If he does do this, the HE500 would rule the roost at that price bracket.
 
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Fang should discontinue the HE5LE already, it's a pretty pointless product nowadays. The HE500 pretty much outclassed it in all fronts so naturally, it should take over the LE's price bracket. 
 

 
You do know a lot of money goes into R&D, manufacturing costs, labor etc. And yes they do sell it at a price the market is willing to pay for it. 
Quote:

When dealing with this kind of product I can't help but think that the price is set arbitrarily.  That's a 2 inch by 1/8 inch neodymium magnet for about 5 dollars a piece.  From my understanding, the magnets used in an ortho are basically just perforated disk magnets.  I'm not sure what kind of magnets, though, but it doesn't get much stronger than neodymium.  

 

 

[drez]

Lowering the price can also serve to devalue the product, he probably doesn't want to do this.  Many already consider the HE-5LE great value.
 
Having read more though, unless any HifiMan orthos are significantly faster than the LCD-2 I doubt I can make a case to buy one AND keep the LCD-2.  These seem to handle transients well, but as far as PRAT and pace can they really keep up with a fast dynamic?

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Quote:

Fang should discontinue the HE5LE already, it's a pretty pointless product nowadays. The HE500 pretty much outclassed it in all fronts so naturally, it should take over the LE's price bracket. 
 

Thats a strong statement...ave you had extensive time with both?

 
 
Naturally. HE4 is the only one left that I'm not familiar with. 

 
Quote:

If he does do this, the HE500 would rule the roost at that price bracket.
 
 
You do know a lot of money goes into R&D, manufacturing costs, labor etc. And yes they do sell it at a price the market is willing to pay for it. 


 

 
I just hope Hifiman doesn't fall into the same trap that Audio-gd did some time ago: too many product differentiation that only end up confusing potential customers. Here we have HE4, HE5LE, HE500 and HE6 already. 
 
IMHO it's natural that the HE500 should be priced lower than the LCD2 since the latter is more transparent and technically better. At the current price bracket, I thought some people would be tempted to pay 50 bucks more for the LCD2 to get an overall better ortho that scales better with your audio chain however if it's priced like say, $699 then there is going to be less inclination to do so. 

 
 

 

[leesure]

 
 
Naturally. 

 

 
I just hope Hifiman doesn't fall into the same trap that Audio-gd did some time ago: too many product differentiation that only end up confusing potential customers. IMHO it's natural that the HE500 should be priced lower than the LCD2 since the latter is more transparent and technically better. At the current price bracket, I thought some people would be tempted to pay 50 bucks more for the LCD2 to get an overall better ortho that scales better with your audio chain however if it's priced like say, $699 then there is going to be less inclination to do so. 

 
 

Good to know you have it all figured out. Fang should hire you right away. I have no idea how he's done this well without you.

As far as being better than the LCD-2's, I just spent the last 2 weeks trying to decide which was better, and came to the conclusion that they each have strong points and that calling one 'better' is going to be a matter of opinion and may well depend on the genre of music the listener prefers.

I'm curious...how would you describe the sound signature of the HE-500's and what is it you think the LCD-2's do much better?

 

[K3cT]

I hope I doesn't come across as disliking the HE500, I've mentioned several times here that I rather like its sound signature. I thought it's the most tonally balanced ortho in the Hifiman line-up and that makes it a very pleasant listen. 
 
If I were to describe the HE500's sound signature, I'm going to say that its delicious midrange is the headphone's strongest aspect. It's intimate. The LCD2 also has a nice midrange especially in its ability to render and differentiate textures in vocal but it's not as intimate and up-front as the HE500 and therefore, it can sound a bit distant compared to it. The HE500 also doesn't have obvious faults that jump out to you unlike the LCD2 which can sound a bit dark to some, especially if used with lower-end tube gears. 
 
As for the areas where LCD2 do much better, it's transparency for me. Comparing both, it's obvious that the HE500 adds its own color to the music while the LCD2 is overall clearer. If we go back to the previous paragraph where I talked about rendition of textures, this differentiation is harder to hear in the HE500 due to that coloration. 

 

[Happy Camper]

he wont lower the price as long as people are willing to pay $900 for them 

And isn't that what you are supposed to do.

 

[leesure]

I just sent a while comparing the HE500 to the LCD-2's on a variety of music. I came to the conclusion the simply put, the HE's sounded better on acoustic music while the LCD's won on amplified music.

And the LCD's still look better.

Too funny...I just read the 'First Impressions' of the HE-500's over at Headfonia. Seems mike came yo similar conclusions...

"I think the appeal with the HE-6/500 and the LCD-2 is that they work well for mainstream music. If your music tend to be fast paced and with strong beats (Rock, Electronic) then the LCD-2 with its superb bass is the way to go. If you listen to more moderate paced music, more vocal stuff, Jazz, and Instruments, Indie, then the HE6/500 is the better way to go."

 

[mrarroyo]

Quote:

Quote:

he wont lower the price as long as people are willing to pay $900 for them 

And isn't that what you are supposed to do.

Correct, marketing 101! 

 

[jackmccabe]

So would the lcd-2 be the better choice for metal?

 

[leesure]

So would the lcd-2 be the better choice for metal?

IMO...yes.

 

[grokit]

 
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Naturally. HE4 is the only one left that I'm not familiar with. 

Hi K3, you have tried a lot of headphones, and I'm interested in a couple of comparisons when you get a chance. I'm acquainted with the HE-5 and 6, as well as the HD800 and LCD-2. How would you compare the sound of the HE-500 to an HD800 and a well-amped HE-6? I'm more interested in things like tonal balance, imaging and detail than soundstage comparisons.
 
Also, the HD800 and LCD-2 have similar amping requirements; regarding efficiency is the HE-500 as efficient as the LCD-2/HD800? Or is it more like the K701/HE-5, somewhere in between the LCD-2/HD800 and the HE6? I did find the K701 to be more efficient than the HE-5.

 

[Katun]

I'm wondering about the HE-500 and HD800 myself.