SolarCetacean
500+ Head-Fier
Yeah, the Yamaha seems to benefit from a synergistic chain (referring back to my ZX707 vs WA22 comparison), and right now I don't think I have such a chain. My current chain is optimized for estats, so it's heavy on emphasizing the macro-dynamics to compensate for that traditional estat weakness, but I don't know if the Yamaha would do well on such a chain for me. I'm fine with building a synergistic chain, but the headphones have to intrinsically (without the chain) be appealing - compelling - enough for me to justify the cost of the chain. I don't know yet if the Yamaha is compelling enough to warrant both it and the chain. But it is certainly interesting and I am eager for another chance to demo it.
I agree that the midrange is going to be the make-or-break point for a lot of people. I personally prefer that more distant presentation to vocals. I want vocalists to sound like they're singing on a stage to the audience in the room, not to me in particular. I think the YH5K does that sort of distance well, while not thinning out the vocals either like most headphones with greater stage depth. That combination is what makes it so interesting to me. But it's very unlike what "normal" headphones sound like. I have a friend who's also into audio, and he has the opposite preference; he wants vocalists to sound like they're sitting in front of him and he prefers that more forward and intimate presentation. The Yamaha by analogy is like an unusual ice cream flavor, like the asparagus-flavored ice cream that's a local favorite in Amherst, Massachusetts. Some people love it, or grow to love it, and others will hate it.
I agree that the midrange is going to be the make-or-break point for a lot of people. I personally prefer that more distant presentation to vocals. I want vocalists to sound like they're singing on a stage to the audience in the room, not to me in particular. I think the YH5K does that sort of distance well, while not thinning out the vocals either like most headphones with greater stage depth. That combination is what makes it so interesting to me. But it's very unlike what "normal" headphones sound like. I have a friend who's also into audio, and he has the opposite preference; he wants vocalists to sound like they're sitting in front of him and he prefers that more forward and intimate presentation. The Yamaha by analogy is like an unusual ice cream flavor, like the asparagus-flavored ice cream that's a local favorite in Amherst, Massachusetts. Some people love it, or grow to love it, and others will hate it.