HiFiMAN HE-500

I've auditioned these with DACmini for about a week. The overall sound is congested and seems to be missing something. Comparing to D5000, these have no fun factor at all. Add the fact that the comfort is much worse, the HE-500s had to go. As always, YMMV.

Personally, they put in mind of the situation of Tantalus. I absolutely want the sound quality of these headphones, but I cannot stand to have them my head for more than a short period of time. So these are likely the most tantalising headphones out there and equally likely among the ones with the poorest comfort wearing them.

They are perfect for Audiophile Masochists and Fakirs seeking Nirvana in music. If you can detach your mind from your body so much that you do not feel the discomfort these bring with them, the music they play will take you to Nirvana. If you like Sound and Sadomasochism, you will positively lurv these headphones. If these headphones were a car, they would be an Alfa Romeo.

Read the complete review here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/648968/a-headphone-shootout-from-a-speaker-listener-testing-eight-headphones-from-80-to-1-200#post_9114857

 

Disclaimer: My opinions are just my own. They do seem to be in contrast to some others' experiences, but we all have different preferences.
 
I heard great things about this headphone, and really wanted to like it. I can see why they are popular, and they indeed are fun. However, I'm a treble-head, and as one who was spoiled by the beyerdynamic DT880's, I hated them.
 
(TL;DR: I bought these new from Headroom. Compared to the beyerdynamic DT880's, the HiFiMan's have much, much better bass impact, a fuller body on all frequencies, and less sibilance. The DT880's crush the HE-500's when it comes to treble resolution, and a slight lead in mid and low frequency resolution.)
 
(Off topic: I have not the slightest clue why beyerdynamic insists on using all lowercase letters, but this isn't a typo.)
 
 
 
Equipment:
 
Before we start: my setup was a Benchmark DAC1, feeding into a Meier Corda Opera. Files were lossless, fed bit-perfect from iTunes to a M2Tech HiFace (with a regulated, linear power supply). Cables included double-shielded power cables, a triple-shielded USB cable, all interconnects used shielded Mogami wire and Neutrik terminations with matching impedances. Primary comparison was with a beyerdynamic DT880 (600 ohm, with a Blue Dragon cable, whose drivers were broken in with over 300 hours of pink noise- even before I began using them a year before). Power conditioning was with a medical-equipment/mission-critical-telecom grade double-conversion, fully online, UPS. (That's just how I do things!)
 
 
 
On to the listening tests:
 
I burned them in with pink noise for about 100 hours before giving them a serious listen. The first impressions was that there was fantastic bass impact. These are fun headphones! The mids had decent resolution with excellent body, and the bass was not flabby. Stock, everything was a bit veiled and the bass was a tiny bit muddy, but that was resolved by removing the foam damping sheet, as recommended by many owners. I'd highly recommend trying that modification to see if you like it. 
 
 
Compared to the DT880's, if you like bass, then there is no contest- the HE-500's win by a mile. (Then again, that isn't exactly a hard thing to do.) Additionally, the HiFiMan's had more body to the mid and low frequencies, and there was less sibilance than the beyerdynamics have. Some people find the DT880's habit of brutally reproducing sibilance and recording flaws to be fatiguing, others don't. I am in the latter group. Note that the HE-500's resolution improved dramatically with all frequencies when I removed the internal foam damping sheet. I didn't notice the "tizzyness" some people complain about. 
 
The ugly... coming from beyerdynamic DT880's and being a treble-head, I found the high frequencies seriously (in comparison to my fantastic treble-loving beyer's) lacking resolution. The HE-500's treble resolution was miles behind the beyerdynamic's, and the mids on the HE-500's were slightly less precise than the DT880's. Smooth and friendly treble, yes. Resolving- not all that much. 
 
For example, with the beyerdynamic's and violin recordings, I can easily tell which way the bow is moving, and the slight "crunch" the bow hairs can make on impact with the strings during intense sections. . With vocals, I can hear when the performers take a breath. This all makes me feel more involved and intimate with the performers, especially as a violin player. The HiFiMan's had very little of that, and I missed the intimacy and detail. 
 
There was also a slight "shouty-ness" with the HiFiMan's. Testing has shown that there is a bit of a ring in the 1kHz area, probably due to poorly designed housings. That bothered me a lot, but then again, take this with a grain of salt as I am very sensitive to it. (Fun fact: designing good housings is very difficult- just see how hard Sennheiser worked to reduce the resonance and ringing when they designed the HD800's, so it is understandable that HiFiMan, as a smaller company, might not be able to invest in exotic plastics and crazy geometric designs like Sennheiser did.)
 
 
In the end, just make sure you take my own preferences into account. These all could be good characteristics for some people who want something more forgiving or more impactful.
 
 
 
Non-sound considerations:
 
Initial impressions were that they seemed solidly built. There was no play/slackness in the pieces- fit adjustments were easy and crisp. I also really appreciated the inclusion of both a balanced and unbalanced cable, and a set of spare terminations for their RF-originated cable attachments (absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it is a bizarre design choice.) The spare part for DIY cables was a thoughtful touch which impressed me. 
 
However, most of the unboxing experience was bad. Though the box was of nice quality, the headphones had a very strong smell of volatile organic vapours (AKA, cheap plastic smell) and a week of airing out later, the smell was still strong on the headband- which showed that the packing material was not to blame. (They really need to rethink that headband material.) Given others' experiences, I suspect they have since resolved that smell issue. In the end, though, this is just not acceptable for $700 headphones. 
 
The 1/4" TRS cable was poorly made on my particular set- the 1/4 inch termination was already loose, and there were bits of plastic hanging off where the mould lines were. The XLR cable was of okay ("meh") quality. It was functional, and since it was, my tests were used the balanced cable and with a nice, not cheap, XLR to TRS adapter, given the compromised build quality on the TRS cable. This affair is not something I even see on most $30 headphones. It made me suspect that, at least on the day mine were made, there were some quality control issues with the cables. It's not a huge thing as most will probably just throw these out and use nicer aftermarket cables, but then again, this is an expensive piece of kit, and I can't forgive the lack of consideration.
 
And yes, these were purchased new from Headroom. 
 
 
Conclusion:
 
 
In the end, I didn't like them, and returned them (Headroom has fantastic customer support, by the way!) The sound wasn't bad, per say, but I couldn't take the lack of treble detail and the slight kHz level shout-y ringing/resonance problems (which were present with and without the damping foam). They wouldn't necessarily be bad as a second pair of headphones for me, and if someone gifted them to me, I'd keep them. If you want something quite fun and with a lot of very controlled kick (AKA, what my anthropomorphised beyer's would, with a haughty attitude, grumpily call "plebian" and then say "Bah, you're all Philistines!") while still having decent detail retrieval, they are fantastic.
 
Don't forget to try removing the foam damping sheet. You might like the difference.

 
When I first heard the HE-500 I thought: »man these have the most natural sound I have ever heard.« And I still think so. These are also the first pair of headphones I didn't have to get used to the sound signature and liked them straight out of the box. Maybe because these are a loaner and were already burned in when I got them.
 
They are very well balanced when it comes to different tones. Treble is not bright, mids are there only the bass is kind of on the low side. I thought my HE-4 were the bassier headphones but when I did A/B comparrison between them I discovered they have the same amount of bass but the presentation is sligtly different. HE-500 is fuller or thicker while HE-4 bass is shalower and thinner but because HE-4 doesn't have as much mids, bass seems better defined and stronger. Because the lack of mids on HE-4 they also sound hollower between treble and bass, lots of full, unused air.
 
I compared these two headphones because I find them very similar actually. Most of the sonic differences I already mentioned above and of course HE-4 is the brighter headphone. HE-500 has a very relaxed smooth sound but the interesting thing is I could never fully relax when listening to them. And its not the fault of their sound signature but the comfort level. When I got these the headband was perfectly set for my head and the clamping wasn't too bad. HE-4 clamps harder while HE-300 is like air. I always thought the weight of 0.5kg would be a big problem but its not. It does bother me a bit because I am used to lighter headphones and I would certainly wish these were 150g lighter but I don't have any neck or back pains. I did however experinced some pain on top of my scul and my initial thought was that these need a headband like the Sony SA series so a wider one.
 
The real issue was the shallow space between my head and the capsule. My ears aren't Mickey mouse's ears but are rather small and are very close to my head. Still there wasn't enough space for them. I especially felt pain in my left ear as I have an ear ring in my upper part of the ear. I never imagined just touching the inner part of the capsule would hurt so much until I read these is a metal bar running across the capsule in the middle which I didn't noticed before. This is what is causing the pain. I have since got a bit acustomed to the disscomfort but still this puts me off enough to say I will never get these, unfortuneately as the sound signature is almost perfect. I would prefer slightly more bass but then I might be unable to hear mids so well. Something will suffer and I'm glad the mids and treble don't. I guess you can't have it all.
 
I will shortly touch the cable topic. I have the HE-6 v1 cable (heatshrink, thinner wires), HE-6 current cable, HE-4 cable+the HE-4 portable cable reterminated with unbalanced Neutrik connector, HE-300 speaker cable which I used to compare HE-4 directly with the HE-500 with the same speaker cable just terminated with a full ¼ jack. Interesting that when I first swapped HE-4 cable with the HE-6 cable I noticed the treble wen't down a bit. A very welcome change for bright headphones. Now its the other way around. One of my theories is the headphone was new and so was the stock cable while the HE-6 cable was used and therefore burned in. I didn't noticed any difference between HE-6 v1 or v2 cables except the newer one was slightly microphonic due to its thicker wire but the heatshink on the v1 was so long it was sometimes touching my shoulders. Sound signature is the same and in bass department comparable to HE-4 cable but brighter. So HE-4 cables is less bright, HE-6 is the bightest I have, Canare speaker cable that comes with HE-300/500 has increased the bass but the biggest surprise was the thin HE-4 portable cable which is of the thickness or RE earphones. Has just as much bass as the Canare speaker cable and tammed the treble a bit but it was slightly less detailed.
 
As much as I like the overall very good presentation of the Canare speaker cable with HE-500 and how it improves the bass quantity I have to say adding this cable in the package is »running from the problem rather than solving it«. The cable is way too heavy, thick and inflexible for a headphone. If the goal with it was increasing bass then the changes should be done to the driver rather than to cable choice. HE-6 cable is in many ways a very good cable and personally I could live with slightly less bass than with a significatly thicker and heavier cable.
 
Build quality is the same as the older and younger brother and sister (with the exception there are less visible marks around the connector on the HE-4 cup) the HE-4 and HE-300. The best thing I like on the Hifiman headphones is the sturdy build. When I hold HD800s in my hands I'm affraid they will break but these bring some confidence back. The pads on the loaner were alrady squashed a bit when I got them but they must be of the same thickness as the HE-300 as they also have the same level of softness while the HE-4 pads are several milimeters thicker and sturdier. The box HE-500s came in is the same as the HE-4 box covered with pleather with the exception of silver letters and lock opposed to golden colour on the HE-4 box.
 
My impressions are a bit different, I like to compare and since I know many members here have headphones of the lower Hifiman tier I decided I would use this opportunity to compare the models from Hifiman that I own. I have mentioned most of the differences above but I will summarize again and throw the HE-300 into the basket. HE-4 is the brightest headphone, it has a very well defined bass, in fact the best bass out of the three in my opinion. But it doesn't have much mids and there is where the HE-500 comes in. Reduce treble and add more mids. Perfect amount of everything, I would prefer slightly more bass but I am pushing it now. Mids are very liquid even from solid state amplifier. I first tried these from a speaker amp's headphone output which has more bass but it was poorly defined and I couldn't believe the bass is so poor. Then I tried it out of the Auditor which is a reference class SS amplifier. HE-500 has less bass out of it but its so much better defined. I also tried it with HM-602 and it was a very nice match. Not bright but very musical and involving and it didn't need much power, the volume was set at »2,5«. Overall HE-500 doesn't need that much power, on my Auditor the volume pot was set around 9 o'clock (more info on the photos). I must also add that the HE-4 sounded a bit more distant and so HE-500 were slightly more involving. HE-300 are the headphones with most mids. Exagerating with mids but after a while you get high with those mids. Bass is slightly more »bloaty« than the two more expensive headphones. No brightness at all and are the most comfortable headphones (even more than HD555 & HD800). If I compare these three with peaches the HE4 would be the sligtly green and harder peach, not quite matured but some like it that way, the HE-500 would be the perfect matured peach most people like, very sweet, and lastly the HE-300 would be the overmatured soft and mushy peach. All are likable, some prefer it this way, some the other way.
 
HE-500 has the almost perfect combo of everything but when you look from outside the box with the cable as thick and heavy as a power cable, less bass without the speaker cable, 0,5km weight on your head and the metal bar that causes quite the discomfort plus the high price tag you have to ask yourself if all that is worth it. Personally to me comfort is almost as import as the sound signature, I will always be looking for new headphone if the current one is causing me pain. Of course this is subjective and it may not bother everyone. Personally I'm very happy with HE-4 and HE-300 as they are completely different and bright some variety into my listening sesions. HE-500 is an upgrade to the HE-4 that I am certain of but the upgrade in sound signature is not as obvious as is the weight and discomfort difference. In the whole time of listening to HE-500 not for a moment I could fully relax, my ears just hurt too much. Maybe I am overly sensitive but I believe there is a lot of room for improvement for this headphone. Starting with reducing weight. That means one magnet on each side, consequently there will be no metal bar hurting ears and also the price will be lower. This of course is my opinion, opinion of someone who is not a headphone engineer just a man who likes to listen to music and enjoys it while doing it. At the end it came down to a single metal bar that decided that these headphones are not for me even though they had the most pleasing amount of everything I have heard so far.
 
Below is a link to some photos I have taken with, unfortunately, a poor quality camera lend to me by my best friend as I have lend my better camera to my sister who wen't to Barcelona.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sups_photos/sets/72157627758409166/
 
A huge thanks for this opportunity to Hifiman/Head Direct and Mr. Sieveking for bringing this loaner out to the public and organizing it. I hope I am also considered for a similar program in the future as I am becoming quite a fan boy of Hifiman products (4 and counting) and would love to taste a bit of what is in the owen in the future.
 
Thanks again,
[size=11.0pt]kindest regards, Peter[/size]

These are a cool product and worthy of an audition. Good balance and plenty of detail. Technically darn good. Plenty of top end, perhaps a bit much for some, but I like my top end sparkle. Like other orthos, these have a very 'together' and solid sound that comes across as a bit too 'weighty' for my tastes but I prefer a lighter on it's feet type of dynamic sound ala dynamic driver grado. I much prefer the high resolution, flatter response of the he500 however. Sure wish grado would make such a phone but alas it's not to be. Regarding the he500, It's a solid value even though in my world, $500 is a lot of cash to lay out for a decent headphone, especially considering you will need to add another several hundred min on the right amp to power

 
I had the opportunity to hear HE-500 under the EU loaner program organized by the EU importer (thank you SievekingSound). I am not really an audiophile (I don’t usually hear critically or do I notice small details in soundstage, etc) but I do enjoy good sound. I have, also, very limited sound experience, both with live music and high end equipment, so please keep this in mind when reading the below and use a fair amount of grain of salt.
 
I have compared HE-500 sound with Sennheiser HD-650 (‘new’ version) which is the only HQ headphone I own. I used mostly European jazz, folk and classical music for evaluating and comparing the two.
DAC/AMP used are CEntrance DACmini  and Qables iQube V2. I used a laptop win7 computer as a source with Lilith audio player.
 
1. Comfort
HE-500 is heavier than HD-650 and clamps more. Its pads are more stiff. Its cable is also more stiff and more heavy (personally, I believe that this cable is a joke and should be replaced with a lighter and more flexible one). All these contribute to a significant less comfortable headphone. Its sound, also, unequalized (see below, paragraph 2.2), has much more volume on highs. Although these highs are not harsh or sibilant, they tend to tire my hearing system more easily, but this easily changed with the help of proper equalisation.
There is something else, also, that was fatiguing me with HE-500, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. Maybe it is a kind of resonance, something in the sound which I couldn’t really define causing me a slight fatigue (even after equalising the sound - see 2.2 below). Fortunately this fatigue was very slight, and I believe that, if it is truly some kind of resonance, I could pinpoint it and eliminate it with proper equalisation if I had enough time.
 
2. Sonic impressions
 
2.1 Smooth, clear sound
The first thing that stroke me upon hearing HE-500 is its clear, free sound. I cannot really describe it, it is like you are hearing less distortion (but, of course, HD-650 has already low distortion). I do not really know why so big difference in favour of HE-500, probably the different drive technology, but the fact remains: Notes from HE-500 are sooo much clearer, distortion -free, grain free. In comparison HD-650 seems ‘electric’ (I mean it seemed to have a kind of distortion usually associated with electric instruments), especially in the voices. Did I say HE-500 has a more clear, free sound?  
 
2.2. More extended at the ends, more low & high frequencies
From the first few minutes it was quite clear that HE-500 have much more bass (although a bit less defined) and treble than HD-650. This was very flattering for the sound of HE-500.
By curiosity, I have compare the frequency response measurements of both headphones, using the data found on Tyll Hertsens InnerFidelity  measurements page. I combined the two frequency responses and it turned out very similar:
 

 
 
With yellow and light blue-green is HD-650, with red and dark blue is HE-500. As you can see the FR graphs are very similar indeed, with a bit more bass (about 3dB at  30Hz) and more treble (about 7dB at 9KHz). HD-650 has almost 4dB more output at 2KHz and 3 dB around 200Hz.
This flatters HE-500 sound much. So, based on Tyll’s data I equalize accordingly HE-500 to ameliorate these differences. I do not claim that I completely and successfully make the frequency response of HE-500 exactly the same, that cannot be done by FR graph alone as this paper from Harman Acoustics notes. Resonances in the audio spectrum, even light ones (with low Q and dB) are clearly audible, although they do not really show in frequency response graphs. But the equalisation I used based on Tyll’s measurements helped ameliorate the big flattering of more prominent and extended frequency limits of HE-500, so I was able to compare it more easily with the HD-650, without the need of extended listening sessions.
Unequalized, HE-500 clearly wins HD-650 but it is also a bit more tiresome, because of the more prominent highs.
 
 
2.3 Midrange
Ah, the midrange is truly remarkable on HE-500. Very much more engaging and ‘creamy’ than HD-650. Both female and male vocals are more palpable, more intimate, lifelike. Even with less than stellar recordings, the midrange magic of HE-500 makes voices very enjoyable.
One thing that I noticed, though, even when I equalized the 4dB difference with HD-650 at 2KHz, is that HE-500 has more low frequency volume in vocals (I believe some resonance about 800-900Hz, I haven’t truly pinpoint it). This makes vocals more ‘creamy’, but I feel it masks some details.
 
 
2.4 Bass
Bass, even after equalised to match the FR of HD-650 has more impact and energy on HE-500, but it is also more slow and not so much controlled. There are more upper bass frequencies (probably a 2 dB resonance around 100Hz with Q around 1, I haven’t exactly pinpoint it). This makes bass ‘thick', but I think maybe contributes to the slowness of bass notes.
 
2.5 Treble
Treble is more prominent and extended, even with the use of equalisation based on Tyll’s data. But they are quite sweet and clear. There is no more sibilance issues than with HD-650.
Some may feel that the unequalized treble is way too much more than HD-650. In the majority of recordings I don’t believe to be so, but on some ‘bright’ recordings, the unequalized treble of HE-500 is indeed too much.
 
2.6 Soundstage
One advantage of HE-500 is the more centre - focused soundstage. Maybe its soundstage is less wide than HD-650, but it is more seamless and more centre focused (HD-640 seems to have three distinct soundstage areas, left, middle and right with less organs in between).
 
2.7 Placement tolerance
With HD-650, even slight changes of the headphone placement on one’s head, effects the frequency response (especially in the highs) and, accordingly, soundstage. This is not the case with HE-500. I found the sound pretty much the same when placed in a logical position on my head.
 
2.8 Sound with less than stellar recordings
That was a concern of mine. I do not want to separate myself from the numerous technically troublesome but excellent artistically recordings I enjoy with HD-650. I found, with much relief, that although the technical flows were a bit more apparent with HE-500, it didn’t distract me from enjoyment because the added midrange creaminess and overall sound clarity counter balanced it.
 
2.9 Amplifiers
I used mainly DACmini for evaluating both headphones. I found DACmini quite capable of driving HE-500, but at least two other members of HeadFi found that a stronger amplifier will drive HE-500 better. Unfortunately, a stronger amplifier was not available to test this.
 
2.9.1 With iQube as source
Just for the sake of it, I used also the portable iQube. Although it’s a portable amplifier with a mere 80mW at 32 Ohms per channel it did drive HE-500 quite well, but with limited volume. Classical music and some jazz / folk with high dynamic range drive iQube to its clipping with HE-500 more easily than HD-650.
Even with iQube, HE-500 was better overall, with clearer sound. It has more coherent and holographic stereo image but a little smaller. The lows were much more extended and maybe a tad more defined. Big difference was on voices, HE-500 presented voices much more intimate, with fluidity and smoothness. Voices on HD-650 seemed ‘electric’ in comparison. Highs were more prominent but quite soft.
 
3. Conclusion
 
Comparing HE-500 with HD-650 which I am familiar with, I found it better overall, with clearer and less distorted sound, ‘creamy’ midrange and more extended and prominent bass and highs, which flatter its sound significantly. Of course, there is a significant price difference between the two, but my personal view is that it is worth it.
 
 
Edit:
Hifiman upgraded the cable and the pads and reduced the price significantly. With the new price, I believe, this phone is, given adequate amplification (Hifiman recomments 1W/ch), a ‘giant killer’.
The cable is now silver. It is thin and light and very comfortable, but I cannot comment on any sound changes (I have only an HE-6 type intermediate cable).
The included pads are new and two pairs. One pair is made of pleather (protein made artificial leather), which is softer and at first more comfortable. But it is also more shallow and you may find, like me, that the outer parts of your ear is touching the inside metal grill (covered by a thin sheet of felt). After a while this gets pretty annoying. These pads make the sound signature somewhat bassier.
The velour pads are updated also, but I cannot comment on these because I have the old ones. 

 
The HiFiMan HE-500, practically perfect in every way.
The HE-500 were pretty new territory for me. I have always used Dynamic headphones and was content with them. Then These seductive sirens caught my eye and well....head-fi had it's way with my better judgment and wallet; and by god I'm glad it did! DR.Fang has stuck diamonds and gold with these headphones and has certainly showed me the ways of the Planar Magnetics mystical powers. First off I would like to start by saying that these headphones are the most expensive headphone I have invested in and the set up to along with them as well. My first encounter with these headphones was very eye opening; reading reviews about them I was expecting a very well rounded headphone and a neutral presentation. What I got was a very mid oriented headphone with a and I don't mind saying this PERFECT high end, The Lyr was just the bass icing on the HiFiMan cake. The HE-500 have a very particular sound, it's a very natural sound, I would not say neutral but natural. Vocals when amped properly are just gooey and ethereal at the same time; not one song I have throw at these from Jazz to electronic, Metal to classical, absolutely nothing has not sounded like I was actually in the recording studio with the band. I would not say these give you a theater sound stage as It's much more intimate than that, it's not closed by any means it's a very open and expansive sound stage; however all of the instruments, the vocals, and pretty much every piece of sound just sounds so tangible.

This may seem like a very quick jump but just listening to all of my headphones against this one these is really nothing they do better. This is not to say they them self's are not good but they just don't stack against the HE-500 by any means and I suppose that makes perfect sense for a headphone with a $700 price tag. Saying these headphones are anything but world class contenders I feel would be an insult; no I admit my experience with other world class headphones is not as extensive as I would like but listening to the LCD-2 and HD800 I was quite blown away, then listening to these I was just in awe that a headphone for hundreds less could be on the same level. These are I feel more geared to a music lover rather than the HD800 as I feel they were very analytical where as the HE-500 are as close to actually having the (insert musician/band here) sing or play for you. No the HE-500 will not point out every glaring flaw in your source but they do have incredible resolution and can easily review details in music you have never heard.

Treble extension is something I would like to talk a bit more about with these headphones. My goodness the treble is just mesmerizing, I thought Grado did treble very well and I still do; the HE-500 just do it so much better. Grado has a tendency to peak violently where as the HiFiman's just glide gracefully into it's peaks and back down again; Hearing an electric guitar was a religious experience for me with my RS-2 and on the HE-500 it was simply biblical. Every millimeter of guitar string vibrates in your ears as you hear the calloused skin of the players fingers grind onto the strings; It really sounded as if the guitarist was in your room playing for you trying to give you as much detail in his playing. Like I had said before the sound of these headphones is tangible, it's nearly beyond tangible to my ears. Listening to one of my favorite Joan Baez songs "with god on our side" her voice is just angelic, I can almost her swaying as she sings.

Bob Dylan...not my favorite artist but his voice is so complex I just had to give him a listen. My god, it's really like he's right here. I don't want to repeat my self so much but the natural sound stage and sound of these headphones just brings so much life to all of my music, a bit of warmth due to the slight bass emphasis really just brings a mystic smoke to Dylan's voice and smooth's his gruffness. Smooth that's another thing these headphone are. All frequency's really just seem to glide into each other; not bleed mind you but finding "edges" between the treble and the lower midrange something I really notice on the D2000 is just near impossible. The midrange has such a lush gooey sound and the high end  has such a detailed and well rounded sound that neither really shows dominance but in a good way. The He-500 are a very well rounded headphone, killer bass response, nearly tangible and natural midrange, with a smooth and silky perfectly peaked high end is just something I have never really heard in any headphone.
 
Bass seems to be a Planar magnetic's trademark it would seem. The LCD-2's have great bass, the HE-6 have reportedly great bass, as well as the HE-400/4 and 5LE. The Texture and grain of the bass running through the Lyr is just mind boggling, a standing bass really feels like a standing bass and a Cello has such rumble to it. Kick drums are very punchy and have a nice trail as they decay. Bass guitar down right makes me salivate, following a bsssline and actually being able to feel it's gentle vibrations is something that has been lost to me and now I don't think I could ever go back. The HE-500 have a nice tight taut bass but that does not mean it does not extend well; the sub bass rumble and vibration could nearly put the XB700 to shame.....nearly. The Upper bass that feeds into the lower midrange is extremely accurate and never sluggish, the over all speed of the Planar magnetic sound is something that I love as I'm a Grado fan and Grado's are all about the speed. Just saying the bass is textured when it's recorded properly on these headphones I feel is an understatement I can truly feel the detail in the bass of a guitar and drums.

All in all I would say these headphones are going to be my headphones, I have said this about the RS-2 and for a little over a year they were, but the shrill treble and nearly flat sound stage are just never going to stand against these wondrous silken sectors. The HE-500 are truly a world class headphone and are easy enough to drive with minimal amping or  if you want a fantastic Synergy I would suggest the Schiit Lyr as this set up is just wonderful...no perfect.
 
I have been in contact with another head-fi member that is graciously allowing me to barrow his HE-400 some time soon and do a little A/B write up on them!

    
    Comfort
   The comfort of these headphones having put some real time into them is pretty great. I much prefer the Leather pads and as some one mentioned in this thread they are protein leather such as cars use but still of pretty great quality. The ear cups are nice and spacious and don't squeeze to hard in any one place I find. The head band has gotten some complaints in other reviews but so far I have noticed it pressing down on my head much and is by no means uncomfortable.

    Package contents
    Well I was excited to have a real live box come with my expensive headphones FOR ONCE!!!!! how I was crushed.....The HE-500 now come with a hard shell clam case which you can see in my un boxing video, No not bad packaging but seriously no box? Not even a cardboard outer box to house them. It was shipped in a box, in a box with the case in it. Well I suppose...wait a minuet, I paid for this; yes I a tad rustled.Why is it hi-fi company's put little thought into the actual packaging nowadays? Yes I paid $700 for your headphones, a nice fancy box to make people jelly would be nice. This being said the Cable is a nice touch, how ever I cannot comment on the cable wars as this is the first silver cable I have ever had and I think the headphone sound pretty good being underpowered as they are. Extra pads like I mentioned is a nice step up from the one spare pad this package used to come with and the extra interconnect pieces to make your own cables is a nice extra as well.
 
Velour Versus Leather
I put a lot more time before work on the Velour's versus the Leathers pads and I'm still sticking with my Very minuscule sound change is any at all. The Highs seem just a molecule brighter with the velour but that could just be in my imagination.
 
The difference in amping
The difference was a pretty clear difference, Switching back and forth rapidly between the LDMKII and the Lyr  not only was the bass significantly improved but the over all lushness of sound was. With the MKII I found my self hearing odd distortions in the upper frequency's I suspect mainly due to the fact that MKII had to be cranked to about  3 o'clock for a song I dub "quiet" louder songs I had no problem with at about Noon or even 11. Bass distortion is very prominent on the MKII in quiet songs, the bass is pretty lack luster but the fact that I can hear distortion on songs like 'Stained' at Noon on the amp is pretty shocking. What I take away from this is the less you have to push them amp to power the headphone the less distortion on the HE-500.
 
HE-500 for gaming?
HELL YES!!!! Playing all sorts of games from unreal tournament 3 to diablo 2 HELL YEA!. For shooters they have a very accurate sound stage and you can easily hear someone sneaking up on you. For RPG's of all sorts you get a great sense of depth in voices and battle. Hooking them into my PS3 Via Bifrost they sounded amazing for Uncharted 1 and 2, easily ONE of my favorite PS3 game's....in my top five. Online Shooters with these are really great as the bass is extremely explosive and really shakes your head. Also hearing gunshots from behind you and whipping around at light speed to pop some ones cap and have them scream over there headset is pretty satisfying. When I say shooting behind you, I mean it's as if they are standing behind you shooting; you can really get a pretty dead on feel of just where people are.

I am currently using a loaner pair of HE-500's and thought I'd give my thoughts on the headphones and how they compare to my current pair I was planning on upgrading (Sennhesier HD 600). Keep in mind these are all subjective thoughts, what may be a con for me can be a pro for you based on your preferences. I loaned a pair from The Cable Company, http://www.thecableco.com/Product/NEW-Headphone-Lending-Library. 
 
The Pros.
 
Bass: The HE-500 has some of the best bass I have ever heard on any headphone and absolutely dominates the HD600. There is no mid-bass hump that I hear present in most headphones, the sub-bass has great extension and can really give you a nice rumble when the song calls for it. The bass is very dynamic and suits any genre. It is well controlled, fast, and textured when listening to rock and metal, precise and natural when listening to jazz and classical, and can deliver a nice amount of thump when listening to rap, trap, and dubstep.
 
Soundstage width: Contrary to another review I read, I found the HE-500 to have much better width than the HD600, the HD600 sounds narrow versus the HE-500, this was very evident when listening to Miles Davis. The drums and trumpets sound more outwards towards the left and right, but not so much so that I find myself losing excitement or so that the music seems distant.
 
Little Fatigue: Once I got used to the clamping force and heavy weight of the HE-500, I'm able to listen to them for hours without any fatigue. The laid back lower treble makes these very easy on the ears. The upper part of the treble has good extension, hi hats/cymbals/etc have a nice sparkle without sounding overdone and ear piercing, which was a big problem I had with the HE-400.
 
The Cons.
 
Ringing: For some reason, If a high frequency note is played for a continuous period of time, the HE-500 produces a strange ringing effect, even more so than the HD600. It's kind of annoying and hurts my ears. Listen to a opera singer holding a note for a long time, or a trumpet being held on a single high tone, you will see what I mean.
 
Timbre: I find that drums, trumpets, the piano, and guitar sound more true to life on the HD600. I originally thought this was because I wasn't used to the planar drivers on the HE-500, so I listened to them continuously for a extended period of time, then switched to the 600. I still found timbre to be much, much better when doing this and also during a/b testing.
 
Lacks detail: Due to the laid back lower treble and wide soundstage, I find the HE-500 produces less detail than the HD600. I can hear more subtle details, like recording errors, static noise, and reverberation of instruments. This is because of the brighter lower treble on the 600 and the more intimate presentation.
 
Smoothness: The HE-500 is a smooth headphone, but the HD600 is even better in this regard. I find less peaks in the HD600s frequency response, music sounds much more coherent and neutral without any extra glare/brightness being added. Everything sounds like it flows together naturally with the 600, while the 500 breaks the flow with ringing and a light glare
 
Song Tests (Done with pleather pads, Schiit Magni & Modi, FLAC/ 320kb MP3s) 
 
Bitches Brew, Miles Davis, Jazz
500: Soundstage is much larger in width, drums extend more outwards towards the left and right. Timbre sounds less realistic on the drums and trumpets, however, the bass is more present in the song. 
600: More intimate and exciting sound, drums don't extend outwards left/right as much as 500, however the drums and trumpet sound more true to life, timbre is much more accurate, the bass is lacking just slightly versus the 500. 
 
Passed Me By, Andy Stott, Electronic
500: Bass extends all the way down and has a much stronger impact, ambiance of the song surrounds my head and sounds as if it's warping/surrounding around me.
600: The very low sub-bass is almost ignored, much less impact, ambiance of the song is more intimate and lacks the "surround sound" effect I felt with the HE-500. 
 
Teardrop, Massive Attack, Trip Hop

500: Presentation is larger, drums have more of a "pop/snap" and the guitar sounds livelier vs the 600, but timbre is still stronger on the 600. Mid-bass is less excessive on the song.
600: Presentation of the song is more intimate (sounds more in my head), the guitar and drums have more accurate timbre, Vocals are smoother and have less sibilance and peaks.
 
Song Of Life (Nick Warren Remix), Leftfield, Techno/House
500: Bass is quicker and has more impact, drums/cymbals have more sparkle and shimmer. In general, this song sounds much more lively and energetic vs the 600.
600: Bass is less present and lacks the impact and speed of the 500. Drums/cymbals lack the sparkle/shimmer of the 500. In simple terms, this song sounds more smooth and is easier to listen to on the 600.  
 
Warrior Concerto, Glitch Mob, Electronic
500: Clearer and more open vs the 600. Bass has a strong rumble (1:50-2:10), much better imaging and separation.
600: Sounds congested, all of the instrumentation/soundfx sounds too close without enough separation, bass is lacking impact (1:50-2:10 in the song)
 
Both are truly great headphones, but you may favor one over another based on your tastes. I think the HE-500 and HD600 compliment each other well. I often find myself grabbing the HD600 for jazz, classical, and instrumentals for the beautiful timbre and intimacy. Then I switch over to HE-500 for dubstep, trap, rap, and rock/metal because of the bass, more shimmery upper treble, and speed. Both are driven by my Schiit gear with ease, I find both headphones can be driven to ear damaging levels with the Magni & Modi. However, the HE-500 is more dependent on amping. The HD600 sounds good out of my Nexus 4/computer, but plugging in the HE-500 to a portable source leads to dull dynamic range with little bass impact. 
 
That about sums up my thoughts, hope you enjoyed reading my review!

 
Background
 
To some, it may seem pointless to do a review of the Hifiman HE-500 in June of 2016, years after it was phased out in favour of their new product line – specifically the HE-560. However, I feel that this can be a useful guide for those looking to pick up one on the used market, as I did.
 
My previous experience with a Hifiman product was in January this year when I bought myself a HE-400i and it was my first set of planar magnetic headphones. I’ve since sold them and moved on to other cans, but I missed the speed that it had. With that in mind, and the hopes of finding a more neutral pair of headphones, I picked up a HE-500.
 
Specifications
 
Driver: Planar Magnetic
Sensitivity: 87 dB
MFR: 15 Hz – 50 kHz
Nominal Impedance: 38 Ohms
Leather Earpads
Cable: 10 Feet, Silver Conductors
Connector (to Amplifier): 1/4″ Phone Plug
Dimensions: 3.8″ Diameter x 1.8″ Deep
Weight: 1 Pound
 



 
Build, Design & Comfort
 
After my time with the HE-400i, the HE-500 simply looked like a bulkier version of it in dark grey instead of black. The HE-400i used plastic materials to lend to a lightweight build, but the HE-500 utilises sturdy and thick metal in places where the newer iterations have a thin piece instead. The adjustment does not use any form of incremental markings or place holders, it smoothly adjusts and holds in place wherever you choose to stop. As far as headphones go, this is built like a tank – which has its advantages and disadvantages.
 
One major disadvantage is the weight. I do not have exact measurements, but the HE-500 falls slightly north of a full pound of weight. It is even heavier than my ZMF Omni (one of the lighter wood configurations, cherry) and I have definitely found it cumbersome at times. Documented mod guides exist to alleviate this issue, but I do not want to undertake them myself. A major one involves replacing the headband with the one the HE-400i uses, which is an aluminium chassis with a light and thin headband. The HE-500 is, again, from a time before this design became preferred by the company. What you have here is a thick leather headband with metal inside and slight padding. I’m, simply put, glad that they did away with this design since.
 

 
 
 
It feels anachronistic now, at the time of writing, to complain about the screw-on proprietary connectors that Hifiman used to use and the ones that are present on the HE-500. They have since switched to dual 2.5mm connectors, such as the one my HE-400i used. I can see why people consistently complained about them for years, bringing about the change. At one point, one slightly unscrewed itself and the sound began skipping out on the channel – leading me to believe the wire itself might have been faulty. It’s easy to believe so because the wire is a silver cable that does not lend much to confidence in terms of build quality. I used it for amp comparisons as my Schiit Magni 2 does not have a balanced output like my Cavalli Liquid Carbon, but I avoid it otherwise in favour of a balanced cable. I took issue with the default cable on the HE-400i as well, finding it too short and rigid – prone to excessively fast wear and tear according to other owners. With both headphones, it is better to seek out sturdier third-party options.
 

 
 
 
The HE-500 comes with two sets of earpads, one pleather and one velour, and both are quite mediocre. This is another improvement Hifiman has made since then, introducing the FocusPads and FocusPad A’s (the one on the HE-400i) that are more comfortable. At first, I did not want to order a pair of FocusPads A’s from China and tried other options – specifically a pair of ZMF lambskin earpads that I had lying around unused as I prefer the cowskin on my Omni. Anyone familiar with Hifiman’s earpads will tell you how a ring exists inside them that must be removed and then inserted into any other earpads you want to use in order to mount them onto their products. It is quite a delicate process because the rings can indeed break if handled harshly, leading to earpads not being able to be put on. This is something that has not changed in Hifiman’s design.
 

 
 
My Frankenstein HE-500 consisted of ZMF lambskin earpads with the ZMF Pilot Pad thrown on top of the headband for good measure. I reckoned that, with this much padding, comfort would be greatly increased. However, the thickness of the pads put a lot of pressure on my face when coupled with the, by default reasonable, clamp of the headphones. It was a fatiguing feeling so I switched back to the velour and ordered a pair of FocusPad A’s in the meantime. I was pleased on their arrival, they really add to the comfort while maintaining the sound signature and transients the headphones are known for. The lambskin introduced more bass into the mix, but I have other options for that, like the Omni or the Fostex TH-X00. What I wanted was what the HE-500 provided.
 
Sound
 
You might be wondering at this point why I would bother with these headphones, given all the complaints above about its comfort and build. The answer is simple: the sound quality. I have surrounded myself with “fun” tuned headphones such as the Omni, TH-X00, Shozy Zero and the Meze 99 Classic, and really wanted something that is somewhat neutral in presentation.
 
I won’t sit here and tell you that the HE-500 is truly neutral, but it is a lot more than other options I have. As an owner of the Sennheiser HD600 in the past, I would actually compare these to them. I previously thought that the HE-400i was a planar magnetic version of the HD600, but the HE-500 is closer and superior in some ways to the popular Sennheiser cans.
 
The bass on the HE-500 does not sound bumped at all, as even the HE-400i did. It is very clean and articulate and does not intrude outside of where it should be. It’s a very impressive sound, but not what a basshead would want as there is a distinct lack of mid-bass. It also extends fairly low, lower than the HE-400i and definitely the HD600 – both of which had rolled off bass extension. This does not mean that the HE-500 goes into TH-X00 levels, but there is a sense of presence and control that is very pleasing for several genres. Where the TH-X00 excels with EDM and electronic music, the HE-500 does extremely well with more “organic” genres such as rock, metal, classical/orchestral music and classic rock. The bass frequencies leads to the bass guitar being clear and present in songs but never drowning out the rest of the frequencies. It is also very, very fast – something I love about both the Hifiman products I have used to this point. I don’t have the HE-400i on hand to compare, but it does seem that the HE-500 is more immediate in its bass response. It simply does not linger or overstay its welcome, the decay is really fast.
 
The mids are another reason I will hold on to these headphones despite any comfort issues I may have over long periods of listening. They have a very musical tone to them and are slightly warm, but are not forwarded in any sense. They sound natural but sweet. Vocals and vocal layering shine on the HE-500 as do electric guitars. However, I found the presentation of acoustic guitars to be less realistic than the Omni, but still very clear and resonant nonetheless. The mids, and the headphone overall, have immediacy and very low decay – which is very useful for genres where analytical listening is necessary such as jazz. Even the HE-400i, comparatively, had more of a mid-bass bleed into the mids – and I thought those sounded remarkably stark and clean at the time. If anyone recommends the HE-500 to you, it will definitely be because of the mids.
 
The treble is at a point where it sounds detailed but never sibilant. It is something in between the veil of the HD600 and the far extension of the HE-400i, which could at times be sibilant depending on song choice. The HE-500’s treble extension breathes life into classic rock recordings, which can easily be bogged down by roll-off due to their older production methods and large dynamic range, and thus I heavily prefer it for the genre over the Omni, TH-X00 and HE-400i. Led Zeppelin are a band whose songs have been at times problematic for several pairs of headphones I have owned because their overall warmth can dampen the bite of Jimmy Page’s guitar work. Where the TH-X00 heavily favoured the rhythm section and bumped it up in the mix where all else felt drowned out, the HE-500 eagerly displays all the colour and resolution that is necessary for listening to the band in incredible balance.
 
This is the most analytical pair of headphones in my possession right now and one that my Schiit Gungnir benefits from the most due to the detail retrieval. Of course, it might pale in comparison to the likes of the Sennheiser HD800, which I have not heard at length, but it fits right into my needs. I challenge you to find anyone who would classify the sound of the HE-500 as sterile or cold. It walks the tightrope admirably between resolution and overly “fun” warmth.
 
The soundstage trumps both the HD600 and the HE-400i quite a bit. I expected it to be similar to the latter, but it is far wider. Upon careful consideration, I’d actually place this second in terms of soundstage in full-sized headphones I have owned – right after the Beyerdynamic DT990. The wide soundstage complements the fast nature of the headphones as swirling instrumentation in songs travel far and wide without any sense of lag or inaccuracy.
 

 
 
Amp Pairings
 
While the Schiit Magni 2 is more than enough to power these headphones, the Cavalli Liquid Carbon pairing is now my favourite of all time – with the previous favourite being the HE-400i with the Schiit Asgard 2. This is because of the amp’s slightly warm but still detailed nature, adding to the sweetness of the HE-500 quite a bit. The Magni 2, which is transparent, shows the headphone’s true sound and it is still warm and inviting, but the Liquid Carbon just goes that extra step to my ears.
 
To sum up: not portable, need adequate amping as they are planar after all.
 
Conclusion
 
If you have good neck strength, these could easily be on your list of cans to try out. Sadly, they are indeed discontinued. It is likely that very few people will even dare to call these a pair of beautiful cans, or even largely comfortable, but the sonic benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. What you ultimately have here is an incredibly balanced but tonally rich and lush pair of headphones that does not lack in detail – coupled with the best transient speed planar magnets can offer. I would pick it over its younger brother, the HE-400i, any day due to its balanced and natural sounding strength that is well within my comfort zone for treble extension.
 

 
 
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Comparisons
 
Bass Quantity: TH-X00 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE400i > DT990 > HE-500 > HD600
 
Mids: HE-500 > HD600 > ZMF Omni > HE400i > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > TH-X00 > DT990
 
Treble Quantity: DT990 > HE400i > TH-X00 > HE-500 > HD600 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I
 
Soundstage: DT990 > HE-500 > ZMF Omni > HD600 > HE400i > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > TH-X00
 
Comfort: DT990 > TH-X00 > HE400i > HD600 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE-500
 
Aesthetics: TH-X00 > ZMF Omni > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > HE400i > DT990 > HE-500 > HD600
 
Lightness: DT990 > TH-X00 > HD600 > HE400i > ZMF Vibro Mk. I > ZMF Omni > HE-500
 
Song Impressions
 
Equipment used: Foobar200 WASAPI Event > Schiit Wyrd > Schiit Gungnir USB Ver. 2 > Cavalli Liquid Carbon.
All tracks in lossless FLAC in at least 16/44.1
 
Abba - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
 
The soundstage and separation of the HE-500 is very apparent from the first notes that ring out in this song, as the melody is played on electric piano and guitars panned on the left and right. The bass guitar work is clear, with a good amount of extension into the bass region, but the vocals take the centre-stage of the song along with the amazing synth-riff that repeats. The beat is punchy but not overly bassy and the quick string sections and stabs have power behind them due to the speed of the headphones.
 
Aerosmith – Dream On (2012 Remaster)
 
The rock genre in general does extremely well with the HE-500 and this song showcases such strength. Steven Tyler’s vocal representation on the headphones capture the body and emotional power, flanked by the incredible dual-channel guitar work that also ring out due to the strong mids.
 
a-ha – Take On Me
 
80s synth and beats with speed. Beyond that, the shimmering backing synth and the vocals sound clear and present. However, the synth bass sounds a bit more rolled off compared to the likes of the TH-X00 – which made the song a more bassy affair at the sacrifice of vocal and synth pad clarity.
 
Alan Parson’s Project – Sirius/Eye In The Sky (2005 SACD)
 
The HE-500 does very well to capture the mystique in Sirius’ instrumentation in perfect balance. Quite often with other headphones, I’d find that some aspect would drown out another and lead to a less pleasing listen overall. That is not the case with the HE-500 at all. The soundstage lets each note breathe well and the speed lets nothing linger in the mix. The vocals sound right at home coupled with the shimmering acoustic guitar work that chimes in effortlessly through the track.
 
B.B. King – The Thrill Is Gone
 
For the first time to my ears, this song feels like a live recording rather than a studio effort. There is a very wholesome quality to it all. King’s guitar Lucille rings out in the mix as should be, but the backing track is clear too. The melancholy yet funky bass work is set up to ring through the song and give it a sense of pacing and body. As the song progresses, more guitar instrumentation and string instrumentation builds up but is never muddy on the HE-500. The fact that King’s hurt vocal rings out clearly over all this detail is astonishing and a superb achievement on the part of these headphones.
 
Billy Idol – We Didn’t Start the Fire
 
This track’s grandiose production is aided by the HE-500. The large but controlled soundstage really brings out all the musical intricacies that are going on that would seem hectic to a less resolute headphone. Very fun listen that helped me hear details I had missed before.
 
Black Sabbath – Planet Caravan
 
Clarity, warmth and balance are three words I’d give to this song’s representation on the HE-500. It benefits vastly from the soundstage too, as the percussion jumps from end to end and the instruments take up their places in the mix – with Tony Iommi’s melodious guitar soloing on the right channel and the piano on the left. Very impressive listen.
 
Blink-182 – I Miss You
 
The piano in this demure track stands out better than I have heard on my other headphones. The vast separation of the two tracks of acoustic guitars is a joy to listen to on the HE-500. The sense of space in the mix really comes through with this much room to grow that the headphones provide.
 
Blue Foundation – Eyes on Fire
 
The vocals sound ethereal and full-bodied simultaneously thanks to the excellent mids that the HE-500 possesses. You can also clearly hear the difference in guitar effects on the two guitar tracks while the gently shimmering synth sequencer continues to add atmosphere to the track. As the song picks up, every instrument and vocal note is presented in a balanced manner over a thundering drum track. The balance of the two vocal lines, the male and the female, are also clear and present where on some other headphones the latter would take priority.
 
Childish Gambino – Heartbeat
 
The kick drum in the intro moves faster than on other headphones that I’ve heard, but not necessarily as loud. The bass saw-synth riff does not sound as pleasing as it does on the TH-X00 due to its immense bass extension, but the surrounding instrumentation of the song overall is superior. Little details like extra percussion from the separate channels and the electric guitar in the second verse are picked out very well by the HE-500. Donald Glover’s higher pitched backing vocal in the chorus is also clearer than I’ve heard before.
 
Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
 
Gentle rock/vocal songs such as this are magnificent on the HE-500 due to its controlled resolution. The delicate and emotional guitars and vocals go hand in hand over a clear and subdued bassline and gentle, brush-tipped snare hits. The faint backing vocals singing “this world is only gonna break your heart” have more body to them than before. One of my favourite songs and I have not heard it better, to be honest.
 
Clint Mansell – Lux Aeterna
 
The dramatic string section creeps up to the listener with power and precision and the high notes retain the starkness they require to cut through the mix as a result of the fantastic yet comfortable treble extension on the part of the HE-500.
 
Coldplay – Clocks
 
This reverb-soaked track is easy to get wrong on different sound signatures because of varying frequencies being favoured over others. Thankfully, the HE-500 makes a statement with how it presents everything in a way that is both accurately balanced yet never boring with plenty of detail.
 
Daichi Miura – Unlock
 
The mood of this track is accentuated by the HE-500 due to how it handles the demure vocals and layering along with the impressive reverb effects in the production. The low end doesn’t sound as “club” like as on some other headphones, particularly the TH-X00, but there is clarity and body throughout the rest of the track’s mix.
 
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – From the Beginning
 
The acoustic guitar has a lot of body to it, but is not natural enough to go head-to-head with the ZMF Omni. However, it fits in better in the mix than the Omni because of its balanced presentation. A magical listen due to just how in sync everything is.
 
Eminem – Without Me
 
A more detailed listen than the TH-X00 with respectable bass, but the Fostex just synergizes better with the rap genre in general. Despite that, the separation is again excellent and the verses’ musical transitions flow far more naturally than on the Fostex. The snare is also impactful, yet not sibilant at higher volume like the TH-X00.
 
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
 
A song I re-visit with every new piece of gear and one I know as well as the back of my hand. A wonderful listen due to it playing to the HE-500’s strengths. Vocal separation is incredibly clear as is the high pitched synth in the back that adds to the atmosphere – of which the soundstage adds tonnes.
 
Kavinsky – Nightcall
 
The kick drum falls right into the realm of possibility for the sub-bass extension of the HE-500. Not the best pairing of song overall due to its reliance on mid-bass, but the chugging electric guitar and the vocals are benefitted by the strength of the mids. The backing vocal in the verses, singing “we’ll go all night long” repeatedly, sounds clearer than on the likes of the TH-X00.
 
Lana Del Ray – Summertime Sadness
 
A stunning listen. Sublime vocal layering of Lana’s incredible studio voice flanked by so much instrumentation over a mournful marching funeral beat. The strings ebb and swell to their potential as the rather odd choice of samples of children shouting (and a scream in the intro) are clearer than I’ve ever heard before. Nothing is drowned out, no detail is lost - the only way you would get more detail out of this is with a more analytical audio chain at this point.
 
Led Zeppelin – Achilles’ Last Stand
 
As mentioned above in the review, bands like Led Zeppelin benefit a tonne from the HE-500’s balanced yet musical nature. The guitars ring out clearly along with the vocals as the rhythm section stands where it should – not drowning anything out like on some other headphones like the TH-X00. The amazing guitar work is present on both channels with detail and resolution.
 
Marcin Przybyłowicz – The Fields of Ard Skellig
 
The power and precision of the HE-500 brings this track to life as the vocal soars over a lushly produced backing track. The Gungnir, Liquid Carbon and HE-500 truly highlight the “air” around the violin and other instruments due to the quality of production, mixing and mastering.
 
Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
 
All the balance I have been praising above again brings forth this song in a new and incredible way. You just know that the vocal layering and harmonisation is something to behold on the HE-500, especially in the famous bridge section. The delicate piano flourishes never get drowned out by anything else in the mix and the bell sound effects never lose any of their nuance.
 
Ramin Djawadi – Game of Thrones Theme Song
 
The thunderous and cinematic percussion maintains its body and impact while the marvellously separated string sections churn ahead to present the epic title track in full glory. Another mention must be given to the track A Lannister Always Pays His Debts, also by Djawadi, for just how incredible it sounds on the HE-500 for the same reasons as the title track.

This is going to be my first review, so note that I'm not exceptionally experienced. However, I know exactly what sound I like, and I'm a musician, and I have very high standards.
I spent quite a lot of time researching this headphone, as well as a bunch of others, because I was looking to find a can that would end my headphone search. I was looking for end-game audiophile quality on a budget and I definitely found it. Let's just say that even though I found this can, I'm not done getting more of em, simply due to the fact that I'm stricken with upgraditis, so I'm going to continue looking for more unique and promising cans as I go, revising old reviews as I expand my collection, so that I can eventually compile a list of $500 end-game cans. Anyway, back on track.
The HE-500 was promising as an all around can that could play any kind of music, which was something I needed, due to my eclectic music taste, that ranges from Billie Holiday to Bjork to Beethoven, so I needed an all around champion. This led me to the Beyerdynamic crowd, but I was unimpressed with the DT880's looks and lack of comments regarding it's bass response and texture. I then went to the HD650 and saw that it was one of the best cans in the business. However, they colour the sound, and I kept hearing 'laid back sound signature', and I like my music to have energy, because as a trumpet player, energy even in the softest notes is one of the most important parts of how you sound. Then I was stuck, because I couldn't find anything that seemed to be an all around performer. The AKG stuff all seemed bass-light, and nothing in my budget was popping up. I kept hearing about Audeze, and read a lot of those reviews, feeling angsty about how much money they cost, and the kind of sound they reproduced. I wanted that! Too bad I kept looking the name HiFiMAN over because I thought it was a dorky name and didn't deserve my attention. Then I saw a thread regarding the bass texture in the HE-400. I read 'orthodynamic', took a look at the $300 price tag, which was actually below my budget, and I thought I had found the can I had been looking for. About three weeks of research regarding the HE-400 and 500 eventually got me to the 500, which I saw was on the 'Battle of the Flagships' thread. It was competing with cans twice or more its price, and holding its own! I liked that, and eventually (thanks JoeDoe) I read a final review on the HE-500 and got it. I have to say, I am not sad to part with $440 for this kind of sound quality, even on my very flimsy budget. Fin
 
Alright, onto the sound quality!
 
This was one of the defining features of the HE-500 that led me to get it, was it's fantastic textured and extended bass response. It goes way down there in electronic music like a beast, but definitely doesn't go loud. If you're looking for a basshead can, this isn't going to be your choice, it can't really reproduce solid bass notes like in rap very loudly. The real magic comes to acoustic or electric bass, any kind of bass coming from an instrument is going to sound absolutely fantastic. Tubas and trombones really sound great, and you can hear that brass player really putting their whole body into getting the notes out, especially if they mess up, and I love to hear those little mishaps. Drums really can hit hard too, the bass kick is so textured and toms feel right there in front of you, I love drums on this can.
 
The midrange is very very full and revealing. Guitars, brass instruments, strings, and vocals feel very natural. The amount of detail in the midrange is spectacular and I can't stop listening! The bass has really no bleed into the midrange at all, and all the notes are very separate. Everything here is very articulated and accurate, giving the midrange its rightful glory.
 
The treble is one of the most important parts of music, because a lot of the energy is in the treble. The edge of the note, when a bass player hits the string so hard it rattles against the instrument, that's the treble in the bass, and if you don't have that it won't have energy. The upper range of the voice when it goes all out and reaches its limits, if the headphone has a recessed treble, then the music is going to be laid back and polite, regardless of its other aspects. Cymbal play is treble, and if you can't hear the drumsticks smacking off the crash cymbal, or dancing ecstatically over the ride, you've effectively killed the music. The HE-500 gives very immediate and powerful treble, but it's not loud or harsh or shrill at all, it's accurate and energetic.
 
The HE-500 has a fairly large soundstage, something that I really enjoy with classical music and jazz quartets, but also even in rock sometimes. They definitely give you a detailed image of the sound you're listening to, so well recorded classical music can immerse you, and still provide accurate placing. While I'm still going to revert to the Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO for watching movies, due to the accentuated bass and slightly wider soundstage, as well as the comfort factor, I'm not sure I'll ever use them for music listening again, due to the HE-500's performance.
A little note, the HE-500 has an almost perfectly flat frequency response from 20 to 1000 Hz, so you're going to get a relatively perfectly reproduced sound with no added flavours that other cans offer, like the HD650 or any Grado. No extra bass, no extra midrange, no extra treble. You're getting the recording almost completely unedited and untainted.
 
Another note, the Schiit Magni is a very powerful amp that delivers a whole watt into 32 ohms, so powering the HiFiMANs wasn't a big deal, but to properly power these things you should get a fairly powerful amp, and Schiit has some very good stuff for very low prices.
Here is where I'll add more stuff in the future when I get more cans or remember something about the HE-500 that I left out that doesn't fit with any of the other sections.
 
I'm extremely happy with the HE-500's performance as an all-around headphone, and for $440 used, this is one of the best bargains in audio/sound ratio. The HE-400 is a very good headphone as well, but isn't meant to compete with the HE-500 as a flagship, but is a good introduction into the sound of orthodynamics. With the Focuspad A+, aftermarket cables, and perhaps the fuzzor mod, and an outer grill change, these cans definitely do a good job at setting the bar very very high for a $500 headphone that performs just as good as others twice it's price. I would recommend this headphone to anyone who wants an end-game headphone that can do just about anything you throw at it. Just one note, HiFiMAN has discontinued this can, and it has been replaced by the HE-400i and 560, which I have never heard, but from reviews, I still believe this can to be the winner. 
 

I first ventured into the Hifiman world about a months ago and splurged on the HE-500, Schiit Lyr 2 and Bifrost Uber. I also wanted to have a closed set of headphones, so after a lot of research, and not being able to find the denon d5000 at a reasonable price, I settled for the Denon D600. I got all my gear, set it up, and was greeted with utter disappointment. My D600 sounded way better than my he500!!!???? I couldn't believe my ears. My he500 was just dull, lacked clarity, punch and bass.

I went on to try to fix the issue thinking that maybe the problem was the lyr 2 tubes. So once again, I went ahead and splurged on some nos tubes ( 1959 bugle boy d getters, Ediswan 6922, and Telefunken e288cc). To my disappointment, none of these made a difference for my HE-500. It still sounded dull and lifeless. I was crushed. My Denon D600 sounded really decent with the original tubes and nos tubes, but I still felt something was missing.

Out of anger and regret, I decided to return all the gear and tubes, but kept only the D600, which I drove off my iPad air 2, because it sounded awesome off the ipad. fast forward about a month, and I kept reading reviews of how awesome the he500 are, so I decided to give it another try, figuring either my Lyr 2 or original HE-500 was defective. This time around, I decided to go modest and ordered another HE-500 from a different seller on Amazon, and a Fiio E12, and boy am I glad I decided to give the HE-500 another chance.

My new HE-500 is way way better than my D600 now, that I hardly use the D600 anymore, except when my wife complains about noise or late at night. Terrific bass, awesome clarity, luscious midrange, it's like a night and day difference from my original HE-500, and this is all run off my Fiio E12 with no fancy DAC, just the headphone out of my laptop and analog out of my hdtv. Now I am contemplating if I should get another lyr 2 /bifrost combo or go a different direction with Violectric V200/emotive stealth dc1, but I sure can say I am in audio heaven now with my new he500/e12 combo, and can't imagine the improvements in store when I get a better amp and dac. Below are my overall rating of the he500 with fiio e12

Bass-9.75/10 (Velour pads) 10/10 (Pleather pads)
Midrange- 10/10
Treble- 9/10
Comfort-7/10
Isolation-2/10 (my wife complains when I blast my headphones...lol)

Comparison to my d600

Bass-9.25/10
Midrange-7.5/10
Treble-8.25/10
Comfort-10/10
Isolation 6/10

I tried the focus pads with my he500, and even though it's more comfortable, I still prefer the velour pads. The pleather are also good and provides better bass and punch. Overall I am very happy with my new he500, and I am not even using it to its full potential. I can't wait till I get the v200 and dc-1 to really see what this baby can do!

The HE500 brings one word to my mind: Immersion. I've never felt closer to the music. Period.
 
It's the most organic, musical headphone I've heard to date. This implies a preference over the D2k, D5k, RS1i, GS1k, HE400i, ZMF Master, T90, HD600 and HD650. Just a home-run of an effort from Hifiman that, aside from a few aesthetic/comfort issues, makes these an end-game can.
 
The Breakdown 
 
Test Songs (all ALAC either 16/44 or 24/96):
 
Someone Like You - Adele - Live from Royal Albert Hall
Late in the Evening - Paul Simon - The Essential Paul Simon
Mahler Symphony 5 - Georg Solti & CSO
What About Me - Snarky Puppy - We Like It Here
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
Prelude from Cello Suite #4 - Yo Yo Ma
Hot for Teacher - 1984 - Van Halen
 
Source:
MacBook Pro > Fidelia > Pan Am Stack
 
Bass:
Well, in a word: real. I got my first taste of planar bass early last year with the HE400 and even though it punched more and lower than my flavor of choice, the RS1i, it didn't stick with me. I've got the 500s now and they have the most realistic bass I've ever heard from a headphone. The sub-bass is present, the mid bass is dynamic, and the upper bass/lower mids are nice and clear and textured. The range of Ma's cello can be heard with ease (something not easily done!). Kick drums on the Snarky Puppy and Van Halen tunes don't sound like shapeless blobs. They sound distinct and punchy. This beats any bass I've heard from a dynamic hands down. Sorry D5000 and HD650!
 
Mids:
Rich! Neither forward nor recessed. I don't think I'd say that the HE500 is a mid-centric phone, but in my experience the mids are often the defining characteristic for most upper-end headphones. That's where vocals, guitars, and horns predominantly sound. Lots of guys can live with hot treble or sloppy bass, but if the mids aren't palatable, whether they say or it not, they aren't satisfied. The mids are very lifelike in they're portrayal of texture and detail. The horns in the Simon and Snarky Puppy are very clear and textured. Vocals sound excellent in "Hide and Seek." Very organic and rich. Once again, my hat is off to Hifiman. I thought I'd never find electric guitar I liked better than the RS1i. Even though I'd love to have both, the HE500 presents vocals beautifully AND I get the crunch from my favorite guitar riffs. Truly an accomplishment.
 
Treble:
Natural and clear. The HE500's upper end is quite special. While not unnaturally-detailed (what I think of when I hear the HD800), the treble range is still very detailed and revealing. It bests anything I've heard from Beyer and certainly Grado. Intricate cymbal work on "Hot for Teacher," violin overtones in Mahler, and air in Imogen Heap's voice all come through clearly and naturally. Probably the only time I've been able to say that about any headphone. A comparison I've often heard is that of the HE500 to the LCD2. The treble has to be the biggest difference. If you want polite, smooth treble, go with the Audeze. However, if you want real treble, go with the Hifiman!
 
Soundstage/Separation:
The soundstage is excellent. Once again, just real! Not overly huge a la Denon, or pre-shrunk like a Grado. Studio recorded tracks have excellent space and imaging. Live albums sound live! All instruments from orchestras to jazz bands to duos can be picked out with ease. To me the sound sits just in front of "midway" around the head, but once again, nothing sounds fake or doctored. 
 
*Note: I have the new Focus Pads on my 500s. These are slightly angled in an effort to improve sense of space. I hate the stock velours and pleathers so much that I won't offer an A/B but I will say that the Focus Pads are much more comfortable and certainly don't take away from anything that was already happening. If there is an improvement in sound over the stock velour, it's minimal to these ears. 
 
Issues:
The only qualms I have with Hifiman's hit are those in the categories of comfort and accessories. First, I have gotten used to it, but when I first gave the HE500s a go, I thought the weight would be a deal-breaker. Remember, I'm a recovering Grado-holic, so I'm quite used to wearing headphones that weigh next to nothing. Luckily the headband fits my head quite well (like a Grado) and I've switched to the Focus pads, which are softer, and distribute weight more evenly. I still am reminded of the heft of these guys from time to time, but it's certainly not unbearable. Second, the stock cable and pads are well, just awful. The stock silver cable is the most microphonic cable I've ever heard. Worse than any of the 75+ IEMs I've tried. Since most of my listening is done at the desktop, this doesn't come into play too much, but for a premium headphone like the 500, this is to me, a ridiculous shortcoming. Also, the pads. Pleather: 2 thumbs down! Velour: 1.5 thumbs down! Neither are comfortable, both are hot, the pleather muddies up the sound, and the velour feels like sandpaper. Once again, silly issues to have for a headphone that is so awesome!
 
 
Final Thoughts:
If you couldn't tell already, I'm a huge fan of the HE500, even though for me to really love them I had to buy some new pads and switch up the cable. They offer the best sound I've ever heard. And by best, I mean most lifelike. No overly hyped-treble a la upper-end Senns or Grado. No head-shaking bass a la Audeze. Instead a presentation that is very complete, organic, and most of all fun! These are my thoughts and I'm sticking with 'em!

Intro
 
It’s been an eventful week for me in which I’ve received three pairs of headphones in four days: a new Audio Technica ATH-M50s, a loaner Audez’e LCD-2, and a loaner HiFiMAN HE-500. I got quite intimate with music via the LCD-2 and was rather wowed by it (see here for more on that). I’ve also been sitting with the HE-500, and my first impressions are that it’s another great headphone that shines in many ways.
 
The following impressions are based on listening to music via 320 kbps and Apple Lossless audio format files played via iTunes and fed via an optical cable to a Lavry DA 10 DAC/Amp.
 
Overall, the HiFiMAN HE-500 is a neutral-sounding headphone that presents a high level of detail with a well-balanced sound.
 
Packaging, Looks, and Physical Feel
 

 
After removing the packaging of this loaner HE-500, the black leather-covered HiFiMAN box was revealed to me. It feels solid, robust, and refined, though not as opulent as the case which came with the LCD-2. A few weeks ago, I had some concerns that the HE-500 box may not be ideal for travelling with the HE-500, which some HE-500 owners may like to do, as it may get scuffed and detract from its attractiveness. Though the same could be said of a hardcase, I thought that a more travel-friendly option could be worthwhile, so I suggested that to Fang of HiFiMAN, and he informed me that a travel case for the HE-500 would be available in the near future. That is a great example of HiFiMAN’s continued willingness to improve and update their product line and their openness to customer feedback and suggestions. Well done.
 

 

The supplied Canare cable was fitted with at ¼” Neutrik connector, was more flexible than the stock LCD-2 cable, and less flexible than the stock Sennheiser HD 6x0 series cables. Connecting the Canare cable to the HE-500 requires screwing some small nuts at the end of the cable into the ear cups. Once the cable is connected it stays firmly in place, but I find connecting it to be a bit fiddly and take a little longer than installing a cable with mini-XLR connectors. It has occurred to me a few times that a tool to assist the cable screw-in process could be a worthy inclusion with the HE-500.
 
The HE-500 design reminds me slightly of the Stax SR-40, and the gunmetal grey colour of the HE-500 is attractive to me. I find the HE-500 comfortable to wear, but slightly less so than the lighter Sennheiser HD 6x0 series, which I am used to and often forget I’m wearing. Due to the clamping force of the HE-500 pads, I can be aware that I’m wearing it, but not always (I’m wearing it now and didn’t notice it was on my head until I wrote the last sentence). But overall, to me the HE-500 is a well-made headphone that feels nice to wear and handle.
 
Clarity, Timbre, and Sound Signature
 
The HE-500 clearly reveals all of the details of the recordings I feed it. Mids and treble are presented very well and there’s great qualitative bass extension, but more on that later.
 
There is great PRaT with the HE-500, and though I find that it seems to present the sound of recording upon me with slightly less force and immediacy than the darker-sounding LCD-2 does, I can easily get inside the music with the HE-500, and with it I seem to be in the position of detached observer mode by default, just like I am with the HD 600, to a lesser extent. But the sonic quality is much, much higher with the HE-500. 
 
I really enjoy the soundstage of he HE-500. It is wider than the soundstage of the LCD-2 and HD 600 and narrower than that of the HD 650. I find the HD 650 soundstage very immersive and wide, sometimes too much so for my preference, and for that reason I often prefer the narrower soundstage of the HD 600, which I find places me as if I am sitting further back in the audience or further away from the monitor speakers, situating me at what can sometimes be a more comfortable distance from the music. The openness of HE-500 soundstage is somewhere in between the two Sennheiser models I listed and is really enjoyable to me. I find that I am at enough of a distance from the music and able to immerse myself in it with ease. Though I compared the HE-500 soundstage to that of the HD 600, I just want to clarify that to me the HE-500 soundstage is far more detailed and of a much higher quality. Well done, Fang!
 
Perhaps one of the few caveats of the HE-500 to me is that it sounds a little bit thin or light at times in relation to what I would call natural i.e. what I would hear when observing a live performance, and that thinness is sometimes just enough so to remind me that I’m wearing headphones. But they are headphones, which is after all a different experience from going to a gig of listening to studio monitor playback. However, the HE-500 has a really excellent frequency balance that reveals all the details of the recording being played, and I often find myself enjoyably immersed in the music I'm listening to with HE-500.
 

 
Bass, Mids, and Treble
 
Since recently spending a few solid hours with the LCD-2, I am still in admiration of its bass reproduction, and the HE-500 also reproduces bass very well. With the HE-500, I find sudden bass punctuations e.g. when a drummer hits a floor tom, more noticeable to me than against the blacker background of a darker headphone such as the LCD-2, which is a definite plus for the HE-500. I find the bass impact of the LCD-2 more realistic for certain instruments e.g. drums, as it seems to produce a more pointed and weighty bass impact, possibly due to its darker sound, than that of the HE-500, which I find to have a softer than natural impact. But the bass reproduction of the HE-500 is very detailed, extends low, and I find it enjoyable.
 
The mids and treble performance of the HE-500 is excellent and perhaps its best sonic feature. Mids and treble are very clear and vocals are well-represented. A few hours ago, I discovered many new nuances in Frank Sinatra’s ‘Songs For Swingin’ Lovers!,’ and am currently enjoying Michael Jackson ‘rockin’ the night away,’ in ‘Rock With You.’ Though, to my ears, the HE-500 treble has much extension to the point of sounding slightly more forward (or brighter, depending on how you describe it) than natural, I’ve never found it to make recordings harsh or fatiguing, just detailed and revealing in a very musical way.
 
With the Lavry DA 10, I find the HE-500 to audibly shine when listening to much of the music I feed it, and have noticed it to be particularly well-suited to acoustic-based jazz and vocal playback. Whilst some may prefer a bassier headphone with more sonic slam for genres/styles such as Rock and Electronic, the HE-500 will accurately represent what’s on the recordings you play through it in a way that’s true to its nature.  
 
In Closing
 
I find the HiFiMAN HE-500 to be an excellent quality headphone, slightly reminiscent of the Sennheiser HD 600; its neutral and slightly warm yet forward sound make recordings come alive in a revealing way that is very enjoyable. Well done, Fang, and all else at HiFiMAN. 
 

*This is my first ever review, so please understand that I am just trying to figure out how to write this stuff properly.
 
I bought these headphones second hand blind (having never listened to them), but took guidance from ZReviews' great review of them.
These are my first open over-ear headphones, and my only other 'high-end' headphones being Sennheiser IE80s.
I have them paired with the HiFiMan EF5 headphone amp, which I was able to get together with the headphones for $700AUD shipped, which was about $530USD.
 
What immediately struck me was the clarity of the headphones. They don't muddy up the sound with excessive bass, or make them difficult to listen to with very high reaching treble. They were just a pleasure to listen to.
The HE500s also have the great Planar sound, with fast attacking bass, and overall a quick response to music, which brought out details that I have not heard of before.
 
There are however, downsides.
The stock pads are uncomfortable for longer listening periods, so I bought Alpha Pads to fix this. ($50). I think it enhances the sound stage a little bit due to the extra distance between your ears and the drivers.
Also, the top of the headband can make your head sore a little bit over time. I fixed this by getting an eye mask and tying the two strings to the semi-circular metal bar holding the drivers.

Source: all lossless AIFF Files through ITunes, connected to DAC via asynchro usb2
 
Gear used: Schiit Bifrost with Uber upgrade, Schiit Valhalla amp, and Ampsandsound Se-84
 
This is my 2nd pair of quality headphones. 1st being the Sennheiser HD-650, 2nd being The HiFi Man HE500 obviously (hereafter referred to as the 500), 
Reading various threads around HeadFi started me thinking , about ortho's 2 in particular, the 500 and the Lcd2.2 my initial thoughts were to go with the Lcd2.2
They just seemed to have more praise mainly centered around the Bass presentation. My biggest concern besides paying for either was the weight there seems to be tons
of complaints about the weight
 
Up pops Underwood HiFi on a-gon selling the 500 and an email later they are at a price I cannot refuse. They ship the same day and 2 business days later they are in my hands,
Initial thoughts are packaged very well, In a nice box with accessories (I found the packaging MUCH better than the Sennheisers)  Look and feel like a very well made product and 
damn these things are heavy
 
On with the music, some of my favorite music is Acoustic with male vocals, Acoustic with female vocals, indie and classic rock, some jazz sprinkled in.  Straight out of the box I am impressed
The bass on these monsters is outstanding and the treble extension just trounces the 650 much more open with great detail retrieval, and organic voice absolutely no grain.
First session is 3 hours on my head and no issues with thee weight I cannot help my self I am all over the place choosing random albums among 1500 album library. day 2 is basically a repeat of day 1 and still no issues with the weight. Enter day 3  and after about an hour i have a pain on top of my head, turns out the padding on the bar could be better. I took a 1/2" thick
piece of high density foam I had laying around and cut it out wrapped a piece of cloth around it to hold it in place pulled the cups out and now no bar, feels great. ( I believe my job requirement that I wear a hard hat 8 hours a day helped cope with the weight)
 
Visiting songs that I know to be sibilant proved the 500 can ease that pain, The 500 as also uncovered another layer of detail the senns could not. I will admit I am not a huge Jazz fan
I like some songs but on the whole I just don't enjoy the genre and typically a song or 2 is my limit. Enter the 500 and it is just so revealing and dynamic I find myself setting through
the whole album
 
I think the fact that I can set through an entire album is the highest praise I can throw at any headphone or speaker.  If you want a headphone with super bass and great high end extension with an
overall balanced sound, that adds a level of realism to vocals. This may be your cup of tea. It certainly deserves and audition 

I swapped the stock silver cable for a less microphonic and easier to manage OFC Zy-cable..

My HE-500 review
Source: Audiolab M-DAC (USB output). First impressions based on Asus Essence STX.
Headphone Amp: Lehmann Audio Black Cube Linear
 

 

 
On first listening to the HE-500 I found a lot that reminded me of the Sennheiser HD580 which I still regard as my reference in terms of what a neutral headphone should sound like. On first listen to the HE-500 you will immediately notice the exceptionally clean and clear sound you get with an orthodynamic transducer which Hifiman are masters of. Switching between the HD580 and HE-500, the HD580 (which I thought up till then to be pretty good in the clarity stakes) to be much grainier by comparison, especially in the treble regions.
 
Bass: (Excellent)
The HE-500 has excellent bass in my view with nice slam and impact. Visceral would be an apt description and it is particularly good at picking out bass notes. This is particularly enjoyable with rock and metal music with bass guitars and also gives orchestral music some body and scale which I found lacking with my dynamic headphones. I really enjoyed going through all my old rock/alternative albums again and found myself listening to albums I haven't listened to in years totally enjoying how different they sounded. There is no boominess and flabbiness to the bass and doesn't dominate the treble or midrange like a lot of other headphones would.
 
Mid-Range: (Excellent)
The mid-range on the HE-500 is musical, nicely detailed and involving, but not forward in your face like a Grado headphone would be. It is slightly more forward compared to the HD580, but does not detract from the overall balance. Violins and piano sound really great and the tonality seems pretty good. With rock music I managed to pick out quite a few extra instruments in songs I thought I knew pretty much inside out. It trashes out tons of detail on guitars. The HE-500 is fantastic with female vocals. The mid-range on this headphone is really excellent and in my opinion its stand out feature.
 
Treble: (Good)
The treble has a slight bit of air to it which most likely has got to do with the sizeable drivers and ear cups.The treble is very clean. I can't really comment on extension as my hearing isn't particularly great in the upper treble regions. The headphone changed quite significantly in the treble during the burn-in period, from being a bit hot to noticeably more mellow after about 50 - 100 hours of burn in. It does have a slight peak around the 10kHz region which seem to give the treble a bit of sparkle which I quite like. The treble is nicely balanced with the rest of the audio spectrum and while not perfect, definitely nothing there to put anyone off.
 
Sound staging and Imaging: (Good)
The HE-500 projects a nicely detailed soundstage, but does lack that last ounce of information. In my view this makes this headphone slightly more suited to rock/pop type music than to large classical works. Imaging is also decent, but not as good as my Grado RS1i's. So whilst I reckon that there are other headphones out there that excel in either of these categories the HE-500 makes up for this by not having any notable weaknesses in either of these categories and by virtue of its excellent sound quality. This also makes the HE-500 a good contender for a wide variety of music.

- Comfort. (Good)
In the beginning the headphone had quite a bit of clamping force. This appears to have reduced somewhat after owning this headphone for some period now. It is a very heavy headphone and you do need to take a break once in a while to give my neck a breather. My neck appears to have gotten used to weight of the headphone after about 6 months. I can now wear the headphone for quite long periods of time without any obvious discomfort. The headband has more than enough padding and the headband pressure is spread out nicely by using memory foam. I prefer the velour pads over the leather pads, though the leather pads are more comfortable in my view. The velour pads add a bit more sparkle to the sound. Hifiman appear to aim this headphone at people with normal to large size heads. I wear the HE-500 on their smallest setting. On the HD580 I have the headband set to 4 clicks down for comparative purposes.
 
- Noise isolation. (Poor)
Leak monster. My wife has complained about the HE-500 quite often and I would put it down as a negative. Not a good option for late night listening in a bedroom. If you have your own listening studio then this isn't a problem. Your listening environment also needs to be pretty well isolated as the HE-500 also lets in a lot of sound from external sources of noise.
 
- Amplication. (Average)
Very dependent on good amplification and matching. With my desktop amplifier the sound is noticeably full and with lots of impact. When under driven the dynamics and bass are lacklustre. I haven't managed to properly power these from a notebook, portable player, AVR or portable headphone amplifier. I will eventually look at upgrading to a more powerful amplifier as I think there are still gains to be made over the Lehmann Black Cube Linear that I'm currently using. The HE-500 also scales nicely with better DACs. I recently upgraded to the Audiolab M-DAC and this provided a noticeable step of improvement in sound staging, detail retrieval and clarity over the Asus Essence STX I used initially for this review.
 
- Construction. (Average)
The headphone itself looks to be solidly constructed and the headband is nice and comfortable. I'm a bit nervous about the assembly mechanism that attaches the ear cups to the headband, but so far no problems. I received the twisted copper cable with my headphone which I think was shipped with the second batch of HE-500 before Hifiman switched over to the silver cable and I quite like the sound, but construction does come across as flimsy and I suspect that the connector or wire might break one day. At least there are a lot of 3rd party cable options out there as well as replacements available from Hifiman. I also received the old velour pads with my headphone which use a flimsy method of attaching to the ear cups. The new attachment mechanism as on my leather pads are a big improvement.
 
- Summary: (Excellent)
I really enjoyed these headphones with all kinds of music, from rock to classic rock, metal, jazz, country and classical music. All in all a superb set of headphones and a terrific all-rounder. After owning this headphone for about 9 months now I find that my other headphones seldom get any listening time. In light of this I reckon the HE-500 is an excellent candidate for people who want to own one single high end headphone that does pretty much everything well. I am hoping to still have the opportunity to listen other high end headphones in order to place the HE-500 in better perspective, but to my ears this is a really fantastic bit of kit will hopefully give me years of listening pleasure.

 
 
[size=medium]Reviewed item: Hifiman HE-500[/size]
[size=medium]Used equipment: [/size]
[size=medium]CD: Rega Saturn[/size]
[size=medium]Amp: Rudistor RPX-33evo8[/size]
[size=medium]Kimber PBJ interconnect, diy powercables and Isotek Orion conditioner[/size]
 
 
[size=medium]Received the he-500 very safely packaged from Jan Sieveking as part of the European loaner-program. [/size]
 
[size=medium]And boy am I glad I signed up for that!!![/size]
 
 
[size=medium]I have been living for years with my ath-w1000 because I really couldn’t find a suitable alternative. While it is a bit too harsh for my tastes and to bright a have builded a whole system around it to compensate that, because I love the comfort brought by the wing system and comfy pads, and the deeply layered soundstage I get with them. I sold the hd650 because I needed a closed back at the time and because they had to be turned up to loud the rock and gained a harsh treble when I did. My amp is more forgiving of the harsh upper mids of the w1000. Since that I have really tried to be impressed by the hd800 with absolutely no luck. The Grados, Beyers and Akg’s I have heard have all been either too harsh or to boring.[/size]
 
[size=medium]Enter the Hifiman HE-500!!!!![/size]
[size=medium]It sounds very smooth with a very full sound, and yet it never sounds boring or uninvolving. In fact I find myself dusting of rock and pop records I haven’t listened to for years! The decay of notes is amazing and I finally understand what all of you mean by “eargasms”. I used to get those from live concerts when musicians or singers brought so much life to a single note that I could virtually make me cry. These last nights I have had eargasms again – and multiples that is!!![/size]
 
[size=medium]The first couples of listening sessions left me feeling that in spite of the excellent tonality I still missed some of the details and soundstage of the w1000 and wondered if I was condemned to closed back phones forever because I missed the more intimate soundstage of the ath faced by the more diffuse one of open back.[/size]
[size=medium]After a couple of days that is no longer an issue and I marvel in the infinite soundstage coupled with a tonality that simply gives me little room for comments: Right now I can’t find any part of the frequency spectrum that seems recessed or to forward!![/size]
[size=medium]– of course I will find one eventually – Even faced with live sound headfiers will always find some lack in sound that grant future upgrades!! [/size]
 
[size=medium]The w1000 and he-500 are simply so different in sound signature that I quickly gave up the idea of switching back and forth between them on different records and write a comparing review to you guys. Going from the w1000 to he-500 made the latter sound muffled and shut in which it definitely in NOT given time to adjust. Going the other way made the w1000 sound unbearingly bright and made me wonder how I could ever listen to a phone like that.[/size]
 
[size=medium]I could still list a couple of tunes and describe my findings but I simply think I worked wonders on everything I threw at it. That being both newly recorded and very old blues, contemporary pop, driving rock, opera and classical, jazz and the world music that forms the core of my collection.[/size]
 
[size=medium]I will just say that I have never heard reproduced hi-hat sounds being so driving without ever being harsh. Until now I also never heard hand claps from headphones sounding anything like real handclaps! Bass is deep, tight and only there when called for. Ever so slightly warm, but never too much.[/size]
 
[size=medium]So grain free that I - at very first -feared it was boring sounding – Not So!![/size]
[size=medium]I realize that I sound a little to positive, but I have to stress that I have grown into being so positive from a beginning where I was amazed by the tonality but also convinced my search had to go on![/size]
 
[size=medium]And then the down side – it’s not the sound – but ergonomics. It hurts my scull and the pressure from the pads keeps reminding me that the sounds I hear is coming from the cups tree centimeters from my ear and not from the sweet purring singer I imagine in diffuse head space.[/size]
 
[size=medium] How come only ATH have found a really comfy solution that makes you forget you are wearing phones? Ok So no wing system, but at least ad enough padding to the headband. I simply cannot understand why phone producers don’t put too much rather than to little padding. Can’t be the most expensive part of the phone and neither the heaviest.[/size]
[size=medium]Still sound is enough to make me forgive this fault. The pads I am beginning to get used to and it made the soundstage grow because I no longer remember the phone and the headband must call for a diy solution once I get my own pair. And that must be my conclusion – Getting my own pair![/size]
 
[size=medium]I still haven’t heard the T1 and the edition 8, I still would dream of the ldc2 if just for cool looks, but the he-500 simply makes all the sounds I have dreamt for and is by far the cheapest in Denmark. It also seems to make a very good combination with my rudistor amp that gives no impression of being underpowered but sounds extremely assured.[/size]
 
[size=medium]So tomorrow when I send these babies to the next lucky guy on the list - it will not be “Farewell!” but [/size]
 
[size=medium]“Take care – see you soon!”[/size]
 
[size=medium]Edit: After having lived with my own pair for half a year I have edited the star-rating from 4 to 5 stars. Yes they are still heavy, and comfort is nowhere near as good as my ATH-w1000 - But I got used to it at it doesn't bother me at all, and at the same time the sound is even better than I thought at first! So at this price a phone that competes with the very best soundwise should earn 5 stars even if if the comfort could be better![/size]

Am not a man of many words..but..i thought my he300 was good..but this one destoys everything in his path up until the 1000 Mark..they are that good..but pls..buy a powerfull amp..it will make u speechless of how it sounds..i am a believer now.concerning electro dynamics..ARE U?

Here are some amps i can advice that are under the 800 mark.

Solid states/hybrids:
yulong sabre A18
Shiit mjolnir
Shiit lyr
Hifiman EF5

Tubeys
Darkvoice 337 with the right tubes(i owe one now..see my pics/avatar)
Lafigaro 339

Latest update: i have a comfort over headband thingie on his way..hope that will make the comfort better on my he500

I'll be frank here, the HE-500s are just about the best deal in the headphone world. They're not perfect, they're not the best, but there's no other offering which comes close to the value that the HE-500s provide. Obviously, they're not magic headphones that provide flagship sound with no compromises and it's obvious that HiFiMan cut corners in making a headphone that optimised audio quality, was relatively easy to drive and could be available at a substantially lower price point than traditional summit-fi offerings but those compromises are more than worth it, especially considering that most of the concerns can be fixed with a little additional investment and effort.
 
The sound is excellent and truly balanced in every way in a way that creates not only balance but euphony. The bass really shows off the impact of the planars without being bloated or boomy and sounds wonderfully impactful and natural throughout without any boominess, bloating or roll-off. Some will prefer the LCD-2s bass but I prefer the tight and visceral impact over the spacious boom of the LCD's, which may be preferable to some but doesn't really do it for me. I probably won't be going back to dynamic cans after this because planars offer a truly different presentation of the bass that I just love.
 
The mids are perhaps the headphones' selling point, and are again wholly balanced without taking out any of the sense of fun. It's the mids that create the amazing transparency of these cans and they take extremely well to any instrumentation or vocals and they do well at excelling at any genre without being a jack of all trades. The clarity of the mids was a revelation coming from DT880s and K7xxs which to my ears have a more recessed mids presentation.
 
For me, the treble is what puts these headphones up there with summit-fi cans. The treble isn't heavy but it manages to fully be there and avoid harshness without taking the polite or veiled route that put me off the LCD-2s and killed the HD650s for me. The sparkle and brilliance that you want from the treble is all there and while the full extent of dynamics and detail isn't quite there, I still find that these are very detailed headphones that manage a very realistic presentation due to their excellent decay and transient response creating the overall organic sound and transparency that makes these headphones so great to listen to.
 
The soundstage is quite nice but the imaging is where it truly excels. I prefer a headphone that has a closer soundstage but excellent imaging to one that sounds wide and expansive but with lackluster imaging making the width sound artificial. Also, while power hungry they're also quite easy to amp, they'll sound fantastic with just about anything that gives them enough power even if that will limit your selection of viable amps. They need a lot of juice but they're not picky with what they get it from and these actually sound somewhat decent out of a PC headphone jack or an iPhone input even if it's far from a permanent solution.
 
Isolation is virtually non-existent and there's a lot of leakage, especially with the regrilling mod done, but you shouldn't really be considering flagship level open headphones if isolation and leakage are a real concern.
 
The HE-500s do suffer somewhat in the quality of their stock parts (by that I mean the pads and cable, the headphones themselves are actually very sturdy and durable) with the very rough and hot pleather and velour pads leaving much to be desired and the ugly, tangle-y and hugely microphonic stock silver cable needing a replacement. They're quite easy on the eye and the gunmetal grey finish and the overall sturdy and straightforward look do make these look like a premium offering rather than cheap looking but good sleepers. They're very heavy which can cause comfort issues and have some odd screw-in cable connectors that can be a bit annoying and there's an overall lack of padding on the headband which in addition to the weight, makes them somewhat uncomfortable without any aftermarket padding. Luckily, most of these issues are fixable with some replacements and the handy among us will enjoy the fact that there's several mods available that can improve the overall sound of the headphones although some others will be annoyed at the fact that they'll have to buy new pads and cables to get a better experience and may not be keen to dig into expensive electronics. Really, comfort and design issues are plentiful as corners had to be cut, but when you see that about $120 will fix these issues and that you can get a pair of these for around $600 or less depending on where you live (I got these in Australia for about $670 including shipping and paypal fees, which is about half of what I'd pay for new HD800s or even used ones), even these issues feel like total nitpicks.
 
Overall, these are a very organic set of cans that excel particularly in providing a balanced and transparent sound that just sounds beautiful and is rare even in top end cans. They embody the depth, palpability and enjoyment that I think defines high end sound. They're not harshly analytical but they're not overly laid back. They do just about everything just right. They're not too hot or harsh and they're not too mellow and dark. For me, these are the sweet spot of summit-fi and I don't think anything I could reasonably get would be a direct upgrade. I prefer these as daily drivers to my mate's HD800s (despite that soundstage) and LCD-2s and while I'd probably buy some HD800s to add to my collection if I had the money or some Stax if an eccentric millionaire handed me a cheque for $10,000, the HE-500s are a more than satisfactory end-game pair for me and even if the sound signature isn't your favourite, these can be part of any audiophile's end-game arsenal. If you don't mind replacing cables, pads and maybe adding some headband padding and doing the mods to get that extra oomph out of the sound, it's truly good enough to hang with the big boys and even surpass some of them for a fraction of the price. There is no better deal on the market, especially with used prices dropping more now that they're discontinued. If you're considering pulling the trigger on these, do it, you won't be disappointed.