Comparing these two headphones comes down to comfort and quality of soundstage/bass.  I bought the two at the same time.  I've owned several Sennheisers w/mods and they are certainly well-designed with comfort and ergonomics ranking very high.  The Momentums IMO, are easier to wear and just look...

You can certainly hear a difference between the Audeze, HD800, and the A-Dogs. My point is, the A-Dogs are amazing in that they  hold their ground with their total sound signature and dynamic range. I have the same amp/source stack, and the APD's are undeniably a contender. My HD 800s bring a...

I was honestly baffled with our own A/B blind tests between the Alpha Dogs, Audeze LCD2s, HE 500s, and Senn HD 800s.  Using the Lyr, Bifrost uber-update, the Alpha Dogs, with their stock cable, take a bite out of the competition in ways that are hard to quantify, but clearly upheld by our...

Nicely said,mikebirm49, Ditto plus one...

"Originally Posted by rgs9200m    This is what Tom Martin said in the AVguide review of the HE500 (which sounds about right to me) [link: avguide.com/review/hifiman-he-500-planar-magnetic-headphones-playback-47]. The HE-500 sounds more harmonically coherent and all-of-one-piece on both human...

The obvious has been discussed to an ugly rant of the unreasonable and pointless- $5,500 buys a headphone that claims to be the best sounding headphone in the market. Deal with it.  Many more will come.  For most of us mortals, with excellent incomes and a deep love of music and audio, JPS...

Can you really offer scientific proof that a three-foot $75 USB or toslink cable sounds better than a  $6.95 USB cable of the same length? This ridiculous and contentious issue gets more drop-ins than the local bar after 4th of July fireworks. If you want to pay substantially more for a cable...

I've had the Lyr (and bifrost) for about a year now, and do not miss bass definition in any significant way.  I actually prefer the bass in my HD800s to the beguiling bass of the HE 500's through the Lyr. I rediscovered a remarkable bass sound through the Lyr while listening to Avishai Cohen's...

This is an Impressive body of work and a treasure-trove of information for any musician who is serious about listening. Your personal insight and experience have changed the way I approach monitoring and mastering. Thanks for sharing your candid and extensive personal experience and talent...

"Good" would be a positive quality for the Lyr-HD 800 combo... However, there are several factors that may change your choice of amp/headphone pairing: -Type of music you listen to...(excellent for Jazz, Classical, electronic, acoustic,) -USB/optical/ to Mac/PC connects -DAC choice...

I second your thoughts about the synergy between the HE-500 and the Lyr .  The HEs sound deep and lush. My trusted and very "broken-in" Senn HD 800's are the only other cans to surpass it in detail and image placement. However, the HE's are so warm and velvety in the mid-range that it makes...

It's just a point of view, for what it's worth.  Lighten up  

The Lyr though the HE500s is positively sumptuous.  Big, glowing attacks and sustains.  Superb blending of harmonics, layering of brushes and space of bass bloom tones.  It's warm, thick, and mid-range velvet all over. Cymbals and sticks are rich and texturally different. Bass and piano lines...