I suggest using "album based" under Mode and using "none" when it comes to adjustment. It makes your music quieter, but if you have a decent amp it shouldn't be a problem. The other adjustment options will make the music full volume, but will almost always lead to massive clipping on classical...

If by adaptive volume you are talking about the replay gain then I can say it does a pretty good job. It has two different options, setting volume based on album, or based on track. If you listen to whole albums and don't do playlists then the album version works great. The downside with the...

I can't lay down with them either. I fall asleep while sitting, which is unusual for me. I went from SR-225 and they certainly didn't do that. I'm not sure what it is about the 500s that does it. The weight, the great sound, my stunningly good looks while wearing them ...

When I wear my HE-500s they tend to put me to sleep 

I would much prefer the end-table set up as my desk chair isn't all that comfy and with my computer there I'm always distracted by things, like this site. All my music is on my computer and my DAC is USB, so I need to be near the computer. I'd love to get a recliner near the computer. My...

Pillows are going to be your best, cheap, quick option I can think of. Having the speakers on the floor pointing down should do a lot already . . . actually, you could just do the subwoofer as that's what's going to get through the most. Have you thought about taking up jump-roping as a hobby?

Thanks for enlightening us. That darn french, taking what should be a four letter word and making it eight.

I had never thought of that . . . of course then all "my" stuff would be pink . . .

Buko means a lot, although I only know of it's use when combined with "bucks".   It would be great for the consumer if all these companies published their findings, but I don't judge them for not doing so. The competition in the HP world is heating up and companies are all trying to get an...

Oh I thought I'd start her off with something simple, like the Woo Monoblocks. That should satisfy her for a year

You assume I would actually buy her an amp, which I would not. She doesn't have any understanding of what it does, she just sees that daddy has one and therefore it must be a good thing. She prefers to listen to her $10 headphones over my HE-500s becuase her HPs are pink. I don't make nearly...

So, my 3 year old daughter, after listening to headphones with daddy, said she wants a headphone amp for her birthday :) This is the only place in the world that would appreciate such a statement

OK, so I did some more testing between the O2 and the Lepai and this time I used an SPL Meter to level match the two amps to within .1db (actually took a lot of fiddling to get the volume exact). Still not a double blind test, but in this case the O2 won hands down. With the amps level matched I...

You apparently make more money than I do :) I like seeing the evolution.

    You misunderstand what I am asking for. There of course is no closed can that sounds just like the HE-500, and to get the same quality of sound in a closed can you will have to spend more money. I was simply listing the type of sound I like in HP and asking for the closest thing in the...

Hey guys, I have some heavily modded Grado SR-225s and the wonderful HE-500 cans. I am thinking about selling the Grado's to get some closed cans for those times when I want to listen to music in bed while my wife sleeps. Top price is $300 used, but would prefer something in the $200 price...

I think one of the points they make is that people prefer a balanced sound no matter what their age or culture. The majority of people prefer a balanced sound, headphones just complicate matters a bit by getting to the ear differently than speakers. They still prefer the balanced sound, but the...

I got the the Lepai recently to drive some bookshelf speakers, but thought I'd try it out on my HE-500 just for kicks. I made a new cable for the lepai and got to listening. There is definite noise in the lepai, but I don't really notice it when the music is playing. Between tracks however there...

So where is this new response curve they unveiled at AES? I'd love to get my hands on it and try to set up a pair of my phones with it.

Good call. Is that the HE-6? What pads do you have on there? They look amazing.

  Hey Jerg,     Thanks for your work on this. What do you mean by "Stringent" at 10k? I thought the definition was exact or strictly adhered to, but it seems like you're saying there's too much or not enough. I tried the mod tonight and it seems the sound got boosted at 8k and 12k and lowered...

      This round goes to Krismusic, mainly becuase he was the first to add a random joke. You guys made my day, it is apparently very easy to do that right now

  I'd have to agree with Angelo, at least from my listening to the HE line and the HD800. HD800 was too bright for me, which would be kind of the opposite of the HE-400s. Now, if you're wanting something to complement your current phones and be very different, then OK, but I think you'd...

I have always enjoyed music, but it was always a secondary activity. I'd listen while driving, or while working on the computer, etc. I very rarely just listened to the music, giving the music my full attention, that is until I stumbled into an audiophile shop and listened to what some nice (but...

Can someone explain to me what the purpose of putting your electronics on a special stand? I think the reason is to "isolate" it from vibrations. These stands or "bases" are sometimes super dense like marble, and sometimes just a chunk of wood that sells for a ridiculous price. So, are these to...