[LoryWiv]

Keep us posted.
I had another late session with the MM-500 last night . . . Bossa Nova was the major theme.
How do you like the Auteurs? Have never owned ZMF, been have definitely considered the

I recently upgraded the auteurs to classic and that has made a very good thing even better. The bass presence / quality and sound stage are the most notable improvements and the treble, which could occasionally border on sharp, has been smoothed just enough to be non-fatiguing. What hasn't changed is the incredible tonality and mids of the Auteur which is always been their special sauce. A keeper for me, especially since the upgrade.

They aren't the last word in imaging or micro detail, which is why I think the MM-500 may be a good compliment. More to follow

 

[Alex May]

Just visited a local shop and had a listen to these 'cause I was planning to upgrade from my LCD-X for music production... Maybe there is something wrong with me but I didn't understand what's all this hype about. Bloated high mids, claustrophobic stage, no bass extension compared to the LCD-X, no additional detail at all. I assumed that the exaggerated high mid area was masking all the detail as I know it often happens with my particular hearing. Although I have a Fostex TH610 with also a bit more high mids than I like, but I can hear millions of hairs on the bow sliding on a violin string, wind blows on the stage, jacket rustles on the musicians when I listen to the TH610. I never had that experience with Audezes. Some of those details can be heard in Arya and even Ananda. I've no idea why. Again that's probably because of the masking caused by any discrepancy in FR or excessive dynamics in my particular hearing system. And yes, the LCD-X is already extremely punchy for me enough to cause ear ringing after every listening session regardless of the loudness level. Hifiman Arya V2 has the most ideal punch and dynamics for me. Anything more dynamic becomes painful. But I digress.

I must admit, the MM-500 sits more comfortably on the head than the LCD-X due to a different headband design. I was sitting there poker face listening to some jazz and hip-hop, imagining I was in the mastering studio. Everything I listened to sounded awful so that I would start correcting everything. But those were all good mastered tracks in the first place, therefore I just took the MM-500 off my head and decided I'd never buy these for my sound production. Just to double check, I took an LCD-X off the shelf and listened to the same tracks and immediately started smiling because of how natural and close to real life the music sounded compared to the MM-500.

I know I was always quite skeptical about the use of the old LCD-X (pre-2021) in the studio due to them being untrue to the sound in the high mid area plus some phase issues and clumsy design but now, compared the LCD-X 2021, the MM-500 is completely off my list of tools I would personally use in the studio.

Interestingly, the shop assistant offered me a huge discount for a Focal Utopia but as soon as I started listening to those I cringed and took them off thinking how come such an expensive headphone could sound so painfully metallic.

So I'm keeping my LCD-X saving a huge amount of money. Thanks, guys, I'm out.

 

[pataburd]

Good for you! : )

However, my experience with the non-SM and SM Ananda (~200+ hours), MM-500 (~35+ hours and still counting) and Utopia (~300+ hours) could neither be more different from, nor more antithetical to, what you describe (e.g. greater detail retrieval with the Ananda, claustrophobic sound stage with the MM-500, metallic treble response with the Utopia).

Admittedly, I have not spent any time with either the Arya or the LCD-X, but did log appreciable hours with the HE-1000se (~100+) and non-Fazor LCD-2 (~200+).

That said, I know my listening preferences have changed over the years as well, yet, for the time-being, the MM-500 seem to suit me best compared to every other set of headphones I have owned thus far--and I have owned quite a few(!).

My ears are quite content with the MM-500 on just about every listening front, which simply goes to show--yet again--how differently head-fiers' brains can be wired, such that the very same set of headphones may, for example, evoke two radically different responses, one strongly negative and the other strongly positive, from Alex May and myself, respectively.

[Postscript: I had a response very similar to A.M.'s when auditioning the Focal Clear MG, although after an immediate response of distaste, it took me probably 100+ hours of head time, several changes in cabling and upstream equipment, and a lot of back-and-forthness during auditions, before deciding that the MG were not for me (then subsequently and happily reuniting with the Elear and Clear OG).]

 

[borrego]

Just visited a local shop and had a listen to these 'cause I was planning to upgrade from my LCD-X for music production...

May I suggest you to try the RAD-0? I apply the least amount of EQ out of all the headphones I am using. I don't do music production but I do live mixing in my church.

You may also try the LCD-XC, strangely it got a flatter FR curve than its open version.

 

[Alex May]

how differently head-fiers' brains can be wired, such that the very same set of headphones may, for example, evoke two radically different responses, one strongly negative and the other strongly positive, from Alex May and myself, respectively.

Interestingly, my impressions are backed up by the frequency graph which shows an enormous bump at 3K that simply cannot be inaudible. I absolutely have no idea why no one is bothered by it except me. I remember a seminar at Pro Studio Live where Daniel Robert Ford told us about this particular frequency area (around 3.5K) as the most irritating to a human being. There should never be any excessive energy at this frequency. Newborn babies cry at this frequency in order to immediately attract their mother's attention (and infuriate the father). So I wouldn't say this is just my idiosyncrasy. And the use of EQ is often unattainable or not advisable in a studio environment because you plug into different hardware where there is simply no EQ and/or there are several people working with their own headphones plugging into the same hardware. So basically Audeze have overcompensated the infamous dip in the high mids which was a staple phase related mistake of the old Audeze sound signature. The shop assistant yesterday said the same thing which also surprised me.

I can tolerate the loss of bass 'cause I got used to my trusty HD600 like everyone else in the studios across the world. Although it's quite difficult to go back from the lush, impactful and accurate sub-bass in my LCD-X. Also very difficult to assess the stage when there is such a claustrophobic scene. Even my cheap legacy Audio Technica M50 (not X) renders the soundstage wider where applicable. The City Girl's album 'Neon Impasse' sounds even wider for me in the M50 than in the LCD-X, let alone the claustrophobic MM-500.

May I suggest you to try the RAD-0?

Unfortunately over my budget

You may also try the LCD-XC, strangely it got a flatter FR curve than its open version.

Not really. I used to own an old LCD-XC with wooden cups and could not tolerate it because of excessive energy above 10K where my hearing is extremely sensitive. Any hi-hat or shaker just pierced very painful needles into my ears. This is even more exacerbated by its impactful punch with a lot of excursive movement of the diaphragm. Therefore, I returned it back to Audeze. For the same reason I don't like the new Arya Stealth because it's got much more energy above 10K than the Arya V2. And again it's not just me. Andrew Resolve from The Headphone Show says the same thing that the Arya Stealth can be harsh for some of us who are sensitive above 10K.

All the above factors make me think that the Arya V2 + LCD-X + Fostex TH610 are still my endgame headphones. I wanted to love the MM-500 very much but our encounter has broken my hopes and expectations. Not to the point of complete disappointment though. I simply think that Audeze and Focals are seriously overpriced. If the MM-500 cost less than half, I would not be so harsh about it. But the $1700 price point is not what these headphones deliver. IMHO.

 

[pataburd]

Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.

 

[Alex May]

Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.

Against unfair praise, which for some reason is always welcomed, but does not tolerate criticism. People don't like it when their favorite toys are criticised.

However, I myself am constantly looking for any critical or negative feedback. It gets suspicious if there is none. When everyone starts shilling something, it always looks ridiculous, like everyone is under mass hypnosis.

So I just go and check for myself whether the thing is worthy of praise. Sometimes it is, and sometimes I just waste money on something that is not worth it, and at such moments I really wish I found some critical review beforehand. It's much more difficult to get your money back.

In this case, I was pissed off by the absolute absence of critical reviews about the MM-500, whereas my personal experience with it wasn't that great as everyone else's. It's a privilege to have an opportunity to audition an item in a store. But what if a person doesn't have any store nearby or there is no opportunity to test the thing beforehand? Lucky if he or she likes the product. But if not, getting your money back is always frustrating even with the most benign return policy.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I was pissed off by the absolute absence of critical reviews about the MM-500

I think Resolve's review was quite balanced. So was Marcello's comparison to LCD-X 2021.

 

[pataburd]

Just swapped in the 4x 22AWG Neotech UPOCC solid copper cable, and am enjoying an afternoon listen with the MM-500.

 

[Allan5512]

Anyone used the MM500 with the GS X Mini & Chord Qtest? Would appreciate the input!

 

[skeeb23]

Ok, so I finally have all my thoughts together for this headphone. I am finished with my video impression for my channel, but have more editing to do. So here are my thoughts on this one:
(once complete, I'll post a link to my video review as well)

Build and Comfort:
To me this headphones build can be described as Elegant. It's built like a tank imo, but also is something I enjoy to look at just sitting on the headphone stand. I've always felt this way about Audeze HP's in general, and this is slightly different from the others in the lineup.
It's solid aluminum throughout and a steel headband. Soft leather pads and comfortable leather headband. To me, it feels like this headphone was made to be passed along to others to listen while mixing/mastering music in a studio setting. Something that can (somewhat) take a beating. I also appreciate the Manny Marroquin name on the one cup placed in a tasteful but not over-exaggerated spot. Just classy.

Before I talk on the comfort, I have to give a solid nod to the included cable as well. This is a very nice braided and longer length of a SE cable. They really did put thought once again on the use case of the HP. To be able to listen and I can imagine wheel around in a chair as you are moving back and forth on your mixing screen. Or just able to throw on tracks and lean back on a chair with no worry of a short cable reach. The included case is also very solid and is lockable.

So comfort...yeah this is the elephant in the room to be addressed. I remember back when I first listened to the MM-500 at Chicago CanJam I never put it on thinking about clamp force. Now, this was a short listening session and it was my first CanJam. So it could just be I was distracted by everything around me going on that I didn't think much on the comfort at the time. Or, it was stretched a bit by all the different heads this had been worn on. Still...I don't remember at all thinking about the clamp.
So the clamp...its tight.
I jokingly told my wife when I put it on that the MM stood for Melon Masher.
I even had my son try them on (for reference he is 4 going on 5)

Seriously though I even had her put them on because she has a much smaller head then me, and she agreed it was pretty clampy. I actually emailed Audeze and asked about the clamp. I wondered if there were enough complaints that they would consider a difference in future iterations of this series. I must pay respects to their response in that they stand by the clamp. It is needed in order to get the seal to the head and correct FR from the sound of the HP. They also told me something else which I whole heartedly agree with: Sure there are complaints about the clamp, but as with many complaints voiced through social media or other platforms, that will be the thing you see the most. Though it may not be a shared opinion with all...so take that for what it is. I did. I have spent many many hours listening on the MM-500 and ya know, I'm ok with the clamp. I'll finalize that thought in my conclusions.
One last thing on comfort though is I do appreciate that this headphone is 495g and not the whopping 612g of the LCD-X. I've got a few headphones in the upper 400+g range that do not bother me at all. If you do the headband system correctly, you can get comfort from heavier gear I believe. This is the case with the MM-500 to me. No issue with weight.

Alright - Sound.
The Bass response of the MM-500 is really reminiscent to other planars that do this well. It's present, it's full and articulate, but is not bloated or boomy. It hits when it needs to hit and quickly moves on. I would not describe this as a basshead's dream by any means, but also not weak.
One thing I wanted to do was to listen to the Kendrick Lamar album Mr Morale and The Big Steppers. Those tracks were mixed and mastered using the MM-500! It's not often I get to experience something like that so I had to. I wanted to hear what the producer heard and come closer to the intended sound of a track (I didn't say artist intention mind you). Still, it was an interesting thing to test out and hear. Bass on this headphone does not get in the way of the mids or treble and just represents 1/3 of a mix very well to me.

So let's get to those mids next. Midrange here is again, very accurate. I think vocalists are represented clearly here. I was just coming off of reviewing the Auteur Classic so I almost got the same type of vibe from the MM-500. The difference here is the Classic is definitely more mid-forward. I could see how someone would call the MM-500 a bit mid-forward but I believe this is also due to just the representation of the rest of the FR. Since nothing seems to stand out from either the low or high end, I can see how mids could take a front seat at times. I mean most of music does tend to live in that midrange. Still, do I think this is shouty? No. Can it be? It could if that artist or instrument is on a track. That's kind of where I see this anyway. There is a track I listen to by Tom Waits called I Hope I Don't Fall in Love With You. This track represents his vocals very clearly but at the same time, so is the guitar that plucks in your left ear. Just a unique experience on this HP.
Before moving on from mids, I do want to touch on dynamics as well. For both the bass and mids, I do get a sense of the punch/slam. Now, this is not a DD nor is it on the level of a Focal or a ZMF. However, I do think this is enough to satisfy that quality. I think that is important as well again if this is to be used to mix and master to listen for that quality in the music. To give a quick comparison, I think it is better for sure then something like the Aeon Noire. I do think it is close though, perhaps, slightly better then the Arya SE. I don't have the Arya SE any longer to do an actual A/B, so this is based off of my own audio memory.

So for treble, I find this once again to be accurate. Big surprise right? I'm going to make a big claim, but please understand where I'm coming from here. This is the best treble response I have heard on a planar so far. I have not had the opportunity to listen to a very wide amount of planars as of yet. However, I place this ahead of the Noire, Arya SE and the short listening sessions I have had with others at CanJam. So, yes, its not as big of a claim as it would be to others! Please understand that.
Still, I find treble to be done tastefully. I can definitely get detail, instrument separation and a sense of what a sibilant track may be. This is not a sibilant headphone at all, but it will find those tracks for you which again is important. It's almost as if this headphone is surgical in a way.

Stage/Image/Detail...
Stage is definitely on the intimate side here. The song Small Hours by John Martyn is one I like to test for stage. His performance done in an arena with simply his guitar and the ambiance, is one to sample for width. I could tell there was a limit to that airy arena with the MM-500, but I'm good with that. I don't need every headphone I own to have huge stage. To me, it's probably going to be appreciated by those who want to mix/master on this headphone to not have a very wide stage.
Imaging and Detail are both very well done and probably not something I need to elaborate on.
Timbre also I think is representative of what the instruments should sound like to my ears. When it comes to timbre though, I do feel more like an amateur in this field and continue to train my ears for such things.

Gaming is also a hobby of mine outside of this one. Yeah, I wouldn't get something like the MM-500 for gaming. I know, it's 1699.00 so why would you? I'm looking at you HD800S, so there is your answer.
Still, the intimate stage and just accurate FR make this not really a flavorful listen for something like gaming or movie listening.

Could you EQ that? Oh definitely! This was my first HP that I actually tried out some EQ with. It's an Audeze and I felt I owed it to myself to try some EQ. I am in the camp of not wanting to EQ my gear, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate or understand those who do. What I did find is when you EQ the FR in a pleasing way for gaming, these suddenly sounded much better for it! I wasn't really surprised by that, but wanted to experience it for myself. Still, even the EQ'd version is not something I would choose over other HP's that I prefer for gaming. It can be done in a few adjustments though for my tastes. The same can be said for different genres of music here as well. I have very limited experience with EQ, but I have done enough research to understand use case and to not be over aggressive with it. Which brings me to...

Power Requirements:
Jotunheim2/Modius stack = check. iFi Go Bar = check.
Yes, this can be powered fairly easily though I do recommend an amp for sure. I wouldn't expect anyone to spend this kind of money on a HP just to listen on a laptop or phone. Yes you can, sure. If you are traveling, why not. However, I'd prefer the Go Bar (or similar type piece of gear) for that experience. The xbass/xspace of the Go Bar is handled very well with the MM-500. It doesn't just suddenly make these bass cannons, but it gives you some extra oomph. Again, a nod to how this handled EQ. Audeze claims a recommendation of 250mw of power and I understand why. Give it some juice and it will sing a little more clear for you.

My final thoughts of the MM-500 may sound like I am just praising this to the roof. No wrong can be done, right? Wrong...kinda. I very much appreciate what the MM-500 is. It is truly a reference and accurate HP that I would absolutely recommend to mix/master on. For me, however, it's been a mixed bag. I would almost call this boring in a sense (albeit a good sense). I want to keep it in my collection because I think it is a fantastic way to A/B gear and music. I personally prefer other HP's in my collection for daily listening though because I do appreciate different flavors. Yes, I could just go and EQ this...but I'm not someone who will typically do that. I'll just instead find the HP that suits my needs there and go with that.
Still, I could see how someone would love this headphone and appreciate it's accuracy.
Then there is the clamp force again. If that is something that bothers you, then you probably should stay away from this. I never have experienced a fatigue bad enough to warrant getting rid of them or stop using them. I never have had a headache from it either. It's just something that is noticeable and probably more so for some others.
You can watch the video about bending the headband should you want to make them a bit less clampy. Should you? I don't know, I'm just playing devils advocate here. Will you lose some of that seal and intended sound? Again, I don't know but it is something to consider.

It's been a fun experience listening and dissecting this headphone. I really am an Audeze fan now just by the appreciation of the build and science behind the fit of it all. I understand why the other Audeze's are heavy and the design choices made as well.

Hopefully this has been helpful enough for others looking into this or just wanting to know more about it. I have no idea how my thoughts line up with others (however I am about to) so that will be interesting to see too! Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts if you made it this far
Cheers!

 

[Allan5512]

Love em!! Still like the LCD 5 better just because it has more depths to my ears. Beside that there's little differences between them. Works well with all genre, gears. It's a keeper for me ( for awhile ) before I decided to try something else ..

 

[pataburd]

Same here.
In my experience, the MM-500 seem to always provide a fresh perspective--both technically and musically--and handle all genres well.

 

[skeeb23]

Same here.
In my experience, the MM-500 seem to always provide a fresh perspective--both technically and musically--and handle all genres well.

I think that is why I'm so torn on keeping them for the long haul. It's hard to find a headphone that handles genres so well and can be a great measuring tool as well. That alone makes it worth to me.

 

[LoryWiv]

Love em!! Still like the LCD 5 better just because it has more depths to my ears. Beside that there's little differences between them. Works well with all genre, gears. It's a keeper for me ( for awhile ) before I decided to try something else ..

What is that nice looking cable you have paired w/MM-500?