[stickyjon23]

70% sounds quite specific. Pretty sure potential Drop buyers vastly outweigh the number of friends that guy has, and I'm willing to bet most of these potential buyers didn't even hear the 500. So again, my review is based on what the 5XX sounds like. Not what it sounds like in comparison to something people can't even get.




That's a fair assessment. I do wish I had the 500 to make the comparison to either alleviate concerns, or raise new ones.

I have an OG unmodded HE500 i actually bought a few months ago hehehe.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I find it funny, how people can cling to something like the Sennheiser 560, which is way low price and considered like a baby 660S with more flaws, but the 5XX which is much cheaper than the cost of the 500 MUST be EQUAL to, or people will riot.

It sounds really hypocritical, tbh.

If it sounded like the 500, but wasn't quite as good as it, wouldn't it still be worth considering considering its price? I dunno. I have a hard time understanding the audiophile mindset.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Ouch...I just took a look at the frequency response of the 5XX and compared it with the different Hifiman cans that Crinacle has measured...just to see if I could spot some resemblances...Jude and Crinacle use the same measuring gear after all...and well..the 5XX genuinely looks like a carbon copy of a Deva..in black.

 

[bagwell359]

I review headphones based on their OWN merits. If your sole gauge on performance is entirely reliant on a comparison of a headphone not even readily available...then I dunno what to tell you. What you're looking for is likely going to be found at some point, but to think that's the only measurement you require, seems closed minded.

Maybe I didn't express myself properly. HFM raised expectations for the HE5se, HE6se, new and discounted HE-560's. They failed to produce a product that was a faithful copy as they did in the case of the first two. They rabidly discounted all three and this site is still reverberating from all the users that got sub-standard articles. Now they hope to either use the name to gain sales, or perhaps actually build one that is better than the "legacy". So with this manufacturer and this particular product I'd like know what they achieved. Your lack of experience with the "legacy" 500 means to me that your words can't be based against something I do, vs your tastes, experiences, etc. which I DO NOT know. There is nothing wrong in my quest to answer a simple question, and there is nothing wrong with the way you are proceeding. Carry on.

As has been stated, there's a lot of people who haven't even heard the 500, and wouldn't be able to acquire it even if they wanted to.

Stated by you? There is usually 1-5 available on ebay and sometimes here. I would imagine somewhere on your list of questions - you would actually want to hear a HE-500 under good conditions so you would understand why so many still speak very fondly of it, and use it often.

For everyone else, they can see the 5XX as something new at the $220 price point that harkens back to some legendary headphones. I don't think it's been said anywhere that they are the 500s in 2020. I see the Drop statement as them being a NOD to the 500. A nod is barely a metric.

Again read the top paragraph for why HFM's use of the HE-500 designation has meaning to people other than you. After the relative debacles of the HE5se and HE6se, they might have decided to go back to the 4xx and xx model for HFM products. That would be wise.

 

[stickyjon23]

There is also the Hifiman Edition XX which was supposed to be an edition X. Turned out to be other garbage.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

All I know is that it sounds fantastic, and would've pegged it to cost quite a bit more than they do. I don't have a horse in this race. Had I not liked it, I would've declined review, or told Drop the review wouldn't be positive. I gave it a 4 of 5, because it ain't perfect.

 

[stickyjon23]

All I know is that it sounds fantastic, and would've pegged it to cost quite a bit more than they do. I don't have a horse in this race. Had I not liked it, I would've declined review, or told Drop the review wouldn't be positive.

Haha yeah. You got the misfortunate job of being one of the first people to review it. Eventually someone will get an HE-500 and compare it to the 5xx

 

[Fegefeuer]

It probably really is a Deva tuned to appear like a HE-500.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Isn't the Deva single magnet design? The 5XX isn't. It's dual magnet design.

 

[FastAndClean]

Isn't the Deva single magnet design? The 5XX isn't.

it is but some people think that 5XX is also single ended

 

[elira]

Stated by you? There is usually 1-5 available on ebay and sometimes here. I would imagine somewhere on your list of questions - you would actually want to hear a HE-500 under good conditions so you would understand why so many still speak very fondly of it, and use it often.

If they are that good, why are there so many in the market?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I dunno why they'd think that.

Literally in the first section of my review... this is the product lead's statements to me directly.

"We were able to work with HIFIMAN to develop a new dual magnet structure in a nod to the classic HE-500. These are significantly lighter than previous dual magnet planars which was a common complaint."

And a newer statement to reiterate:

"The 5XX uses the current generation Neo super driver membrane paired with a dual magnet design similar to the original HE-500. However, HIFIMAN was now able to make these magnets much thinner and lighter than previously possible."

 

[bagwell359]

70% sounds quite specific. Pretty sure potential Drop buyers vastly outweigh the number of friends that guy has, and I'm willing to bet most of these potential buyers didn't even hear the 500. So again, my review is based on what the 5XX sounds like. Not what it sounds like in comparison to something people can't even get.

I never counted it up, but the main HE-500 thread here probably has more posts by me than anyone else over past 3 years or so. I'm real interested in them - like the mods of which there are many, other commentary, and of course people interested in the 500 tend to congregate there. It certainly can warp ones view of the entire headphone universe - but after being a salesman, investor, builder, etc. in audio for over 50 years, and owning/demoing thousands of products - I like what I like.

I know this - if the HFM community puts out a bad opinion of them, led by HE-500 fans, it will chill the sales a good deal. People like the 6XX so that worked out, 4XX has worked out. xx not so much - primarily because either the HEX v2 and Ananda are better. I've got a very modded and EQ'd out pair of 500's, it might be unfair for me to go after the 5XX, unfair if I'm predisposed to a POV. I mean HFM is a very wise company in terms of business. If the 5XX is better than Arya, Ananda, and Sundara - then why so cheap? If its a REAL HFM can, why not bypass Drop? No, I'm pretty sure what it is, a nice engineering move for a small potent magnet - but not ready to mess with changing established products, so they took the bucket load of requests at Drop for the 500 (I know, I droped a few off myself), and here we go. Big hit - the 400 and Sundara go in for refits in 5-6 months using much of the technology. I've been expecting new revs for the Ananda and Arya - maybe some of the technology squeeks into those. Not many dull moments watching HFM and wondering whats next.

That's a fair assessment. I do wish I had the 500 to make the comparison to either alleviate concerns, or raise new ones.

If your within 90 minutes of Lowell MA could lend you mine.

 

[bagwell359]

If they are that good, why are there so many in the market?

Because a lot were made, and because since the extra postings over the past few years here - the prices went from $340-375 to $400-425. And BTW dig back to some of the threads about favorite cans - not just 1 but like 10 or more. That will help you out.

Based on what I've heard you have to get to Arya/Clear level of cans before you can easily beat a pair of properly modded HE-500's. They are easily better than the Anandas or LCD-2 IMO.

Oops, a HD-600 will be close, but only on an OTL amp.

 

[Fegefeuer]

I sold the HE-1000SE and kept my HE-6 4S. There is still a bit to go for Hifiman, especially transient tactility, less softness, more slam.