[Sam L]

Just got the 5xx in today. I'm not sure why the reviews are so mixed. I think they are a great value and present as much bang for the buck as the hd6xx. The 5xx are very comfortable as well.

 

[Ichos]

Reviews are always mixed.
The thing is to find your trusted reviewer...

Anyway , a good choice you made and now I am very curious to try the new Dekoni pads.

 

[superultramega]

Just got the 5xx in today. I'm not sure why the reviews are so mixed. I think they are a great value and present as much bang for the buck as the hd6xx. The 5xx are very comfortable as well.

That's what I'm hoping for, mine should be here Saturday!

 

[Andrew Randle]

Just got the 5xx in today. I'm not sure why the reviews are so mixed. I think they are a great value and present as much bang for the buck as the hd6xx. The 5xx are very comfortable as well.

Differences in opinion about the HE5XX can be down to personal preference and burn-in. Also I find they sound best with the backs of my ears touching the pad at the back.

Initially I thought the HE5XX was a dog. After about 70 hours the sound (particularly the treble) improved immensely and they opened out - to an extent that they are my current personal reference for imaging.

I wanted more, and bought the Edition XS. Sure there is **a bit** more bass, and doesn't have the slight nasal upper mid characteristic of the HE5XX. However I am not getting on so well with the treble of the Edition XS, and the HE5XX sounds bigger and more musically involving. Tunes are clearer on the HE5XX and instruments/voices have a more defined attack/sustain/decay envelope with harmonics that delicately float across the image of the instrument.

It may also be down to the old-Hifiman chestnut of inconsistent quality. My first Hifimans were HE-4XX and I hated them, even after 300 hours of usage. Those that loved them said they had great bass, mine had hardly any bass to speak of (the HE-5XX have far more bass than my old HE-4XX).

I also agree that the HE-5XX are very comfortable and light. They might disconcert anyone expecting more clamping force, and are probably not good for head-banging either.

A beautiful sounding headphone, but REALLY needs patience when burning-in.

Andrew

 

[superultramega]

5xx delivered, listened for an hour on my 50 wpc tube amp and a few songs my Valhalla 2. Compared against Senn 6xx. I say equally good but different sound. I wish there was more clamping force, headphones slide if I put my chin to chest.

Call me a heathen but I can’t hear any problems when using the Valhalla 2, volume is louder than I prefer turned to 2pm. No distortion or other issues.

 

[Kukuk]

Out of curiosity I ordered a pair of these. I have basically no expectation for them other than the fact that I know they won't best the HE-500, but I don't think that'd be a fair comparison to begin with. I'm more curious to know how they fit in the pecking order of the Sundara, HE560, and HE5se. They're all roughly in the same price range, so I think that's a more appropriate comparison. Judging from the frequency response graphs I've seen I suspect they'll sound more like the HE-5se than the other two, but I guess I'll see Thursday!

 

[Sam L]

5xx delivered, listened for an hour on my 50 wpc tube amp and a few songs my Valhalla 2. Compared against Senn 6xx. I say equally good but different sound. I wish there was more clamping force, headphones slide if I put my chin to chest.

Call me a heathen but I can’t hear any problems when using the Valhalla 2, volume is louder than I prefer turned to 2pm. No distortion or other issues.

Arrived at the same conclusion. Pretty equal with the 6xx.

 

[DenverW]

I think many of the mixed reviews come from disappointment that these weren’t rebranded he-500. I was hoping that they would be an was disappointed on that end. However looking objectively they’re a very viable headphone. For their cost they’re just fine.

 

[Kukuk]

My headphones came in early, so I've been able to put a little time on them.

Hifiman has a bad habit of refreshing headphones and failing to capture the magic of the original. HE5se, HE6se, I think on some level the HE560 was supposed to be a re-imagining of the HE-500, and while they're all definitely not their predecessor they're fine headphones in their own right.

I'm going to be a contrarian with the HE-5XX and say I think they largely hit the mark on this one. I think they generally do a good job of capturing the magic of the HE-500, albeit with some concessions. The bass doesn't seem to dig quite as low, and combined with the mid-bass hump it gives the whole bass region a different character; but I'm okay with that. Above the bass frequencies I feel like Hifiman got pretty close to what makes the HE-500 great. I still need to spend a lot more time with them to get a feel for all the nuances, but first impressions are very good. I feel like musically these are a lot closer to the HE-500 than the HE560 was.

So far I'm kinda thinking I like these better than the Sundara; soundstage is just as good, overall sound is smoother, and bass is FAR more punchy. I felt the Sundara was a hell of a deal at $350, so at more than $100 less these really upset the value proposition the Sundara provided.

I will say my only complaint with these is build quality seems like absolute garbage. I kinda wish they would have charged a little more to give it the Sundara headband or something.

 

[bagwell359]

Differences in opinion about the HE5XX can be down to personal preference and burn-in. Also I find they sound best with the backs of my ears touching the pad at the back.

Initially I thought the HE5XX was a dog. After about 70 hours the sound (particularly the treble) improved immensely and they opened out - to an extent that they are my current personal reference for imaging.

I wanted more, and bought the Edition XS. Sure there is **a bit** more bass, and doesn't have the slight nasal upper mid characteristic of the HE5XX. However I am not getting on so well with the treble of the Edition XS, and the HE5XX sounds bigger and more musically involving. Tunes are clearer on the HE5XX and instruments/voices have a more defined attack/sustain/decay envelope with harmonics that delicately float across the image of the instrument.

It may also be down to the old-Hifiman chestnut of inconsistent quality. My first Hifimans were HE-4XX and I hated them, even after 300 hours of usage. Those that loved them said they had great bass, mine had hardly any bass to speak of (the HE-5XX have far more bass than my old HE-4XX).

I also agree that the HE-5XX are very comfortable and light. They might disconcert anyone expecting more clamping force, and are probably not good for head-banging either.

A beautiful sounding headphone, but REALLY needs patience when burning-in.

Andrew

Neither the 4XX or the 5XX has decent low bass. They both drop quickly under 50 Hz. The 4XX is down -12 db@20 Hz. The 5XX is down -10db@20 Hz. The 5XX bass is better because it's quick and the timbre is better. It's cleaner over all. But it's no match for the HE-500 which HFM marketing implied.

 

[bagwell359]

My headphones came in early, so I've been able to put a little time on them.

Hifiman has a bad habit of refreshing headphones and failing to capture the magic of the original. HE5se, HE6se, I think on some level the HE560 was supposed to be a re-imagining of the HE-500, and while they're all definitely not their predecessor they're fine headphones in their own right.

I'm going to be a contrarian with the HE-5XX and say I think they largely hit the mark on this one. I think they generally do a good job of capturing the magic of the HE-500, albeit with some concessions. The bass doesn't seem to dig quite as low, and combined with the mid-bass hump it gives the whole bass region a different character; but I'm okay with that. Above the bass frequencies I feel like Hifiman got pretty close to what makes the HE-500 great. I still need to spend a lot more time with them to get a feel for all the nuances, but first impressions are very good. I feel like musically these are a lot closer to the HE-500 than the HE560 was.

So far I'm kinda thinking I like these better than the Sundara; soundstage is just as good, overall sound is smoother, and bass is FAR more punchy. I felt the Sundara was a hell out a deal at $350, so at more than $100 less these really upset the value proposition the Sundara provided.

I will say my only complaint with these is build quality seems like absolute garbage. I kinda wish they would have charged a little more to give it the Sundara headband or something.

I cannot agree that the 5XX is largely like the HE-500.

 

[bagwell359]

Out of curiosity I ordered a pair of these. I have basically no expectation for them other than the fact that I know they won't best the HE-500, but I don't think that'd be a fair comparison to begin with. I'm more curious to know how they fit in the pecking order of the Sundara, HE560, and HE5se. They're all roughly in the same price range, so I think that's a more appropriate comparison. Judging from the frequency response graphs I've seen I suspect they'll sound more like the HE-5se than the other two, but I guess I'll see Thursday!

The HE5se is junk IMO (I owned it).

My quick list of HFM round cans I know well in order:

Great, but need mods & EQ for top performance:

HE-6 6 screw
HE-6SE v2
HE-6SE v1
HE-500

Does the job:

HE-560 v1
Sundara (haven't heard stealth yet)
HE-5LE - oldie
HE-400i
HE-5XX

Junk:

HE-5SE, MD-4XX

 

[Ichos]

The 5xx is the Deva.

 

[Kukuk]

One of the things that's really striking to me about these is just how detailed they are. They're a clear step above the Sundara, and they're closing in on my AKG K812. I think they might even be more detailed than the HE-500. It does come at a cost though: that little ~5k spike they have can give certain voices a little bit of a metallic sound. It doesn't always rear its ugly head, and for a ~$200 headphone it's a nitpick at worst, but it is worth mentioning. It's something I've always heard on the Sundara, although there it's far more prominent. On the whole, though, the treble is much more mild on the 5XX than the Sundara, making the increased detail that much more impressive. It's got such a natural way of presenting detail without hitting you over the head with it (like the K812 does).

This headphone is a real gem in my book. My go-to recommendations for open back headphones were the AKG K612 and Sundara, but with the 5XX slotting in between them, price-wise, I'm not sure I can keep recommending either of those.

It's kind of wild that a person could buy a Schiit stack and these for under $500, and have an absolutely stellar high-end setup. When I first got into this hobby an AKG K702 cost over $500, and those can't even dream of being in the same league as the 5XX.

 

[Sam L]

Still thoroughly enjoying the 5xx's. Any recommendations for what I should be looking for next? Thinking of another open back sub $1200 headphone. My most listened to headphones, aside from the 5xx, are the sennheiser 6xx and dan clark aeon 2's (closed back version).