Exclusive First Listen: Experience Yamaha’s Unreleased Head-Fi Models! YH-4000 headphones and YH-C3000 headphones

[voja]

However, the orthodynamic driver on the Yamahas has a physical shape that seems a bit more like a dynamic driver

Before I learned the official definition of orthodynamic, I thought it was a combination of planar-magnetic and dynamic (thin film with conductive traces + corrugated diaphragm).

 

[MDKrinkles]

It's more common on the forums than you think, though it might not be in threads that you frequent. In general, the thread for any polarizing headphone (or amps/DACs in general) will have some level of confrontational discussion as fans and detractors square off. Much of the spat in this thread originated in even more heated exchanges in the YH-5000 thread. In any case, what else is there to do? No one has heard these, so we can't discuss actual listening impressions. We can't do any comparisons, no questions can be answered, and there's not much to say other than "I [did/didn't] like the previous entries, I hope this one is good!" Which is what everyone has been saying in this thread.

I for one am curious about the closed-back in particular. Closed-back planars have been rare, and the ones that have been good (e.g. DCA headphones) haven't entirely been to my taste. However, the orthodynamic driver on the Yamahas has a physical shape that seems a bit more like a dynamic driver (spiral magnet trace rather than switchback), so it might act a bit more similarly to a dynamic driver. That's just speculation on my part though.

I always find the existence of “controversial” gear funny to me. Unless a piece of gear is wildly expensive and objectively poor performing I truly don’t care because it’s all subjective preferences. I recently tried the YH5000SE and honestly my only issue was that I don’t think I would spend that money on a mostly plastic build. They were extremely light and comfy, they were very technical (imo), and had a sound signature that was different.

What’s the point in having all these options if some aren’t gonna be a little different. Personally I enjoy gear that sounds different or weird (except the Eris I just couldn’t get behind it, love Zeos, no idea what he was thinking with those).

Like personally I’m not a fan of the HD800. But I’m not gonna dog anyone who does. My best friend has a pair and he truly enjoys them, more power to him.

Definitely curious about the closed backs. I love my LCD XC and Alpha Primes. Closed back planars seem to be relatively far and few between.

 

[SolarCetacean]

I always find the existence of “controversial” gear funny to me. Unless a piece of gear is wildly expensive and objectively poor performing I truly don’t care because it’s all subjective preferences. I recently tried the YH5000SE and honestly my only issue was that I don’t think I would spend that money on a mostly plastic build. They were extremely light and comfy, they were very technical (imo), and had a sound signature that was different.

What’s the point in having all these options if some aren’t gonna be a little different. Personally I enjoy gear that sounds different or weird (except the Eris I just couldn’t get behind it, love Zeos, no idea what he was thinking with those).

Like personally I’m not a fan of the HD800. But I’m not gonna dog anyone who does. My best friend has a pair and he truly enjoys them, more power to him.

Definitely curious about the closed backs. I love my LCD XC and Alpha Primes. Closed back planars seem to be relatively far and few between.

It's funny that you mentioned the plastic build, because the YH-5K is not made of plastic; the body is magnesium, which is an extremely light metal. So light that it can feel like plastic!

And some would consider the YH-5K to be objectively poor-performing. That's where the disagreement lies. The YH-5K is basically the anti-Harman when it comes to FR, and some people would say that it is objectively bad as a result. I believe the distortion in the bass is also measurably high, though that is a technique that is used intentionally to add more presence to the bass (I think the HD800S also added some 2nd harmonic distortion vs the OG 800 for the same reason). Some people wouldn't agree that it's objectively bad, and now there's disagreement. I try to be even-handed and recognize that some people will love headphones that I dislike, and some people will never like headphones that I like, and that performance as measured by synthetic heads based on population averages is hardly an indicator of whether an individual will enjoy a sound.

One huge irony with the YH-5K is that the songs where I thought it simply sounded wrong were piano tracks. How does this happen on a Yamaha?! Now, I recall seeing that the Yamaha's driver, just like the similar drivers in the Final Audio D8000 and the dynamic drivers on some Focal headphones, will clip when driven at high levels. Maybe I was running into that when playing those tracks as those have more dynamic range. Another thing I hope is fixed on the new models!

 

[Kabeer]

Before I learned the official definition of orthodynamic, I thought it was a combination of planar-magnetic and dynamic (thin film with conductive traces + corrugated diaphragm).

what is, and where did you learn the official definition?

Its just Yamaha's name for their application of the planar magnetic principle. The driver is moving orthogonally to the horizontal plane.

 

[voja]

what is, and where did you learn the official definition?

Its just Yamaha's name for their application of the planar magnetic principle. The driver is moving orthogonally to the horizontal plane.

I asked Yamaha and they told me:

An Orthodynamic™ driver is a planar-magnetic driver that has: a perfectly round shape, a conductive track pattern in a circular spiral, and a concentric circle corrugation.

The corrugated design of the diaphragm makes it easy to identify an Orthodynamic driver. You are right to say it's Yamaha's name for their application of the planar-magnetic principle.

 

[MDKrinkles]

It's funny that you mentioned the plastic build, because the YH-5K is not made of plastic; the body is magnesium, which is an extremely light metal. So light that it can feel like plastic!

And some would consider the YH-5K to be objectively poor-performing. That's where the disagreement lies. The YH-5K is basically the anti-Harman when it comes to FR, and some people would say that it is objectively bad as a result. I believe the distortion in the bass is also measurably high, though that is a technique that is used intentionally to add more presence to the bass (I think the HD800S also added some 2nd harmonic distortion vs the OG 800 for the same reason). Some people wouldn't agree that it's objectively bad, and now there's disagreement. I try to be even-handed and recognize that some people will love headphones that I dislike, and some people will never like headphones that I like, and that performance as measured by synthetic heads based on population averages is hardly an indicator of whether an individual will enjoy a sound.

One huge irony with the YH-5K is that the songs where I thought it simply sounded wrong were piano tracks. How does this happen on a Yamaha?! Now, I recall seeing that the Yamaha's driver, just like the similar drivers in the Final Audio D8000 and the dynamic drivers on some Focal headphones, will clip when driven at high levels. Maybe I was running into that when playing those tracks as those have more dynamic range. Another thing I hope is fixed on the new models!

I was actually wondering if they were made of magnesium. The only thing that hinted otherwise was the creaking the chassis made which is normally indicative of plastic usage. That could just be the pair I was trying tho.

I couldn’t perceive any distortions that weren’t inherent with the song itself but I didn’t spend too much time with them tbh. Mostly Miles Davis and some Kendrick Lamar tracks.

And I think the ending of your middle paragraphs sums up my thoughts nicely. I try not to dog on anyone’s headphone choice because people hear differently. Some people enjoy grados and I just cannot even fathom that. And that’s okay! Everyone doesn’t have to like everything. That’s kind of why I think controversial gear is so funny. Like dang maybe it’s just not for you. I’m not gonna get heated because someone enjoys a headphone I dislike or vise versa. I mean I know a lot of people think audezes need EQ to sound good and I personally love the untouched audeze house sound.

 

[Kabeer]

Strange someone found it had a 'plastic build', i was literally discussing with a friend today how the YH5000se is one of, if not the most well engineered and built headphone frames around and available today. It is a true piece of engineering and quality. (with metal cups ofc)

 

[MDKrinkles]

Strange someone found it had a 'plastic build', i was literally discussing with a friend today how the YH5000se is one of, if not the most well engineered and built headphone frames around and available today. It is a true piece of engineering and quality. (with metal cups ofc)

I stated in another comment but that might’ve just been the specific model I was listening to. It had a creakyness to the chassis that felt plasticy. The actual design and engineering of the chassis and adjustment mechanisms are immaculate. And all of the engineering involved led to very lightweight, sturdy, and comfortable design. Just disappears on your head.

 

[Nomax]

Strange someone found it had a 'plastic build', i was literally discussing with a friend today how the YH5000se is one of, if not the most well engineered and built headphone frames around and available today. It is a true piece of engineering and quality. (with metal cups ofc)

Even if the acoustic performance did not convince me...I have given high praise for the construction as well as the workmanship in the past

NOMAX

PS.Others should be able to do that

 

[Umwelt]

I'd be interested in a closed YH-5000.

 

[Chunky Nan]

I can comment on the creaky noise. My pair also creaked when I got it (new, out of the box).

I found it was related to the hinge. Not quite sure what it was, but I partially disassembled the headphones so that I could re-set the hinge so to speak, and after that the creak went away.

Bit ballsy to disassemble gear this expensive but it was really quite simple. One look at the headphones and all the screws and you can tell exactly what needs to be done... figured no reason to send it in for repair if I can do it in 5 seconds.

Anyways cheers. Not gonna join the bickering, but Ill just say the following;

The YH5k do sound different from every other headphone. They are harman target deviant, and deliberately so. Its not right to say they aren't harman, therefore they are bad. They never tried to be harman.

Personally, I would rather have each of my headphones sound different, otherwise, why have more headphones?

The YH5K at times make music sound spectacular, and in a way no other headphone can.

Anyways just my 2c. Pair mine with a Woo WA8 tube amp.

 

[MDKrinkles]

I can comment on the creaky noise. My pair also creaked when I got it (new, out of the box).

I found it was related to the hinge. Not quite sure what it was, but I partially disassembled the headphones so that I could re-set the hinge so to speak, and after that the creak went away.

Bit ballsy to disassemble gear this expensive but it was really quite simple. One look at the headphones and all the screws and you can tell exactly what needs to be done... figured no reason to send it in for repair if I can do it in 5 seconds.

Anyways cheers. Not gonna join the bickering, but Ill just say the following;

The YH5k do sound different from every other headphone. They are harman target deviant, and deliberately so. Its not right to say they aren't harman, therefore they are bad. They never tried to be harman.

Personally, I would rather have each of my headphones sound different, otherwise, why have more headphones?

The YH5K at times make music sound spectacular, and in a way no other headphone can.

Anyways just my 2c. Pair mine with a Woo WA8 tube amp.

Agreed. I enjoy when headphones sound different. My alpha primes have a bit of a weird tuning but make some music sound like pure magic.

 

[YAMAHA official]

Hi Head-Fi!

The Australian Hi-Fi Show starts tomorrow!
Don’t miss your chance to be the first in the world to experience Yamaha’s latest unreleased Head-Fi models. Be among the first in the world to explore our latest range and immerse yourself in True Sound.

YH-4000 open-back headphones (left)
YH-C3000 closed-back headphones (right)



◆Australian Hi-Fi Show Sydney: 4-6 April 2025 (Australia)
⇒ https://www.whathifi.com/news/australian-hi-fi-show-2025-coming-attractions-room-by-room
Yamaha Music Australia will be hosting private listening sessions all weekend at Australian Hi-Fi Show Sydney. Availability is limited so booking is essential, please book in a time via the link below.
⇒ https://yamahamusic.formtitan.com/ftproject/aushifishow

Exclusive First Listen: Experience Yamaha’s Unreleased Head-Fi Models

This year, Yamaha is offering Head-Fi enthusiasts an exclusive chance to experience two unreleased Head-Fi models. Be among the first in the world to explore our latest range and immerse yourself in True Sound.

Don’t miss out!



◆Australian Hi-Fi Show Sydney: 4-6 April 2025 (Australia)
⇒ https://www.whathifi.com/news/australian-hi-fi-show-2025-coming-attractions-room-by-room
⇒ https://yamahamusic.formtitan.com/ftproject/aushifishow

◆AXPONA: 11-13 April 2025 (USA)
⇒ https://axpona.com/

◆HIGH END Munich 2025: 15-18 May 2025 (Germany)
⇒ https://www.highendsociety.de/high-end-44.html

 

[HiFiDJ]

Hi Head-Fi!

The Australian Hi-Fi Show starts tomorrow!
Don’t miss your chance to be the first in the world to experience Yamaha’s latest unreleased Head-Fi models. Be among the first in the world to explore our latest range and immerse yourself in True Sound.




YH-4000 open-back headphones (left)
YH-C3000 closed-back headphones (right)



◆Australian Hi-Fi Show Sydney: 4-6 April 2025 (Australia)
⇒ https://www.whathifi.com/news/australian-hi-fi-show-2025-coming-attractions-room-by-room
Yamaha Music Australia will be hosting private listening sessions all weekend at Australian Hi-Fi Show Sydney. Availability is limited so booking is essential, please book in a time via the link below.
⇒ https://yamahamusic.formtitan.com/ftproject/aushifishow

Are those hybrid pads exclusive to the yh4k?

 

[xenithon]

May be of interest - https://www.whathifi.com/headphones...-and-theyre-the-cream-of-the-closed-back-crop