disastermouse
Headphoneus Supremus
I tried to find a place to demo these anywhere near Salt Lake City and there's just nothing. The closest places that might have demos are Boise and Grand Junction. Both are a 3-4 hour drive away.
I have a small head. The comfort issues of the HE-500 have more to do with the weight and how poorly it's distributed on the HE-500.
Sorry to go "off Elear topic" a bit but if you like the HE-500 you can improve the comfort with a Lohb comfort/suspension pad (he is a member who sells them), along with Vegan pads - made a world of difference on my HE-6 and HE-400 (which I still have an use regularly). Really kicks up the comfort a few notches. And if you drive the HE-500 from speaker taps it is a really great headphone. I drove my HE-6 and currently still drive my HE-400 that way from vintage amps.
yes, truly. the HD650 is still a favorite but the Elear bring a bit more magic to my life. happy to own both but definitely consider the Elear an upgrade. if you like bass...
How does the Elear compare to the HD650's? I'm possibly looking at an upgrade to my 650's. Been using them daily for a couple years and I love the signature. I got some HE400i's a while back (got them for a solid price) but they feel more like a side grade. Would the Elear be a true upgrade?
Depends on your meaning of upgrade. Elears are certainly more engaging. They are not relaxing headphones. The bass makes you want to bop along. Stick to your HD650 if you want relaxing laid back sound. Elears are some of the most excellent headphones I've heard on pop/edm/hiphop music. You might not like it if you listen to more traditional audiophile type music like jazz, classical, lobby, or elevator.
I listen to a little bit of everything, but more hip hop then anything else - not much "traditional audiophile" type that you mentioned.
I can only speak from memory, as I sold my HD650 right before buying the Elear. But from what I remember:
The Elear is pretty similar to HD650 in terms of tonality, but a little more balanced with stronger bass and more treble presence. It still has some of that full-sounding, laid-back signature of the HD650, but not quite as much.
Bass on the Elear is better than the HD650 in every way (punch, extension, quantity, cleanness).
Midrange is full-sounding and smooth, but not as much as on the HD650. The Elear has a dip in the 4k range that gives them a slightly laid-back signature.
Treble is probably the biggest upgrade imo. More presence, sparkle and air, while still smooth and giving the Elear a slightly dark sound.
Soundstage is pretty similar I think, normal width and good enough depth (not great). Presentation is still pretty in-your-face, I'd say imaging on the Elear is maybe better.
Overall detail-retrieval, refinement, realism and quality is a big win for the Elear. With the Elear, the music is so crystal-clear it sounds so real, the HD650 sounds grainy in comparison.
Some of that realism I think is due to the extremely dynamic nature of the Elear. This is one of the things that divides people about the Elear I think, some calling it engaging, some calling it fatiguing. I'd rather call it realistic, real live music is dynamic, and so is the Elear. It makes the music come alive inside your head, and makes every voice and every instrument sound so natural and real.
The Elear is a great all-round headphone, considered to be the best in their price range by many. There are other headphones that beat the Elear in some areas, but extremely few that beat them as a whole (depends on your preference of course). In this level of quality, I don't think you'll find a headphone that has more if the qualities of the HD650.
Another alternative would be the Audeze LCD-2, which is darker and has even better bass. The LCD-2 has poorer treble, soundstage, imaging and dyamics though. It is a very relaxing headphone to listen to, but never gave me the sense of natural-sounding realism that the Elear does. For poorly recorded hip-hop, the LCD-2 may be preferable, but for everything else I very much prefer the Elear.
Oh, and the LCD-2 is very heavy and clamps hard, not a comfortable headphone imo. The Elear is very comfortable.