[Biscuitz]

Count me as a convert too. Koerhijo allowed me to spend time with his Emotiva / HE-5LE setup, after I had heard the HE-5LE on both my NFB 15.1 and his Magni. I can second what Koerhijo said. Most noticeable was improvement in soundstage and greater bass control, tightness, and impact.
 
I think I will own an HE-5LE soon here. I like it much better than the HE-400 and HE-500. Really the first ortho I've actually loved.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Count me as a convert too. Koerhijo allowed me to spend time with his Emotiva / HE-5LE setup, after I had heard the HE-5LE on both my NFB 15.1 and his Magni. I can second what Koerhijo said. Most noticeable was improvement in soundstage and greater bass control, tightness, and impact.
 
I think I will own an HE-5LE soon here. I like it much better than the HE-400 and HE-500. Really the first ortho I've actually loved.

 
Did you get a chance to try the 500s on the Emo as well?  Two different headphones still, both sound very good yet still different. 
 
About the Emo and the Magni.  Hell, the transformer in the Emo is bigger than the Magni and Modi put together.  IMO, that's where a lot of the bass control, soundstage, and instrument separation comes from.  The Emo just has more, and a better current flow cmpared to the Magni.

 

[Happy Camper]

Think of the children, buy headphone amps.

 

[Biscuitz]

Quote:

 
Did you get a chance to try the 500s on the Emo as well?  Two different headphones still, both sound very good yet still different.

Yup. I'm doing a headphone borrow atm. HE-500, HD700, HD800. I've got Koerhijo's HE-5LE for the weekend. I've got my HD650, and then an HE-4 and HD600 are on the way. So I'll be doing a lot of comparing over these next few days, using the Emotiva with a Banana Plugs to TRS adapter.
 
I can say, so far, I really like all these headphones, except the one that doesn't excite me is the HE-500. It has pleather pads however, and I don't have a spare set of velours. I swapped the HE-5LE velours onto the HE-500, and I thought it sounded quite a bit better, so I will spend more time with it once the HE-4 comes in, as I can then A/B the HE-500 to the 5LE both with velours. But, for me the HE-500's bass is too bloomy, or meaty, or however you want to describe it. The mids feel too recessed, or at least some part of the mids seem missing. I think it's the fact that the mid-bass has some meat on it, and as such the low mids sound meaty but the upper mids seem recessed by comparison. It sounds weird to me. But I will say this, the HE-500 is supremely nonfatiguing. I do like that, but it just doesn't excite like the HE-5LE thus far. I really like the HE-5LE.
 
I plan to check in with my thoughts of each headphone and how each sounds on the Emotiva. I'm not experienced with amps, so I can't so much share how much better or worse headphone X is on the Emotiva than on amp X. But I can comment on things like headroom and background hiss.

 

[khaine1711]

There's a reason people name the stock pleather as "fuzz pad" 

 

[M-13]

No the fuzz pads are the velours. And the yes the fuzzy velours are a lot better sounding (IMHO, YMMV, Etc, Etc...). Using the pleathers on the HE-500 will cripple them in a fight against the HE-5LE
 
Looks like the HE-5LE has been discontinued. Bummer for the fans. I never got to hear one. Sad

 

[khaine1711]

Quote:

No the fuzz pads are the velours. And the yes the fuzzy velours are a lot better sounding (IMHO, YMMV, Etc, Etc...). Using the pleathers on the HE-500 will cripple them in a fight against the HE-5LE
 
Looks like the HE-5LE has been discontinued. Bummer for the fans. I never got to hear one. Sad

There's one on the classified section =p.
 
Now the He-5 on the other hand, is quite elusive. They just seem to disappear from the market for some reasons - even when they were in production.

 

[Gnomeplay]

Quote:

No the fuzz pads are the velours. And the yes the fuzzy velours are a lot better sounding (IMHO, YMMV, Etc, Etc...). Using the pleathers on the HE-500 will cripple them in a fight against the HE-5LE
 
Looks like the HE-5LE has been discontinued. Bummer for the fans. I never got to hear one. Sad

Real shame too, it's the only one I have any interest in below the HE-6.

 

[Happy Camper]

Real shame too, it's the only one I have any interest in below the HE-6.

Yep. The 500s are a little light in the loafers in comparison.

 

[grokit]

Quote:

Now the He-5 on the other hand, is quite elusive. They just seem to disappear from the market for some reasons - even when they were in production.

 
I had an HE5. Even more steampunk than the LCD2, I miss looking at it. I wish I had thought to try it on a speaker amp back then!

 

[Koerhijo]

The HE-5LE on the Emotiva mini-X a-100 is quite something to hear. I'm sorry that you're missing out!

 

[modulor]

It is a shame about the HE-5LE, but it was technically a 'Limited Edition' after all...I do know someone who has a pair that lives near me, Wayne (aka wje) so maybe I'll get to hear them at a meet sometime.  He seems to prefer them to the HE-4/HE-500/HE-400 running off a speaker amp.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

There's one on the classified section =p.
 
Now the He-5 on the other hand, is quite elusive. They just seem to disappear from the market for some reasons - even when they were in production.

Not as elusive as HE-6 leather prototype Of all the time I've spent surfing FS/T forum, I've only ever seen 1 HE-6 leather for sale.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Not as elusive as HE-6 leather prototype Of all the time I've spent surfing FS/T forum, I've only ever seen 1 HE-6 leather for sale.

 
 
Yep - and by the time I saw it - it was laready gone.  I would have got that sucka..

 

[DutchGFX]

It is a shame about the HE-5LE, but it was technically a 'Limited Edition' after all...I do know someone who has a pair that lives near me, Wayne (aka wje) so maybe I'll get to hear them at a meet sometime.  He seems to prefer them to the HE-4/HE-500/HE-400 running off a speaker amp.

Wje sold them to me sorry to ruin ur dreams