project86
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
- Posts
- 7,804
- Likes
- 4,376
An update: I received the loaner pair from Philimon, listened to it for a while, then sent it on to Treal512 (who should receive it tomorrow).
Is this the proper place for impressions? Not sure but I'll post a few anyway. The HE-500 has already been extensively reviewed so I'm not going to into much detail. Personally, I loved them.
Comfort is subjective. I always prefer velours over leather, so the HiFiMan design is great in that aspect. Despite being a bit lighter than the LCD-2, HE-500 seemed to place more weight on the crown of my head rather than distributing it evenly, so it seemed subjectively heavier. Short term, both were great, but long term comfort goes to the LCD-2.
Build quality was acceptable but not extravagant for the price. I did much prefer the HiFiMan storage box compared to the Audeze wooden case. The Audeze box looks nicer from a few feet away but upon close inspection doesn't impress. HiFiman is the opposite. I absolutely hated the stock cables on both models though, and would immediately upgrade to some aftermarket cables for that reason alone.
I've heard some people say the HE-500 is too bright, and the LCD-2 (original) is perfect. Others say the HE-500 is just about right and the LCD-2 is too dark. My feelings are somewhere in the middle, just like Tyll Herstens mentions in this article. I've been going back and forth between the LCD-2 and HE-500 with no clear winner. Ultimately I think I would choose the LCD-2 if forced to have just one, but it is by a very slim margin. Realistically, my current home situation doesn't allow for much time spent listening to open headphones. If that were not the case I would absolutely buy both the models tomorrow.
I felt that the LCD-2 paired extremely well with the Violectric V200 amp, initially using the Anedio D1 DAC and later swapping in my newly received Violectric V800, both of which are similarly excellent. The HE-500 with V200 was a great match as well, but not my favorite. I ended up really loving the Analog Design Labs Svetlana 2 tube amp with the HE-500. Something about the magic mids produced by that single ended triode design made the HE-500 really sing. But like the LCD-2, the HE-500 is somewhat easy to drive. You might not get the best out of it but you can certainly get by with a Matrix M-Stage, Yulong A100, or other somewhat low priced amp. But with the Svetlana amp it becomes a world class performer, on par with some of the best I've ever heard.
The LCD-2/V200 combo sounds extremely natural to me. Probably closer to what music sounds like in real life. The HE-500/Svetlana combo gives a more optimistic view of things..... this is how I wish real life sounded. If I had about an hour or less to spend, the HE-500 setup is more engaging, and probably the one I would choose. For more long term listening the LCD-2 is more smooth and natural, and also less fatiguing.
I could go on and on, but it has already been done by so many folks so why bother? The HE-500 is undeniably an excellent headphone all around. As soon as my home situation changes I'll buy one for myself, although I suspect that HiFiMan will move on to other models by then. Thanks again to Fang for making this loaner program possible.
Is this the proper place for impressions? Not sure but I'll post a few anyway. The HE-500 has already been extensively reviewed so I'm not going to into much detail. Personally, I loved them.
Comfort is subjective. I always prefer velours over leather, so the HiFiMan design is great in that aspect. Despite being a bit lighter than the LCD-2, HE-500 seemed to place more weight on the crown of my head rather than distributing it evenly, so it seemed subjectively heavier. Short term, both were great, but long term comfort goes to the LCD-2.
Build quality was acceptable but not extravagant for the price. I did much prefer the HiFiMan storage box compared to the Audeze wooden case. The Audeze box looks nicer from a few feet away but upon close inspection doesn't impress. HiFiman is the opposite. I absolutely hated the stock cables on both models though, and would immediately upgrade to some aftermarket cables for that reason alone.
I've heard some people say the HE-500 is too bright, and the LCD-2 (original) is perfect. Others say the HE-500 is just about right and the LCD-2 is too dark. My feelings are somewhere in the middle, just like Tyll Herstens mentions in this article. I've been going back and forth between the LCD-2 and HE-500 with no clear winner. Ultimately I think I would choose the LCD-2 if forced to have just one, but it is by a very slim margin. Realistically, my current home situation doesn't allow for much time spent listening to open headphones. If that were not the case I would absolutely buy both the models tomorrow.
I felt that the LCD-2 paired extremely well with the Violectric V200 amp, initially using the Anedio D1 DAC and later swapping in my newly received Violectric V800, both of which are similarly excellent. The HE-500 with V200 was a great match as well, but not my favorite. I ended up really loving the Analog Design Labs Svetlana 2 tube amp with the HE-500. Something about the magic mids produced by that single ended triode design made the HE-500 really sing. But like the LCD-2, the HE-500 is somewhat easy to drive. You might not get the best out of it but you can certainly get by with a Matrix M-Stage, Yulong A100, or other somewhat low priced amp. But with the Svetlana amp it becomes a world class performer, on par with some of the best I've ever heard.
The LCD-2/V200 combo sounds extremely natural to me. Probably closer to what music sounds like in real life. The HE-500/Svetlana combo gives a more optimistic view of things..... this is how I wish real life sounded. If I had about an hour or less to spend, the HE-500 setup is more engaging, and probably the one I would choose. For more long term listening the LCD-2 is more smooth and natural, and also less fatiguing.
I could go on and on, but it has already been done by so many folks so why bother? The HE-500 is undeniably an excellent headphone all around. As soon as my home situation changes I'll buy one for myself, although I suspect that HiFiMan will move on to other models by then. Thanks again to Fang for making this loaner program possible.
