[ilikepooters]

Aquired a set of HE-500 from ebay for around £280.

For the money, is there anything that can compete? I like the sound signature but you know how it is, there must be something better

I like the speed of planars and the bass extension, i'd like maybe a wider soundstage than HE-500.


Can my current headphones be improved upon for around the £500 mark? I'd consider used don't have to be brand new. I also want to rule out any new hifiman headphones with the really thin drivers, don't fancy suffering blown drivers.

 

[TWerk]

For the money, no I think the HE-500 represents serious bang for your buck. Give it good power, and you have an incredible set of cans.

There are other sound signatures you can get, with other headphones... But as far as an enjoyable, incredible top to bottom headphone, the HE-500 kicks butt. Sound quality bests headphones costing far more. It has excellent mids, bass, treble, soundstage, imaging, all of it.

I would say experiment with DAC/AMP. I have long said the Audeze Deckard is magic with the HE-500. It sounds so good, they mate perfectly.

If you can get some older audeze vegan pads, they really give them a different sound too, very lush and liquid with less treble energy than the stock velours. Though I do really love them with the velours. It gives you a different sound though, and a very enjoyable one at that.

I also have an HE-6 and an incoming Emotiva Basx to give those juice. The HE-6 is amazing.

But it's a lot more money than the 500 and demands power.

I think hifiman makes some of the best sounding cans out there, and I've tried a lot of what's out there.

The HE-500 and HE-6 remain fantastic, world class headphones.

 

[Rhamnetin]

The HE-500 decimates any open back headphone for that price. The next step up is the HiFiMan Sundara.

 

[TWerk]

You really think the Sundara is a pure upgrade to the 500?

Not just a case of something different?

If that's the case, Sundara must be amazing!

 

[Rhamnetin]

You really think the Sundara is a pure upgrade to the 500?

Not just a case of something different?

If that's the case, Sundara must be amazing!

It is different but an upgrade in many ways. The dip in the lower treble is a bit stronger in the Sundara, making it a bit more distant than the HE-500 (but not at all recessed), though both do have a dip here to avoid fatiguing the listener. Otherwise, the Sundara is more transparent, much nicer bass texture, much better sound stage and imaging, and has more detail retrieval.

 

[iliketowrap19]

Love the HE-500's. I used to own the He-6's but sold it to fund my computer. Looking to get that again since I finally bought some nice speaker amps to power them with. I've used the 500's daily for more than a year now and it's amazing. I'm in love with the sound. I recently bought an E-MU teak and I sold it within 24 hours of using it because to me it didn't compare to the 500's. With how cheap these are going, it's hard to find any better open backs that beats it. I think it hits quite above its pay grade comfortably!

 

[TWerk]

It's hard to find any open back that beats it at the price because none do!!

Yeah, and the HE-6 is amazing. HE-500/HE-6 are some of the best cans in their respective categories.