[TMRaven]

Hifiman's lowest cost planar-magnetic offering has plenty of air.

 

[Canadian411]

How about making a successor to HE6 named "HE888" for the new flagship ?

 

[Keithpgdrb]

  Hifiman's lowest cost planar-magnetic offering has plenty of air.

you must be very sensitive to treble.  stax would make your head explode.

 

[Keithpgdrb]

  HE500 gives up some air for intimacy and a very personal experience IMO

I would say the 500 gives a rich and lush experience, but not very intimate for me.  they give up air for that cool "I've got cotton in my ears" sound.

 

[Keithpgdrb]

upon reading my comment, seems a little snarky.  I do like the 500's a lot, but for me, the top end is just missing, and creates a honkey quality to vocals because of it.  same for all orthos.  except the he6 so far.  Love to hear the He4 still

 

[jerg]

HE500 is missing everything above 14kHz, it's a deathpit between 14kHz and 20kHz, no mod can fix that (it's a limitation of the drivers), and even with the most aggressive EQ it is a very crude remedy. Fortunately not too-too much musical information is in those reaches of frequency range, so it's a minor flaw.

 

[MattTCG]

  HE500 is missing everything above 14kHz, it's a deathpit between 14kHz and 20kHz, no mod can fix that (it's a limitation of the drivers), and even with the most aggressive EQ it is a very crude remedy. Fortunately not too-too much musical information is in those reaches of frequency range, so it's a minor flaw.

 
This is maybe what I love about it the most and makes it one of fav signatures of all time. 

 

[jerg]

   
This is maybe what I love about it the most and makes it one of fav signatures of all time. 

Maybe, but I doubt it. The presence or absence of this stretch of upper treble extension won't make or break a sound signature. HE500's tonal balance wins hearts (or turns people off) because of the way its mid-mids, upper mids, and treble play out with each-other. The 1kHz - 14kHz section is almost always the signature region in the whole frequency band.
 
An amusing ad-hoc analogy would be that 20Hz-1kHz is the key bow/handle, 1kHz-14kHz is the actual blade of the key with its unique groove patterns and which sets one key apart from another, and 14kHz+ is the tip (where HE500 so happens to have chopped off; might make it hard to insert the key but once it's in, not much of its function is affected).

 

[MattTCG]

^^ You are probably right. It's hard for me to truly say what technically makes the he500 so pleasing to me. Lush natural mids...great textured bass...smoother on the treble. 
 
Regardless, as long as the he400i has a similar signature with the improved comfort then I'm all in. 

 

[TMRaven]

  you must be very sensitive to treble.  stax would make your head explode.

 
I highly doubt this.  HE-400 has TOO MUCH treble and presence in the air region.  Might you be mistaking the lower treble and uppermidrange for the treble?

 

[M-13]

How are you liking that EF-6?
 
I imagine the HE-500 is loving all that extra class A yummyness.

 

[jerg]

  How are you liking that EF-6?
 
I imagine the HE-500 is loving all that extra class A yummyness.

I'm liking the EF-6 quite fine, thanks. A more powerful and controlled lower end, a more effortless (almost relaxed) upper end. Midrange bloom is cut down a notch, which is welcoming because piano is actually listenable now. The wow-factor is the degree of articulation that EF-6 is able to whip HE-500s into performing.

 

[conquerator2]

Why are there no impressions of the 560 from the ACGears event?
Did nobody attend?

 

[Clemmaster]

you must be very sensitive to treble.  stax would make your head explode.

No, he must be talking about the HE-4, which is the most airy of them all.
I can't think of any aspect where I didn't like the HE-4 better than K-701 and DT-880 250. Air was also one of them.

 

[Clemmaster]

I'm liking the EF-6 quite fine, thanks. A more powerful and controlled lower end, a more effortless (almost relaxed) upper end. Midrange bloom is cut down a notch, which is welcoming because piano is actually listenable now. The wow-factor is the degree of articulation that EF-6 is able to whip HE-500s into performing.

What were you using before?

I didn't notice any huge improvement from SA-31 to EF-6 with the HE-5LE, to the point where I'm actually considering getting the SA-31 back for them (special synergy with Hifimen headphones, that the EF-6 lacks).

With the HE-6, the story is quite different.