Shahrose
Headphoneus Supremus
The following is a compilation of my thoughts/impressions of the HE-5 that I posted in the huge HE-5 initial musings thread, but it got swallowed up there. I thought it may be more helpful if I made a separate thread for it.
Equipment Used: Foobar WASAPI → Teralink-X2 USB/SPDIF Converter → MisterX y2 DAC → Rockhopper M³ Amp + σ11 Power Supply → HiFiMAN HE-5 / Sennheiser HD800 / Sennheiser HD650 + DHC Blackout Cable
I've had these for about 4 weeks now. The first step after receiving any new gear IMO, is to give them a proper burn/break-in. I burned the HE-5s in for a total of 200 hours on top of the 20 hours that Head-Direct put on them. After about 60 hours of pink-noise burn-in I did not hear any significant changes in the sound of the HE-5s. The first 20 hours produced a dramatic improvement in SQ (I'm usually hesitant to use such a strong descriptor but it applies here) after which the changes were quite subtle. Overall, I feel they are a step up from the HD650s (which I used as a comparative benchmark), but not in every single category as I'll explain later.
The treble: I had sibilance before burn-in and now it's mostly gone, even on most of my brightly recorded tracks that are a bit harsh and congested on the HD650+DHC Blackout Cable. This was probably the biggest surprise in my listening tests considering all that's been said about the harshness of the HE-5 around here. I may just have gotten a smooth set, but they have pretty realistic treble reproduction. Quantitatively, there's definitely more of it than the HD650, but it's not sibilant unless the recording is usually. Qualitatively, I think this one area where the HE-5s pull far ahead of the Senns, more so than perhaps any other area (with the exception of soundstaging maybe). I have found a peak in the treble of the HE-5 that makes some recordings sound harsh...something I don't get from any of my other cans.
The bass has better attack, is more textured, airy and resonant (in a positive sense) with a little less overall weight than the HD650s (most noticeably in the midbass). I do feel the HD650s are better damped though. The main difference is the HD650's more prominent mid-bass masking the natural decay and adding a bit of punch of their own. However, I prefer this added punch over the HE-5's presentation often times. I feel the bass quality on the HE-5 is not bad overall, sounding textured and detailed.
If I may digress a bit from the bass, one thing I've found is that the HE-5's, unlike any other headphone I've heard, keep sounding better and more open and engaging as the volume is turned up. The soundstage keeps getting larger and larger, the sound more enveloping...this is in direct contrast to every other headphone I've heard which become fatiguing at higher volumes regardless of their sound signature.
Moving onto resolution, I can hear more low-level details on the HE-5 and a better sense of space because of their remarkable ability to render ambient cues in recordings. In many of my well-recorded tracks, the soundstage is tremendous, reaching far beyond the actual earcups without sounding distant or weak...definitely had me some "wow" moments coming from the HD650 here. Imaging is also a step up from the HD6x0, being accurate and conveyed with startling resolution at times.
Dynamics are also noticeably better on the HE-5 with the same source/amp, and I think this is partly because of the HE-5's more forward nature and better attack/transients in the treble. The HE-5s also do soft passages in a very delicate manner and thus sound effortless. Moreover, they can switch from such passages to loud energetic ones in a dramatic fashion that truly reveal the full dynamic range of the recording.
The biggest strength of these cans has to be the midrange, as good as the other areas are. It's just life-like, instrument timbres are very natural and the aural image of them in space is huge (a lot of this will be recording dependent though). Often times, I genuinely felt the singer or instrumentalist was in the room with me, an effect that hasn't occurred very often with my other headphones, atleast not to this extent. I don't think much more needs to be said about the midrange quality other than the fact that it just sounds real. Compared to the HD650, the mids are recessed, but not unnaturally so. I think one of the HD650's strengths is their profound ability to reproduce the human voice and here, the HE-5 do not exceed them in great measure. They both excel in this department and vocal lovers will be pleased with either. The HD650s emphasize the lower midrange more while the HE-5 show off the upper midrange, so the voicing of the mids is different. The HD650s sound like they add a warm euphony to everything while the HE-5 convey a more natural (balanced) and detailed presentation. They're both quite engaging in their own way, but for overall realism, the nod goes to the HE-5.
As for comfort, they are average. The wide headband can be easily bent to match the shape of the listener's head. Some people may take issue with the weight, and understandably so. To put it in perspective, the HD650 is quite noticeably lighter and puts less pressure on the top of the head, but has a much stronger clamping force. The HE-5 actually remind me of a heavy DT990 in terms of comfort.
Earlier in this thread (...referring to the "He-5...initial musings" thread), Skylab purported that complex passages seem to sound congested on the HE-5 and since a lot of my listening is done with complex orchestral pieces, I was concerned with his finding. Well, I'm glad to report that I tried hard to find any signs of congestion with the most demanding tracks I have (of all different genres BTW) and I never once felt the HE-5s were strained or confusing passages. In fact, I was a bit confused (delighted?) to find the opposite; one of the things that impressed me most was their ability to delineate complex parts and produce such a natural, visceral feeling of a live venue.
Edit: Skylab clarified his statement after burning-in the HE-5. The following are his revised thoughts: "W/r/t my comments about some congestion during complex passages - with more burn in this did ameliorate somewhat. I still think this happens at times, but I certainly wouldn't consider it a big shortcoming - for me it's very minor." -Skylab.
Now for a few negative points. I find these are more helpful sometimes than positive ramblings, so here they are:
1) The wood is fragile and is prone to cracking. Fang says as of January, this issue has been resolved, but time will tell for certain. 2) The bass doesn't extend as far as the HD650 (they're close though), and 20hz is inaudible unless the volume is turned way up. The good thing though is the tone is clean and undistorted.The HE-5s start to roll off near the 35hz mark, and at 25hz SPL decreases sharply. 3) There is also the lack of damping to consider, and the resultant overhang of the decay I mentioned earlier. It is noticeable if the effort is made to listen for it. 4) Absolutely no isolation. This should go without saying but I think they leak as much sound out as they do in. 5) They make you want to increase the volume to bring out the mids sometimes.
Of the "cons" I feel the first 3 are most significant and should be considered before buying these headphones, especially point # 1 (One). The last 2 are really just nitpicking. For #3, I must admit even I am unsure after a few weeks of listening to the HE-5s. It's hard to tell whether the headphones are exhibiting the effect described or just conveying what the upstream gear is doing to the signal. If it's the latter, this could end up being a "pro" rather than a "con" as it would be a sign of exceptional transparency.
I'll be getting the HD800 in a couple weeks (being shipped to me) so I'll get a chance to compare them with the HE-5 thoroughly. I'll update the review then. For anyone wondering, the HE-5s best the HD6x0, DT990, Pro750 and all the lesser cans I own or have tried. That being said, these headphones don't make me want to immediately abandon the HD650s. The Senns are special in that they don't make any major mistakes, even though they may not be the best at any one thing. I still prefer the added warmth and slightly tighter/deeper bass of the HD650s with some tracks, although the majority of my collection sounds better overall with the HE-5s.
I found some frequency graphs that match what I've heard for the most part. Click here to view them.
I also posted a very simple mod for anyone who wants to reduce the treble/increase bass on these. here. More details are provided in the link.
Pictures:
Equipment Used: Foobar WASAPI → Teralink-X2 USB/SPDIF Converter → MisterX y2 DAC → Rockhopper M³ Amp + σ11 Power Supply → HiFiMAN HE-5 / Sennheiser HD800 / Sennheiser HD650 + DHC Blackout Cable
I've had these for about 4 weeks now. The first step after receiving any new gear IMO, is to give them a proper burn/break-in. I burned the HE-5s in for a total of 200 hours on top of the 20 hours that Head-Direct put on them. After about 60 hours of pink-noise burn-in I did not hear any significant changes in the sound of the HE-5s. The first 20 hours produced a dramatic improvement in SQ (I'm usually hesitant to use such a strong descriptor but it applies here) after which the changes were quite subtle. Overall, I feel they are a step up from the HD650s (which I used as a comparative benchmark), but not in every single category as I'll explain later.
The treble: I had sibilance before burn-in and now it's mostly gone, even on most of my brightly recorded tracks that are a bit harsh and congested on the HD650+DHC Blackout Cable. This was probably the biggest surprise in my listening tests considering all that's been said about the harshness of the HE-5 around here. I may just have gotten a smooth set, but they have pretty realistic treble reproduction. Quantitatively, there's definitely more of it than the HD650, but it's not sibilant unless the recording is usually. Qualitatively, I think this one area where the HE-5s pull far ahead of the Senns, more so than perhaps any other area (with the exception of soundstaging maybe). I have found a peak in the treble of the HE-5 that makes some recordings sound harsh...something I don't get from any of my other cans.
The bass has better attack, is more textured, airy and resonant (in a positive sense) with a little less overall weight than the HD650s (most noticeably in the midbass). I do feel the HD650s are better damped though. The main difference is the HD650's more prominent mid-bass masking the natural decay and adding a bit of punch of their own. However, I prefer this added punch over the HE-5's presentation often times. I feel the bass quality on the HE-5 is not bad overall, sounding textured and detailed.
If I may digress a bit from the bass, one thing I've found is that the HE-5's, unlike any other headphone I've heard, keep sounding better and more open and engaging as the volume is turned up. The soundstage keeps getting larger and larger, the sound more enveloping...this is in direct contrast to every other headphone I've heard which become fatiguing at higher volumes regardless of their sound signature.
Moving onto resolution, I can hear more low-level details on the HE-5 and a better sense of space because of their remarkable ability to render ambient cues in recordings. In many of my well-recorded tracks, the soundstage is tremendous, reaching far beyond the actual earcups without sounding distant or weak...definitely had me some "wow" moments coming from the HD650 here. Imaging is also a step up from the HD6x0, being accurate and conveyed with startling resolution at times.
Dynamics are also noticeably better on the HE-5 with the same source/amp, and I think this is partly because of the HE-5's more forward nature and better attack/transients in the treble. The HE-5s also do soft passages in a very delicate manner and thus sound effortless. Moreover, they can switch from such passages to loud energetic ones in a dramatic fashion that truly reveal the full dynamic range of the recording.
The biggest strength of these cans has to be the midrange, as good as the other areas are. It's just life-like, instrument timbres are very natural and the aural image of them in space is huge (a lot of this will be recording dependent though). Often times, I genuinely felt the singer or instrumentalist was in the room with me, an effect that hasn't occurred very often with my other headphones, atleast not to this extent. I don't think much more needs to be said about the midrange quality other than the fact that it just sounds real. Compared to the HD650, the mids are recessed, but not unnaturally so. I think one of the HD650's strengths is their profound ability to reproduce the human voice and here, the HE-5 do not exceed them in great measure. They both excel in this department and vocal lovers will be pleased with either. The HD650s emphasize the lower midrange more while the HE-5 show off the upper midrange, so the voicing of the mids is different. The HD650s sound like they add a warm euphony to everything while the HE-5 convey a more natural (balanced) and detailed presentation. They're both quite engaging in their own way, but for overall realism, the nod goes to the HE-5.
As for comfort, they are average. The wide headband can be easily bent to match the shape of the listener's head. Some people may take issue with the weight, and understandably so. To put it in perspective, the HD650 is quite noticeably lighter and puts less pressure on the top of the head, but has a much stronger clamping force. The HE-5 actually remind me of a heavy DT990 in terms of comfort.
Earlier in this thread (...referring to the "He-5...initial musings" thread), Skylab purported that complex passages seem to sound congested on the HE-5 and since a lot of my listening is done with complex orchestral pieces, I was concerned with his finding. Well, I'm glad to report that I tried hard to find any signs of congestion with the most demanding tracks I have (of all different genres BTW) and I never once felt the HE-5s were strained or confusing passages. In fact, I was a bit confused (delighted?) to find the opposite; one of the things that impressed me most was their ability to delineate complex parts and produce such a natural, visceral feeling of a live venue.
Edit: Skylab clarified his statement after burning-in the HE-5. The following are his revised thoughts: "W/r/t my comments about some congestion during complex passages - with more burn in this did ameliorate somewhat. I still think this happens at times, but I certainly wouldn't consider it a big shortcoming - for me it's very minor." -Skylab.
Now for a few negative points. I find these are more helpful sometimes than positive ramblings, so here they are:
1) The wood is fragile and is prone to cracking. Fang says as of January, this issue has been resolved, but time will tell for certain. 2) The bass doesn't extend as far as the HD650 (they're close though), and 20hz is inaudible unless the volume is turned way up. The good thing though is the tone is clean and undistorted.The HE-5s start to roll off near the 35hz mark, and at 25hz SPL decreases sharply. 3) There is also the lack of damping to consider, and the resultant overhang of the decay I mentioned earlier. It is noticeable if the effort is made to listen for it. 4) Absolutely no isolation. This should go without saying but I think they leak as much sound out as they do in. 5) They make you want to increase the volume to bring out the mids sometimes.
Of the "cons" I feel the first 3 are most significant and should be considered before buying these headphones, especially point # 1 (One). The last 2 are really just nitpicking. For #3, I must admit even I am unsure after a few weeks of listening to the HE-5s. It's hard to tell whether the headphones are exhibiting the effect described or just conveying what the upstream gear is doing to the signal. If it's the latter, this could end up being a "pro" rather than a "con" as it would be a sign of exceptional transparency.
I'll be getting the HD800 in a couple weeks (being shipped to me) so I'll get a chance to compare them with the HE-5 thoroughly. I'll update the review then. For anyone wondering, the HE-5s best the HD6x0, DT990, Pro750 and all the lesser cans I own or have tried. That being said, these headphones don't make me want to immediately abandon the HD650s. The Senns are special in that they don't make any major mistakes, even though they may not be the best at any one thing. I still prefer the added warmth and slightly tighter/deeper bass of the HD650s with some tracks, although the majority of my collection sounds better overall with the HE-5s.
I found some frequency graphs that match what I've heard for the most part. Click here to view them.
I also posted a very simple mod for anyone who wants to reduce the treble/increase bass on these. here. More details are provided in the link.
Pictures:
