[FlySweep]

I love listening to Tool w/ the HE-500.  I'm actually listening to Lateralus (one of my favorite Tool albums) w/ the HE-500 as I type this (laptop >> Headstage DAC cable >> Objective2 amp >> HE-500).
 
It sounds fantastic.  Things that impress me right away is the clarity, microdetail, control, timbre, and balance the HE-500 offers.  It makes this equally vicious & elegant Tool album sound absolutely effortless.  Notes have terrific weight and imaging is near perfect.  Treble is very articulate, detailed, and accurate..while remaining smooth and non-fatiguing.  The unique liquid-y midrange presentation is absolutely addictive.. if you've never heard a (properly amped) ortho, you have no idea what you're missing out on when it comes to the midrange presentation.  It's truly one of a kind and makes going back to listening to anything else quite difficult.  Bass is very well textured, nimble, precise, and extended very deep.  It's balanced in it's presentation so there is no unnatural boost  (or recession) in it's tuning.  Decay and speed is perfect.
 
It's important to note that the HE-500 will take you as far (and as well) as you're will to effectively amp it.  While not as voracious as the HE-6, don't let its seemingly manageable sensitivity specs fool you.  It's likes power.. and lots of it.  The Objective2 drives it surprisingly well, though (as does the fantastic Neco Soundlab V3-portable amp).  If you want to hear just how textured, effortless, balanced & robust the HE-500 can sound, amp it well.
 
As I've said before.. the HE-500 is one of the best investments I've made.. in all of electronics & audio.  I couldn't be happier with it's sound and it's actually saved me a bunch of money since I've got no desire to buy any other full sized phone.

 

[floorpug]

I went to Addicted to Audio today and auditioned the Grado RS1 ($695AU) and Shure SRH840 ($188AU) headphones. I also auditioned but did not like the Beyerdynamic DT880 (250ohm), DT990 (600ohm) & T70P, the Audio-Technica W1000s. Quite good were the Shure SRH940s and Grado PS500s but they weren't as good as the RS1 and 840s for various reasons.
 
The RS1s had a creamy mid-sized soundstage with excellent musical detail in the bass, mids and trebles. However, the bass and treble were a bit over-powering and there was a noticeable lack of sub-bass.
 
The SRH840 was surprisingly good in comparison. I A-B tested them both listening to Black Sabbath's 'Warning,' Tool's 'Right in Two,' Mika Vainio's 'Omerta' and William Carter's 'Folias Espanolas,' the SRH840 provided a wide natural soundstage, less treble and bass, but more sub-bass impact and ultra-high treble (above 10kHz). The downside of the 840s is that the detail is not as nice in the mids and the bass is less detailed, but for $188AU, they seem like a steal. Both headphones sounded fantastic, and in comparison to my 701s, they were much better for Rock, Metal and sub-bass oriented music.
 
Has anyone compared the HE500s to the Grado RS1s, Shure SRH840s, and if so, how do they compare to the HE500s?
 
Given that there have been quite a few reports of QC issues like driver impedance mismatch, cable breakages and loose screws, do you think that it's worth blind buying the HE500s, or should I get the SHR840s?
Also, is it possible to reterminate the HE500s using a K701 cable and 4-Pin XLR so I could go balanced from my NFB-10SE?
Regards

 

[sregor]

Quote:

I went to Addicted to Audio today and auditioned the Grado RS1 ($695AU) and Shure SRH840 ($188AU) headphones. I also auditioned but did not like the Beyerdynamic DT880 (250ohm), DT990 (600ohm) & T70P, the Audio-Technica W1000s. Quite good were the Shure SRH940s and Grado PS500s but they weren't as good as the RS1 and 840s for various reasons.
 
The RS1s had a creamy mid-sized soundstage with excellent musical detail in the bass, mids and trebles. However, the bass and treble were a bit over-powering and there was a noticeable lack of sub-bass.
 
The SRH840 was surprisingly good in comparison. I A-B tested them both listening to Black Sabbath's 'Warning,' Tool's 'Right in Two,' Mika Vainio's 'Omerta' and William Carter's 'Folias Espanolas,' the SRH840 provided a wide natural soundstage, less treble and bass, but more sub-bass impact and ultra-high treble (above 10kHz). The downside of the 840s is that the detail is not as nice in the mids and the bass is less detailed, but for $188AU, they seem like a steal. Both headphones sounded fantastic, and in comparison to my 701s, they were much better for Rock, Metal and sub-bass oriented music.
 
Has anyone compared the HE500s to the Grado RS1s, Shure SRH840s, and if so, how do they compare to the HE500s?
 
Given that there have been quite a few reports of QC issues like driver impedance mismatch, cable breakages and loose screws, do you think that it's worth blind buying the HE500s, or should I get the SHR840s?
Also, is it possible to reterminate the HE500s using a K701 cable and 4-Pin XLR so I could go balanced from my NFB-10SE?
Regards

Firstly, if you buy them from a company like HeadRoom or the likes I'm sure they wouldn't mind checking out the headphone before shipping them to you. Call them up and see what they can do. I bought my HE-500s from their B Stock and the person I talked to on the phone couldn't be more helpful.
 
If you decide to use a balanced cable from a K701 it wouldn't be difficult to cut the termination off and put on the correct HiFiMAN ones. You can get HiFiMAN terminations and a 4 Pin Male XLR connection to easily make a balanced cable with some patience instead of cutting up a perfectly good one. Moon-Audio supplies everything you would need for that. I would recommend the Canare Star Quad cable L-4E6S. 

 

[wdahm519]

HE-500's blow away the SRH840.  I've own(ed) both and have had lots of hours on both.  There's just no contest here.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

I went to Addicted to Audio today and auditioned the Grado RS1 ($695AU) and Shure SRH840 ($188AU) headphones. I also auditioned but did not like the Beyerdynamic DT880 (250ohm), DT990 (600ohm) & T70P, the Audio-Technica W1000s. Quite good were the Shure SRH940s and Grado PS500s but they weren't as good as the RS1 and 840s for various reasons.
 
The RS1s had a creamy mid-sized soundstage with excellent musical detail in the bass, mids and trebles. However, the bass and treble were a bit over-powering and there was a noticeable lack of sub-bass.
 
The SRH840 was surprisingly good in comparison. I A-B tested them both listening to Black Sabbath's 'Warning,' Tool's 'Right in Two,' Mika Vainio's 'Omerta' and William Carter's 'Folias Espanolas,' the SRH840 provided a wide natural soundstage, less treble and bass, but more sub-bass impact and ultra-high treble (above 10kHz). The downside of the 840s is that the detail is not as nice in the mids and the bass is less detailed, but for $188AU, they seem like a steal. Both headphones sounded fantastic, and in comparison to my 701s, they were much better for Rock, Metal and sub-bass oriented music.
 
Has anyone compared the HE500s to the Grado RS1s, Shure SRH840s, and if so, how do they compare to the HE500s?
 
Given that there have been quite a few reports of QC issues like driver impedance mismatch, cable breakages and loose screws, do you think that it's worth blind buying the HE500s, or should I get the SHR840s?
Also, is it possible to reterminate the HE500s using a K701 cable and 4-Pin XLR so I could go balanced from my NFB-10SE?
Regards

 
I have both the SRH840 and HE-500, and the HE-500 are a bit better in all areas.  Nevertheless, I am always impressed with the SRH840 for the price, and like them more than my previous Denon D2000 closed phones or my Ultrasone HFI700 closed phones.  The Shure have good isolation from outside noise and don't leak music to the outside, so they do play a role in noisy environments or nighttime listening when trying not to disturb others.
 
I once compared the RS-1 to my HE-5 and HE-5 LE, and the HiFiMan phones won out.  The soundstage and imaging was better, and they were not as fatiguing as RS-1, and I thought the HiFiMan phones were less colored and more accurate.  I haven't compared the HE-500 to the RS-1, but in comparison to my HE-5 and HE-5 LE I prefer the HE-500.  The HE-500 solidified the audio image a little better, with richer or more vivid midrange and vocals vs the previous models, but without the upper mids bump and 2D soundstage of the Grados.

 

[Yuceka]

Anyone here driving their HE-500 through an Asgard? I need a second amp for my office and I am wondering if it'd be wise to get an Asgard and save some money...

 

[MLee]

If you really want to save some money you can drive them with the Objective2.  I'm not a cult follower but I do think the amp holds its' own against the competition at the price range you are talking.  I went back and forth driving the HE-500 with a Lyr and the O2 and really didn't give much up.  Is there a difference?  Yes, maybe, but not as much as you'd think.

 

[FlySweep]

I drive the HE-500 with the Objective 2 (and wonderful Neco Soundlab V3-portable) on a daily basis.. both pair extremely well with the HE-500 and don't make it sound underpowered at all.

 

[Llloyd]

Quote:

Anyone here driving their HE-500 through an Asgard? I need a second amp for my office and I am wondering if it'd be wise to get an Asgard and save some money...

 
Tried it and didn't like it.  I like my little dot mkii much more for the price even though it outputs less power.

 

[Ultrainferno]

Quote:

 
Tried it and didn't like it.  I like my little dot mkii much more for the price even though it outputs less power.

 
 
Agreed. O2 + HE-500 wasn't to write home about to my ears

 

[floorpug]

What kind of pads can be inserted on the HE-500 instead of the stock pads? Can you use any pad that is detachable and has four slits like on the K701?
If so, does anyone know some brands of pads that can be used?
Regards

 

[FlySweep]

What kind of pads can be inserted on the HE-500 instead of the stock pads? Can you use any pad that is detachable and has four slits like on the K701?
If so, does anyone know some brands of pads that can be used?
Regards

http://www.head-fi.org/t/572327/mission-replace-the-hifiman-ear-pads-with-other-brand-ear-pads

 

[FlySweep]

MARATHON listening session with the HE-500 tonight.. TEN hours w/o taking them off my head.. Neco portable and iPhone in tow.. they provided the perfect soundtrack as I migrated a client's Enterprise SQL database & app.
 
The secret?  I tTook the headband from my T50RP Paradox (thanks LFF!) & slapped it on the HE-500.. supreme comfort that perfectly balances the HE-500 on my ears and distributes the weight across the top of my head evenly.  That''s how you get away with wearing these beasts for ten hours (and going).

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

MARATHON listening session with the HE-500 tonight.. TEN hours w/o taking them off my head.. Neco portable and iPhone in tow.. they provided the perfect soundtrack as I migrated a client's Enterprise SQL database & app.
 
The secret?  I tTook the headband from my T50RP Paradox (thanks LFF!) & slapped it on the HE-500.. supreme comfort that perfectly balances the HE-500 on my ears and distributes the weight across the top of my head evenly.  That''s how you get away with wearing these beasts for ten hours (and going).

Any pics of that?

 

[Yuceka]

Quote:

 
 
Agreed. O2 + HE-500 wasn't to write home about to my ears

I think he was talking about not liking the pairing with the Asgard, not the O2. I am still on the fence about going either an OTL tube amp or O2 being able to drive them "really" well.