[evanft]

Quote:

 
I have an Emotiva BDP-1 (i think that is the model) that does a good job with them, and my vintage Marantz 2240 is even better (slightly warmer and punchier but not as detailed and spacious).  Both were under $200.  I think the EF5 amp is optimal with the HE-500, but it pushes your budget a little bit.

 
I don't see the BDP-1. Must have it mixed up with something else?
 
What I'm really looking for is just the O2, but with more power. So something with an extremely low output impedance, low distortion, low noise, and flat frequency response. I've always found vintage receivers to skew more towards the warm side of things, which is not what I'm looking for.
 
If I could get ahold of the PSU and SE-SE boards for "The Wire" amp, I'd build one and be ready to go.

 

[AlanGrey]

I've just bought a pair of these to replace my broken (but fixable, yes it's an excuse) and beloved Alessandro MS-1s. As suual with new audio gear, at first I was unsure and ascared of the new thing, but now I think they sound better than any headphone I've had the pleasure of using.
 
Sadly, there's are two issues.
 
First, there seems to be a peculiar emphasis on what I can only clumsily describe as the lower component of certain vocal notes. As if what's standing out to me is not the voice but the rushing air that should be underneath it. It's very off putting and it keeps popping out at me, especially with certain songs. I've compared with 4 other headphones and speakers, none have this artifact.
 
Second, and yes this is personal to me, I have a big comfort issue. My right ear is currently bright red from half an hour's listening. That's all I can stand. The discomfort is hard to pin down but I think it's a combination of the weight of the things on my delicate petal like ear lobes (I'm a guy), and the fact that one small part of my ear touches the gauze of back of the pad. I can't get comfortable and it's such a shame. My MS-1s have been a joy to wear.
 
So there you have it, sadly I think they're going to have to go back
 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
I don't see the BDP-1. Must have it mixed up with something else?
 
What I'm really looking for is just the O2, but with more power. So something with an extremely low output impedance, low distortion, low noise, and flat frequency response. I've always found vintage receivers to skew more towards the warm side of things, which is not what I'm looking for.
 
If I could get ahold of the PSU and SE-SE boards for "The Wire" amp, I'd build one and be ready to go.

 
 
What about a properly built CK2III?

 

[Chodi]

I had the same issue with comfort when I got mine. I finally used some gentle effort to bend the headband to reduce the clamping force which I thought was excessive. About two days into trying to get comfortable with these I realized that the ear cups are adjustable on 3 axis (two are obvious). Those adjustments are so stiff when new that they will not move without effort. Lastly, the headband padding is too thin. My wife sewed a pad over the headband for me and it brought a great improvement in accepting the weight. In the end, I got mine to the point where I can wear them for an hour without neck or back pain. Honestly, if the sound of these was not so incredible I would not have even tried to manage the weight. I am over 60 and my neck muscles are not as strong as they were. I have ordered some T1's that will be here next week to offer strain relief cause I use HP's several hours every day. I still truly love the sound of the HE-500's.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I had the same issue with comfort when I got mine. I finally used some gentle effort to bend the headband to reduce the clamping force which I thought was excessive. About two days into trying to get comfortable with these I realized that the ear cups are adjustable on 3 axis (two are obvious). Those adjustments are so stiff when new that they will not move without effort. Lastly, the headband padding is too thin. My wife sewed a pad over the headband for me and it brought a great improvement in accepting the weight. In the end, I got mine to the point where I can wear them for an hour without neck or back pain. Honestly, if the sound of these was not so incredible I would not have even tried to manage the weight. I am over 60 and my neck muscles are not as strong as they were. I have ordered some T1's that will be here next week to offer strain relief cause I use HP's several hours every day. I still truly love the sound of the HE-500's.

 
Heh yeah, loads of people who just received a Hifiman headphone do not know about the vertical axis swiveling, since it's so stiff and un-intuitive at a glance, it's why most Hifiman-related discomfort complaints are about 'not having a good seal'.
 
I find that the optimal comfort level is struck with a balance between clamp force and headband pressing down... the clamping relieves the downward force of the headphone's weight onto the top of the skull, but inversely too much clamping and the sides of your face hurt. So ideally you'd want just enough clamp to feel as much sideways earpad pressure as the vertical headband pressure.

 

[plin]

Quote:

Sadly, there's are two issues.
 
First, there seems to be a peculiar emphasis on what I can only clumsily describe as the lower component of certain vocal notes. As if what's standing out to me is not the voice but the rushing air that should be underneath it. It's very off putting and it keeps popping out at me, especially with certain songs. I've compared with 4 other headphones and speakers, none have this artifact.

 
1stly, enjoy your HE-500! 
 
 
I don’t know if I can imagine correctly what you describe, I have found that there is more presence in human voices in some notes because of a nasty 320Hz resonance from the black back protective mesh plate. Others haven’t complained about it (maybe mine HE-500 only has it ???).
 Maybe you can try temporary removing this plate and see if that helps. More info about this here.

 

[evanft]

Quote:

 
I don't see the BDP-1. Must have it mixed up with something else?
 
What I'm really looking for is just the O2, but with more power. So something with an extremely low output impedance, low distortion, low noise, and flat frequency response. I've always found vintage receivers to skew more towards the warm side of things, which is not what I'm looking for.
 
If I could get ahold of the PSU and SE-SE boards for "The Wire" amp, I'd build one and be ready to go.

 
So, I replaced a couple of the gain resistors in my O2 to make the low gain 3x instead of 2.5x. I'm now pretty much completely satisfied and am no longer even considering another amp.

 

[LugBug1]

Awww who would have thought, little me on the "High-end" forum! Had the He500's for 2 weeks now and I'm loving them. Money well spent. Though I'm pleased I ordered direct from Head-direct, if I'd bought from a local supplier in the uk I would of spent £230 more! thats a saving of (in dollars) $350!!
 
Anyhow, hearing a big difference in these after about 100 hrs on them. The soundstage is pretty much perfect, the mids and highs too. The only thing that could be improved for me is bass. It's nice, warm and deep but could be little tighter. This is really just a very subjective criticism from an otherwise quite spectacular headphone.  The amps I'm using are Asgard, Xcan V3 (floyded) Necsoundlab V2.1 with Arcam rdac. Can't see how a more powerful amp would tighten bass? or am I wrong?  
 
They are that good, I'm even selling my beloved 650's... either that or they'll sit in the corner of my room gathering dust like Norman Bates mother 

 

[Happy Camper]

Can't see how a more powerful amp would tighten bass? or am I wrong?

Yes it will tighten and improve impact. More power will get the best of them. Get a 6 speaker amp connector and see for yourself. Many have stood adamant more power won't help. Amping doesn't just work on db but damping and control. Once they gave the speaker amp a run, they came around. These are speakers, not headphone drivers.

 

[Solude]

You are right and wrong.  Its the low output impedance of the speaker amp that increases the dampening which in turn improves bass control.  Whether its 20W or 20mW doesn't matter for control.

 

[.Sup]

My speaker amp will make HE-500's bass more powerful but not because of its power but because its designed that way. Its not a flat amp frequency wise.

 

[plin]

Quote:

You are right and wrong.  Its the low output impedance of the speaker amp that increases the dampening which in turn improves bass control.  Whether its 20W or 20mW doesn't matter for control.

In theory, this is correct only for normal dynamic drivers, NOT orthodynamics!
Orthos do not excibit the normal low fequency driver resonance that need to be damped by the high damping factor. Only normal dynamic drivers do.

 

[Loevhagen]

^Right.
 
And that entails why the 1:8 impedance "rule" does not apply fully for orthos, I guess. My HE-500 sounds fantastic with different output impedance amplifiers.

 

[Solude]

We'll agree to disagree on dampening but still doesn't provide any basis for unused power helping control. 

 

[Loevhagen]

What puzzles me with the HE-6 (and sometimes HE-500) power-hype *), is also that the volume is not drawn into the equation. So, OK - 5W @ 50ohm is fair enough - but how much is de facto used playing at lets say 84 db? My experience is that the pre-amplifier quality involved is a far more significant variable than the "power hype" cultivates.
 
*) Having tried 4 speaker amps - including the HE-adapter and / or hot wire to speaker terminals - driving my HE-6. 
 
Sometimes, the Asch Experiment comes to mind...