[Jesterphile]

Yeah, each night I come home from work to listen to these beauties I'm falling in love a little bit more.
 
I'm listening to The Raven That Refused to Sing (And other stories) by Steven Wilson at the moment. Sounds absolutely breathtaking on these - all the instruments sounds so natural

 

[tuna47]

I could not agree more love them I have had hd600 hd650 akg702 he400 and these are the best of all combined I one phone

 

[Techno Kid]

Anyone that's listened to the HE-500 and the Mad Dog headphones if you could tell me how they compare to each other I'd really appreciate it.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

Anyone that's listened to the HE-500 and the Mad Dog headphones if you could tell me how they compare to each other I'd really appreciate it.

 
They're quite different overall, mainly due to their open/closed nature.
 
HE-500:
- open sound
- more air (more treble energy, but still very smooth and not aggressive. Possibly the "best" of all planars, short of the HE-6 and LCD-3)
- (very) lush midrange which gives an overall euphonic presentation
- mid-bass bump which increases impact. Bass is quite bloomy compared to the MDs.
- upper-mid bump which help giving that open sound (remember: the treble are smooth). Can be too much of a good thing on some setups (and for some people).
- no isolation (mini speakers)
- not so comfortable with velour pads for small heads (regardless of the weight, which, for, was never a concern). The pleather pads are more comfortable but sound terrible (again, IMO).
 
Mad Dogs:
- (slight) closed-in feeling. Still, very good with Alpha Pads considering its closed nature and isolation.
- good isolation
- smaller soundstage but very well layered and more focused. Regarding depth, I cannot really say.
- more linear/balanced, with a slightly dark tone.
- less treble
- less dynamics (PRaT)
- more linear bass
- "monitor"-like presentation (when the HE-500, by comparison, would be more a "live+tube" presentation).
- very comfy with the Alpha Pads (which fit on the 500s but add weight).
 
The 500s, IMO, are a better performer. But you must accept its almost tubish presentation (lushness + bloom = lacks a bit of center focus). They also are more expensive and have no isolation.
The MDs are the better value but comes with their own shortcomings.
 
Tough choice heh?!

 

[khaine1711]

Quote:

 
 
How close?  I only ask because my HE-6 / F1J rig is right on par with a BHSE / 007 rig IMO while killing with everything bass related..  Now the BHSE / 009 rig is tops but the HE-6 rig comes dangerously close - IMO ..

Prolly as close as the 500 to the 5LE. Could be difference in presentation rather than technicalities, could be synergy. As you noticed, ortho's bass slam is pretty hard to beat - I think it's part of the driver design. I really like the sound staging, blacker background and especially the speed of the Stax though. 
 
Still I think it could be a question of synergy, the 507 may pair better with a QuteHD/Octave or even a modded Havana than my Lampi. Or maybe I should swap to 006t or the 727A with spritzer mod.
 
Have you acquired an OR5 yet? 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Have you acquired an OR5 yet? 

 
 
Man still trying to sell this CK2III amp.  Then it's on.   Trying not to dig in my pockets for this.  But I just might have to.  
 
Also, just got work that a OR6 is due out sometime this year.  Main difference being:
 
XMOS
Galvanic Isolation on the USB port.

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

 
 
Man still trying to sell this CK2III amp.  Then it's on.   Trying not to dig in my pockets for this.  But I just might have to.  
 
Also, just got work that a OR6 is due out sometime this year.  Main difference being:
 
XMOS
Galvanic Isolation on the USB port.

 
Not considering the Berkeley Alpha USB? Seems like a well thought out piece of gear!
No I²S though (which might be your priority)

 

[Techno Kid]

Quote:

 
They're quite different overall, mainly due to their open/closed nature.
 
HE-500:
- open sound
- more air (more treble energy, but still very smooth and not aggressive. Possibly the "best" of all planars, short of the HE-6 and LCD-3)
- (very) lush midrange which gives an overall euphonic presentation
- mid-bass bump which increases impact. Bass is quite bloomy compared to the MDs.
- upper-mid bump which help giving that open sound (remember: the treble are smooth). Can be too much of a good thing on some setups (and for some people).
- no isolation (mini speakers)
- not so comfortable with velour pads for small heads (regardless of the weight, which, for, was never a concern). The pleather pads are more comfortable but sound terrible (again, IMO).
 
Mad Dogs:
- (slight) closed-in feeling. Still, very good with Alpha Pads considering its closed nature and isolation.
- good isolation
- smaller soundstage but very well layered and more focused. Regarding depth, I cannot really say.
- more linear/balanced, with a slightly dark tone.
- less treble
- less dynamics (PRaT)
- more linear bass
- "monitor"-like presentation (when the HE-500, by comparison, would be more a "live+tube" presentation).
- very comfy with the Alpha Pads (which fit on the 500s but add weight).
 
The 500s, IMO, are a better performer. But you must accept its almost tubish presentation (lushness + bloom = lacks a bit of center focus). They also are more expensive and have no isolation.
The MDs are the better value but comes with their own shortcomings.
 
Tough choice heh?!

 
Thanks a lot for the comparison and it sounds like the HE-500 are still the HP I'm wanting to get next.  When you say Lush mids and euphonic along with the open presentation that fits exactly what I'm looking for with the next HP I get.

 

[catfish]

Quote:

HE500, and modern planar magnetic headphones in general, are hard to beat in terms of their versatility with music genres. Hifiman cans in particular are "genre masters", as DavidMahler calls them in his flagship thread. That's a very important attribute I think, as most people indulge in just about every which genre of music when they get more into this hobby.

 
These are fantastic headphones that don't make the mistake of a distant presentation,  Grado like but with bass and without the distortion.  They are much more neutral than the HE-LE's which had a bright upper midrange that shined like a flashlight.  These HE-500s are neutral without being distant.  I haven't heard the HE-6,  but their power requirements are a real turn-off,  I probably think any gains over the HE-500's would be lost in trying to power them.  From a technical standpoint it is well known that the greater the amplification the greater the non-linearity,  and 5 watts into 50 ohms is borderline ridiculous,  that's 25Vpk,  more than a 35 watt speaker amp can do.  The nice thing about headphone's is the detail, linear nuances that would get lost with a phone as inefficient as the HE-6.   My guess is the HE-500 is the true Hifiman flagship it does everything right.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
Not considering the Berkeley Alpha USB? Seems like a well thought out piece of gear!
No I²S though (which might be your priority)

 
 
Bingo..  Spot on Clem..

 

[preproman]

Quote:

 
These are fantastic headphones that don't make the mistake of a distant presentation,  Grado like but with bass and without the distortion.  They are much more neutral than the HE-LE's which had a bright upper midrange that shined like a flashlight.  These HE-500s are neutral without being distant.  I haven't heard the HE-6,  but their power requirements are a real turn-off,  I probably think any gains over the HE-500's would be lost in trying to power them.  From a technical standpoint it is well known that the greater the amplification the greater the non-linearity,  and 5 watts into 50 ohms is borderline ridiculous,  that's 25Vpk,  more than a 35 watt speaker amp can do.  The nice thing about headphone's is the detail, linear nuances that would get lost with a phone as inefficient as the HE-6.   My guess is the HE-500 is the true Hifiman flagship it does everything right.

 
I couldn't disagree more.
 
The HE-6 does everything better by a wide margin when compared to the HE-500.  Yes, of course proper amplification is required.  When you have the right amp.  The HE-6 scales higher than any other headphone I've heard.  With each of the TOTL headphones winning in certain things over the HE-6 like....  HD800 for sound stage, LCD-3 for Bass, 009 for clarity.  But the HE-6 does all these things pretty darn good as a whole.  a la the "GENER MASTER"
 
Heck the HE-5LE and HE-4 may be more balanced than the HE-500.
 
The HE-6 is the true Flagship no doubt..

 

[Clemmaster]

Quote:

 
I couldn't disagree more.
 
The HE-6 does everything better by a wide margin when compared to the HE-500.  Yes, of course proper amplification is required.  When you have the right amp.  The HE-6 scales higher than any other headphone I've hear.  With each of the TOTL headphones winning in certain things over the HE-6 like....  HD800 for sound stage, LCD-3 for Bass, 009 for clarity.  But the HE-6 does all these things pretty darn good as a whole.  a la the "GENER MASTER"
 
Heck the HE-5LE and HE-4 may be more balanced than the HE-500.
 
The HE-6 is the true Flagship no doubt..

 
Definitely this

 

[khaine1711]

To many people, the main selling point of a flagship is how it scale. The He500 will always be bang for the buck (and among the best at that); meanwhile people will still spend 5k+ to "power" their Hd800/He-6/009/R10 etc etc 

.

 

[preproman]

Best bang for the buck - No doubt..

  On second thought,  The HE-5LE and the HE-4 can be considerd that as well.

 

[Pianist]

I always wanted to try the HE-4. I read that it is more aggressive, brighter sounding that HE-500 and I think I would definitely like that kind of sound. Not that HE-500 is technically lacking in any way, but I do find them a little too soft and boring sounding for my tastes at times.