[Hi-Fi-Apricity]

Yea as others are saying your best bet would be the HE-6, but sadly they tend to run often in the low 1K area. It has imho the most viscreal bass I have heard and the other qualities of the headphone are very very similar to the He-500. You could also get your HE-500 modded to try and bring the bass more foward although I dont know how you would go about doing this.

 

[macdonjh]

what kind of pads are you using with them?

Stock velour pads. Quite comfortable.

the HE6 is more snappy and dinamic but they need a lot of clean power to unleash their full potential

I am using the Schiit Mjolnir (original). It seems to have enough power for my HE-500, but I haven't tried them connected directly to an amp, but I could.

 

[Shazb0t]

The other thing to consider is that there is really nothing wrong with the he500. It's not going to be super easy to find something definitively better than them. You can find differently tuned cans, but I don't know that there is some obvious answer for you.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

For what he’s seeking, HE-6 is pretty much an exact match. It is the direct upgrade from HE-500, particularly if looking for more impact and bite. It is too bad they have been discontinued. HE-500 is a very good headphone with mids very difficult to compete with. But by direct comparison with the HE-6, its treble is more etchy, bass less textured and less impactful, and is less visceral overall. Staging and imaging also takes a step up on the HE-6. It is easy to tell it is the more refined headphone and that it served as the flagship for many years. HE-6 is, however, brighter and requires modding. So, arguably, does HE-500 to maximize its potential. In a perfect world I’d have kept my HE-500. It is one of HiFiMAN’s very best. I really miss its mids.

 

[Oscar-HiFi]

Stock velour pads. Quite comfortable.


I am using the Schiit Mjolnir (original). It seems to have enough power for my HE-500, but I haven't tried them connected directly to an amp, but I could.

Swap out the stock pads for the Dekoni Elite Hybrid TH900 pads

 

[Shazb0t]

For what he’s seeking, HE-6 is pretty much an exact match. It is the direct upgrade from HE-500, particularly if looking for more impact and bite. It is too bad they have been discontinued. HE-500 is a very good headphone with mids very difficult to compete with. But by direct comparison with the HE-6, its treble is more etchy, bass less textured and less impactful, and is less visceral overall. Staging and imaging also takes a step up on the HE-6. It is easy to tell it is the more refined headphone and that it served as the flagship for many years. HE-6 is, however, brighter and requires modding. So, arguably, does HE-500 to maximize its potential. In a perfect world I’d have kept my HE-500. It is one of HiFiMAN’s very best. I really miss its mids.

I own both and I don't agree with you on all these points. To my ears the he6 is tonally brighter than the he500, so it's very possible that someone who enjoys the he500 may not pick the he6 over it. Hence my original suggestion to try before you buy.

 

[macdonjh]

The other thing to consider is that there is really nothing wrong with the he500. It's not going to be super easy to find something definitively better than them. You can find differently tuned cans, but I don't know that there is some obvious answer for you.

No, there is nothing wrong with my HE-500. There is a time, though, when you're familiar with something (like me and my HE-500), that you notice its faults to a greater degree than is fair. So, when I'm listening to classical and acoustic jazz, my HE-500 is just the ticket. At this time, though, when I listen to rock I want the drums to hit harder than they do through the HE-500. That an improvement, especially for $1000 or less, is going to be hard to find is the reason I started searching for ideas here rather than starting with retailers and my credit card.

What ever I decide to try, the HE-500 stay.

I own both and I don't agree with you on all these points. To my ears the he6 is tonally brighter than the he500, so it's very possible that someone who enjoys the he500 may not pick the he6 over it. Hence my original suggestion to try before you buy.

Let's assume Liu and I are exactly the same in our tastes: perhaps then the HE-6 would be the perfect solution. I may save some more money and try to find a pair in good condition to try. It is entirely possible that the HE-6 will be too bright for me (I am sensitive to hot treble, but not overly so). If the HE-6 turns out to be too bright, I'm sure there will be another Head-fi-er out there that wants them. With your two posts I see the big challenge for the HE-6 to win me over is the treble being too bright/ forward, especially since I plan to use them for rock recordings.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas. Any comments about Mr Speakers?

 

[Monsterzero]

No, there is nothing wrong with my HE-500. There is a time, though, when you're familiar with something (like me and my HE-500), that you notice its faults to a greater degree than is fair. So, when I'm listening to classical and acoustic jazz, my HE-500 is just the ticket. At this time, though, when I listen to rock I want the drums to hit harder than they do through the HE-500. That an improvement, especially for $1000 or less, is going to be hard to find is the reason I started searching for ideas here rather than starting with retailers and my credit card.

What ever I decide to try, the HE-500 stay.



Let's assume Liu and I are exactly the same in our tastes: perhaps then the HE-6 would be the perfect solution. I may save some more money and try to find a pair in good condition to try. It is entirely possible that the HE-6 will be too bright for me (I am sensitive to hot treble, but not overly so). If the HE-6 turns out to be too bright, I'm sure there will be another Head-fi-er out there that wants them. With your two posts I see the big challenge for the HE-6 to win me over is the treble being too bright/ forward, especially since I plan to use them for rock recordings.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas. Any comments about Mr Speakers?

Mr.Speakers tends to have neutral tuning...others may disagree but if its more slam for rock that youre seeking I'd cross Mr.Speakers off of my list.
Although theyre not related I would look into the ZMF Atticus for your rock & metal needs...its an absolute beast,and doesnt require a speaker amp to drive.Liquid mids,gently rolled off treble,so no hot treble peaks,and thunderous midbass slam...Not to mention unparalleled customer service from Zach...something that you'll never get from HiFiMan .

I should add here that while I agree that the HE-6 is the logical upgrade,I had 2 HE-6 drivers fail on me within a 7 month span on a brand new pair.I was forced to sell it before the warranty ran out...not pleased.You can learn more about my experiences and thoughts on the HE-6 in my video review.



I havent done my Atticus review yet,but I can tell you here and now it kicks ass for rock & metal.

 

[macdonjh]

Thanks Monsterzero (is that M0 for short?). I'll look into the ZMF. I was wondering, when I started this thread, if a dynamic rather than planar design would end up being the ticket. Hopefully the ZMF dynamic driver doesn't give up the magically smooth and revealing mids and highs of the planar drivers. Perhaps I'll find out sooner rather than later.

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks Monsterzero (is that M0 for short?). I'll look into the ZMF. I was wondering, when I started this thread, if a dynamic rather than planar design would end up being the ticket. Hopefully the ZMF dynamic driver doesn't give up the magically smooth and revealing mids and highs of the planar drivers. Perhaps I'll find out sooner rather than later.

No headphone has planar bass other than a planar....If you understand that youll be good.

The HE6 slams with ferocity and is lightning fast.The Atticus slams with nearly the same force but it isnt nearly as fast,which isnt really an issue(for me)and I listen to some pretty fast music.By comparison the HD650 has a similar midbass thump,but not quite as heavy and is much slower than both the HE6 and Atticus.

The mids of the HE500 are some of the best ive heard,along with the Atticus and the AKG K240 sextetts.I do not think the mids nor slam of the Atticus will disappoint you,but just realize that it doesnt have the decay of the HE6.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

No, there is nothing wrong with my HE-500. There is a time, though, when you're familiar with something (like me and my HE-500), that you notice its faults to a greater degree than is fair. So, when I'm listening to classical and acoustic jazz, my HE-500 is just the ticket. At this time, though, when I listen to rock I want the drums to hit harder than they do through the HE-500. That an improvement, especially for $1000 or less, is going to be hard to find is the reason I started searching for ideas here rather than starting with retailers and my credit card.

What ever I decide to try, the HE-500 stay.



Let's assume Liu and I are exactly the same in our tastes: perhaps then the HE-6 would be the perfect solution. I may save some more money and try to find a pair in good condition to try. It is entirely possible that the HE-6 will be too bright for me (I am sensitive to hot treble, but not overly so). If the HE-6 turns out to be too bright, I'm sure there will be another Head-fi-er out there that wants them. With your two posts I see the big challenge for the HE-6 to win me over is the treble being too bright/ forward, especially since I plan to use them for rock recordings.

Thanks to everyone for their ideas. Any comments about Mr Speakers?

If you're looking for a headpone for classical and acoustical under $1k, you might want to consider the HD800. Strings have plenty of satisfying bite on that headphone. Mod with SDR (reversible) and you're good to go. It's not uncommon to find them used for well under your stated budget limit.

But if you're sensitive to treble, this may not be the best route. On well-recorded music, the treble never bothered me.

 

[macdonjh]

No headphone has planar bass other than a planar....If you understand that youll be good.

The HE6 slams with ferocity and is lightning fast.The Atticus slams with nearly the same force but it isnt nearly as fast,which isnt really an issue(for me)and I listen to some pretty fast music.By comparison the HD650 has a similar midbass thump,but not quite as heavy and is much slower than both the HE6 and Atticus.

The mids of the HE500 are some of the best ive heard,along with the Atticus and the AKG K240 sextetts.I do not think the mids nor slam of the Atticus will disappoint you,but just realize that it doesnt have the decay of the HE6.

Planar is planer, that's why I bought the HE-500 (at the time the HE-6 was beyond me). Thank you for your recommendations and perspective. It will help me prevent my credit card from flailing around aimlessly.

If you're looking for a headpone for classical and acoustical under $1k, you might want to consider the HD800. Strings have plenty of satisfying bite on that headphone. Mod with SDR (reversible) and you're good to go. It's not uncommon to find them used for well under your stated budget limit.

But if you're sensitive to treble, this may not be the best route. On well-recorded music, the treble never bothered me.

Thanks, Liu. I like the Sennheiser sound, but want to try something different for this experiment. Who knows, I may end up with HD-800 after a while. Thank you for your input also.

 

[macdonjh]

I collected a pair of Atticus from the post office this afternoon. My first impressions, based on WAY too many variables, are mixed. I started listening at my normal, relatively quiet, level. The impact I was looking for was evident immediately, but not as strong as I thought it would be. Bass was deep not particularly strong. Mids were muffled and recessed. Highs had good sparkle and were forward compared to the rest of the spectrum. I turned the volume up a bit and the Atticus sound started to even out. Impact/ slam/ punch got stronger and more satisfying. Bass started to come up and showed itself to be deep and detailed with good rumble. Mids also gained more presence and lost some of their muffled quality. Since the bass and mids were more audible balance with the treble improved.

Something unexpected and strange: vocals are centered solidly in my head, but drums and other bassy, percussion instruments were outside my head in the ear cups. It was almost like the sound was developing out in the room.

On the topic of way too many variables: Source connected to the amp single-ended vs. balanced, amp for the Atticus was the head phone out on an integrated amp I'd never heard vs. my Schiit Mjolnir. Atticus has a single-ended cable vs. the balanced cable on my HifiMAN HE-500.

All that said, I think the Atticus will be a good head phone for rock. I'm looking forward to removing some variables and comparing.

 

[Monsterzero]

Something unexpected and strange: vocals are centered solidly in my head, but drums and other bassy, percussion instruments were outside my head in the ear cups. It was almost like the sound was developing out in the room.

You have now experienced sound stage,congrats.

 

[macdonjh]

You have now experienced sound stage,congrats.

Perhaps, but it wasn't a coherent soundstage. That made the sound odd and disjointed. Too many variables, though, to form a rational opinion. There is "work" to do.