[ArmAndHammer]

How does the bass of the HE-400 compare to the HE-500? I've never looked into the 500 because it's not at a price point for me so I honestly haven't read anything about them. Some people do say that the 400 is a borderline bass head can so maybe that would be a better option like the OP already is considering. I personally don't find the bass overwhelming but it's definitely there and it does not bleed through into the mids and highs at all. The mids and highs IMO are great so this as far as I'm concerned is going to be the OP's best bet as a next try for a better than the M50 headphone. Enough bass to satisfy, enough everything else that he can continue forward (hopefully) in listening to and appreciating other music that's not the current stuff that's coming out. And all that at half the price he paid for the HE-500. Seems like a winner to me.

 

[Insatiable One]

  I prefer the HE-400 to to the HE-500. I like the slightly warmer sound to them, they have some slightly harsh highs with some music, but it can be EQ'd.
 

Yes, I did read reports of sibilance in the HE-400s. That's what made me turn away from choosing it. I like prominent and well executed highs, but because I like to listen for an hour or two at a time whilst doing other things, I highly dislike any sibilance in a headphone.
Not to hijack my own thread, but how exactly does one use an equalizer? Do you just adjust and listen or is there some sort of order that you follow? Because an equalizer isn't just separated into bass, mids, and highs. For example, how would you go about adjusting a 5 band parametric equalizer?

   
There's the HE-400 and HE-300 but I didn't find either of them to be of high resolution. If you don't mind moving to closed then your options increase. The majority of highly regarded open headphones do not have that much difference in bass as the HE-500. 
 
I'm curious but what do you think about the AKG K7xx from your profile? AKG's typically are not known for having a lot of bass in quantity so it would be interesting if you found that more pleasing. 

Well I got the K7XX from Massdrop obviously and I bought it to give that type of sound signature a try, especially because it was advertised as having more bass than the original K70X series. It was an interesting headphone, but I didn't like it that much. My little brother enjoys it and I couldn't return it anyways. It also looks cool

I thought that the HE-500 was a superb headphone based on reviews so I bought it, but the issue here is that for $500, I wasn't satisfied. 
 
Is the HE-400 are worthy upgrade from the ATH-M50 in your opinion? Part of the reason I was looking to upgrade was because of the fact that the M50s aren't very resolving at all. I guess the short way of saying it is that I am looking for a headphone that is resolving without sacrificing bass too much. To me that sounds like the HE-400. But your comment on the HE-400 not being very resolving concerns me.
 
What exactly is your opinion of the HE-400?

  The closed back planar mods all tend to have more bass than the HE-500. I know because I own one and I have heard the HE-500 alongside. ZMF x Vibro, Mad Dog Pro, Alpha Dog, Audeze EL-8 closed back (no sound impressions yet) all should have more bass and possibly be better suited to your tastes.

I thought the Mad Dogs were dynamic? Isn't the stock T50RP dynamic?
 
What are your opinions on the Mad Dog and the HE-400 when compared against each other? Which one is more resolving? They're my two current options.
 
 

  Sorry if you posted already, but what exactly kind of music are you listening to? Post up some specific groups/songs, maybe even throw up a couple links so others can listen to them and maybe you'll find out that the HE-500 just aren't suited for the music you like and it'll be time to move on to something else. Much as it sucks, that's just kinda part of this game.

Just curious, why exactly are you purchasing a second pair to compare? Does HiFiMAN have quality control issues?
I didn't exactly say what kind of music I listen to, but rather what I don't listen to. Because I listen to a very wide variety of different music I thought that it would be more convenient to say what I don't listen to instead of list all the genres that I do listen to. I don't really listen to country or K-Pop and techno/trance. I listen to genres ranging from EDM to heavy metal to R&B and old jazz. I love Sinatra! Some artists that I listen to are: Five Finger Death Punch, Flosstradamus, Thy Art is Murder, Hegemon, Lana Del Rey, Metallica, Diplo, Guns n Roses, and Sinatra. Those were the first artists I saw when I put my iPod on shuffle. I also listen to classical and orchestra. Tchaikovsky is a favorite.
How resolving is the HE-400 in your opinion?

Hey there Tuneslover! Thank you for your reply! I appreciate it a lot.
 
I've always wanted to have a good stereo system, but that is ultra costly. Yes, I think I will purchase a SS amp later on but I was attracted to the properties of a tube amp and the Lyr 2 also has a lot of power. It is also very versatile because it now has a gain switch. Your taste in audio when you were younger is really quite similar to what I liked no more than one year ago. I think it's shocking that I actually found that to be attractive haha!
 
I enjoyed the length of your reply, so don't be sorry about it! I have actually changed my view on the HE-500. See my post below.

 

[Insatiable One]

A second look at the HiFiMAN HE-500:
Alas, I have found my appreciation for the HiFiMAN HE-500! Boy oh boy, does it put my beloved ATH-M50 to shame. The bass, its quantity has not increased. However, I have come to enjoy that bass more and more. There isn't any more of it than there was initially, but I feel that I can "locate" it now, if that makes any sense. The bass is incredibly fast and clean. It's like I can hear it for what it is instead of just feel its rumble. Songs started to sound cleaner instead of just lacking bass. 
 
I first noticed this when I went on Soundcloud and listened to some heavy complicated dubstep. Crazy, right? After listening to a lot of HDTracks music, I actually hear the difference most on some Soundcloud upload. The song was Brutalize by Lord Swan3x. The HE-500 demonstrated excellent control of the song's dynamics while the M50 just reproduced it muddy and dull. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the HE-500. The next song I heard a significant difference in was a song I knew very well. As I've previously stated, I listen to a wide variety of genres. One is heavy metal. Actually, I think that heavy metal is a good test for headphones because it is hard to reproduce cleanly. The song I listened to was Requiem by Thy Art is Murder. Again, the HE-500 produced a stunning rendition of the song. Oh the double bass! I felt as if I could hear the actual drum being struck as the drummer slammed the pedal. I could hear the double bass and feel all of its texture. Also, the song in general was just clearer and easier to hear. I could hear separate instruments instead of just one big blob of melody. This heavy metal track can be found on YouTube if anybody is wondering. Another Soundcloud track is Know What I Want (esta remix) by Kali Uchis. The female vocals in this song were so lush and musical to my ears. I felt entranced. The difference was not night and day, but rather more like noon and evening. The last thing that I tried was some holophonic/binaural tracks. There are some holophonic videos on YouTube of people talking and whatnot. This helped me get a feel of how well these headphones produced a soundstage. However, they were almost tied here. It was hard to distinguish, and on some videos I thought that the HE-500 sounded better, and on some the M50 was just a hair better.
 
Unfortunately, I have also come to the decision that $500 is simply a wee bit too much for me at the moment. Sadly, I have still decided to return this magnificent headphone. Hopefully, I will pick it up again some time in the future. Actually, because it's discontinued, I'll probably purchase the HE-560 when its price has gone down. I think for now, I will save a couple hundred and settle for the HE-400 or Mr. Speakers Mad Dog, once I've done enough reading on them. An upgrade is actually a "need" instead of just a "want" now as I think the right driver of my M50s are beginning to fail. The right driver suddenly started to sound fuzzy like it was vibrating very loosely.
 
Here are some side notes:
I made these observations over the weekend in the morning after some good coffee, and again at night. Something that really helped me zone in on just the sound was dimming the lights. The room wasn't pitch black, but it was very dim and I allowed myself to get lost in the sound instead of looking at my dresser, for example. One very interesting thing that I found was that the sound of the HE-500 altered a little when the placing on my head was different. I don't have the largest head or the largest ears either. Once I figure out adjusting the length of the headphone (which is difficult because it doesn't adjust in clicks) I can get my ear to be in the center on the vertical plane. However, I can still move the headphone around horizontally, and I found that this changes the listening experience. I can't really describe the changes, but they are there. I found that I preferred placing the headphone more forward towards my face with the back of the earpad just grazing my ear, but not really pushing against it. 

 

[ArmAndHammer]

  Yes, I did read reports of sibilance in the HE-400s. That's what made me turn away from choosing it. I like prominent and well executed highs, but because I like to listen for an hour or two at a time whilst doing other things, I highly dislike any sibilance in a headphone.
Not to hijack my own thread, but how exactly does one use an equalizer? Do you just adjust and listen or is there some sort of order that you follow? Because an equalizer isn't just separated into bass, mids, and highs. For example, how would you go about adjusting a 5 band parametric equalizer?
Well I got the K7XX from Massdrop obviously and I bought it to give that type of sound signature a try, especially because it was advertised as having more bass than the original K70X series. It was an interesting headphone, but I didn't like it that much. My little brother enjoys it and I couldn't return it anyways. It also looks cool

I thought that the HE-500 was a superb headphone based on reviews so I bought it, but the issue here is that for $500, I wasn't satisfied. 
 
Is the HE-400 are worthy upgrade from the ATH-M50 in your opinion? Part of the reason I was looking to upgrade was because of the fact that the M50s aren't very resolving at all. I guess the short way of saying it is that I am looking for a headphone that is resolving without sacrificing bass too much. To me that sounds like the HE-400. But your comment on the HE-400 not being very resolving concerns me.
 
What exactly is your opinion of the HE-400?
I thought the Mad Dogs were dynamic? Isn't the stock T50RP dynamic?
 
What are your opinions on the Mad Dog and the HE-400 when compared against each other? Which one is more resolving? They're my two current options.
 
 
Just curious, why exactly are you purchasing a second pair to compare? Does HiFiMAN have quality control issues?
I didn't exactly say what kind of music I listen to, but rather what I don't listen to. Because I listen to a very wide variety of different music I thought that it would be more convenient to say what I don't listen to instead of list all the genres that I do listen to. I don't really listen to country or K-Pop and techno/trance. I listen to genres ranging from EDM to heavy metal to R&B and old jazz. I love Sinatra! Some artists that I listen to are: Five Finger Death Punch, Flosstradamus, Thy Art is Murder, Hegemon, Lana Del Rey, Metallica, Diplo, Guns n Roses, and Sinatra. Those were the first artists I saw when I put my iPod on shuffle. I also listen to classical and orchestra. Tchaikovsky is a favorite.
How resolving is the HE-400 in your opinion?
Hey there Tuneslover! Thank you for your reply! I appreciate it a lot.
 
I've always wanted to have a good stereo system, but that is ultra costly. Yes, I think I will purchase a SS amp later on but I was attracted to the properties of a tube amp and the Lyr 2 also has a lot of power. It is also very versatile because it now has a gain switch. Your taste in audio when you were younger is really quite similar to what I liked no more than one year ago. I think it's shocking that I actually found that to be attractive haha!
 
I enjoyed the length of your reply, so don't be sorry about it! I have actually changed my view on the HE-500. See my post below.

 
So far I've found there to be very little with the HE-400 but then again I'm a huge fan of Grados. Earpad rolling/modding can take care of that or EQing will too, but unless you are sensitive to it, I don't think it's much of an issue except for a very few songs and the occasional female vocal.
 
EQ, not sure if all of them do it, but the one I use with Foobar, it's busted up into frequencies and when you move one slider one or two on each side move too so it keeps things from getting too out of whack. So you pretty much just make small adjustments as you listen. Some songs may need it, some may not. So far I haven't EQ'ed my HE-400 even once. No need.
 
The reason for two is because I want to make sure I get the right headphone for me. I don't buy new ones often but when I do, I want to make sure I'm getting my money worth. So really it's not unlike you in this current situation you are having. Difference is, I'll have two headphones that I researched and come to the conclusion that one or the other should be something I will enjoy. So far the HE-400 is working out. The X2 will be here Tuedays so I'll find out how it is then. From reviews, I suspect it may be more suited to me but I can't say for sure. I definitely need to be careful of having a preconceived opinion before I even try them though. As far as the quality of the HE-400...it seems very well built. I don't really foresee any quality issues and as long as you are getting the newest build version you'll be good to go. Any place that sells them new will be the new version (V4).
 
Music I'm listening to is a lot of vocal heavy stuff, I prefer acoustic performances when I can find them. Huge Dave Matthews fan, Dirty Heads, Evanescence sounds amazing, Gorillaz is awesome, Five Finger kicks butt with these, listened to some Disturbed and the 400 did great, older stuff like Clapton, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin...amazing. I did actually listen to some classical last night, Gustavo Dudamel Danzon No. 2 was just great. There's lots of other stuff too and so far, the 400 has handled just about everything superbly IMO. I still have lots to listen to and I'm super excited to compare them to the X2's when they get here. There's some discussion going on over at the HE-400 thread now since there's two of us that are going to be doing the same comparison.

 

[ArmAndHammer]

  A second look at the HiFiMAN HE-500:
Alas, I have found my appreciation for the HiFiMAN HE-500! Boy oh boy, does it put my beloved ATH-M50 to shame. The bass, its quantity has not increased. However, I have come to enjoy that bass more and more. There isn't any more of it than there was initially, but I feel that I can "locate" it now, if that makes any sense. The bass is incredibly fast and clean. It's like I can hear it for what it is instead of just feel its rumble. Songs started to sound cleaner instead of just lacking bass. 
 
I first noticed this when I went on Soundcloud and listened to some heavy complicated dubstep. Crazy, right? After listening to a lot of HDTracks music, I actually hear the difference most on some Soundcloud upload. The song was Brutalize by Lord Swan3x. The HE-500 demonstrated excellent control of the song's dynamics while the M50 just reproduced it muddy and dull. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the HE-500. The next song I heard a significant difference in was a song I knew very well. As I've previously stated, I listen to a wide variety of genres. One is heavy metal. Actually, I think that heavy metal is a good test for headphones because it is hard to reproduce cleanly. The song I listened to was Requiem by Thy Art is Murder. Again, the HE-500 produced a stunning rendition of the song. Oh the double bass! I felt as if I could hear the actual drum being struck as the drummer slammed the pedal. I could hear the double bass and feel all of its texture. Also, the song in general was just clearer and easier to hear. I could hear separate instruments instead of just one big blob of melody. This heavy metal track can be found on YouTube if anybody is wondering. Another Soundcloud track is Know What I Want (esta remix) by Kali Uchis. The female vocals in this song were so lush and musical to my ears. I felt entranced.
 
Unfortunately, I have also come to the decision that $500 is simply a wee bit too much for me at the moment. Sadly, I have still decided to return this magnificent headphone. Hopefully, I will pick it up again some time in the future. Actually, because it's discontinued, I'll probably purchase the HE-560 when its price has gone down. I think for now, I will save a couple hundred and settle for the HE-400 or Mr. Speakers Mad Dog, once I've done enough reading on them. An upgrade is actually a "need" instead of just a "want" now as I think the right driver of my M50s are beginning to fail. The right driver suddenly started to sound fuzzy like it was vibrating very loosely.

I have a feeling you will get most of the same thing with the 400's. But maybe with a bit more bass. Not boomy sloppy crappy 15" subwoofer in a hatchback kinda bass. But deep controlled bass that is well separated from the mids and highs as to not muddy things up at all. Maybe a little more impact which may or may not be a better match for you now that you've kinda "seen the light" and can now appreciate quality bass over quantity bass.
 
Here is a great example IMO of the kinda  vocals and music that I love to listen to and the HE-400 does these songs wonderfully.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXqGuyzALBk
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHBxhn6GFF4
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnriSFl8gfs (one of my personal favs...girl is 14 years old too when she did this...AMAZING)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MteSlpxCpo (doesn't get much better than this)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzBDgCyIQuw 
 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f52DXnKgTQ

 

[Koolpep]

Then he shouldn't have bought a headphone that doesn't emphasize bass, but in fact, does almost the opposite (by blending and extending). That's not the headphone's fault, and for someone who understands that, they're an amazing value and not a "waste of money" at all.

Well it was certainly a waste of his money - so yes, it was a waste of money (for him). I don't find that so hard to understand. 
 
Not his preferred signature - no need for bashing and superiority posts poopooing his opinion because he is young. From mature adults I expect better. But then, it's the internet. So maybe I am expecting too much.
 
Cheers,
K
 
PS: 
Also a lot of reviews are misleading, here like Tyll from Innerfidelity wrote about the HE-500:
Bass Texture/Extension - Extraordinary texture and very good extension. Very, very articulate, maybe slightly dry sounding bass ... what ever that means.
Bass Slam - With a very articulate and tight bass, these babies slammed hard. Very nice.
 
If I am 17 and I read this, I think these are bass cannons, they slam hard. Only when you know Tyll you understand what he means and how that slam will sound. There are plenty of reviews hailing the bass of the HE-500 so if you like bass you think "that's my headphone" and you spend the money only to discover that all these reviews come from a VERY different baseline (not bass line than yourself.

 

[Ishcabible]

Eh, when I read tight, I tend to think snappy therefore not really that strong.

T50RPs are planars like the HE500. It's kind of hard to compare the HE400 to the Mad Dogs. The Mad Dogs are rather warm sounding with relaxed treble, so you might find them to be a bit veiled. The HE400's treble peak makes them sound a lot more exciting. You should also take a look at the ZMF stuff; I tend to prefer it to the Mad/Alpha Dogs. It's not a superiority thing, just a preference thing.

 

[Tuneslover]

I have yet to reply to the OP, and I plan to when I have more time in a second, but I do not all share the impression that the HE-500s lack bass, especially with the Focus Pad A-s. I felt like I was positively in an earthquake listening to Hans Zimmer's soundtrack's the other night, an earthquake that nevertheless did not bleed into those slightly warm, lush mids. Compared to my M-Audio Q40s, comparable to the M50s, these are not bass-light in the least. Something about the HE-500 bass and most ortho bass that just seems to surround you. You feel it just as much as you hear it. 

A second look at the HiFiMAN HE-500:
Alas, I have found my appreciation for the HiFiMAN HE-500! Boy oh boy, does it put my beloved ATH-M50 to shame. The bass, its quantity has not increased. However, I have come to enjoy that bass more and more. There isn't any more of it than there was initially, but I feel that I can "locate" it now, if that makes any sense. The bass is incredibly fast and clean. It's like I can hear it for what it is instead of just feel its rumble. Songs started to sound cleaner instead of just lacking bass. 

I first noticed this when I went on Soundcloud and listened to some heavy complicated dubstep. Crazy, right? After listening to a lot of HDTracks music, I actually hear the difference most on some Soundcloud upload. The song was Brutalize by Lord Swan3x. The HE-500 demonstrated excellent control of the song's dynamics while the M50 just reproduced it muddy and dull. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the HE-500. The next song I heard a significant difference in was a song I knew very well. As I've previously stated, I listen to a wide variety of genres. One is heavy metal. Actually, I think that heavy metal is a good test for headphones because it is hard to reproduce cleanly. The song I listened to was Requiem by Thy Art is Murder. Again, the HE-500 produced a stunning rendition of the song. Oh the double bass! I felt as if I could hear the actual drum being struck as the drummer slammed the pedal. I could hear the double bass and feel all of its texture. Also, the song in general was just clearer and easier to hear. I could hear separate instruments instead of just one big blob of melody. This heavy metal track can be found on YouTube if anybody is wondering. Another Soundcloud track is Know What I Want (esta remix) by Kali Uchis. The female vocals in this song were so lush and musical to my ears. I felt entranced. The difference was not night and day, but rather more like noon and evening. The last thing that I tried was some holophonic/binaural tracks. There are some holophonic videos on YouTube of people talking and whatnot. This helped me get a feel of how well these headphones produced a soundstage. However, they were almost tied here. It was hard to distinguish, and on some videos I thought that the HE-500 sounded better, and on some the M50 was just a hair better.

Unfortunately, I have also come to the decision that $500 is simply a wee bit too much for me at the moment. Sadly, I have still decided to return this magnificent headphone. Hopefully, I will pick it up again some time in the future. Actually, because it's discontinued, I'll probably purchase the HE-560 when its price has gone down. I think for now, I will save a couple hundred and settle for the HE-400 or Mr. Speakers Mad Dog, once I've done enough reading on them. An upgrade is actually a "need" instead of just a "want" now as I think the right driver of my M50s are beginning to fail. The right driver suddenly started to sound fuzzy like it was vibrating very loosely.

Here are some side notes:
I made these observations over the weekend in the morning after some good coffee, and again at night. Something that really helped me zone in on just the sound was dimming the lights. The room wasn't pitch black, but it was very dim and I allowed myself to get lost in the sound instead of looking at my dresser, for example. One very interesting thing that I found was that the sound of the HE-500 altered a little when the placing on my head was different. I don't have the largest head or the largest ears either. Once I figure out adjusting the length of the headphone (which is difficult because it doesn't adjust in clicks) I can get my ear to be in the center on the vertical plane. However, I can still move the headphone around horizontally, and I found that this changes the listening experience. I can't really describe the changes, but they are there. I found that I preferred placing the headphone more forward towards my face with the back of the earpad just grazing my ear, but not really pushing against it. 

I'm happy for you that you appear to be picking up some of the HE500 capabilities. Do you know how many hours these cans have on them? Im not sure if anyone has commented yet but HiFIMan recommends a burn-in period of 150 hours. That's a pretty significant burn-in stretch which the cans will benefit from. I bought mine used (2 months old) so I put about 100 hours on them myself (continuous play for 3-4days...listening periodically to them throughout the burn-in process). Who knows maybe that's the HiFiMan marketing promoting brain burn-in...LOL. Personal experience I perceived a smoother, more relaxed and less etchy sound after burn-in. With respect to bass, a little more extended but more articulate.

Also, another individual commented on the Focus pads and I completely agree with their assessment about improving the bass. I would also add that be sure that you get a good fit and seal as that too is very important.

Just on a side note a few months ago I watched the HBO special...Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways where DG praised an L.A. Band called Kyuss. Out of curiosity I bought their "Blues for the Red Sun" CD. Hey if you like bass this CD is one heck of a torture test for any system because none of my systems could play this disc very cleanly. However the HE500's kept the mayhem together incredibly well. BTW, so did HD650's but the HE500's gave a more detailed presentation which is quite a feat with this type of challenging music. But then I suspect that my Lake People G109S contributed positively. Check them out on YouTube (not sure offhand what the uploaded quality is though) and compare your HE500's with your Audio Technica's.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

A second look at the HiFiMAN HE-500:
Alas, I have found my appreciation for the HiFiMAN HE-500! Boy oh boy, does it put my beloved ATH-M50 to shame. The bass, its quantity has not increased. However, I have come to enjoy that bass more and more. There isn't any more of it than there was initially, but I feel that I can "locate" it now, if that makes any sense. The bass is incredibly fast and clean. It's like I can hear it for what it is instead of just feel its rumble. Songs started to sound cleaner instead of just lacking bass. 

I first noticed this when I went on Soundcloud and listened to some heavy complicated dubstep. Crazy, right? After listening to a lot of HDTracks music, I actually hear the difference most on some Soundcloud upload. The song was Brutalize by Lord Swan3x. The HE-500 demonstrated excellent control of the song's dynamics while the M50 just reproduced it muddy and dull. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the HE-500. The next song I heard a significant difference in was a song I knew very well. As I've previously stated, I listen to a wide variety of genres. One is heavy metal. Actually, I think that heavy metal is a good test for headphones because it is hard to reproduce cleanly. The song I listened to was Requiem by Thy Art is Murder. Again, the HE-500 produced a stunning rendition of the song. Oh the double bass! I felt as if I could hear the actual drum being struck as the drummer slammed the pedal. I could hear the double bass and feel all of its texture. Also, the song in general was just clearer and easier to hear. I could hear separate instruments instead of just one big blob of melody. This heavy metal track can be found on YouTube if anybody is wondering. Another Soundcloud track is Know What I Want (esta remix) by Kali Uchis. The female vocals in this song were so lush and musical to my ears. I felt entranced. The difference was not night and day, but rather more like noon and evening. The last thing that I tried was some holophonic/binaural tracks. There are some holophonic videos on YouTube of people talking and whatnot. This helped me get a feel of how well these headphones produced a soundstage. However, they were almost tied here. It was hard to distinguish, and on some videos I thought that the HE-500 sounded better, and on some the M50 was just a hair better.

Unfortunately, I have also come to the decision that $500 is simply a wee bit too much for me at the moment. Sadly, I have still decided to return this magnificent headphone. Hopefully, I will pick it up again some time in the future. Actually, because it's discontinued, I'll probably purchase the HE-560 when its price has gone down. I think for now, I will save a couple hundred and settle for the HE-400 or Mr. Speakers Mad Dog, once I've done enough reading on them. An upgrade is actually a "need" instead of just a "want" now as I think the right driver of my M50s are beginning to fail. The right driver suddenly started to sound fuzzy like it was vibrating very loosely.

Here are some side notes:
I made these observations over the weekend in the morning after some good coffee, and again at night. Something that really helped me zone in on just the sound was dimming the lights. The room wasn't pitch black, but it was very dim and I allowed myself to get lost in the sound instead of looking at my dresser, for example. One very interesting thing that I found was that the sound of the HE-500 altered a little when the placing on my head was different. I don't have the largest head or the largest ears either. Once I figure out adjusting the length of the headphone (which is difficult because it doesn't adjust in clicks) I can get my ear to be in the center on the vertical plane. However, I can still move the headphone around horizontally, and I found that this changes the listening experience. I can't really describe the changes, but they are there. I found that I preferred placing the headphone more forward towards my face with the back of the earpad just grazing my ear, but not really pushing against it. 

Sorry for overlooking this post. Glad you at least had a decent experience trying them out and best wishes on your head-fi journeys!

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I'm happy for you that you appear to be picking up some of the HE500 capabilities. Do you know how many hours these cans have on them? Im not sure if anyone has commented yet but HiFIMan recommends a burn-in period of 150 hours. That's a pretty significant burn-in stretch which the cans will benefit from. I bought mine used (2 months old) so I put about 100 hours on them myself (continuous play for 3-4days...listening periodically to them throughout the burn-in process). Who knows maybe that's the HiFiMan marketing promoting brain burn-in...LOL. Personal experience I perceived a smoother, more relaxed and less etchy sound after burn-in. With respect to bass, a little more extended but more articulate.

Also, another individual commented on the Focus pads and I completely agree with their assessment about improving the bass. I would also add that be sure that you get a good fit and seal as that too is very important.

Just on a side note a few months ago I watched the HBO special...Dave Grohl's Sonic Highways where DG praised an L.A. Band called Kyuss. Out of curiosity I bought their "Blues for the Red Sun" CD. Hey if you like bass this CD is one heck of a torture test for any system because none of my systems could play this disc very cleanly. However the HE500's kept the mayhem together incredibly well. BTW, so did HD650's but the HE500's gave a more detailed presentation which is quite a feat with this type of challenging music. But then I suspect that my Lake People G109S contributed positively. Check them out on YouTube (not sure offhand what the uploaded quality is though) and compare your HE500's with your Audio Technica's.

As if late, I happen to have my eyes set squarely on your amp. lol.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@Insatiable One, if you do go for the 560, and I am biased for certain, please consider the path of speaker tap cables from a speaker amp. I take it you have been reading about the 560 and you perhaps have noticed there is a strong belief among some 560 users that they love current and as such should not be considered easy to drive. Now this is debated by some, so I will acknowledge that, but my personal experience is that the 560 needs the current to really shine. From my departed Asgard 2, which on paper should have driven the 560s well just didn't do it for me. Perhaps the somewhat bright signature of the A2 wasn't the best choice and masked the true performance, hard to say, but possible.
 
After the A2 I was very fortunate to get my hands on a mint Yulong A18 which I felt had very good synergy, and to my ears certainly drove the 560s well. Still, I kept looking at my NAD M3 and wondered how it would do with two muscular power supplies. Took the plunge and had Trevor at Norne Audio make me a speaker tap cable, which is just gorgeous and so very well made. I won't talk cable sound as I am on the fence about cables, and more importantly, I made two changes at once (new amp and new cable) so how do I know what is influencing the sound, or is it both factors?
 
Anyway, you could probably find an older speaker amp from the 80s or 90s at a pawn shop, or a charitable store such as The Salvation Army, any number of places with some drive in it. The kicker is getting a speaker tap cable made as it will cost what you would spend for a decent headamp like the Lyr 2. This is just a thought and I would never suggest that there aren't many pleasing and affordable headamps that will work with the 560, that would be foolish. I guess I'm just infatuated with the concept and that is only reinforced by the stunning results I have been lucky enough to have experienced. Regardless, I am glad that you took enough time to allow the HE 500 to show you what it can do. I am a firm believer that we need at least 10 - 15 hours of quality listening with a new sound signature to allow our brain to burn-in, and this is even more true when you are going from dynamic headphones to planar, or vice versa. My opinion only of course. Cheers. 

 

[Tuneslover]

As if late, I happen to have my eyes set squarely on your amp. lol.

Everything they say about it (neutral, black background, power a plenty) all true. I also have the Magni (Magni2Ü arriving today, apparently) and it also sounds very good but much more forward (in your face signature) where the G109S is spacious and effortless. But then reviewers imply that what you are actually hearing through the G109S isn't the amp itself because it is notorious for leaving no trace of itself behind. Instead all you hear is the source and the headphones themselves. That fits MY audio desire perfectly. That's why I got it.

 

[Magick Man]

redacted, quoted post wasn't worth my time.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

i like the he-500, they have good bass, and im a basshead, its just different. a different sounding headphone and defnitely isnt for everyone. but not waste of money if u seek a decently priced headphone that offers transparency and smooth extended treble as well as punchy tight sometimes wooly bass, its okay though and definitely not anemic by any means, its alot better than alot of the bass shy audiophile headphones in the cheaper price ranges. the he-500 also has good detail and put that all together and the fact that the he-500 is actually rlly forgiving and exceptionally good at electronic music, u got a winning combo there!!

 

[Magick Man]

Haha, ok, fair enough. Apologies for the call out. 

However many reviews rave about the bass, I can see how you could come to the conclusion that it might be "massive".

I also think the OP already realized that he made the wrong decision (hence he wasted his money on the wrong headphones), no point rubbing it in more. We were on a good way of finding him a suitable pair.

After all, with 17, all hormones and stuff going wild, you might not make the best decisions all the time even while choosing a title for his thread.

It is great bass, some of the best around, but like many reviews say, it isn't the "thumping" variety. Essentially, if the bass is in the material, the HE-500 will faithfully and naturally reproduce it, it's one of their best traits (and one carried on with the HE-560). In open orthos, the only one that comes close to that is the LCD-2, many would say at the expense of some clarity, but if I were the OP, I'd jump on the new closed variety of the EL-8s, or some Alpha Dogs (he could also go DIY and mod some T50RPs, if he feels handy with a screwdriver, that's a lot of fun).