[Dubstep Girl]

I find them difficult to categorize. I'd say on about 15-20% of what I listen to it sounds as good (in a different way - then the HE6se, HE500). Then other times it has odd results - sometimes the bass is near HE-6 levels and other times its more patty-cake like a HE5se.

But its the treble that often does cut like a knife at times. I mean searing highs witness - Dark Side o t Moon my remastered CD sounds wrong almost the entire way through - esp on complex or highly dynamic bits.

Having heard almost all planar HFM cans since the HE-4, it's very clear that the further you go back from the tall cup models - HE-5se, Sundara, HE-400i, HE-500, HE-6 | HE-5LE, HE-5, HE-4 the worse the ringing gets, and the ones HE-6 up can be modded and EQ'd to generally remove this problem. However from the 5LE back, even mods like I've done to the 500 don't do enough to keep them from being sharp at times. It's a show stopper for me.

Note that the purveyors of EQ settings that rely on FR data only totally miss the data seen on waterfall plots. To remedy for HFM's, set EQ for say Oratory 1990. Set everything under 100 Hz to 0 db. Then look at the waterfall. Usually round form cans have a big bump between 8-10 kHz (for the 500 its seems to be about a 9400 Hz center point). Using a parametric, drop 4 db at 9.4 kHz with the narrowest profile (9.0), and toggle with the regular setting. If there is a setting between 8-11 kHz then the 4 db number has to be adjusted to actually give 4 db effect.

I really liked their transprency, detail, extension, and overall tone, very smooth mids, great bass, amazing for vocals, rock, edm, anything. its a fast clean open sounding headphone with a slightly dryer decay than he-6 and a little less weight in the sound, though its just as organic and smooth in the mids, i did find a bit of zingyness, dry, jazzy, raspy kinda peak in the treble though. it can be tamed somewhat, and at moderate volumes isn’t a deal breaker, but it does give the headphone its quirk, and a reason why it was soon replaced by the he-500 and he-6, that said, it has many merits and I found it enjoyable and would of been a keeper for me, had I not eventually came across he-6 and better amplification for he-500.

 

[jrenai]

I just put my he5se up for sale because I thought the bass was slightly lacking. But when I tried it just now with the bass EQ'd up, this thing actually thumps and vibrates on my head. Listening to 2049 by hans zimmer WAS AN EXPERIENCE! I'm guessing this one will also benefit from a speaker amp? It went from being one of my least favorite headphones to one of my favorite just like that. Even with the bass up, it handles it really well and it doesnt bleed over so much where I cant hear the mids or highs. Now im thinking about getting the he6 to really see what these things can do.

 

[jrenai]

I was considering selling my HE5ses but then I discovered eq. With eq you can patch the big gaping hole from 1.7 to 3.5khz in the mids and up the sub bass a decent amoount for some additional slam. Treble adjustments as per perference. They will always be slightly bright but with the eq, they sound pretty good for 269 usd especially in the detail retreival and soundstage (wide but not so deep). They are good for gaming with the imaging. They are power pigs!!

LOL Look at my comment right above this one! I didnt even look at this before hand but I also almost sold mine today until i tried EQ. Turning the bass shelf up was a complete difference! It actually handles it easily where I thought it was clipping in the bass not EQ'd when I would turn it up. I never minded how "bright" they were so I didnt need to EQ the treble. After doing this on my monoprice 788 Im wondering if a speaker amp will turn these into something EVEN better like they say about the he 6's. They went from one of my least favorite to one of my most favorite pairs

 

[jrenai]

LOL.. I don't find my HE-5se to be that far off from my HE-560. I paid $175 for my used HE-5se on eBay from Adorama, and I find it easily worth that.

I actually hated my he5se until I EQ the bass up now it slaps SO HARD. It handled it like a champ. totally different headphone now

 

[benteo87]

I am having some comfort issues with my he5se, there seems to be excessive pressure on my temples or my upper jaw, depending on whether the pads are titled slightly upwards or downwards. I haven't done any mods since purchasing it last week.

Anyone experiencing this issues as well? Or any advise?

 

[HellooooThar]

I am having some comfort issues with my he5se, there seems to be excessive pressure on my temples or my upper jaw, depending on whether the pads are titled slightly upwards or downwards. I haven't done any mods since purchasing it last week.

Anyone experiencing this issues as well? Or any advise?

You could try getting some new pads -- there are several different models that will fit the HE5se. Did you get them new or used? When new I found the pad foam to be a bit firm. I have been using mine almost daily for hours at a time, going on 2+ years now. So much so that I trashed the factory pads and had to get aftermarket pads on Amazon. Pretty decent copy of the HiFiMan pads, but they are back to being stiff!

 

[bagwell359]

Just a reminder. The 5 SE seems to have a high resonance point. You can shove all the 20 Hz signal into them you want. They will flop around producing higher distortion (non-linearities) than a can capable of 20 Hz like any HE-6. More non-linear output in the bass and above too. It's a kludge. And if your resolution is good hearing it isn't hard when pushed esp with crazy EQ.

 

[elwappo99]

Oh man this is quite the old thread. Forgot about it, but figured I'd add the info in case it was never figured out. I had a pair of HE-5se and HE-5 side by side. The HE-5se was nowhere near the original HE-5. It sounded more like the more modern hifiman with faster and lighter bass that didn't have the same zing and slam of the original. Also the treble of the HE-5se didn't capture the same sparkle and detail of the original.