[jamato8]

I just slipped on the LCD-2 and after listening tot he HE-500 for days the difference is very obvious. Anyway, I am finding the 500's to throw a larger soundstage than the LCD-2. The 500's are a little more airy and extend in the upper frequencies more. They both sound great to me but quite different. 

 

[jronan2]

Would these headphones be able to handle DnB, trance etc. well? Basically would it have enough bass impact, and what type of bass does it do well? (sub or mid). Just trying to find the right ortho for me down the road when my Schiit Lyr comes in a week or 2. Considering these HE 500 and the LCD 2.

 
 
 

 

[MrQ]

My impressions of the HE500
 

Equipment used:
Source 17” MacBook Pro iTunes/ Audirvana aiff/ 4TB (RAID1) Western Digital HD.
Amp/DAC: Audio-GD NFB-10ES (usb input)
Amp: Hifiman EF5 with DY-1 power source
 
Other headphones used:
Hifiman HE6 stock cable
Audeze LCD2 with ALO RW8-S silver/copper cable
Beyer T1 with Moon Audio Black Dragon cable
 
 
Firstly I’d like to say thank you to Highend Audio for the HE500 loaner and use of the HE6 EF5.
 
The views expressed are purely my own opinion and as such one brings one own grain of salt.

 
 

HE500 v HE6
 Out of the box the HE500 looks almost identical to the HE6, the only difference being the colour. The HE500 is a dark metallic grey as opposed to the piano black of the HE6.
 
The cables are also different. Instead of the fine translucent cable of the HE6 with it’s 4 pole XLR adapter and ¼ jack, the HE500 has a thicker black Canare cable, terminating in a 1/4”jack. If I had the choice I would use the lighter HE6 cable, especially as it gives the option to run balanced.
 
The HE500 I’m told was produced as an easier to drive version of the HE6 so that it wouldn’t require a powerful amp. The build quality is on par with the HE6, as is it’s fit, being comfortable even for my large head. Velour pads are still a feature as is the spare in the box. One might feel the HE500 were slightly heavier due to the thicker cable.
 
For this review I used the NFB-10 as a DAC feeding a signal to the EF5 as the HE500 comes with a ¼ jack. I did try it balanced out of the NFB-10, but as it comes s/e I will keep my opinions here to it’s performance out of the EF5.
 
Music used.
Well this what’s is all for at the end of the day. These devices are a means to an end and not an end in themselves.
 
I used a range of styles from Dub Step to metal to Neo classical. There were particular albums I picked out such as, Anner Bylsma’s Bach Cello suites (sony )Arvo Pärt’s  Kanon Pokajanen, Alice In Chains MTV Live unplugged Meshuggah’s Obzen, Suzanne Vega Up-Close Vol 1 and Hans Zimmer The Dark Night Special Edition
 
Some A/B’ing was done, but mostly I just lived with them for a bit with the music I would normally listen to. Swapping back to the other cans if something struck my attention for comparison.
 
Sound
 
HE500 V’s HE6
 I pick up a slight sibilance on both the HE500 and more on the HE6. Not always present. The HE500 manages to balance it more with more pronounced mid bass. So the treble is a bit hotter on the HE6 with certain tracks. There are enough highs to give the HE500 some sparkle without being fatiguing. The HE6 goes deeper than the HE500. The sub bass is heard on the HE500, although pushed forward into the bass region. You hear it, but it doesn’t feel as deep.
 
The HE500 is more balanced across the frequency spectrum. Not giving any particular frequency prominence. It has a more forward sound, which works well with drums and vocals. You loose a fraction of the HE6 soundstage for a tighter presentation. Listening to the Bach cello suites, I lost my self in them with the HE6. With the HE500 the performance is presented in front of you, ones just not in it.
 
Because the HE500 is easier to drive, one is presented with a full sound very quickly. Which gives it that immediate fun factor. You’re not having to angst over matching it to the right source and amp to get it to sing. If you do want that extra 20% of performance from the HE6 you have to work a little harder. But for those on a budget, unable to by a new amp the HE500 may just be for you.
 
One could say that the HE500’s are more musical, because they are not trying to suck out every last piece of detail as its big brother and let’s you get on and enjoy the music. But if detail extraction is your thing, then the HE6 is for you.
 
 
HE500 V’s T1’s
 The Beyer T1 is not as hot in the treble as the HE500, so it may appear rolled off to some. Soundstage the T1 has the slight edge. The HE500 is however easier to drive and not so temperamental to match. The T1 lies somewhere between the HE500 and the HE6 in presentation.  Listening to Leftfield’s Afrika Shox he HE500 has more mid bass although they go as deep as each other
 
 
 
HE500 V’s LCD-2
 Oh boy. Does it compete toe to toe with the LCD-2? is it meant to? Leave that to the HE6. It does not have the bottom end of the LCD-2, but it’s by no means bass light. If one is not a bass head the HE500 may be enough for you and rewards with it’s mid/highs, adequate soundstage and hopefully cheaper price.
The HE500 is more comfortable bulk and weight wise, which also maybe a deciding factor.
 
 
Conclusion
 In the end it may just come down to synergy, how well each plays in your system and how much your willing to pay to get it to work and of course what sound you want. In this case the HE500 is a no-brainer. It’s easy to drive, has no startling deficiencies and if it comes at a lower price point would be a very tempting headphone to buy. 

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Not at all bright?  Really?  I thought they sounded bright (but very good) on the EF5, which is a warm amp.

I'm not talking about an amp like the EF5 - I am talking about speaker amp type power.  Listening to the HE-6 from my Pioneer SX-1250 (160 wpc into 8 ohms, about 25 watts into the 50 ohms of the HE-6), there is no brightness.  Superb transparency, but no extra sizzle or anything that sounds like brightness.
 
Anyway I am listening right now to the HE-500 on the Musical Paradise MP-301 Mk 2, which outputs about 1 W at 50 ohms from the headphone out.  That is more than enough power for the HE-500, and the pairing is really very good!   The HE-500 are very smooth sounding, with plenty of detail.  Very open sounding in the mids, and nice bass weight and outstanding bass texture and control.
 

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Anyway I am listening right now to the HE-500 on the Musical Paradise MP-301 Mk 2, which outputs about 1 W at 50 ohms from the headphone out.  That is more than enough power for the HE-500, and the pairing is really very good!   The HE-500 are very smooth sounding, with plenty of detail.  Very open sounding in the mids, and nice bass weight and outstanding bass texture and control.
 

I am finding that with my portable balanced amps the sound is the same as you mention. 
 
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Not at all bright?  Really?  I thought they sounded bright (but very good) on the EF5, which is a warm amp.

Listening to my HE-6s + Lyr right now, not bright to my ears either. Not warm either. I guess we all have different thresholds for "bright" and "dark".

 

[rhythmdevils]

Most of my experience was with the prototype which isn't quite the same.  But I didn't find high power alone to make them less bright, or affect the tone or color of them much (it helped in other ways of course).  I thought the current HE6 sounded great on the EF5, very smooth despite the slightly bright character, which was especially noticeable when compared to the LCD-2.  I watched "ssssss" sounds go from a bit pronounced to non existent   .  It sounds like the HE500 finds a middle ground, which I think a lot of people will really like as it's quite rare in the headphone world. 

 

[jamato8]

I have using the HE-500 balanced since I got them and just started using them seriously single ended. I am using the iBasso DB-2 dac with the fi.Q and the sound is excellent. I think I like it better than balanced. The soundstage on a number of recordings, that have the information, is very large and detail retrieval seems perfect, not etched and not lacking, just natural. The bass is thumping and taught. Great fun. I am also very happy with the sound of the DB-2. The fi.Q I already know and with my maxxed version using the HA5002 buffers and the OPA637BP, the sound is just where I like it. 

 

[Happy Camper]

The 500s have a bit less soundstage expansion than the 6s. That may be the difference between amps though. The 500s are slightly fuller sounding at low volumes. The setup is using a 2v DAC into the SP extreme (.5 w) for the 500s and two ss monoblocks (250w) for the 6s. This is initial impressions and will volume match later today for some more detailed impressions. I will say that both headphones are better than either the K701s and the RS-1s.

 

[glac1er]

Had a chance to do a quick listen to a HE500 in a recent meet, and was very pleased with the way it sounded. The midrange and treble has a very special quality to it as it is bodied yet being very clear at the same time, which is like the HD600 but clearer, airier and planar 

 
Definitely my favorite Hifiman headphone yet, though I have yet to listen to HE6 out of a speaker amp. Kinda like a HE5LE (which is also well-balanced) but make it more melodious and clearer in the upper mid-treble. Soundstage is not super big, but this is actually a good thing since you can listen to that beautiful mid quite close. Comfort is not bad for my head, unlike the HE6 or LCD-2.
 
I just wished that Hifiman could have priced the HE500 at $600ish and it will be the king for that price and a very musical one indeed. For my own money, I would still pick the $1000 LCD-2 and its intense bass over the $900 HE500. Plus, I don't want to buy a $900 headphone that might be replaced with something better in less than year. Who knows if the HE1000 is already in the works.

 

[jronan2]

Quote:

Had a chance to do a quick listen to a HE500 in a recent meet, and was very pleased with the way it sounded. The midrange and treble has a very special quality to it as it is bodied yet being very clear at the same time, which is like the HD600 but clearer, airier and planar 

 
Definitely my favorite Hifiman headphone yet, though I have yet to listen to HE6 out of a speaker amp. Kinda like a HE5LE (which is also well-balanced) but make it more melodious and clearer in the upper mid-treble. Soundstage is not super big, but this is actually a good thing since you can listen to that beautiful mid quite close. Comfort is not bad for my head, unlike the HE6 or LCD-2.
 
I just wished that Hifiman could have priced the HE500 at $600ish and it will be the king for that price and a very musical one indeed. For my own money, I would still pick the $1000 LCD-2 and its intense bass over the $900 HE500. Plus, I don't want to buy a $900 headphone that might be replaced with something better in less than year. Who knows if the HE1000 is already in the works.

Good point. For that price I also am leaning towards the LCD 2 when I get the funds and my Lyr finally arrives. I listen to a alot of bass heavy music (trance, dubstep, DnB) so I think the LCD 2 is probably the best planar for my essential tastes. The HE 500 is sexy headphone and probably would handle my rock tastes amazingly, but at $900 and the way Hifiman and other company's are pounding out so many high end headphones lately, might just be wise to sit back and enjoy what I newly acquired now, and see what other advancements come our way.

 

[brasewel]

Quote:

Had a chance to do a quick listen to a HE500 in a recent meet, and was very pleased with the way it sounded. The midrange and treble has a very special quality to it as it is bodied yet being very clear at the same time, which is like the HD600 but clearer, airier and planar 

 
Definitely my favorite Hifiman headphone yet, though I have yet to listen to HE6 out of a speaker amp. Kinda like a HE5LE (which is also well-balanced) but make it more melodious and clearer in the upper mid-treble. Soundstage is not super big, but this is actually a good thing since you can listen to that beautiful mid quite close. Comfort is not bad for my head, unlike the HE6 or LCD-2.
 
I just wished that Hifiman could have priced the HE500 at $600ish and it will be the king for that price and a very musical one indeed. For my own money, I would still pick the $1000 LCD-2 and its intense bass over the $900 HE500. Plus, I don't want to buy a $900 headphone that might be replaced with something better in less than year. Who knows if the HE1000 is already in the works.

 
That's the case with every headphone and with all technology in general. Who knows if a LCD-3 is in the works. 
 
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Heard these recently, they have good tonal balance and aren't offensively bright.  The resolution is better than the HE-5LE yet not as good as the LCD2s.  I think their downfall is their price, they sit awkwardly between top headphones and the 5LE.  They don't compete with the LCD2s in resolution and therefore few are likely to pick them over the LCD2s at their current price point.  Maybe if they don't scale well and reach their potential sooner (and cheaper) they'll have a market.
 

 

[baka1969]

Quote:Originally Posted by sphinxvc 

"Heard these recently, they have good tonal balance and aren't offensively bright.  The resolution is better than the HE-5LE yet not as good as the LCD2s.  I think their downfall is their price, they sit awkwardly between top headphones and the 5LE.  They don't compete with the LCD2s in resolution and therefore few are likely to pick them over the LCD2s at their current price point.  Maybe if they don't scale well and reach their potential sooner (and cheaper) they'll have a market."



That's probably a fair assessment. it's a tough placement for HiFi Man. They need to be an improvement over the HE5LE but can't be equal to the HE6 in resolution. Plus they have to be priced somewhat in between the two. Fang really brought out the HE500 in response to the tough amping needs of the HE6. If it was technically possible to make the HE500 AS good as the HE6 but be more efficient, then maybe he could have done as he did with the HE5/HE5LE and made them a HE6LE. Then the pricing wouldn't be as much an issue.

 

[drez]

Pricing is still a bit high considering material quality of the products, and almost all Hifiman orthos [except maybe HE-5 LE] make LCD-2 look like a bargain.  It really shouldn't be that hard to compete considering the cheaper materials used (bar he-6 gold diaphragm) unless the driver assembly is seriously complicated.  Cutting corners in plainly stingy ways such as including only ONE spare earpad (jeez its made of synthetic velor or something - how much money can including only one save?) just make the perception of quality even less.  I would imagine going to business owner's house and getting half a glass of water and half a slice of bread so his bills aren't too high.  Maybe hiring a decent industrial designer might help also (how did Audez'e design such a beautiful product?)
 
It seems to me HE500 is aimed squarely at LCD-2, and some seem to think it can compete, but for the reduce material appeal of the product I would expect better or equal performance not just a sidestep/backstep.  Having said this I will probably end up buying one anyway in hope it can offer something that LCD-2 cannot (eg tighter/cleaner sounding bass with a little less bloom)