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Introducing the Audeze MM-500!
Aug 12, 2022 at 5:49 PM Post #242 of 476
Andrew_WOT said:
Resolve had his impressions posted a while back, sounds like proceed with caution to me.
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Resolve says it "Places squarely in between the X and 5" which I do not interpret as "proceed with caution".

It's an LCD, and like all LCD headphones, it will likely sound best when EQ'd to taste. So if you have never owned an Audeze headphone, and are opposed to EQ for religious reasons, then the MM500 may not be for you. But as with everything in this hobby, try before you buy.
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 6:07 PM Post #243 of 476
Still midrangey, still chilled out in the treble, and very much in line with Audeze’s ‘new’ sound signature, where they’re a lot more clarity-focused than the previous models. If you’re expecting it to be a smaller and lighter LCD-X, I think the tonality is different enough that you may even be disappointed. But for those wanting more clarity - where the LCD-X is a bit withdrawn, the MM500 delivers. Make no mistake though, the X has the more forward upper treble, so there’s a sense in which the mm500 is less ‘exciting’.
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Impressions from CanJam London 2022 Impressions Thread don't sound overly excited either.
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 6:17 PM Post #244 of 476
Just picked up the MM-500 from a local Audeze dealer! The two dealers in my area (North Carolina) got them in yesterday 8/11. Will be listening to them this weekend, and will post some impressions later.


MM500JPG.jpg
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 8:16 PM Post #246 of 476
Aug 12, 2022 at 8:51 PM Post #248 of 476
Andrew_WOT said:
Reviewer could say "it's headphones", could be just as useful.
It's not a proper in depth quality review, same junk as the one from majorhifi.
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The review from majorhifi went into pretty good depth about the sound of the mm-500, so not sure what else you are looking for in a review. This seems like a pretty descriptive review to me.

“Soundstage
Audeze’s goal with the MM-500 is to design a reliable studio monitor within an open-back headphone, and it succeeds in every regard, especially in the soundstage. Being a tool for professional mixing, the MM-500 can’t be overly theatrical and too far spread out with its imaging. All of the sound placement needs to be concise and easy to localize in an open space. The MM-500 achieves this while presenting an impressive planar soundstage and solidifying its accuracy in a more linear stereo field. What’s really outstanding about the soundstage on the MM-500 is its layering. While the separation between instruments is where it should be, the way different elements stack onto each other is done in a highly definitive way. Each section of the mix appears with a certain level of purity, easily engaging the listener with all aspects of its pinpoint imaging.

Great height is also achieved with the MM-500, with some elements like vocals feeling like they are being performed just above you, and high-pitched piano keys dancing around the crown of your head. Background effects like ambiance also do an excellent job of feeling like they are surrounding your headspace and providing a good foundation for the music to sit upon. The MM-500 is one of the first headphones I’ve heard that nails the open-back planar headspace with the precision of a professional mixing headphone.

Low End​

You never want to give too much power to the bass with a mixing headphone, but you should also give the listener something to bite on too. The MM-500 does exactly that, establishing good form and depth that places itself evenly within the rest of the frequency response. Nothing about it jumps out at you significantly, but the MM-500 does have some nice thump to it that is natural and clean. You can feel the sub-bass around your throat, but it doesn’t contain vibrating textures. However, the sub-bass frequencies can handle a little shake from time to time. It’s a more dynamic headphone that feels like it is taking all of the low frequencies into account, while not favoring any specific region. The bass is able to properly communicate its tone in any given situation.

Mids​

At first, I thought the midrange was almost neutral to a fault, flat and balanced but unexciting. However, after a good amount of break-in, the mids started to gain some significant drive and became incredibly rich and detailed. There’s a considerable snap to the timbre here like the transient response is quicker here than anywhere else in the sound signature. All regions of the midrange appear balanced and even, but the gain here gives the frequencies some significant drive. Vocals are forward, cutting through the center of the mix with fullness and realism. Instrumentals have similar transparency, with fully realized performances that showcase maximum clarity.

Highs​

The timbre of the treble frequencies here reminds me of the uptick that some Beyerdynamic headphones have but are not as bright. With the MM-500 you get a high-end response that isn’t afraid to show its peaks, and the frequencies are performed tastefully in a non-fatiguing way. Its sharpness is met with a clear resolution, making the treble seem energetic but in a realistic manner. Cymbals resonate with a shimmer and appear crisp. There’s a gloss to the treble that doesn’t act as texture, but rather a natural tone that results from the MM-500’s high-end extension.”
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 9:14 PM Post #250 of 476
Thats pretty much more of a comparison to the lcd-5 in noisy convention conditions, so not exactly an in depth review or any better idea of what it sounds like compared to what majorhifi’s review touched upon.
I’m sure many more in depth reviews will be coming out over the next few weeks now that they are in stock at a few places. After reading all the “reviews” and impressions from people so far, i have a pretty good grasp of what their sound signature will be like, of course we all hear things differently.
 
Aug 12, 2022 at 9:53 PM Post #252 of 476
I’m just hoping the upper midrange dip from the the lcd-x isn’t as prominent in the mm500, and they take eq to the bass shelf well. Some impressions that I’ve read so far have been that these sound more detailed, with better defined separation of instruments. I also love the fact that these will be comfortable for longer listening sessions, since they are over a hundred grams lighter than the X. I am planning on using these for music production and critical listening for hours at a time, so I’m very much looking forward to testing these out very soon.
 
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Aug 13, 2022 at 2:17 PM Post #254 of 476
Kevintj604 said:
I'm still waiting for graphs and a review from one of the eight or nine reviewers that I trust for having good ears. Major retailers are already selling and shipping units so I'm shocked that we still don't have reviews and graphs. Not sure if that's a red flag or if Audeze just didn't send out any review units for some reason. I'm still excited and some of the early CanJam and NAMM impressions have me curious. My local shop won't be getting any units for a demo until much later in the year so it'll have to be a blind buy for me.
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It's been a matter of availability, timing, and focus. We have sent out units for review, but our focus for this product/line has been the professional market, so our priority of a limited number of review units has reflected that. As production of MM-500 continues, you will see more and more reviewers getting their pair and posting their thoughts and measurements, but we have been working hard to make sure that everyone who has pre-ordered the headphone gets theirs as soon as possible.
 
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