[angle_sh00ter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kabeer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Fact is the price is v.good for the headphone you are getting,

Well I've never heard it but my main question is if it is a genuine step up from headphones like 701,880,600 etc etc. Or is just a different flavour which costs double the price? I mean for the price difference I would hope it is significantly better not just subtle differences. But then maybe I am expecting too much given the nature of diminishing returns and marginal utility.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necrolic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I always wondered, do HE-5s drive better through tube or SS amps? The low impedance/sensitivity suggests SS, but you never know.

A properly design tube amp can drive low impedance phones just as well as solid state (transformer coupled or tube hybrid, for example).

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter /img/forum/go_quote.gif And my main point was that there seems to always be inconsistency in these "hand made" headphones. I mean the wild differences in peoples opinion cannot simply be waved off as a result of poor source or poor amping.

But poor taste? Certainly. Opinions on headphones seem to vary as much as opinions on Cameron Diaz' breasts. Sometimes we go "wow" other times it's "what the hell's wrong with these?"

 

[foaming at the ears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I've never heard it but my main question is if it is a genuine step up from headphones like 701,880,600 etc etc. Or is just a different flavour which costs double the price? I mean for the price difference I would hope it is significantly better not just subtle differences. But then maybe I am expecting too much given the nature of diminishing returns and marginal utility.

Unfortunately "genuine step up" (aka "better than") relations are really up to you. What are you looking for in headphones? If you consider soundstage an important criterion, chances are you won't like the HE-5. But if you like other elements, like close-up clarity, female vocals, great (although slightly recessed) mids, sparkly highs, and (IMO) good bass, you may think the HE-5 is excellent. In other words, some people may think of the HE-5 as a "different flavor", thus a $600 lateral move, while others will think of it is a move up. Few may think it is a step down.

Too bad about the wood-crack scare, which, as mentioned, is supposedly fixed (have you considered: has Sennheiser fixed its cracking headbands?, etc. etc. but hopefully this is a moot point for you now

 

[pabbi1]

I loved the he-5 out of my balanced Bijou, so it definitely responds very well to tube amps. I also listened to the same unit out of a Little Dot MK VI and same thing - I really liked them - a lot. This unit was recabled by APS, so that may also be a factor.

I did somewhat hold off buying on the rumor that the LE was on the way, but also because I don't currently have a dynamic amp, which will be rectified in the next few weeks/months. Then I will buy a pair to complement the hd800, so long as they sound at least as good.

 

[vcoheda]

very curious what improvements were made. guess we will have to wait until they are available for purchase to find out.

 

[K3cT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necrolic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I always wondered, do HE-5s drive better through tube or SS amps? The low impedance/sensitivity suggests SS, but you never know.

I would garner that tube amplification (a smooth one) would be better. The treble glare out of a Beta22 was quite painful to hear especially with modern music.

But then we have people claiming that the HE-5 is buttery smooth...

 

[thehadi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikePio /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey Mudhole and Thehadi, enjoy the HE-5's you have now, they are fantastic phones, there will always be newer and supposedly "better" cans, but I wouldn't sweat it over the LE's, they are just a refinement over the HE-5's, same specs, same driver etc... I would say this release is for those who initially found the HE-5's to sharp, sibilant and lacking lower extension, one dimensional bass as some would say... Though for me, I have found no such issues with my pair, and I absolutely love the sound of my HE-5's and wouldn't want anything changed... If you want an upgrade, buy a stronger source, unless of course you have a good system, and still dislike the current HE-5's, then the LE sounds like a good alternative... So enjoy your cans, and stop reading head-fi that much lol! Since it will leave you chasing the dragon forever! Cheers,

correct mike
is it really good choise udac-ef5-he5?
do i satisfied? it'll be my first personal rig

 

[Stoney]

Quote:

If you consider soundstage an important criterion, chances are you won't like the HE-5

Really? I only heard it once, and briefly, but the dimensionality (not necessarily the stage) was startling. But that was with Frank Cooter's amazing amp.

 

[perrew]

Did anyone compare the K1000 and HE-5?

 

[Xan7hos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter /img/forum/go_quote.gif And my main point was that there seems to always be inconsistency in these "hand made" headphones. I mean the wild differences in peoples opinion cannot simply be waved off as a result of poor source or poor amping. I'va always considered sound quality to be the most important factor for a headphone but that was under the assumption that the headphone is well built and durable. If it is going to fall apart then the sound quality (good or bad as it may be) becomes moot.

Can you please stop judging a headphone which you have not heard or own. To be fair, people with issues were able to get either a replacement or refund. My own pair has no issues whatsoever and IMO it offers something most headphones companies cannot offer at their given price. NO one headphone is ever perfect for everyone. Head-Direct is reputable company and Fang is great person who actually values OUR input, which cannot be said about others. Now, I've owned Grado and Sennheisers and just because they're bigger companies doesn't necessarily represent better quality either. Their products much like most companies are suspectible to flaws in both product and support (which I have personally delt with) and while I'm not here to extol or chastise a co. just to prove a point, you seriously need to stop with the ignorant comments.

 

[foaming at the ears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Really? I only heard it once, and briefly, but the dimensionality (not necessarily the stage) was startling. But that was with Frank Cooter's amazing amp.

I dont have much experience with soundstage and its definition, ie I dont fully understand the difference between soundstage and headstage.

The dimensionality that you speak of, however, I may be familiar with. Of the modest HPs I own, the HE-5 is excellent at telling you where on a 2d vertical plane a sound is coming from.

------------
|----------x|
|-----------|
|--x--------|
|-----------|
|------x----|
------------

Say above is the HE-5 driver, flat against the ear, and the x's denote where sounds appear to be coming from. It is "startlingly" attention grabbing, as you say.

I guess I was thinking of soundstage in the sense of how the HE-5 makes you feel like you're in an auditorium, which I dont think it does. But you put it well with "dimensionality"...

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by angle_sh00ter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Or is just a different flavour which costs double the price?

Isn't every new "flagship" headphone merely a different flavour?

If high-end headphones had stopped at the HD580 and the RS-1, we'd have all been enjoying music for the last 10 years instead of torturing ourselves chasing after "upgrades" every month just to get the endorphins activated (when we get bored with what we have), when we could get the same effect by exercising. Just like an alcoholic can't stop drinking, we can't stop buying new headphones. I have to get the Beyer T1 and I don't need them. I know that after a month or two they won't matter. Damn I hate this. Help me somebody.

Oh, the HE-5 does "have" a big soundstage. It's different but it's as big as any. If you can't hear it, try a recording that has a soundstage.

 

[MikePio]

One of the finest responses Beagle! That is so true, but the real test is, to find a pair of headphones that you can be forever content with, and listen to the music, not the gear... This whole hobby is based on the foundation of music, though many people seem to get lost and lose their way, but the real musical nirvana comes not in the "quality" of gear but the actual music itself... The gear is just icing on the cake... the cake is the music... Cheers lol...

 

[Stoney]

What I noticed, that I described as "dimensionality," was that the singers had a 3D shape, almost like I could hear space behind them. What was behind them was a fair distance behind them. And their images were not mere cutouts. More than a suggestion of 3D, more than I am used to.

There was also a spatious abmience, and also a soundstage about which the instruments were positioned. But somehow, it was the dimensionality that startled me on a short listen.