[McPanse]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I've read several months of HE-5LE and HE-6 posts and haven't found the post grokit mentions above. 
 
Meanwhile, snipping the plug off my spare, ratshack extension cable didn't do the trick. The only thing inside was two very thin cables -- one red, one white -- not the stereo pair I was (naively?) hoping to find.
 
I know I can always get one from Moon Audio and the like, but I'd prefer to keep the cost of this experiment well under $100. I've e-mailed bluejeanscable and there's always the Brit mentioned above (thanks for the link). I'd really like to get one of these in house before the end of the year.
 
Anyone else I should try?

 

[McPanse]

A quick update that might be of interest to you HE-5LE owners or perspective owners, especially those concerned about giving these headphones enough current.
 
I ordered an XLR speaker adapter from HiFlight. It arrived yesterday. After attaching some banana plugs to the bare wires, I was in business. 
 
I have a 10-year-old Denon AVR-1800 (75 WPC) I use in my office to run a pair of bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer. After plugging into the AVR's B speaker terminals, I turned off the A speakers and went into the set up menu to set front speakers to Large and set subwoofer to 'No' -- otherwise, the low-frequency material would be bypassing the headphones and playing through the sub.
 
My first impressions are that running the HE-5LE off the AVR sounds at least as good as, if not better than, my PS Audio GCHA headphone amp, which once sold for $1000. The signal path for this first listening session was MacBook > PS Audio DLIII > Denon AVR-1800 > HE-5LE
 
 
Christian McBride’s "Night Train" -- a solo composition for upright bass -- definitely sounds better when the HE-5LE are connected to my speaker amp. The bass has more slap, crunch and overall texture.
 
Next up was  Shelby Lynne’s "Just a Little Lovin’." Switching between the GCHA and Denon AVR, my initial impression was that this track -- which is well recorded, but far from perfect -- sounded a little better through the GCHA. The vocals sounded a bit less frayed at the edges.
 
I spent more time with the speaker adapter late last night. Signal path for this session was MacBook > Airport Express > CA DACMagic > Little Dot MKIV headphone amp (serving as a pre) > Trends TA-10 speaker amp. 
 
I don't know if it was the time of night, the inclusion of a tube pre-amp, the Trends amp, or a combination of all three, but I was really digging what the HE-5LEs could do. I ended up listening for a couple of hours, venturing far beyond the lossless Chesky, Reference and Mapleshade tracks I usually use when trying a setup for the first time and listened to a lot of stuff I hadn't heard for a while.
 
If you haven't already tried your HE-5s or HE-5LEs with a speaker amp, I definitely encourage it -- especially if you feel like your headphone amp doesn't have the juice to do these justice. You can read more about this approach in the main HE-6 thread (check out Grokit's posts especially).
 
If I were to pair down my headphone collection to the HE-5LEs and one pair of highly efficient cans, I think I could easily live without a dedicated headphone amp (speaker terminals for the HE-5LE and the stereo amp's headphone out for something like the ADH-5000 or 7000).
 
 
 

 

[wuwhere]

I wonder how they would sound with tube speaker amps?

 

[McPanse]

Good question. I like the effect the LD MKIV imparts as a preamp. I read over in the HE-6 thread that impedance matching is a bit trickier with tube amps than with solid state. If the tube amp isn't too powerful, it shouldn't be a problem. At least that's what I took away from the discussion.
 
I think the distortion/warmth that tubes impart are beneficial to the HE-5LE, which can be a tad too revealing when it comes to less than stellar recordings (which account for most of the recordings in my collection). 

 

[Audio-Omega]

Has anyone experienced bass distortion or voice cracking with their HE-5LE ?  I don't hear it through RSA Protector but I have through RSA SR-71B.  However I don't hear it through Sennheiser HD650 with either amplifier.

 

[akabane@drjackel]

i just got in hand of this unit today...

 

[grokit]

And?

 

[scottiebabie]

.....and its insanely good! just got my (purchased used but sent for RMA after only a week...phew!) replacement HE5-LE today & started listening to it via direct speaker taps offa my vintage Sansui AU-517 integrated amp & its sounds greaaaat! dont know how much break-in these babies take but mang they be mitey fine as is new.
 
they absolutely pawns my DT880 600ohm'er in bass, soundstage, resolution & overall fullness of sound. mindyou the beyers arent exactly sonic lightweights but in this case, they need a whole lotta eq'in (hardward via tonal controls on amp) to begin the fight. only area where the beyers mite have the upper hand is upper freq airyness & comfort. these HE5-LEs do weigh a ton relatively ofcos.
 
did the HE5-LE appreciation just fall off the cliff now that the HE6s are out?? arent these HE5-LE a bargain at a smite over 1/2 the cost of them HE6s?

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

.....and its insanely good! just got my (purchased used but sent for RMA after only a week...phew!) replacement HE5-LE today & started listening to it via direct speaker taps offa my vintage Sansui AU-517 integrated amp & its sounds greaaaat! dont know how much break-in these babies take but mang they be mitey fine as is new.
 
they absolutely pawns my DT880 600ohm'er in bass, soundstage, resolution & overall fullness of sound. mindyou the beyers arent exactly sonic lightweights but in this case, they need a whole lotta eq'in (hardward via tonal controls on amp) to begin the fight. only area where the beyers mite have the upper hand is upper freq airyness & comfort. these HE5-LEs do weigh a ton relatively ofcos.
 
did the HE5-LE appreciation just fall off the cliff now that the HE6s are out?? arent these HE5-LE a bargain at a smite over 1/2 the cost of them HE6s?

I still love my HE-5 and HE-5 LE just as much as ever.  I like them slightly more than my LCD-2, which are still pretty good.

 

[scottiebabie]

dont know if any is interested in this headphone anymore but thought i'd share a discovery. long story short, i just got back a brand new HE5-LE sent for RMA - Ms T & Head-Direct was great & i was spared most of the pain of RMA excepting the wait. anyhoos because it came in a full pkg, i had some spare headphone cables & decided to hack the single headphone to TRS 1/4" plug. so i chopped off the plug end & fitted in 4 small speaker pin connectors as the HE5-LE is driven off the spring loaded post of a vintage Sansui AU-517 integrated.
 
the 4 wires are prolly 30awg litz type & i used a DMM to determine RL + & - and it turns out the its a common ground for the - portion. hooked in the pins very gently as its very thin & plug'd it in the amp speaker posts & sat down for a quick listen. 
 
wow...compared to the 4pin xlr male - female xlr pigtail to speaker pins, this hack'd cable is a revelation. details details & more details! soundstage is expanded with increased depth & imaging. bass seems lessen'd but a quick test (Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter "Way Down Deep") demonstrated that bass still punches as hard if not harder or atleast with more defination. this hack'd cable brings the HE5-LE up another notch or 2 & costs nothing. highly recommend for anyone needing more from these cans.
 
heres a pic of the tiny ass wires hook'd up with speakers pin in my amp
 

for those that have a need to know, the larger pins right at the bottom hook up to my diy 4pin XLR to speaker pins pigtail adapter. & yes this hack cable pawns the hifiman to XLR - XLR pigtail cable.

 

[Audio-Omega]

HE-5LE is a step above Sennheiser HD650.  I like its tight bass and clarity.  May be I should not sell it even though Sennheiser HD800 is my number one.  

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

HE-5LE is a step above Sennheiser HD650.   

Yeah, like a Lamborghini is a 'step above' a Hyundai Accent.

 

[scottiebabie]

well im gettin in a HD650 on a trade so i hope i wont be too disappointed. i mite hack the cable & reterminate it in balanced 4pin XLR & see if i can drive it direct off my vintage amps speaker taps. its gonna fun at the least! meanwhile, my HE5-LE pumps out such sweet sounds i find im missing sleep. each time i tell myself just a bit more & another hr or 2 passes. next thing i know its 3 in the morning! ahlubmaorthos!

 

[treal512]

Want these... but I'd have to upgrade everything in my setup lol /sub

 

[akabane@drjackel]

Quote:

Want these... but I'd have to upgrade everything in my setup lol /sub

This is just a great master piece. i'm looking a balance amp direct on it....still looking for a balancw amp but i feel a bit ichy to try out the shiit lyr amp