[JamesHuntington]

Quote:

Not surprising about the Sansui QR-6500 pairing well. It's been expressed many times that these HP have excellent synergy with a lot of stereo's from the 70's. Marantz is another known brand that pairs as well. Course the 70's produced some of the best audio products to this day, so I suppose this shouldn't be surprising at all. lol

I love the seventies too, but I hope you're not comparing stereos based on the headphone jacks. If you wand a stereo with a less attenuated hp jack you just have to deal with different companies. Even though most of the old companies that made good stuff back in the day have sold out, doesn't mean a hifi amp from today wouldn't rip it's older sibling a new one. I agree that for the money you get more with an old Sansui. However if you spend some cash and buy a higher-end home amp then you'll get something made for more than walkman headphones. And with the amount of money you save on your electric bill, the newer product will pay for itself before it dies.

 

[NoEars]

Quote:

I love the seventies too, but I hope you're not comparing stereos based on the headphone jacks. If you wand a stereo with a less attenuated hp jack you just have to deal with different companies. Even though most of the old companies that made good stuff back in the day have sold out, doesn't mean a hifi amp from today wouldn't rip it's older sibling a new one. I agree that for the money you get more with an old Sansui. However if you spend some cash and buy a higher-end home amp then you'll get something made for more than walkman headphones. And with the amount of money you save on your electric bill, the newer product will pay for itself before it dies.

 
Barring the consideration of DAC's and digital tech which those 70's amps did not include. For pure amperage you get a lot of bang for buck from those old amps. Especially considering using power hungry phones like Hifi man. No op-amps, direct connection to the power source same as speaker taps just with a single resistor to prevent blowing your phones. It's not easy to find a HP amp on the market right now that will put out anyway near the 2 watts of power via jack the HE-5LE needs. (actually even the Sansui doesn't I think, resting around 1.4 amp if I recall correctly, but you can change the resistor!)
 
Money saving via electric bill feels negligible to me. My Sansui 1000X was built in 1972 and still compares to Mid to High end HP amps of today. 41 years of service probably saved more money and probably bought itself a dozen times or more by now.
 
Not saying there isn't stuff out today that beats the vintage stuff. Oh there is! But you gotta go pretty high up the $$$ chart to do it. 
 
Just my 2 cents! =D

 

[captouch]

Barring the consideration of DAC's and digital tech which those 70's amps did not include. For pure amperage you get a lot of bang for buck from those old amps. Especially considering using power hungry phones like Hifi man. No op-amps, direct connection to the power source same as speaker taps just with a single resistor to prevent blowing your phones. It's not easy to find a HP amp on the market right now that will put out anyway near the 2 watts of power via jack the HE-5LE needs. (actually even the Sansui doesn't I think, resting around 1.4 amp if I recall correctly, but you can change the resistor!)

Money saving via electric bill feels negligible to me. My Sansui 1000X was built in 1972 and still compares to Mid to High end HP amps of today. 41 years of service probably saved more money and probably bought itself a dozen times or more by now.

Not saying there isn't stuff out today that beats the vintage stuff. Oh there is! But you gotta go pretty high up the $$$ chart to do it. 

Just my 2 cents! =D

I agree. Plus, if the inline resistors cut the power output too much, it's easy enough to tap directly from the speaker outputs to get more power.

A consideration certainly is the age and possible/probable need to recap and possibly replace an output transistor, diode, etc at some point.

And sound quality will likely reach full potential after a recap, but bang for buck is definitely very good as long as you don't require TOTL of the most desired brands.

 

[JamesHuntington]

My Musical Fidelity V-Can powers my 5le fully even at 11-12 oclock depending on the album. I got mine used on ebay for 75- US, but you'll likely pay 200. It could power 2 5LE's. It doesn't even get warm after 12 hours of listening. I'm using Wyred 4 Sound UDAC and iTunes lossless with great results. I may get one of the W4S mini integrated amps which has a quality HP out, USB input and 100 WPC for speakers. They are supposed to be very very efficient and a legit power, though most audiophiles would like like their 250 wpc stuff 
My old Sansui was like a furnace, and radiating heat is power loss. The way amps are being designed by some people, especially the W4S ones, you get near tube quality sound with less bulk and electric bills.
Peace. 

 

[swspiers]

Quote:

My Musical Fidelity V-Can powers my 5le fully even at 11-12 oclock depending on the album. I got mine used on ebay for 75- US, but you'll likely pay 200. It could power 2 5LE's. It doesn't even get warm after 12 hours of listening. I'm using Wyred 4 Sound UDAC and iTunes lossless with great results. I may get one of the W4S mini integrated amps which has a quality HP out, USB input and 100 WPC for speakers. They are supposed to be very very efficient and a legit power, though most audiophiles would like like their 250 wpc stuff 
My old Sansui was like a furnace, and radiating heat is power loss. The way amps are being designed by some people, especially the W4S ones, you get near tube quality sound with less bulk and electric bills.
Peace. 

Seriously?  The V-can drives the 5LE's?  I might have to take that pepsi challenge!  If nothing else, it would certainly drive my Grado 225i's and the upcoming Alpha Dogs.
 
Pure speculation on my part, but the apparent explosion in the headphone hobby might influence the receiver manufacturers to pay some attention to their hp outs.  I do know that my Marantz SR-2007 does not drive the 5LE's very well at all, but that's what speaker taps are for.
 
Thanks for the perspective

 

[captouch]

My Musical Fidelity V-Can powers my 5le fully even at 11-12 oclock depending on the album. I got mine used on ebay for 75- US, but you'll likely pay 200. It could power 2 5LE's. It doesn't even get warm after 12 hours of listening. I'm using Wyred 4 Sound UDAC and iTunes lossless with great results. I may get one of the W4S mini integrated amps which has a quality HP out, USB input and 100 WPC for speakers. They are supposed to be very very efficient and a legit power, though most audiophiles would like like their 250 wpc stuff 
My old Sansui was like a furnace, and radiating heat is power loss. The way amps are being designed by some people, especially the W4S ones, you get near tube quality sound with less bulk and electric bills.
Peace. 

Always good to have choices, whether new or vintage. While I love vintage, I have a Hifiman EF5 and Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball (for HD650's not 5LE's), so I'm definitely not anti-new. But low power receivers/integrateds from the '70's can offer great value and also power speakers as well. I was able to get a Yamaha CR-220 and HK 330B for $35 and $50, respectively - both are 15-20W range. Neither had any issues, just cleaning of controls involved.

None of my vintage receivers run hot either and they're usually easy to adjust for offset and bias to make sure they're running in spec. Now full size tube gear is a different story - my tube pre and monoblocks are furnaces, most definitely.

Anyway, not trying to convince you. Just comments based on my experience.

 

[JamesHuntington]

The V-Can is pretty good. I'm sure you could get louder, but you may go deaf in the process. Some albums I like 11 oclock, some 12-13, but I like it loud. The SQ is very good for mid-fi. I May upgrade some day, because I am interested in what the big money products can do. But for now i'm more than happy. 

 

[swspiers]

Man, I rarely have time to give these cans a listen.  I've been all excited about getting a new flagship of some sort, but after about a half-hour with these, my excitement is pretty much gone.
 
I will be putting them up against the Alpha Dogs when they ship: one stays, the other goes.  At least that's the plan.

 

[Joong]

Good to see the 5LE's are still receiving some appreciation here.  Not sure why they were discontinued either.  Besides the HE-5, which had the wood cup splitting problems, I don't think any other Hifiman cans were discontinued?  The HE-4, 300, 400, 500, and HE-6 all seem available.  Which brings up another observation: For awhile, Hifiman seemed to be cranking out the models in quick succession, but it's been quite awhile since they've released a new model. Wonder why that is. . .


I use my 5LE's with the Hifiman EF5 hybrid amp or through vintage receivers (sometimes headphone out, sometimes speaker taps).  While they do require a lot of power compared to may other cans, I don't think you need to spend a lot to get them to sound really good.

For me, the weight of HE-400 was considerable problem.
many people think the same way.
For example my son does not like it due to the weight, even though he is much younger.

He-5le scales up very well and, lively presents treble energy to cover any genre of music.
The weight matters so that I consider HE-4 as a second pair.

 

[Dafo]

Just got myself a pair these he-5le. Pretty impressive can and I really don't understand why Hifiman took it of the line. I've owned the he-500 and compared it to my k701(bassport modded) and the he-5le is everything the he-500 was not. The he-500 had to go right away, but this is different. The he-500 was slow, mellow and soft, even in the bass. The he-5le is fast, airy and crisp, all the way from the highest of highs above 10kHz, much like the beyerdynamic t1, and down to lowest of low punchy bass-notes. The texture in the bass is striking and it actually has a great soundstage, something the he-500 almost didn't have any of at all. The he-5le is also very engaging and very musical with the overall prominent mids. It has this mix of clarity, speed, spectacular lovely mids and deep crisp fast powerful bass mixed with the characteristic smoothness of the orthos. Brilliant!  
Also I don't know if there is some sort of synergy with my audio gd compass 2 amp and the he-5le, but it's the weirdest thing, this is the first orthodynamic I've owned that also plays good at low volumes. The he-4 and he-500 needed volume to shine, the he-5le does not necessarily, it just plays along, detailed and engaging, no matter what volume I use. Very nice and very good for my future hearing

 

[Clemmaster]

I concur.
 
I may add that the HE-500 is still better refined in all areas, by comparison. It also took a different direction in terms of sound (lusher, darker and warmer) which kind of generates the slower and mellower sound.
Yet, it's still a (very) fast headphone compared to the K701!
 
The HE-5LE is more rough (especially in the treble, which are a bit zingy sometimes), cleaner (as in less warm) but still quite mid-forward. The soundstage is slightly bigger, the imaging is better and the phones are indeed faster and more airy.
Where the 500s would do wonders with vocals and slow classic rock but leave me wanting with faster paced music (hard rock N metal), the HE-5LE trades a bit of vocal magic to let me enjoy the latter category. I'll take it!
 
I think the HE-5LE is pretty close to a well driven HE-6 in terms of sound philosophy. The latter is much more refined and sounds way bigger (soundstage size, dynamics) overall. The only downside is the brighter sound but this can be dealt with proper source and amplification.
The 500s go into a more romantic direction and, IMO, this justifies the discontinuation of the 5LEs.
 
Note that when I asked Head-direct about the 5LEs one year ago, they still offered to sell it to me even though it had be discontinued on the website for quite some times. They still had (have?) stock and you could purchase them by email.

 

[Dafo]

The 5le just sounds so natural to my ears, it's very seductive and pleasing, sort of like a mix between an electrostat and a dynamic, no artificial soft warmth, just clarity, everything is just there, it's a very nice experience that pulls my attention away from the headphone and towards the music, very nice indeed.

 

[Joong]

Is there anyone who compares these wonderful phones with Hd-800?
He-5Le gave me real hi-fi experience, and it is very nice with Lyr and Emotiva mini-x.
The phones are not much dependent on type of amp.

 

[Biscuitz]

Congrats on your HE-5LE, Dafo!
 
I simply adore my HE-5LE. It's been my favorite headphone for a long while now. You described it perfectly, Dafo. What never ceases to amaze me about the HE-5LE is the utter clarity of the music. The soundstage is very pleasantly big and open; not exceedingly deep like some dynamic headphones, but very panoramic in height and width with sufficient depth. The soundstage presentation, the clarity, the speed, and the airiness combine for the most transparent sound of any headphone I've heard under $1k. I haven't stopped loving it.
 
As for the HE-5LE vocals...magical. It seems the general consensus is that the HE-500's vocals are phenomenal. For me it was just not the case. In fact, vocals were the least satisfying thing about the HE-500 to me. Before hearing the HE-5LE, I had heard the HE-400 and HE-500, both of which I disliked the vocals on. Therefore I was shocked to learn that I absolutely loved the vocals of the HE-5LE. So if you, reader, do not so much like the HE-500, don't write off the HE-5LE. It is a very different sounding headphone, and maybe just the headphone for you. It was for me.
 
All that said, I want to mention something that I think is not talked about much. My particular HE-5LE came with the old styled velour earpads. The earpads are a bit old, so I ordered a new pair of velour earpads for it. When I got them, I realized the newer velour pads are designed slightly differently. It's hard to describe...The cushion of the new earpads' outer edge is attached to the plastic ring, and then curves around and back inwards to the same singular crease near the outer edge attached to the plastic ring. This sort of creates unnecessary air between the ring and the cushion. Whereas the old cushion's outer edge attaches to the plastic ring, curves around, and attaches separately and perpendicularly to the plastic ring, making for a more straightfoward, more direct channel from transducer to the ear. That's probably not very clear...I might have to take pictures for you to see what I mean. In any case, what matters to me is that the old style velour pads sound significantly better than the new style ear pads. Disappointingly so...as you can't really obtain the old style pads anymore, to my knowledge. Basically, what it does to the sound, or should I say doesn't do to the sound, is muck it up. The newer style pads have that sort of "air trap" underneath the pads where they fold into one crease. It basically makes the whole sound muckier, or more congested, whereas the old style pads have more of a straightforward channel to the ear. Less space under the pads for soundwaves to resonate. The old style pads are, in my opinion, clearly sonically superior, and I sometimes wonder if people's opinion of the HE-5LE would be different if they had heard it with the old style pads. In fact, I even wonder how the HE-500 would change with the old style earpads...In any case, the old style earpads are a must have with the HE-5LE, if you can manage to snag a pair.
 
Anyway, I haven't been on HeadFi in a long time so I thought I'd come back and gush about the HE-5LE that I love. After all, it is the headphone that, for me, ended my headphone search. Not saying this headphone is for everyone...but it's certainly worth hearing if you get the chance.

 

[Biscuitz]

Is there anyone who compares these wonderful phones with Hd-800?
He-5Le gave me real hi-fi experience, and it is very nice with Lyr and Emotiva mini-x.
The phones are not much dependent on type of amp.

I did get to compare the HE-5LE and HD-800. I'd honestly be happy with either one, but I genuinely was more enchanted with the HE-5LE than the HD800. The HD800's soundstage and imaging is very large and speaker-like. If that's what you're looking for in a headphone, then you'd probably like the HD800 better. But for me, the HD800's soundstage lacked a sense of intimacy that I love about headphones. The HE-5LE retains the "headphone intimacy."
 
That was the main issue for me really. Those headphones do so much right it's more about preference of presentation.