[waveSounds]

Thanks for the impressions. Sounds like the Monitor 5 could be the one for me, tben. Shame I missed the price, but a couple of UK stockists have got them new for £699, which is cheaper then they were several months ago at least.

What's the soundstage like on these? My closed backs double up as my gaming cans, so while I'm not bothered about soundstage from a musical perspective (I can even tolerate the m50x!), it would be nice to have a set that also makes the best of gaming, something my 1540 handle pretty well.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker, but I'm imagining that if the 1540 do it well, the Monitor 5 will do it even better so have nothing to worry about.

Should probably try and locate a dealer where I could try the both of them, but I always feel bad doing that while knowing I'm going to end up getting them online...!

 

[Svatopluk]

Thanks for the impressions. Sounds like the Monitor 5 could be the one for me, tben. Shame I missed the price, but a couple of UK stockists have got them new for £699, which is cheaper then they were several months ago at least.

What's the soundstage like on these? My closed backs double up as my gaming cans, so while I'm not bothered about soundstage from a musical perspective (I can even tolerate the m50x!), it would be nice to have a set that also makes the best of gaming, something my 1540 handle pretty well.

It wouldn't be a deal breaker, but I'm imagining that if the 1540 do it well, the Monitor 5 will do it even better so have nothing to worry about.

Should probably try and locate a dealer where I could try the both of them, but I always feel bad doing that while knowing I'm going to end up getting them online...!

Never tried the Monitor 5 for gaming, only music. In my opinion, the Monitor 5 soundstage is very competent for a closed back headphone. It's at least on par with the TH-900 and Sony Z1 from my experience.

 

[climbingair]

Hey Guys,
Thank you all for taking the time to post your impressions and opinions here in this thread.
I just got a pair of these, based on those opinions. I'm coming from a pair of K550's driven by an Element, which I'm currently using to drive these Pioneers. I'm not very experienced with many different headphones. I'm enjoying these immensely though.

They have a very different signature from the K550s. These are much more mid-focused, with greater clarity and atmosphere. The K550s were brighter, with more sparkle. The treble on the Pioneers seems clearer, more detailed, yet more relaxed. Strings, guitar, vocals, acoustic, folk, jazz and well recorded classical sound very, very good. Much more natural than the K550s with more support from the sub bass region. Cello, Bass, Bass guitar come through with much more presence, creating a fuller sound. About EDM, some of you guys mentioned that they brought the goods when called for. I have to say I agree. Compared to the K550s, these things bring almost too much bass for me on some of the occasional EDM I listen to.

I was looking for a headphone with a more even signature, more forward mids, and better bass response and these really nail that, while having a modern, yet retro look to them. They are a little on the heavy side. But that just means I need to listen more so get more accustomed to the weight, doesn't it?

By the way, I found them on Amazon for $549. Search for "SE-Monitor5" exactly. That was the other reason I got them.

 

[Sonic Defender]

... $549. Search for "SE-Monitor5" exactly. That was the other reason I got them.

I'm sure in not very long once you acclimate to the SEM-5 you will be very happy and have more reasons why you'll keep them. AKG has a very thin house sound, sorry, I have just never heard a model that had any weight to bass notes. I even had the K872 here and found it very difficult to listen to for even a few minutes. By way of comparison the Pioneer might feel bassy, but believe me, if you compare it with truly bass heavy headphones you'll see that it is actually pretty darn neutral. I actually have a slight bass boost with the SEM-5 and I listen to a great deal of EDM and similar bass-centric music. I would suggest that your brain has become accustomed to the AKG house sound and after a little while you will begin to acclimate to meatier bass presentation.

I owned the Sony Z1R just before the Pioneer, but due to needing to stay home with my sick daughter I sold the Sony as it was just too luxurious to keep. That was a slamming and wonderful headphone with plenty of bass energy (among other great attributes IMO). I was lucky enough to sell it locally to a head-fi member who I have become friends with. Recently he loaned me my beloved Z1R to enjoy. I was expecting to listen to it and feel that the SEM-5 was the headphone I had to settle for. While that was true in a purely financial sense, in terms of sound quality I have to say that I love the SEM-5. I think both sound signatures are equally special, just for somewhat different reasons. All of that to say, the Pioneer SE Monitor 5 is quite a well tuned and very competent, and competitively priced headphone in todays marketplace (by the crazy pricing reality we now must deal with).

 

[My Little Phony]

Im searching for a new headphone (open/closed doesnt matter) with a fun sounding signature (deep layered bass, great mids and a lot of details in the highs, not thin sounding). I currently use a Fidelio X2 headphone connected to a Lake People Amplifier. Thats my Pc-Setup. I want to use the new phones with the balanced connection of my AK70 MKII player.

I red so much about headphone, my head is exploding. I cant listen to the most headphones and have to place an order. Im torn between the Denon AH-D5200 (7200 if sq is remearkable better for my purposes) and of course the Pioneer SE-Monitor5. Any further advise will be great.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Im searching for a new headphone (open/closed doesnt matter) with a fun sounding signature (deep layered bass, great mids and a lot of details in the highs, not thin sounding). I currently use a Fidelio X2 headphone connected to a Lake People Amplifier. Thats my Pc-Setup. I want to use the new phones with the balanced connection of my AK70 MKII player.

I red so much about headphone, my head is exploding. I cant listen to the most headphones and have to place an order. Im torn between the Denon AH-D5200 (7200 if sq is remearkable better for my purposes) and of course the Pioneer SE-Monitor5. Any further advise will be great.

I think the SE Monitor 5 would mostly satisfy your needs, but I get the sense that you want a lush midrange presentation and while very nice, I think the Pioneer is closer to neutral in the mids than it is lush. The bass is very good but does lack the deepest bass, but for me, and I love sub bass, the SEM5 makes up for it with well controlled and detailed bass capabilities. It just lacks the deeper growl that when I owned the Sony Z1R just prior to the Pioneer, I had become accustomed to. I really loved the Z1R, gorgeous signature for my preferences, but the SEM5 was easy to transition to. The treble to my ears is nicely extended and also I find quite well done and not strident or at all harsh, just present. Of course, and I am sure you know this, if you listen to poorly recorded, hot material that is bright and harsh, the SEM5 will not hide that for you.

It is a shame that you can't audition headphones, frankly despite being able to here in Canada thanks to Amazon and Best Buy, I generally tend to just try things after doing my research. The SEM5 I was lucky and had a chance to allow it to really win me over, and it did. At first coming from the deep, powerful bass of the Z1R with it's nicely softened treble, the SEM5 while nice just didn't engage me fully. After actually giving it a chance and acclimating to the signature I completely love the SEM5 and just a few weeks ago I had my Z1R back (I sold it to a friend who graciously loaned it to me) but despite listening to the Z1R while they are quite different, I found myself equally appreciating the Pioneer and when I had to return the Z1R I was ok with that as the SEM5 is just a great signature in it's own right.

Obviously I can't say if you will like it, and for sure it is closer to neutral with a hint of warmth so be aware of that. The SEM5 is, however, not thin or boring, it really does so much quite well and nothing poorly. If it had the deepest bass notes I think it would be one of the very best headphones possible. It certainly has restored my faith in Pioneer's ability to bring a modern audiophile headphone to market. I grew up on Pioneer speakers and gear (still use our HPM 100s from the 80s to drum along to music). Good luck however you go.

 

[My Little Phony]

Many thanks for your answer. I dont have a great experience in headphones yet.

My first headphones i purchased many years ago was a studio monitor from AKG. "The reference phones of the radio stations". This reference headphones sounded so lifeless with nearly no bass to me that i instantly lost my interest in headphones.
One day at my work at Philips Medical Systems (ultrasound) i received an old system back from one of our customers. I checked the accessories box and found a new sealed "Koss Porta Pro" headphone inside. As noone wanted it i took it home and tried it out with my awesome iRiver IFP-795 MP3-Player. That was the first time i discovered that headphones can actually have bass.
After this new experience i purchased "The Plug" from Koss and found out that in ears can have great bass too. My interest in head & inearphones was back again.
Next headphones were the beyerdynamic 770 Pro 80 Ohm. I really enjoyed the headphones. Due to some other interests my music listening time went smaller and smaller. As i was working very long in front of my Pc i recognized that im really missing listening to music.

I bought the Fidelio X2 and the AKG 712 Pro. The Fidelio X2 ist still my prefered open headphone (of course, i dont have a closed one atm) for daily Pc use. I did not get warm with the AKG 712. Too less bass and a bit too quiet mids.

The Sony Z1R must be a nice headphone but not my price range yet. So i narrowed my selection to the Monitor 5 and Denon AH-D5200/7200.

If the SEM5 sound is not thin and boring as you said and is a step up in bass in comparison to the fidelio X2 and beyond the experience with the AKG sound signature i think it can be my favourite. Before i wrote this i found out that theres a dealer called "Hifi Klubben" in Cologne which is not far from me. There i can listen at least to the denon headphones i have chosen. I chose the denon 5200/7200 because i red that they are the updated version of the "audophile Basshead cans from Denon". Dont get me wrong i dont want a too boomy bass in all my songs. I listen to every kind of music. I experienced that i like a present bass at nearly every genre. For example: When im listening to Metal-Music i want to hear the punchy double bass. If this is too thin, quiet or non present i cant enjoy the music.

This is not my prefered music but i recognized that its a very easy track for me to hear if a headphone satisfy me with the bass qualities. Its "Lil Wayne - Lollipop" After 20 secs there is a bass that can sound very nice and satisfying with good quality bassy headphones. If this track goes deep with the Monitor 5 i guess i will like it. Bass with the Fidelio is nice with this song but the deep frequences get lost a bit. Maybe because its an open headphone? Listening with Yamaha EPH-100 in ears the Lollipop bass is also very enjoyable.

I also like detailed high frequencies. If i put on a new headphone and easily discover the details without deeply focusing to just hear them im happy. But if the recording and artist ment the highs to be so delicate i did not say anything. Thats ok. I dont want any frequency to sound unnatural load. ... so i need a neutral sound signature. (with emphatized bass, mids and highs that reveal all details and dont sound harsh) <---

Puuh. I hope i find my "fun-headphone" with either one of the new Denons or the Monitor 5 (which should have really good mids as i red)

How is the difference about "lush" and "neutral" mids? Are the neutral mids more quiet?

 

[Sonic Defender]

I had the D7200 here and for sure it is a more bass centric signature than the Pioneer, can't quite recall how the mids compared, but somebody else likely will chime in. I think most would say that lush mids occur when they are presented a little more forward in the signature without being too emphasized and brash which can happen. I also find that lush mids are helped along when the upper bass registers start to go down a little just where the lower mids are coming in, but still being present enough to add some weight to those regions. If the upper bass is too prominent it tends to bleed into the mids and obscure them. The SEM5 is hard to nail down in this area, they really are neither lush or thin, I would have to say that they are closer to neutral, but I think that given the way the bass is presented which to my ears is pretty tight and articulate, that while the mids aren't lush and romantic, they have enough space to breathe and are present enough to just feel well done.

I find the SEM5 like a much more competent DT880 which was a headphone that I really enjoyed way back when. Maybe my memory of the DT880 is inaccurate as it has been a number of years since I heard them, but the SEM5 is like an 880 with more bass and better quality treble. I would love to hear an 880 again to see if I would enjoy it as much today as I did years ago. I had an SPL Auditor and a Graham Slee Novo as amps at the time combined with a first version Schiit Gungnir DAC so obviously my memory of the 880 has to take that chain into account.

Anyway, really the SEM5 is a contemporary take on neutral in my view. I agree, I find the AKG sound (sorry if I'm offending anybody) rather sterile and this was most recently informed with a 872 that I had here for a time. I feel bad saying this, but I just couldn't listen to the 872 for more than a few minutes and the same goes for the 712 which I had here at the same time as a Fidelio X2 which I thought was by far the nicer sounding of the two. The X2 has some substance to the notes it presents and I just never felt the AKG sound to the extent that I have heard of it had similar weight. Hopefully a few other members with some SEM5 experience can also give you their thoughts. In closing for me I loved what I heard of the D7200, I have owned the D7000, TH900 and TH600 so I do like that approach, but given where I am now, I suspect that over the long haul I would prefer the Pioneer across different scenarios just enough more to take it as my main choice between the two.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@My Little Phony not to muddy the waters more for you, but the AudioQuest NightOwl is also a very interesting closed signature. @Beagle maybe can comment on that headphone for you.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Going OT here as thinking about the DT880 with the SPL Auditor I can remember taking a long time to decide whether to keep the DT880 or the HD650 which I owned at the same time. The DT880 won out and the driver version of the HD650 I had was the blue driver which if I recall correctly was the newer, rumored at the time, to be a re-tuned 650 driver to lift some of the veil people commonly reported with the 650. Things are going full circle as these days I wish I had a 650 and a nice OTL amp around again for some of that liquid midrange magic. If only I could just have kept them all, like Pokémon, you have to catch them all ....

 

[My Little Phony]

I agree, I find the AKG sound (sorry if I'm offending anybody) rather sterile

the same goes for the 712 which I had here at the same time as a Fidelio X2 which I thought was by far the nicer sounding of the two.

Thats a very good discription and i can totally second this experience.

I also red a very enthusiastic review of the Nightowl. Which discribed the sound being like honey. Its also available at a very good price here in Germany. (half the price of the Pioneer)

Im not yet sure about the differences between Denon 5200/7200 and Pioneer Monitor 5 headphones. If the Monitor 5 headphones highs and mids are "better" quality (detailed, not harsh) than the Denons and the bass is "better" than the Fidelio X2 (quantity and quality wise) im tending to get the Pioneer.

I could get the Denon AH-D7200 for nearly the same price as the AH-D5200. But... optically i like the 5200 more and i red that the 5200 headband comes without a "plastic bar assistance beneath the leather". The Pioneer package is also great. 2,5mm TRRS connector cable included.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Thats a very good discription and i can totally second this experience.

I also red a very enthusiastic review of the Nightowl. Which discribed the sound being like honey. Its also available at a very good price here in Germany. (half the price of the Pioneer)

Im not yet sure about the differences between Denon 5200/7200 and Pioneer Monitor 5 headphones. If the Monitor 5 headphones highs and mids are "better" quality (detailed, not harsh) than the Denons and the bass is "better" than the Fidelio X2 (quantity and quality wise) im tending to get the Pioneer.

I could get the Denon AH-D7200 for nearly the same price as the AH-D5200. But... optically i like the 5200 more and i red that the 5200 headband comes without a "plastic bar assistance beneath the leather". The Pioneer package is also great. 2,5mm TRRS connector cable included.

Yes it was nice to have the 2.5mm cable included. recently I acquired the FiiO Q5 (love it) and was able to use the balanced input section with the Pioneer and also with my friends Z1R as by happy coincidence, the cup connectors from the Pioneer click perfectly into the Z1R cup connections. The NightOwl was really engaging if hard to describe for me, but I just really enjoyed it.

 

[Beagle]

Many thanks for your answer. I dont have a great experience in headphones yet.

My first headphones i purchased many years ago was a studio monitor from AKG. "The reference phones of the radio stations". This reference headphones sounded so lifeless with nearly no bass to me that i instantly lost my interest in headphones.
One day at my work at Philips Medical Systems (ultrasound) i received an old system back from one of our customers. I checked the accessories box and found a new sealed "Koss Porta Pro" headphone inside. As noone wanted it i took it home and tried it out with my awesome iRiver IFP-795 MP3-Player. That was the first time i discovered that headphones can actually have bass.
After this new experience i purchased "The Plug" from Koss and found out that in ears can have great bass too. My interest in head & inearphones was back again.
Next headphones were the beyerdynamic 770 Pro 80 Ohm. I really enjoyed the headphones. Due to some other interests my music listening time went smaller and smaller. As i was working very long in front of my Pc i recognized that im really missing listening to music.

I bought the Fidelio X2 and the AKG 712 Pro. The Fidelio X2 ist still my prefered open headphone (of course, i dont have a closed one atm) for daily Pc use. I did not get warm with the AKG 712. Too less bass and a bit too quiet mids.

The Sony Z1R must be a nice headphone but not my price range yet. So i narrowed my selection to the Monitor 5 and Denon AH-D5200/7200.

If the SEM5 sound is not thin and boring as you said and is a step up in bass in comparison to the fidelio X2 and beyond the experience with the AKG sound signature i think it can be my favourite. Before i wrote this i found out that theres a dealer called "Hifi Klubben" in Cologne which is not far from me. There i can listen at least to the denon headphones i have chosen. I chose the denon 5200/7200 because i red that they are the updated version of the "audophile Basshead cans from Denon". Dont get me wrong i dont want a too boomy bass in all my songs. I listen to every kind of music. I experienced that i like a present bass at nearly every genre. For example: When im listening to Metal-Music i want to hear the punchy double bass. If this is too thin, quiet or non present i cant enjoy the music.

This is not my prefered music but i recognized that its a very easy track for me to hear if a headphone satisfy me with the bass qualities. Its "Lil Wayne - Lollipop" After 20 secs there is a bass that can sound very nice and satisfying with good quality bassy headphones. If this track goes deep with the Monitor 5 i guess i will like it. Bass with the Fidelio is nice with this song but the deep frequences get lost a bit. Maybe because its an open headphone? Listening with Yamaha EPH-100 in ears the Lollipop bass is also very enjoyable.

I also like detailed high frequencies. If i put on a new headphone and easily discover the details without deeply focusing to just hear them im happy. But if the recording and artist ment the highs to be so delicate i did not say anything. Thats ok. I dont want any frequency to sound unnatural load. ... so i need a neutral sound signature. (with emphatized bass, mids and highs that reveal all details and dont sound harsh) <---

Puuh. I hope i find my "fun-headphone" with either one of the new Denons or the Monitor 5 (which should have really good mids as i red)

How is the difference about "lush" and "neutral" mids? Are the neutral mids more quiet?

The SEM5 I would describe and balanced, articulate without being overly detailed by brightness, and the image is set back a bit in the midrange without the bass and treble rising at each end...so no U shape as such. I would call it a "neutral" headphone in that there are no gross exaggerations in the frequency range, yet the frequency extremes are properly represented.

@My Little Phony not to muddy the waters more for you, but the AudioQuest NightOwl is also a very interesting closed signature. @Beagle maybe can comment on that headphone for you.

The NightOwl is a warm, smooth, laid-back sort of sound. Nothing will ever irritate or sound harsh on these, but the bottom end might not be clear or quick enough for your needs.

 

[My Little Phony]

I ordered the Denon Ah-D5200. Will get the phones tomorrow or friday latest. Im thinking of ordering the Meze 99 or Nightowl too. The SEM5 will also follow. But i cant order all at once. Im really excited about the listening experience.

 

[Sonic Defender]

I ordered the Denon Ah-D5200. Will get the phones tomorrow or friday latest. Im thinking of ordering the Meze 99 or Nightowl too. The SEM5 will also follow. But i cant order all at once. Im really excited about the listening experience.

Go with the NightOwl, the Meze you'll find used here frequently. The Denon should be nice, let us know what you think after you get used to it.