[liujun050612]

After doing side by side comparison to t5p 2nd gen. I want to say, for me, if I can only keep one music headphone, I will keep t5p 2nd.
Both headphone sound really good. Both headphone sound very engaging.
t5p 2nd gives more punch, airy and space, vs SEM5 is more smooth and liquid sounding.
The bass on both are pretty good. On SEM5 it sounds exactly what it should be. The t5p extend lower. Especially subbass. It gives the music more feeling.
The mids are equivalent on both. Both headphones are very clear. SEM5 is a tad better than t5p. I like female vocals on SEM5 better than t5p.
The highs on t5p is slighty roughed off compare to SEM5 makes it more relaxed to listen.
For the soundstage, t5p is wider on both width and depth. If you listen to live concert, t5p is way better.
Both headphones are very balanced. SEM5 is close to completely neutral and t5p is a little warmer.
I would say t5p is very musical but not analytical, very easy to listen, much forgiving headphone. It don't require beter source.
SEM5 is much more analytical than musical. Although not hard to drive, It require good sources to make it sound better. Poor sources will make it sound bad.
Compare to studio headphone like dt 1770, 1990, and shure 1540.The mids on 1990 is cleanner than SEM5, as good as 1770. But both 1990 and 1770 extend lower, 1770 even lower bass. Overall sound signature is similar to 1540 but with more clear mids and soundstage. I would say SEM5 is an upgrade from shure 1540.
If I can only keep one studio headphone, and closed back is not an issue, I will choose 1990. 1990 is not only analytical, but also more musical than SEM5.

All in all SEM5 is a very good headphone. I purchased it at 700. At that price, it is not a steal. Consider its exquisite built, good accessories. I think it is still worth it.
I am not writing reviews every time so bear with me some words. Thank you.

 

[JWahl]

@Sonic Defender and anyone else with experience with both the SE-Monitor5 and Audioquest Nightowl:

I’m considering the above or possibly the Sony Z7M2 to serve as a secondary headphone to my modded HD-650 once my Chord Qutest sells. I’ll probably also pick up a Schiit Loki to EQ tone to taste. I plan to use mostly for music where I want more low bass extension for hip hop, pop, and electronic music. I can still appreciate general technical ability for this music, however. Looking to also prevent sound leakage from explicit lyrics.

As points of reference, I more recently had the Elear, and before that the TH-X00 Purpleheart. The big upper mid dip of the Elear and cable eventually got on my nerves. The TH-X00 bass is great for that secondary headphone purpose, and had a certain smoothness I enjoyed which I attribute to the biocellulose, hence my interest the the AQ and Pioneer. I realize their signatures are probably quite different, though. The way the TH-X00 headband and ear pads sit aren’t optimal, though. The comfort on the AQ looks almost perfect (just from appearance).

Is the Pioneer a solid step up from the AQ or a side-grade depending on personal taste? As in, resolving ability, control, separation.

Do one or either respond well to EQ? I know @Sonic Defender mentioned applying a light EQ via software to the bass. I think the Schiit Loki could serve that purpose ideally.

I’d be driving either with my Gilmore Lite Mk 2, which should really maximize the potential of either, in theory. Other stuff I’ve owned is listed in my profile, for context. FWIW, given my more limited means now as a full time student with a family, I’m leaning more towards music enjoyment than audiophile nervosa.

I’m not sure how I should take some of the comments about similarities with the HD800. On one hand, it’s my favorite primary headphone I’ve owned; I had it twice. On the other hand, I hope the Pioneer has more bass quantity and extension as a closed back. I don’t mind a little deviation from neutral bass for this secondary purpose.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@JWahl I think the SEM5 offers more clarity and resolving ability over the Nightowl. I also owned the HD800S and feel that the SEM5 has more bass, but not significantly more bass. It is still closer to neutral than coloured, but it is definitely a well done and competent bass and I would think it would be quite a bit more noticeable as compared with the HD800. Certainly not a sidegrade to the NightOwl, which I really enjoyed.

 

[JWahl]

Well, it seems the price just dropped to $500 again on B&H, so I predict in impulse purchase in my future. The only thing that's frustrating is I'm waiting on either a new credit card to arrive in the mail or for my Qutest to sell. Perhaps I can email them and see if they would hold the price for me for a short time. I figure at that price, there is less risk of losing too much an a used sale. Especially considering how rare they appear to be on the used market. Either those who buy them really like them, they're not selling very well new, or possibly both. If I'm able to get it, I'll post some impressions here later on.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Well, it seems the price just dropped to $500 again on B&H, so I predict in impulse purchase in my future. The only thing that's frustrating is I'm waiting on either a new credit card to arrive in the mail or for my Qutest to sell. Perhaps I can email them and see if they would hold the price for me for a short time. I figure at that price, there is less risk of losing too much an a used sale. Especially considering how rare they appear to be on the used market. Either those who buy them really like them, they're not selling very well new, or possibly both. If I'm able to get it, I'll post some impressions here later on.

I don't imagine they were great sellers based on the lack of chatter about them, but regardless, they are fantastic headphones and if you buy and try with a return option you have nothing to lose so I strongly encourage you to try them.

 

[JWahl]

I ended up selling my Qutest a few days ago, ordered the SE-Monitor5, and have been doing some brief listening out of the box. The disclaimer being that my ears are very adjusted to the HD-650 signature and I have no dedicated DAC right now, only my amp. Much less bass than expected, very dry, and shouty upper mids. But.....I'm going to give them a little time to run in, and let my ears adjust. I'm also going to try the Pleather pads, they might help. It reminds me less of the HD800 and more of my OG K701 from years ago; especially the dryness. That's not such a bad thing to me though. There's some qualities of the K701 I actually miss and these shouldn't have the power input limitations of the K701.

On the positive side, delicate microdynamics and transients are very good. It does seem like it should also respond well to EQ, which I plan to do when I get the Loki and a new DAC. While this is a somewhat negative first impression, I'm holding out hope. It's easier to fix frequency response irregularities than to improve things like transient response. I saw pictures of the damping that the designers put in the rear cups, they might have gone a touch overboard with it. I think it has potential though and could end up being very satisfying, even if they aren't exactly what I was looking for at first.

Update: Was going to change to the pleather pads and it looks like the left driver dome is already dented out of the box. This could possibly affect the sound and thus impressions, but not sure how much.

 

[JWahl]

Did some more listening with pleather pads and I’m starting to warm up to the sound. The pleather should be the default pads IMO. Playing around with software EQ in JRiver in the bass also seems to help. They do have a certain purity and speed in the midrange which I’m really digging with certain tracks. I may end up getting them exchanged for the driver dent though.

Besides the sound I really dislike the way the pads mount and the fact that there’s no left to right swivel for the cups. The AD2000x was the same way; I hated it. Still, it’s not too difficult to get a proper seal.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Did some more listening with pleather pads and I’m starting to warm up to the sound. The pleather should be the default pads IMO. Playing around with software EQ in JRiver in the bass also seems to help. They do have a certain purity and speed in the midrange which I’m really digging with certain tracks. I may end up getting them exchanged for the driver dent though.

Besides the sound I really dislike the way the pads mount and the fact that there’s no left to right swivel for the cups. The AD2000x was the same way; I hated it. Still, it’s not too difficult to get a proper seal.

Good stuff, yes for me the pleathers were the better match and yes again, changing pads is far, far too difficult and absolutely needs to be addressed. I even feel the bass has similar clarity with more impact than is normal for a headphone with clarity and speed.

 

[JWahl]

Good stuff, yes for me the pleathers were the better match and yes again, changing pads is far, far too difficult and absolutely needs to be addressed. I even feel the bass has similar clarity with more impact than is normal for a headphone with clarity and speed.

It could be that the bass is also very low distortion as well, which can decrease perceived quantity. Right now, I feel like the original HD800 had greater extension without EQ. However, I do think that my perception is affected by my current lack of standalone DAC. I think this headphone may be more sensitive to source quality, whereas the HD-650 I find more sensitive to sufficient amplification.

The great thing I’m also finding is that even if I EQ the bass north of neutral, it still preserves the same sense of speed, which is impressive. Probably because the aggressive damping cuts down excessive bass resonance.

This is really noticeable with heavy rock and metal, where guitar shreds and drums remain clear and articulate while the bass EQ gives it some more weight and authority.

I’m really looking forward to getting a proper DAC again and the Loki EQ to see what this thing is really capable of.

 

[Sonic Defender]

It could be that the bass is also very low distortion as well, which can decrease perceived quantity. Right now, I feel like the original HD800 had greater extension without EQ. However, I do think that my perception is affected by my current lack of standalone DAC. I think this headphone may be more sensitive to source quality, whereas the HD-650 I find more sensitive to sufficient amplification.

The great thing I’m also finding is that even if I EQ the bass north of neutral, it still preserves the same sense of speed, which is impressive. Probably because the aggressive damping cuts down excessive bass resonance.

This is really noticeable with heavy rock and metal, where guitar shreds and drums remain clear and articulate while the bass EQ gives it some more weight and authority.

I’m really looking forward to getting a proper DAC again and the Loki EQ to see what this thing is really capable of.

Exactly my feelings about the bass, and it can be really articulate and still offer impact without sacrificing speed which I appreciate. If you don't want to spend mega bucks the FiiO Q5 is a great DAC option that also allows for Bluetooth and a standalone amp if needed, quite competent believe me. I sold my NAD M51 and Chord Mojo and kept the iFi iOne as my DAC and I tested it against the other two DACs as I owned all three at the same time and I just found the iOne really capable, fantastically affordable and importantly to me is the Bluetooth with it and the Q5. With both the FiiO and iFi products I don't even bother with wired connections, the Bluetooth is more than capable of transparent, high quality audio. I can't hear any benefit at all when using USB. Bluetooth at this level of implementation is top shelf in my opinion. I'm never going back to big buck wired DACs, just can't see or hear any advantage that could possibly justify it. You should hear the SEM5 driven balanced right from the Q5 with a streamed Bluetooth signal, simply put blissfully good.

Right now listening to the newest Dave Matthew's Band album ripped from the CD to my phone, streaming to the iFi iOne through my speaker system and believe me, it is absolutely a great little DAC, does it all. I think people convince themselves that the big expensive boxes perform these feats of sonic magic simply because they look so much more impressive.

 

[JWahl]

I put the cloth pads back on in preparation for shipping. It seems they go on much easier than the pleathers, only took about 10 seconds each side. It helps that I read the instructions to figure out the “trick” to get them on. Though, I did that with the pleathers and they still seemed more challenging to put on. Maybe the stretchy material on the cloth pads was already stretched out a bit, making them easier to fit back on.

It’s a shame the cloth pads don’t sound as good, because I find them more comfortable. They’re more tolerable with EQ but I still prefer the others. I’ve read that Fostex pads can fit with effort, so I may do some experimentation in the future.

I’ll be shipping them back tomorrow for them to be exchanged for the driver dent defect, so no new updates for a few days. I pulled the trigger on a used Grace m9xx and I’ve also ordered the Schiit Loki. They should both arrive by the time my replacement pair of the pioneers arrive.

As it stands, I can’t think of a more enjoyable closed headphone (after EQ) for the $500 I paid for it. I just hope the driver defect was a random fluke and that the whole batch of deeply discounted units isn’t just sets with factory defects. That being said, I couldn’t tell much audible difference from the dent. I did some tests from this site: https://www.audiocheck.net/soundtests_headphones.php

On the channel match test, I thought I heard it veer to the right in the highest frequencies, but it’s hard to say and within the realm of bias or hearing imbalance. I did the same test on the HD-650 and maybe heard it similar but less pronounced. Could be the driver, my ear, or both. Still, I’d rather have a new pair that’s not dented out of the box.

 

[talan7]

Finally picked one up from Amazon for $499. I'm listening to it now and am impressed. I have Elear, HD650, X2, TP20, HF HE560, EL8 Titanium, Sony Z7, Klipsch HP3 (better than all Fostex to me), Telefunken Aqusta (don't sleep on these, they are very good), and recently DT1990 (blew me away). As you can see, I have a few headphones. I didn't list them all either.

I expected no bass but these have great extension, just little impact. I'm listening on the Monoprice Monolith Class AAA dac/amp. This portable dac/amp blows away pretty much everything else I have. It has shelf EQ and/or PEQ, but the Dirac Sensaround really works with headphones. It just opens things up. It's much better than the 3D on iDSD BL. I have a shelf EQ on bass 5 dbs, everything below 100hz I believe. The SEM5 still sounds like it can take even more bass. I must say though, it's only listenable with the EQ on, without it, the bass is whack. I do love the extension. The Monoprice Monolith portable amp is what brings these cans to life. Class A power, EQ, Dirac Sensaround....another level.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24460

 

[Sonic Defender]

Finally picked one up from Amazon for $499. I'm listening to it now and am impressed. I have Elear, HD650, X2, TP20, HF HE560, EL8 Titanium, Sony Z7, Klipsch HP3 (better than all Fostex to me), Telefunken Aqusta (don't sleep on these, they are very good), and recently DT1990 (blew me away). As you can see, I have a few headphones. I didn't list them all either.

I expected no bass but these have great extension, just little impact. I'm listening on the Monoprice Monolith Class AAA dac/amp. This portable dac/amp blows away pretty much everything else I have. It has shelf EQ and/or PEQ, but the Dirac Sensaround really works with headphones. It just opens things up. It's much better than the 3D on iDSD BL. I have a shelf EQ on bass 5 dbs, everything below 100hz I believe. The SEM5 still sounds like it can take even more bass. I must say though, it's only listenable with the EQ on, without it, the bass is whack. I do love the extension. The Monoprice Monolith portable amp is what brings these cans to life. Class A power, EQ, Dirac Sensaround....another level.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24460

The bass in stock signature is whack? I have to say that runs completely counter to my experience and those of other SEM5 owners who tend to suggest the bass is pretty neutral, but in general has as you note good extension, but not heavy impact. We all hear somewhat differently and we also have our preferences, but if you have been applying DSP effects for a time with other headphones you may have acclimated to a skewed presentation of bass and that might make other headphones sound odd until you acclimate to them, or find the DSP adjustment that makes them more like what you have been experiencing. Again, saying something is whack is fine, but it doesn't really give us any useable information to gauge what it is you are hearing and how it strikes you as incorrect. Could you give us some examples of what you mean by whacked?

For the record, personally, I stopped using DIRAC DSP processing as I found music obviously different with it applied than without it, and it is a little like a drug to me, even if it isn't better, which I didn't find to be the case, it was really engaging and I just didn't want to get my brain acclimated to that heavily processed sound because when you don't listen with it which frequently is going to be the case, I really did find my brain wanted that processed signal so it worried me. Again, that is just me, but beyond basic equalization I try to avoid any DSP.

 

[talan7]

The bass in stock signature is whack? I have to say that runs completely counter to my experience and those of other SEM5 owners who tend to suggest the bass is pretty neutral, but in general has as you note good extension, but not heavy impact. We all hear somewhat differently and we also have our preferences, but if you have been applying DSP effects for a time with other headphones you may have acclimated to a skewed presentation of bass and that might make other headphones sound odd until you acclimate to them, or find the DSP adjustment that makes them more like what you have been experiencing. Again, saying something is whack is fine, but it doesn't really give us any useable information to gauge what it is you are hearing and how it strikes you as incorrect. Could you give us some examples of what you mean by whacked?

For the record, personally, I stopped using DIRAC DSP processing as I found music obviously different with it applied than without it, and it is a little like a drug to me, even if it isn't better, which I didn't find to be the case, it was really engaging and I just didn't want to get my brain acclimated to that heavily processed sound because when you don't listen with it which frequently is going to be the case, I really did find my brain wanted that processed signal so it worried me. Again, that is just me, but beyond basic equalization I try to avoid any DSP.

What I meant by whack was too little all around, but only quantity is what I consider whack. The quality of the bass is excellent as you can hear all the notes, other headphones you can feel impact but don’t hear individual notes. I feel though, when it comes to bass, you need to feel some impact as well. I have 5 dbs of bass boost on a shelf eq and it’s just getting there for me in quantity. It doesn’t break up with that eq. Once it burns in a little more I’m going to see how it handles my Vorzuge Vorzamp Duo II 12 dB bass boost. If it can handle that, I’d be really impressed.
I won’t lie, I’m kind of a basshead, but a different kind of one. I’m not just looking for bassy headphones. I want quality bass, then I’ll boost it myself, so the ability to take a lot of bass boost without breaking up is what I judge for most.

 

[Sonic Defender]

What I meant by whack was too little all around, but only quantity is what I consider whack. The quality of the bass is excellent as you can hear all the notes, other headphones you can feel impact but don’t hear individual notes. I feel though, when it comes to bass, you need to feel some impact as well. I have 5 dbs of bass boost on a shelf eq and it’s just getting there for me in quantity. It doesn’t break up with that eq. Once it burns in a little more I’m going to see how it handles my Vorzuge Vorzamp Duo II 12 dB bass boost. If it can handle that, I’d be really impressed.
I won’t lie, I’m kind of a basshead, but a different kind of one. I’m not just looking for bassy headphones. I want quality bass, then I’ll boost it myself, so the ability to take a lot of bass boost without breaking up is what I judge for most.

I'm not trying to judge, to each his own, I love bass myself, but how can music sound good with bass so elevated? Doesn't it just obscure everything else? I'm actually curious as I have never known anybody who boosted bass so much and as such I have never heard about why and what the music sounded like. Have you had damaged drivers at all from the bass boosting?