[DougofTheAbaci]

So I'm pretty sure my HE-500's have crapped out on me. The left side is dead and at first I thought it was the cable, but swapping that proved it wasn't... Then I thought it was the AMP/DAC, but using a different headphone proved it wasn't... Anyway, I find myself in the market for a replacement.

Right now I'm considering just getting another pair of HE-500's but I wanted to know if there were any other headphones I should really pay attention to. The 560 seems interesting but I'm not sure it's interesting enough to justify the price difference. I've also been looking at Grado headphones, but I keep hearing that they're a little on the warmer side? I also looked into the Alpha Dog, but wasn't sure about sound stage.

My budget is around $700, plus or minus for the right headphone. I listen to just about everything so I'm looking for a neutral all-rounder. For now I'll be driving it from my O2/ODAC. As I said the HE-500 is pretty much perfect sonically for me so I'll probably just go back to that, though I'd be willing to give another brand a try. I liked the idea of getting something from Grado, but wasn't sure about their sound.

 

[rsgladwin85]

Are they outside of the warranty period.  I bought a pair second hand a few years back of HE-5LE's and they had a channel go out on them.  But Hifiman still replaced them.  You'll have to eat shipping charges, but that'd still be better than buying new cans.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Are they outside of the warranty period.  I bought a pair second hand a few years back of HE-5LE's and they had a channel go out on them.  But Hifiman still replaced them.  You'll have to eat shipping charges, but that'd still be better than buying new cans.

They're two years old and the warranty is only one year, but it's worth a shot.

 

[rsgladwin85]

Even still since you liked them, it would probably be cheaper to have Hifiman repair them than to replace them with something else.  Unless you've just got upgradeitis, lol.  We'd all understand that.

 

[Lorspeaker]

yup...get the drivers replaced...
well at least u can sell the whole working set for some pennies..
maybe get a new custom cable for added "fun"....

 

[rsgladwin85]

Originally Posted by Lorspeaker /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
well at least u can sell the whole working set for some pennies..

 
If you went that route you could use what you got for selling them to supplement your budget, and perhaps try some HE-560's. lol  Or so many other wonderful options.

 

[KG Jag]

We can't has devolved into that much of a throw away society.  Get them fixed!

 

[JoeDoe]

First suggestion, get them fixed. Second suggestion, Beyer T90.

 

[davidsh]

I am sure Hifiman can take your he-500 and let you upgrade to he-560 for a reduced price. Someone has had success with that.

 

[Za Warudo]

I read on the HE560 thread that you can get it fixed by HFM for $120 including shipping, which is obviously preferable to just throwing it away.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

I read on the HE560 thread that you can get it fixed by HFM for $120 including shipping, which is obviously preferable to just throwing it away.

So a bit of follow up. Firstly, the guys at Hifiman are awesome.

When I wrote up this post I figured even if I sent them back it was going to be a few hundred out of pocket at at that price I might as well look at my options. If I ended up buying something else I wasn't going to toss them, I was going to sell them at a discount. The left side is still good and I have two cables (the original stock cable and an after-market one) as well as both the display and travel case.

However, I emailed Hifiman sometime in the afternoon and late in the evening I got a response telling me exactly how much it would cost, how I could make the payment and where to send them to. Within the space of 40 minutes or so I'd made the payment, had it confirmed and knew exactly where to mail my headphones. Which I did the next day. As soon as they arrived I received confirmation from Hifiman and word that the replacement pair was on it's way, tracking number and all. They'll arrive Tuesday and I can't wait!

As for how much it cost, I had to pay for shipping to them (which is fair enough) but return was covered in the cost of the replacement. All told it cost me less than $150 with a one-week turnaround.

I love when I deal with a company expecting them to treat you the way most companies treat customers and instead find them to be fair and extremely helpful. It's this kind of stuff that makes me a customer for life.

 

[davidsh]

Should have paid the difference for HE-560 

 
Good thing you are happy, though 

 

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

Should have paid the difference for HE-560 :mad:

Good thing you are happy, though   

They wouldn't let me.