[kingoftown1]

Just stopping in to say that I've received Keanex' HM5 for comparison with my HD600 & Modded T50RP.  Other equipment used with it will be the Audinst HUD-MX1, O2, and hopefully the Yulong D18 in the near future.

 

[Lemmy Caution]

Quote:

Well I ordered my HM5's at mp4nation, hope it does not take too long for them to ship.

 
Me too. I'm in "pre-order status," which I take to mean that they haven't even ordered them. So perhaps they need to be made (hopefully under humane conditions), then moved to sea, then travel the long path on the slow boat from China, then to my greedy hands and ears. 
 
Meanwhile I'm wondering if I can get recommendations for a back-up or front-up pair of closed headphones to play acoustic jazz and such. Have studied MANY reviews and forums here and still seek the sweet spot. I guess I need something like Denons but with closed back and not so great a power-demand...
 
I have a dacport dac/amp and am mostly playing 24/96 apple lossless files from my macbook pro. I'm hoping for cans that are not too tight (big head plus glasses)... that can work with a usb-powered amp (certainly not the most powerful).... I prefer clarity in bass tones and subharmonics, but with very clear mids... I like the feeling of being in a small but airy wood-lined, carpeted nightclub (think the Village Vanguard), with lots of resonance, warmth, and softened highs.... I'm looking for the anti-Grado (which I also have a couple of pairs of--so clear!--but have to eq to death)....
 
Budget under $400 used...Thanks for tips. In the meantime, I'll just keep waiting for the brainwavzes.....

 

[keanex]

I was unaware ALAC played back 24/96.

 

[Lemmy Caution]

Quote:

I was unaware ALAC played back 24/96.

I'm sure you're right. I'm illiterate with all matters computer-audiophile. 
 

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

I was unaware ALAC played back 24/96.

No problem encoding in ALAC 24/96, and iTunes will play them fine.  When it comes to the iPods though, you need to resample to 24/48 to get them onto the iPod (at least with the iPod4 and iPhone4 anyway).

 

[atomikn00b]

soooo. just thought i'd mention.
been listening to the denon d2k's exclusively for the past 3 weeks. at the same time, my lil bro has been listening to my brainwavz hm5.
i picked up the hm5's today.
and man. they sound different from my first sessions with them. now EVERYTHING IS THERE. bass, subbass, midrange, treble. EVERYTHING. and sooooo clean too. i reeeally appreciate it more. burn in is real.
if i could feel the (sub)bass, as opposed to just hearing it, like the d2k's and the sound was a bit less laid back and a bit more engaging (minus vocals; vocals are excellently engaging), i'd more than likely listen to the hm5's more. for now i prefer the d2k's because i'm listening to a lot of bassy music and (to me) there's no point in bass if you can't feel it. 
but in truth, i'm glad i own them both. won't be getting rid of either.

 

[treal512]

It's nice to hear that these open up after more burn-in. I recall the FA-003 doing the same around the 100-200 hour mark. This just goes to further confirm their similarities, IMO. Really looking forward to trying these out!

 

[Kertys]

I've been waiting forever for my FiiO E17 to come in so I can test it out with these babies! And WOW, it's great.
 
I'm new to this audio scene, but even I can tell that the HM5 does have some "burn in" time. When I first used them, they were very neutral and I wasn't getting a whole lot of power in the mid and bass (fully detailed, just not driving that hard). However, weeks later I am hearing everything even on a regular 3.5mm connection from my computer's integrated sound.
 
With the E17, it's just amazing. Strong response in all ranges, at least to my ears. Gonna try this combo  out with my PS3's optical output!

 

[roosta]

quick update on simple easy reversible mods I've tried:
 
ok so i had a go at changing the sound of my LINDY versions to reduce the bass and speed it up a bit. my first plan was to open them up, so off came the backs. i tried them as completely open 'phones for an hour or so, and noticed some strange changes to the noise. first off they sounded more closed with the backs off. they sounded slightly less crisp and sightly more muddy, and the sound stage shrunk. one positive i did note was the complete removal of the 300Hz dip. it did also remove quite a lot of bass below 300Hz, too much in fact, so it might have just lined up the roll off with the notch.  
 
they sounded better with the backs on, so then i noticed 2 small slot holes either side of the headphone cups, right next to where the headband attaches to the cups. i stole  a picture from the for sale forum because i cant find my camera, here it is. 
 

 
here i have circled the slots. i decided to listen to see what sound frequencies were leaving the headphones through these holes, so i ran a sine wave with my ear pressed to these holes. what i noticed was there was no 300hz peak or notch coming from these holes. interesting. so i put some electrical tape over both of these holes on both cups (so all four slots are covered) and the bass has dropped significantly. whats more interesting is the 300Hz dip has also gone, to be replaced by a bass roll off from 300hz down, with quite a sharp drop at 200hz. its like the covering of the ports has moved the notch from 300Hz down to 200Hz. it also shrunk the soundstage a bit, and muddied the mids a bit. stock sounded better. 
 
so ive just removed 2 bits of tape of the front ports so the back two remain covered. now it gets really interesting. with no tape, the notch was at 300Hz, with 4 bits of tape, it was at 200Hz. now with 2 bits of tape, the notch centres at 225hz, but the notch isnt as pronounced or as strong as stock or 4 taped. the bass depth has returned as well, meaning theres no real downside to this mod. it reduces the notch, removes a touch of the mid-bass hump, and keeps the sound fairly open and clean. 
 
its pretty subtle, but ive been playing with EQ since i got these because i found the bass too strong, overpowering and fatiguing, this seems to have helped. not solved, i think a bit more modding will be needed to solve the issue, but its certainly changed the sound a bit. 
 
anyway, thought i would share. enjoy!
 
 

 

[129207]

Quote:

quick update on simple easy reversible mods I've tried:
 
 
 

Interesting stuff! Might try this out on my pair just to see what it does. I must admit I don't hear your 300hz bump and I don't find the bass overpowering either.  

 

[mp29k]

So here is my dilemma.

I have never owned a nice pair of headphones, but I am interested. I am the kind of person who gets into researching a new hobby, and tries to find the most bang for buck combo that can be had within a certain budget. Since I have never bought a nice pair, I want to be really wowed. I also will never own a really expensive pair, so these first pair have to really satisfy. I would rather spend $500 on tunes than gears.

I have been doing lots of research, and think I have settled on Fiio E17 with Brainwavz HM5 for my sub $300 budget for a portable setup.

The thing is, suggestions for other phones, some much cheaper than the HM5 are very pervasive on here. For instance, at the extreme end, the Monoprice Hi-Fi DJ Headphones at $21, or a little less extreme, the CAL! At about $60. On the other side, the M50s seem to be recommended ALOT, but I don't want to overspend, and I am not a bass head. I listen to mostly to classic rock, anything from PInk Floyd and the Doors to Elton John and the Beatles. For more modern music, I like Pearl Jam, Tool, RHCP, Radiohead and Phish.

For those who have tried some of these phones, and the Brainwavz HM5, do you think I will be Wowed? Are the CAL!'s and Monoprice just FOTM? Does the Brainwavz line really offer the massive bang for buck they seem to?

Before anyone recommends just spending the whole budget on a set of cans, and skipping the E17, I am really sold on the Fiio, because I dont have a decent sound card (only motherboard sound). I also like gadgets, so the fiio has to stay.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks, -K

 

[headphonatic]

^ Well in you case these are perfect, great value, I love them for rock, If you're good at DIYing them check out the t50rps, get them a good amp and dac, it will be all you will ever need. If you are the one who like to take risks, try some grado's, amazing for rock and roll, but it is a love or hate kind of can.

 

[mp29k]

Thanks Headphonatic, I did consider the T50rp, but being hard to drive I don't think straight out of my iPhone 4 would be that great. Also, I read u have to mod them to be all they can be, and they don't look as comfy as the Brainwavz. As far as Grados, I don't think I would like the really forward treble signature.

Any other opinions? Anyone heard the HM5, CAL!, and M50 care to comment on how they compare?

 

[headphonatic]

If you like forward, built extremely tough, bassy, and a narrow soundstage pair of cans, then the m50's are for you. If you like wide open soundstage, ridiculously easy to drive, neutral cans, I really recommend these over all the other choices. I have tried the m50, and the hm5's which I also own, hm5's are much better IMO.

 

[manveru]

For what it's worth, I've owned a few other headphones in the ~$100 range, and if my memory is serving me correctly, the HM5 are on a higher level of sound quality. But I haven't heard every headphone in this price range of course. I guess they would make a relatively safe choice, being neutral and kind of laid back. Very inoffensive, but then again certain people might find that boring. Where do you live? Are there any Guitar Centers or Sam Ash you could go to? If you bring an iPod or something you could ask them to audition some headphones, just don't let them bully you into feeling like you'll have to buy something, haha. They should have M50s, Shure SRH440/840s, KRK KNS6400/8400s, AKG K240/171. If you are able to listen to a few different pairs maybe you can figure out what kind of sound signature you want to go for.