[fateicon]

I checked these out at fry's. They have a demo with a narrator that shows off what they can do. The accuracy of instruments, separation, they run through various genres and he points out what to look for. I need to go back and listen some more. I had avoided them due to their look and a lack of info. Figured they must be overpriced junk. After hearing them I must say that what you guys have praised them for seems spot on. The demo plays some piano different ways so you really get a good sense of how the phones handle it. I didn't think they sounded too bass heavy or like they had fatiguing treble. I'd need to hear them some more, but my initial reaction is that they trounce the k550 and ue6000 that I own. I'd also say they beat the momentum too. Against the amperior it's a little difficult. I'd need to hear em with my own test tracks. The amperior is the only phone I own that really brings on the urge to dance and headbang when appropriate. It's also the only one that really gives proper weight to instruments in film scores. Direct out of my Sansa clip, I don't feel like the amperior is very congested. It has enough width and depth for film scores. Everything sounds bigger than on the 550 or UE6000. The big percussion elements on the carbon freeze music from empire strikes back hit with authority, clarity, and sound very accurate to me. I'm thinking the yamaha might pass that test. There's nothing worse than putting a phone on for metal and getting a sound that doesn't bring the guitars out or that doesn't lend the right bass and treble authority to a film score within an adequate soundstage. K550 has good treble and adequate soundstage for film scores but it lacks bass authority and body. It's better if you pair it with an amp that can add some bass coloration, but I'm trying to avoid buying amps to fix things I don't like in my phones. The things I didn't like about the pro 500 were the comfort and the sound you get from the materials. I notice that the material does play a part in how stuff sounds in these closed phones. The pads and the housing. The impacts on the amperior have this poppy sound, very round. With the UE6000 it sounds like the impact is hitting the plastic and metal it's made out of. The pro 500 impact sounds more like the UE6000. By impact I mean stuff like snare hits. I guess this happens with open phones too, like my RS-1 and the interaction with the wood. It's definitely different than my HF2 and it's metal housing. 
 
The only changes I make with the sansa's sound is expanding the stereo width to 110% if I recall. I've switched my amp from an ibasso P2 to O2. The idea being to try and keep the source and amp neutralish and to find headphones I like without needing specific amps for em. When I go back to fry's I'm guessing I won't be able to plug my sansa in. Right now I barely use my 550, HD25, 558, or UE6000 so I doubt I'd be disappointed if I ditched them for the Yamaha. Last time I tested my wife's momentums it didn't do the metal or star wars music well amped or not. It did it ok, wasn't stellar. Just not what I was looking for. 
 
Sounds like these Yamahas possess the things I like about the 550 and Amperiors based on what I've read and heard. Next I need to go to a local store and check out the M4U2.

 

[gelocks]

Remember that some of those "test tracks" are actually made to make everything sound good! LOL (I remember the ones that came with the Ultrasones...) Anyway, definitely you need to try them with your own music. Let us know once you do.
 
Also, be aware that Amazon Warehouse had PRETTY GOOD deals on these guys! (just in case you decide to bite).

 

[fateicon]

yeah I saw the amazon warehouse for $238.95 or whatever, your tip should be helpful for anyone interested. I would have already pulled the trigger on these but I just about maxed out my cards buying the o2 and UE6000 last week. I notice that test tracks at sam ash made the Samson phones sound a lot better than they did with my own stuff. Same thing at Target with the Aviators. Those things are way too aggressive with stuff like the Metallica/Ride the Lightning 1st press flac out of a Sansa clip or my clip-Ibasso P2 combo. In the store they sound silky smooth and scale vertically really nice. I think the K550 and Momentum sound worse on Magnolia's setup than with my Sansa stuff. UE6000 is left permanently on active mode at Best Buy and it's definitely not as bassy there as it is when plugged into my O2 and Clip. 
 
I read a review that says the pro 500 is similar to the HD558. The thing with the 558 is that it gets fatiguing. The treble isn't bright, but, it really highlights static. But it also does cymbals the best of anything I've heard(I didn't hear enough cymbals on the fry's demo to rate the Yamaha). I actually think it sounds more vertically congested than these closed phones. I rarely listen to my open phones anymore and I wasn't all that into much of the phones I heard at CanJam 2010(Ultrasone, Denon Dxx series, Phiaton, LCD2, HD800, HD650), Another thing with the Fry's demo is that the pro 500 definitely bests the 400 on it. Couldn't name the exact reasons. Just sounded bigger and clearer. 
 
Do these Yamahas leak much if I'm playing stuff like Metallica at a volume level that's decently loud, but not so loud that the fidelity goes South and you end up with ear fatigue? I let someone listen to old 1st press albums of Testament and Pantera today and I could easily hear the sound coming from my Amperiors. People tell me that happens when I wear them too. That means they wouldn't be workable in a quiet office situation. But it'd be ok for a plane. The K550 leak like that too. I've heard the UE6000 leaks less. I'm hoping the Yamaha isolate better. I get a full seal on the 550. The music somehow seaps through the cups.

 

[fateicon]

Listened to these a second and longer time and posted my thoughts in the ChiUnifi thread, but I'll sum it up here.
 
-comfort is awful. Very tough clamping force, earpads that barely fit my ears. Definitely not going to be difficult for me to wear more than a half hour. Felt like the 500 barely fit. These things should be on clearance just for this.
 
-very, very clean, big, and crisp sounding. Frequencies do not bleed into each other. This phone is more lean than thin. Sounds pretty well-balanced
 
-handles layered music very well, better than most phones I've heard. Certainly the best of the closed phones. 
 
-kick and snare drums have appropriate impact(as opposed to the phone just creating general bass impact). Most phones, including some of the most expensive, and especially open phones, do not do this. Actually, I haven't heard this type of impact out of the HD800 or any of the elite phones on whatever setups they've been plugged into at various meets and stores I've tried them at. I don't think this is the sort of thing the most expensive phones are striving to do. The Amperior does this almost as well, but it's not as clean sounding as this Yamaha demo. Same deal with the DT990, although I think that one was more about general bass impact than narrowing the focus to the drums.
 
-timbre of piano and sax seemed spot on to me. I like how these instruments sound a bit better out of the SR-009 I heard, or maybe even my RS-1 but I wouldn't say I like those phones better than this one overall. These Pro 500s could sound even better on a setup different from the Fry's demo.
 
-soundstage is pretty spacious. 
 
I may wait a little while to get these since the comfort is bad. I think one of two things will happen. Either the price will drop due to all the comfort issues causing returns, or they'll have to change the design due to the Beats suit and this version will go out of production. It may or may not become highly sought after at that point. I also tried the 400 and 300. 400 is similar, just sounds like a significantly worse version of the 500. It's not as clear, doesn't separate as well, takes more to get as loud, just seems inferior in every way. The 300 just sounded like congested garbage. This could all change on another setup. I wish I knew the source tracks too. They may not be the most well-recorded or well-mastered stuff.

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

Listened to these a second and longer time and posted my thoughts in the ChiUnifi thread, but I'll sum it up here.
 
-comfort is awful. Very tough clamping force, earpads that barely fit my ears. Definitely not going to be difficult for me to wear more than a half hour. Felt like the 500 barely fit. These things should be on clearance just for this.
 
-very, very clean, big, and crisp sounding. Frequencies do not bleed into each other. This phone is more lean than thin. Sounds pretty well-balanced
 
-handles layered music very well, better than most phones I've heard. Certainly the best of the closed phones. 
 
-kick and snare drums have appropriate impact(as opposed to the phone just creating general bass impact). Most phones, including some of the most expensive, and especially open phones, do not do this. Actually, I haven't heard this type of impact out of the HD800 or any of the elite phones on whatever setups they've been plugged into at various meets and stores I've tried them at. I don't think this is the sort of thing the most expensive phones are striving to do. The Amperior does this almost as well, but it's not as clean sounding as this Yamaha demo. Same deal with the DT990, although I think that one was more about general bass impact than narrowing the focus to the drums.
 
-timbre of piano and sax seemed spot on to me. I like how these instruments sound a bit better out of the SR-009 I heard, or maybe even my RS-1 but I wouldn't say I like those phones better than this one overall. These Pro 500s could sound even better on a setup different from the Fry's demo.
 
-soundstage is pretty spacious. 
 
I may wait a little while to get these since the comfort is bad. I think one of two things will happen. Either the price will drop due to all the comfort issues causing returns, or they'll have to change the design due to the Beats suit and this version will go out of production. It may or may not become highly sought after at that point. I also tried the 400 and 300. 400 is similar, just sounds like a significantly worse version of the 500. It's not as clear, doesn't separate as well, takes more to get as loud, just seems inferior in every way. The 300 just sounded like congested garbage. This could all change on another setup. I wish I knew the source tracks too. They may not be the most well-recorded or well-mastered stuff.

 
Nice impressions.
And yes, comfort KILLS these for me as well!

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

 
Nice impressions.
And yes, comfort KILLS these for me as well!

 
 
Quote:

 
-comfort is awful. Very tough clamping force, earpads that barely fit my ears. Definitely not going to be difficult for me to wear more than a half hour. Felt like the 500 barely fit. These things should be on clearance just for this.

 
Give them some time. The pads soften up a bit and the clamping force will ease up, especially if you flex them a bit.

 

[gelocks]

I guess I should have said: "Killed it for me" since I no longer have them!
Still, I will definitely follow a next headphone iteration by Yamaha just based on what I heard with these...

 

[fateicon]

these just dropped another $20 from warehouse deals. I don't know how many they have in stock. Looks like it's definitely possible that these will keep going down in price over time like I was thinking.

 

[navii]

If any Aussies are interested I am selling a brand new pair in the classifieds (check the link in my signature).

 

[fateicon]

blah, now they're back up to $270 from warehouse deals. Probably be another couple weeks before I have the money for them, so maybe they'll drop. 

 

[Beagle]

I just love these headphones. They have clarity but also a real sense of authority.

 

[navii]

another review - http://www.headphoneinfo.com/content/yamaha-pro-500-review
 
check out "the science" section for some graphs.

 

[fateicon]

if anyone is interested in buying these used, you can check here for price fluctuations:
 
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Yamaha-High-Fidelity-Premium-Over-Ear-Headphones/product/B0092T84HQ
 
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Yamaha-High-Fidelity-Premium-Over-Ear-Headphones/product/B0092T858E
 
looks like these fluctuate pretty wildly between $180 something to nearly $300.  the used prices kept dropping and just recently shot up aside from a couple times where the increase was much smaller. I don't really intend on paying more than $200ish for them, not with that bad comfort and the knowledge that many customers return these due to said comfort issues.

 

[roma101]

For the SQ, it's a steal at those prices.

 

[tseliottt]

Listened to these a second and longer time and posted my thoughts in the ChiUnifi thread, but I'll sum it up here.

-comfort is awful. Very tough clamping force, earpads that barely fit my ears. Definitely not going to be difficult for me to wear more than a half hour. Felt like the 500 barely fit. These things should be on clearance just for this.

-very, very clean, big, and crisp sounding. Frequencies do not bleed into each other. This phone is more lean than thin. Sounds pretty well-balanced

-handles layered music very well, better than most phones I've heard. Certainly the best of the closed phones. 

-kick and snare drums have appropriate impact(as opposed to the phone just creating general bass impact). Most phones, including some of the most expensive, and especially open phones, do not do this. Actually, I haven't heard this type of impact out of the HD800 or any of the elite phones on whatever setups they've been plugged into at various meets and stores I've tried them at. I don't think this is the sort of thing the most expensive phones are striving to do. The Amperior does this almost as well, but it's not as clean sounding as this Yamaha demo. Same deal with the DT990, although I think that one was more about general bass impact than narrowing the focus to the drums.

-timbre of piano and sax seemed spot on to me. I like how these instruments sound a bit better out of the SR-009 I heard, or maybe even my RS-1 but I wouldn't say I like those phones better than this one overall. These Pro 500s could sound even better on a setup different from the Fry's demo.

-soundstage is pretty spacious. 

I may wait a little while to get these since the comfort is bad. I think one of two things will happen. Either the price will drop due to all the comfort issues causing returns, or they'll have to change the design due to the Beats suit and this version will go out of production. It may or may not become highly sought after at that point. I also tried the 400 and 300. 400 is similar, just sounds like a significantly worse version of the 500. It's not as clear, doesn't separate as well, takes more to get as loud, just seems inferior in every way. The 300 just sounded like congested garbage. This could all change on another setup. I wish I knew the source tracks too. They may not be the most well-recorded or well-mastered stuff.

this is pretty spot on with what I heard when I owned them. People really need to try these.