[gelocks]

BTW, IF I order these, I will definitely get the Blue version... it looks SWEEEET and of course, all the other cans I have are black so... (with the exception of my HD598s which I will also probably sell soon! lol) not sure why you only wanted black

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

So Craig, it seems you have indeed spent more than I these past few months on closed-back headphones!! LOL. How about those Signature DJs!?! Did you get them yet? I was going to bite on one of those again (I cancelled from RMC as they took way too long to get them) but decided first to sell some of my gear to have a couple extra bucks.
 
I was thinking of ordering these from Crutchfield as they offer free shipping and working with them is definitely a pleasure, but not sure yet...

I am listening to the Signature DJs as we speak and I can say with confidence my headphone search is over.  M-100 will do fine on the road as my backup.  The Sig DJ has the ultimate sound signature for me.  It is a refined, spacious M-100.  The build quality is astounding and the leather is luxurious.  I believe the Yamaha PRO 500 is a winner based on reviews here and was hoping to have one to compare, but consider me retired from headphone buying.  Now, onto portable amps.....

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

I am listening to the Signature DJs as we speak and I can say with confidence my headphone search is over.  M-100 will do fine on the road as my backup.  The Sig DJ has the ultimate sound signature for me.  It is a refined, spacious M-100.  The build quality is astounding and the leather is luxurious.  I believe the Yamaha PRO 500 is a winner based on reviews here and was hoping to have one to compare, but consider me retired from headphone buying.  Now, onto portable amps.....

 
w00t! Nice!!!
Hopefully I'll get them Sig DJs one of these days if I see them @ $700 or less... I guess I'll have to decide if I want to buy the Pro 500s or not later...
 
Thanks for the first impressions. If you work on more impressions once you get more use of them during the week, please be sure to post them on the Sig DJ thread
 
 
Thanks.

 

[lilVaratep]

I wouldn't dare wear those yamaha's in my college or areas. I'd probably get beat up and called a poser LOL!

 

[retrophonic]

I would love to try out the Signature DJ's, just wish they came in black like the Signature Pro's. How's the Low end on the Sig Pro's?

 

[Craigster75]

Quote:

I would love to try out the Signature DJ's, just wish they came in black like the Signature Pro's. How's the Low end on the Sig Pro's?

Fantastic.  Similar to M-100.  I think they are gorgeous with black and white in person.  While sound is most important, I was really put off by the looks of the Pro 500 as well as the fragility of the folding band design.

 

[roma101]

They look much better in person. I personally was not a fan of the style (it grew on me) but I don't care what they look like now that I know how they sound. They are my ultimate headphone in terms of what I prefer and that's excellent timbre accuracy, detail, instrument separation and soundstage.
 
It's a shame you didn't get a pair Craig but I understand, since I prefer black headphones myself and that would have been a deal-breaker with that seller. However there is a seller on ebay that sold to me for a really good price if you are interested. Send me a pm if you are and I'll give you the details. Anyway glad you are enjoying the Sig DJs, would love to hear those.

 

[navii]

A chinese review this time:
 
http://review.u-audio.com.tw/reviewdetail.asp?reviewid=617

 

[MrGuzmanWhite]

I bought the Yamaha pro 500 yesterday morning. The headphone has already about 10 hrs of burn-in time, so I can already get some impressions to share and two questions to ask.
 
First the impressions. I think this is an excellent sounding headphone. I have also an AKG K550 and a Logitech UE600. In my view the tonality, the separation and clarity and the stereo imaging or the Yamaha is superior to even the AKG K550. The bass is present but well controlled and never blooming into the mids. The mids are forward but with sparky energy and not too far from neutral, and the highs are not strident at all, very well managed. The tonality appears to be in-between the UE600 and the K550, so that it has less bass presence than the UE600 (that is a bit too warm for my taste) but more than the K550 (that has very well controlled bass but to too powerful in presence). The Yamaha Pro 500 has a tonality that is not as warm as the UE600 but not as lean as the K550, just in the middle of them
 
This is an great headphone overall, and I am surprised how little appreciated it is, maybe because it is new (?).
 
Anyway, I am considering to keep it even when I am not sure I need it. I just think it is a better headphone that the AKG K550 and the UE600, but it is also quite pricey. So these are my questions to get your feedback:
 

• The Yamaha Pro 500 cost $399, that is as much as the HiFiMan HE-400, an open headphone that has received rave reviews. I think the HE-400 is defined to be warm but crystal clear that is something of interest to me. I wonder you advise me to keep the Yamaha or I should just go a get the HiFiMan HE-400 that may complement better my other closed-headphones  the UE600 and the AKG K550?
• I noticed that the Yamaha Pro 400 looks very similar to the 500 model, the 50 mm drivers appears to have exactly the same specifications so I assume they are identical. The 500 model is $100 more expensive than the 400, and I wonder if it is worth to keep the 500 or just get the 400 if it has the same sound and specifications?

 
Thanks everyone for sharing your thinking.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

I bought the Yamaha pro 500 yesterday morning. The headphone has already about 10 hrs of burn-in time, so I can already get some impressions to share and two questions to ask.
 
First the impressions. I think this is an excellent sounding headphone. I have also an AKG K550 and a Logitech UE600. In my view the tonality, the separation and clarity and the stereo imaging or the Yamaha is superior to even the AKG K550. The bass is present but well controlled and never blooming into the mids. The mids are forward but with sparky energy and not too far from neutral, and the highs are not strident at all, very well managed. The tonality appears to be in-between the UE600 and the K550, so that it has less bass presence than the UE600 (that is a bit too warm for my taste) but more than the K550 (that has very well controlled bass but to too powerful in presence). The Yamaha Pro 500 has a tonality that is not as warm as the UE600 but not as lean as the K550, just in the middle of them
 
This is an great headphone overall, and I am surprised how little appreciated it is, maybe because it is new (?).
 
Anyway, I am considering to keep it even when I am not sure I need it. I just think it is a better headphone that the AKG K550 and the UE600, but it is also quite pricey. So these are my questions to get your feedback:
 

• The Yamaha Pro 500 cost $399, that is as much as the HiFiMan HE-400, an open headphone that has received rave reviews. I think the HE-400 is defined to be warm but crystal clear that is something of interest to me. I wonder you advise me to keep the Yamaha or I should just go a get the HiFiMan HE-400 that may complement better my other closed-headphones  the UE600 and the AKG K550?
• I noticed that the Yamaha Pro 400 looks very similar to the 500 model, the 50 mm drivers appears to have exactly the same specifications so I assume they are identical. The 500 model is $100 more expensive than the 400, and I wonder if it is worth to keep the 500 or just get the 400 if it has the same sound and specifications?

 
Thanks everyone for sharing your thinking.

 
Yamaha used to do three different headphones at a time, i.e. the YHD-1, 2 and 3. HP-1, HP-2
 
I assume the main difference between the 500 and 400 is the metal housing on the 500. It is thick heavy metal.
 
I haven't heard the HiFMan HE400, but would like to.

 

[MrGuzmanWhite]

Quote:

 
I assume the main difference between the 500 and 400 is the metal housing on the 500. It is thick heavy metal.
 

Thanks a lot. the metal housing is only for the earcups as far as I can see in the specifications. The description from Yamaha is that the 500 model uses "Ultra-premium drivers" and the 400 uses "Premium, mobile-optimized drivers" but the frequency range and the sensitivity are identical so I assume it is the same driver.
 
Anyway, thanks for your advise.

 

[roma101]

Hey Guzman, your impressions are spot-on and these Yamahas certainly deserve more attention. It's very possible that people are put off by the looks but people need to look past that and actually hear these. These have the sound I have been looking for (natural, detailed across the board, versatile all-rounder, soundstage and imaging... and did I mention natural?) for a long time and I am very nit-picky. Many headphones have come and gone but these are staying with me for life.

As for your question, why not sell the K550 and UE6000 to fund the HE400? Would love to try that headphone at some point as well.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Hey Guzman, your impressions are spot-on and these Yamahas certainly deserve more attention. It's very possible that people are put off by the looks but people need to look past that and actually hear these. These have the sound I have been looking for (natural, detailed across the board, versatile all-rounder, soundstage and imaging... and did I mention natural?) for a long time and I am very nit-picky. Many headphones have come and gone but these are staying with me for life.

 
Have you also notice how good the Yamaha is at presenting the layers of sound in a recording? For example, on pop/rock songs with strings, you can hear the full body of the orchestra sitting behind the main components of the track ( ex guitars, bass, keyboards)

 

[tseliottt]

Quote:

I bought the Yamaha pro 500 yesterday morning. The headphone has already about 10 hrs of burn-in time, so I can already get some impressions to share and two questions to ask.
 
First the impressions. I think this is an excellent sounding headphone. I have also an AKG K550 and a Logitech UE600. In my view the tonality, the separation and clarity and the stereo imaging or the Yamaha is superior to even the AKG K550. The bass is present but well controlled and never blooming into the mids. The mids are forward but with sparky energy and not too far from neutral, and the highs are not strident at all, very well managed. The tonality appears to be in-between the UE600 and the K550, so that it has less bass presence than the UE600 (that is a bit too warm for my taste) but more than the K550 (that has very well controlled bass but to too powerful in presence). The Yamaha Pro 500 has a tonality that is not as warm as the UE600 but not as lean as the K550, just in the middle of them

Wow sounds like the perfect headphones. I need to try these out. How big are they? They look very similar in design to D600s, and those are way too big for portable use.

 

[tseliottt]

And just added the review to the OP for easy navigation. Any others?