[betula]

I'm going to wait until the regular edition is out. Looks like it will be $1000 less and come without the stand and maybe one of the cables and the extra set of pads. It'll be a few months later but the extras are not worth anywhere near a grand.

Exactly. If it is not a typo, according to the article the 5000SE will cost £4800 in the UK and £3000 without all the accessories later on. I also don't need a stand and two cables I would never use. I would need the only cable they don't offer by default, the 4pin XLR.
Based on this information I think it will be quite possible to acquire a second-hand unit in the second half of 2023 for less than half the initial retail price.

 

[voja]

I'm going to wait until the regular edition is out. Looks like it will be $1000 less and come without the stand and maybe one of the cables and the extra set of pads. It'll be a few months later but the extras are not worth anywhere near a grand.

This is what I said in the past, the special edition only appears to be about accessories! It's also numbered w/serial numbers etched on the headband. Whether there are any other exclusives to the SE, I cannot say.

The standard edition will likely be around that much cheaper, but you will also have to wait substantially longer if you want the standard edition (Q3 2023 according to an early leak by the press).

 

[Failed Engineer]

That's a heavy early adopter tax. I'm sure many will pay it but not me.

 

[Whitigir]

Some people will be paying $7-8k just for the cables alone. For a headphones and a cables approved by Yamaha, it is cheap ! Lol

 

[stacey]

I get that the SE is not cheap. At the same time you do get more in accessories than Hifiman Susvara , Focal Utopia 2022, and T+A Solitaire P. Now will it sound as good or better than those?

 

[doctorK53]

I collected Japanese tweets of those who auditoned YH-5000SE and translated their impressions of sound and comfort.
(I ignored their comments for accessories, price, history, appearance, etc.)

Keywords often mentioned are;
Natural, fast, high resolution, good spacial positioning, wide sound stage, ultralight, and comfortable.

@conomi_notes
The cable is tough-looking
The sound was elegant and polite throughout the entire range but not very unique.
The sound of the analog vinyl records <played with GT-5000 and C-5000> was breathtaking.
It could be supreme if upstream is improved.

@proximabergamia
I thought it was done for the first time.
I'm sure I'll buy it.

@KenTaniguchi3
The sound of the current headphones has reached the ultimate level with Utopia and D8000, and it is a matter of individuality now. Still, these headphones <YH-5000SE> are very impressive with their mysterious spatial expression in which the sound field itself is vast, but the sound is very close.

@ri7_clw
Great sense of realism and expansion of the sound stage both in width and depth.
It is different from the narcotic comfort of MEZE.
It <YH-5000SE> can be extraordinary if the upstream is well-arranged.

@MrBullet_audio
Even with the output from the DAP <SP3000>, the sound stage and resolution are incredible.

@neet_king
The sound was natural and refined, without any peculiarities.
The resolution and speed of the bass were incredibly excellent.
Natural, the sound rises and disappears quickly.
They are so natural that I might mistake them for ordinary headphones.

@pontax3
Good transient and positioning, high resolution
The soundstage is at a similar level to UTOPIA
Vocals stay at the center
The bass is not deep but sharp

@u3Lq3gXPY0o5Pha
My DAP is not competent enough, but I love it <YH-5000SE>.

@katorikatori
It is characterized by physical lightness and a wide soundstage.
Resolution and the balance of high, mid, and bass and positioning are also good.
Are the vocals a bit? It may be a problem upstream.
It has a lot of potentials. High expectations!

@Tickbook
Soft and spacious sound
Perfect for recordings with an emphasis on space,
It may not be suitable for jumbled songs

@harahrix
Ultra-light and comfortable.
Easy to drive
A bit of emphasis on mid
Speedy sound
The cable is very flexible

@kansan
For classical music, the YH-5000SE was better than Utopia
Its sharp and fast response was excellent.

@usage_e
Super lightweight.
The sound is massive, yet has a good "through" feeling
Fine detail can be heard in the lows and highs
Character is apparent in a small volume
It differentiates itself from other high-end headphones.

 

[aronposen]

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/yamaha-yh-5000se

 

[Whitigir]

I can’t wait until the phones get connected properly for evaluations and impressions !!

 

[iFi audio]

the hk agent has put up an unboxing short video clip already. looks really great!!!

https://fb.watch/h9nfji6GWR/

I agree, these cans all in black look gorgeous

 

[doctorK53]

Made a chart to compare the weight of flagship headphones.
Source: e-earphone, Fujiya-avic, soundhouse, Beyerdynamic

[Correction: Thanks to the suggestion of @SolarCetacean, the weight of CRBN was amended. ]


Yamaha YH-5000SE is ultralight as a planer and among all "flagship" headphones. Only ATH-ADX5000 (5000 from Japan again) is lighter than Yamaha.

Well, the comfort of a pair of headphones is determined by many factors. Meze Elite (and Empyrean) is well known for its comfort, but the weight is 430g, which is average among the headphones in the chart. Shure 1840 (not in the chart as it is for monitoring) is 268g, but I cannot wear it longer than 30 minutes because of its thin headband.
Matching the phones and your (my) skull form is further essential. AKG K701, very popular to fans of a Japanse Anime "Keion", has a double-layer, broad headband and weight is only 235g, but its earpads do not fit the sides of my head.

I hope the overall design of YH-5000SE fits my skull!

 

[SolarCetacean]

Made a chart to compare the weight of flagship headphones.
Source: e-earphone, Fujiya-avic, soundhouse, Beyerdynamic



Yamaha YH-5000SE is ultralight as a planer and among all "flagship" headphones. In the chart, only CRBN and ATH-ADX5000 (oh, 5000 again) are lighter than Yamaha.

Well, the comfort of a pair of headphones is determined by many factors. Meze Elite (and Empyrean) is well known for its comfort, but the weight is 430g, which is average among the headphones in the chart. Shure 1840 (not in the chart as it is for monitoring) is 268g, but I cannot wear it longer than 30 minutes because of its thin headband.
Matching the phones and your (my) skull form is further essential. AKG K701, very popular for fans of Japanse Anime, has a double-layer, broad headband and weight is only 235g, but it does not fit the sides of my head.

I hope the overall design of YH-5000SE fits my head!

Nice chart, and agreed with your statements that form factor matters just as much as simple weight. I personally find that Audezes are more comfortable than their weight would imply, while Focals are less comfortable than their weight would imply, due to the designs of their headbands and earcups/earpads. And I am one of the rare people who finds the Aeon 2 Noire (330 grams) uncomfortable due to poor weight distribution on its head strap and oddly distributed lateral clamp force. It somehow doesn't work well with my head shape and gives me strange pressure points after wearing it for a while.

One minor correction: the Audeze CRBN is not 300 grams. I also saw that figure in the early announcements, but the current Audeze webpage for the CRBN shows it at 470 grams. I've tried both the CRBN and the Shangri-La Jr (375 grams) side by side and the CRBN was noticeably heavier.

 

[doctorK53]

One minor correction: the Audeze CRBN is not 300 grams. I also saw that figure in the early announcements, but the current Audeze webpage for the CRBN shows it at 470 grams. I've tried both the CRBN and the Shangri-La Jr (375 grams) side by side and the CRBN was noticeably heavier.

Thanks a lot! I just wanted to let you know that I modified the chart accordingly.

 

[iFi audio]

Made a chart to compare the weight of flagship headphones.
Source: e-earphone, Fujiya-avic, soundhouse, Beyerdynamic


[Correction: Thanks to the suggestion of @SolarCetacean, the weight of CRBN was amended. ]


Yamaha YH-5000SE is ultralight as a planer and among all "flagship" headphones. Only ATH-ADX5000 (5000 from Japan again) is lighter than Yamaha.

Well, the comfort of a pair of headphones is determined by many factors. Meze Elite (and Empyrean) is well known for its comfort, but the weight is 430g, which is average among the headphones in the chart. Shure 1840 (not in the chart as it is for monitoring) is 268g, but I cannot wear it longer than 30 minutes because of its thin headband.
Matching the phones and your (my) skull form is further essential. AKG K701, very popular to fans of a Japanse Anime "Keion", has a double-layer, broad headband and weight is only 235g, but its earpads do not fit the sides of my head.

I hope the overall design of YH-5000SE fits my skull!

Awesome, thanks a ton!

 

[XVampireX]

So what do you guys figure, is it going to scale on a good setup, is it on the level of Susvara or is it more like Utopia as I'm getting some comparisons for some reason...

 

[voja]

So what do you guys figure, is it going to scale on a good setup, is it on the level of Susvara or is it more like Utopia as I'm getting some comparisons for some reason...

I highly doubt it's as picky as Susvara. One thing I hate when I read about the Susvara is that it MUST be paired with XYZ otherwise it's not going to sound good — if you need a specific expensive amplifier to make a $6k headphone sound good, that's a major red flag for me.

The YH-5000SE will likely benefit from a nice source, but it doesn't appear as though it's going to be very picky. But this is all speculations, we will wait for people to actually put this to test in real life.