Yamaha YH-5000SE — a flagship from an orthodynamic headphones veteran!
- Thread starter voja
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Yup yup, I wrote that
I meant just as in the use of the word "orthodynamic".
Btw, I have a lot of resources to finish that thread, but it requires some SERIOUS time... which I do not have currently. When I do things, I do them the right way. I don't know any other way. Until I have the time and the energy to fully complete that timeline and history, I won't touch it.
Wise Yoda once said "Do. Or do not. There is no try".
Design patent has a few interesting drawings: https://patents.google.com/patent/USD905003S1/
At the recent FUJIYAAVIC headphone festival in Tokyo, Yamaha quietly announced... a successor to the 1970's HP-1 planar (orthodynamic) headphones. Given that the revival of the technology by Audeze, and then HiFiMan, and other companies was the result of enthusiasts discovering these old headphones, you can truly say that things have come full circle.
It's early days yet, and the models at the show were pre-first-production, having been assembled by hand by the engineers, but I did manage to get the first public listen. Production will be for the Japanese market initially, until they can ramp things up for overseas.
The YH-5000 will come with two sets of pads -- one hybrid, and one cloth, and two different cables, a 3.5/6.3 and a 4.4mm cable will be available, each using slightly different wire. The headphones themselves are 30 Ohms with a 50mm driver, and sensitivity above 95 db (per mW? I forgot to ask) making them easy to drive.
My initial listen with the hybrid pad set from a Hugo 2/2go revealed a spacious sound with plenty of bass, and quite an amount of detail. They are also very light-weight and very comfortable.
Price has yet to be determined.
More photos here.
It's early days yet, and the models at the show were pre-first-production, having been assembled by hand by the engineers, but I did manage to get the first public listen. Production will be for the Japanese market initially, until they can ramp things up for overseas.
The YH-5000 will come with two sets of pads -- one hybrid, and one cloth, and two different cables, a 3.5/6.3 and a 4.4mm cable will be available, each using slightly different wire. The headphones themselves are 30 Ohms with a 50mm driver, and sensitivity above 95 db (per mW? I forgot to ask) making them easy to drive.
My initial listen with the hybrid pad set from a Hugo 2/2go revealed a spacious sound with plenty of bass, and quite an amount of detail. They are also very light-weight and very comfortable.
Price has yet to be determined.
More photos here.
https://www.hear.audio/2022/09/30/new-yamaha-yh-5000-flagship-orthodynamic-headphones/
A very slight nitpick but because I can be a tech history geek and I feel it's important, the ordering of Audeze and HiFiMan should be flipped in that sentence. HiFiMan released their first product, the HE-5, in late 2009, while Audeze (old timers will remember them as Audez'e) didn't manage to get their first production pair of LCD-2s out until the following year (despite early LCD-1 prototypes being shown as early as May 2009).
Yeah I know they're close but it's a very major inflection point in the industry, and the details are important.
A very slight nitpick but because I can be a tech history geek and I feel it's important, the ordering of Audeze and HiFiMan should be flipped in that sentence. HiFiMan released their first product, the HE-5, in late 2009, while Audeze (old timers will remember them as Audez'e) didn't manage to get their first production pair of LCD-2s out until the following year (despite early LCD-1 prototypes being shown as early as May 2009).
Yeah I know they're close but it's a very major inflection point in the industry, and the details are important.
deafenears
500+ Head-Fier
Thanks for sharing Amos and looking forward to your review (hopefully they agree to send out a review set your way).
Quick question, are the cups made out of plastic or metal? The frame used on the cups are metal, we know that from the pics available, but what about the mesh within and the surroundings?
It's magnesium (both the frame and the yoke). But yes, am wondering the same thing because it's impossible to make out just from the pics.
The question is a bit confusing, as the "cups" are a metal frame. I didn't check to see what the other parts were made of, such as the outer grill. I presume that some kind of high-quality plastic is used for some parts.
When you say "quite an amount of detail", do you think they can contend with the other TOTL(s) within the general price-range (i.e. LCD-5, Susvara, or even the D8000Pro, Expanse etc)? Probably a lot to ask, I know, assuming this was a brief session, but I'm curious how capable this driver may be.
Indeed, too much to ask, and they weren't final production either.
helloh3adfi
1000+ Head-Fier
These look a lot more comfortable than HD800(S). Hopefully they will be way above in sound as well!
camilletcrisp
New Head-Fier
Any idea when these headphones will be officially released for purchase?
From my Google searches, I have found no answer related to any official details about neither the price nor the release date.
camilletcrisp
New Head-Fier
Me neither. Really looking forward to trying them out!
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