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 [REVIEW] HiFiMan HE-500, The 'user-friendly' planar mag headphone

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Quazacolt
post Jun 3 2012, 06:21 PM

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QUOTE(hongrui @ Jun 3 2012, 10:41 AM)
Did you get to try the HE-500 with Hifiman's copper cable instead of the silver? A couple of us tried and some of us preferred the original copper cable.

I think the hifiman's signature is a nice compromise between that of Beyer and Audez'e.
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im totally a copper person considering they have better performance for the lower (or rather over all) frequencies as compared to silvers which are generally biased for the higher frequencies
Quazacolt
post Jun 4 2012, 02:32 AM

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QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 3 2012, 11:57 PM)
While I do agree that copper compliments all frequencies across the spectrum, I find the silver for the HE-500 more to my liking. Mainly because the freqs on an open-back headphone don't sound that harsh compared to a closed-back. Might just be a placebo effect, I dunno. But I'm loving how
jazz music and OST sound on my HE-500s with silver, the decay, the crisp clarity and the overall tonality and warmth is just pure harmony.


Ditto. I'm so glad my gut instinct told me to go with the HE-500. As much as I liked the T1's imaging, it didn't have that warm sounding intimacy I was looking for. So far, only my Denon AH-D5000 and my HE-500 fits that bill perfectly.

Jaben almost had me poisoned with the T1, but I remained strong.  brows.gif
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another thing with open cans is that their lower/bass frequencies are not as strong as closed cans. if i were to go with silvers, that would mean f*** all on my bass sad.gif

as for T1's, or rather, general beyer signatures, the "problem" is their mid frequencies (which most vocals resides at) smile.gif
Quazacolt
post Jun 4 2012, 11:41 AM

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QUOTE(wilzc @ Jun 4 2012, 08:27 AM)
From memory. The HE500 does bass just fine, spite being open. The HE-6 does it even better!!!  The brilliant part about orthodynamics is that they can more air easily and quickly, thus won't have much problems with the bass. LCD-2s and -3s are also just as wonderful with the lows.

However, if an orthodynamic would be made into a closed headphone, when ported or dampened well, the bass = monstrous.
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i can attest the LCD3's bass being a good performer smile.gif

though the AD2k performs just as good, if not better in some aspects (eg: bass depth/slam)
not to mention being waaaaaaay cheaper
Quazacolt
post Jun 4 2012, 01:06 PM

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QUOTE(wilzc @ Jun 4 2012, 12:24 PM)
I've only heard the AD2000 once. And I have to disagree on the bass slam part.

You previously just mentioned that open headphones lack bass presence and all. Then now backtrack saying that the AD2k has.

The slam on the HE-6 and LCDs are stupendously good. And will satisfy all but the biggest bassheads, where the closed Fostex 'Thunderpants' TR50p will do.

The AD2000 does go really low I have to say. The extension is great, but the power is nowhere close to an orthodynamic, IMHO.

Your opinions seem to be very 'coloured' and biased towards your darling AD2000. I can understand. Everyone gets used to their own prized possession and the longer one uses these, the more they're familiar with the sound and the more they think its a world beater. Which is why I try my best to stay neutral.

I've had this friend who owned the A2000x and claims its one of the best he's ever heard. He traded them for a Beyer T5p, and now the T5p is the best headphone in the world. Unfortunately for the online community, he's got quite a robust following. And as such, his tribe all seem to think that nothing he says is wrong (he does have a vast knowledge of headphones and earphones).

That being said. I think the AD2000s are a great great piece of investment. They'll hang around really well with the likes of the HD700, Shure SH1840, RS1s and even the HE-500 (although I'd take the hifiman anyday). But their packaging itself shows that Audio Technica did not intend for these to compete with the absolute top rung. BUT, such is audio that if the sound signature matches your preference, the AD2000 will be more preferred than even say the STAX-sr09.
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by default, without any amping, closed cans will always have superior bass than open cans. same case goes for my ad900, i only have bass from it via my govibe peak's bass boost.

considering that, having the same amp to drive the ad2k, the default signature of the ad2k is more veiled/more towards the mid/low frequencies. which ultimately yes, much better bass.
that said, LCD3 definitely have more control and finesse over the ad2k though, which comes at a really hefty price if i may add; the worthiness of it is really subjective and to me personally, it's on the "no" side.
raw depth/bass slam though, the ad2k still wins, and bear in mind both are under the same govibe peak amp for fairness' sake.

cant comment much bout the hifimans since i dont think i've audited them. (i cant remember if jaben brought it to the KLAV, if yes then i may have audited it sweat.gif )

and yes, i do admit that my opinions are very biased towards the AT AD series, because atm it is the only series/lineup that can satisfy my needs for genre bandwidth coupled with the amp i have. do remember, AT's general sound signature/coloration towards the mids and towards female vocals are a charm of its own that as far as i know, no other manufacturers can come close to it. (you may refer to their much revered woodies)

the only thing lacking is the top/bottom end, and more towards the lack of bass for the AD series being open cans (ad700 and above. anything below are just mainstream scaled down "toys" that does not have the AD line up airy sound signature) and that's where the govibe peak comes in. high gain and bass gain, and voila perfect. i get highs, lively mids, (yes, it is very much colored) and moving bass, and that airy sound signature that brings me as close as it could to a speaker setup. (as you probably didn't knew, im more towards a speaker person lol) its a combination of everything that makes it in my long list of requirements, and so far i believe the lcd3 is the only one that came close, and in other ways better than the ad900/ad2k.

admittedly, while i have not been able to audit every setup (especially the ones lurking at home with their desktop setups), i do believe the senn HD800 is a very potential contender; and believe me i have heard a LOT of setups even the flagship headphones that are listed out on the other thread. (akabane's woodie collection is as awesome as ever wink.gif ) The only problem with the hd800 is that not many have the full setup that could bring that potential in hd800 out which is quite unfortunate. the last time i get to audit a hd800, the owner's amp (schiit lyr) was sent for warranty and my govibe peak cannot drive it at all sweat.gif

with all that said, id really like to try out the hifimans too given the opportunity *coughhinttscough*
Quazacolt
post Jun 4 2012, 11:20 PM

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QUOTE(silwen @ Jun 4 2012, 04:18 PM)
When you say audit and audited, do you actually mean audition? It's left me somewhat confused.
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my apologies on messing up audit/audited and audition/auditioned sad.gif

my excuse is the lack of sleep (night job, which is 1am to 7am not on shift, on 24/7 call lol, fukken servers) then straight laundry into ripping CDs into service car until now posting this post. yea i havent slept since yesterday night
sad.gif


Added on June 4, 2012, 11:55 pm
QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 4 2012, 08:49 PM)
About 48 hours now. Gonna target 200 hours.
They have the HE-6, HE-400 and HE-5, but no more HE-500s. I always seem to grab the last unit they have, lol.
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hmm whats the difference between he5LE/HE-500? same price

have you considered the he5?

This post has been edited by Quazacolt: Jun 4 2012, 11:55 PM
Quazacolt
post Jun 5 2012, 03:12 PM

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QUOTE(Slevin Sent @ Jun 5 2012, 03:09 PM)
haha my second love  wub.gif

love it with copper cable... smooth and lively~ shd go jaben try HE500... hmm shd be different  hmm.gif or shd i save money for SR009 (shd able to buy it after 10years LOLz)
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jaben have both the he-5LE and he-500?
Quazacolt
post Jun 5 2012, 03:20 PM

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QUOTE(hongrui @ Jun 5 2012, 03:17 PM)
ban-kun said he bought the last HE-500. so presumably Jaben is OOS for HE-500 for the time being
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curious on the he-5LE too, as they are the same price o_O

paper spec sheets etc seems like the 5LE is superior (and lighter too!) than the he-500...
Quazacolt
post Jun 5 2012, 09:10 PM

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QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 5 2012, 07:24 PM)
They have both, yes, but I bought the last HE-500. They can still place orders for you if you want.
IMO, you're better off with the HE-500. When I auditioned the 5LE, I find the midrange and treble very withdrawn. The treble also sounds zingy, artificial like.

Not very impressed. It's also difficult to drive, 2 watts or so iirc. the 5LE was hooked into a govibe portatube when I auditioned it. So yeah.
Although for some reason the T1 paired with the portatube was actually very nice.
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maybe it was a case of inadequate driving power from amps? i mean, hifiman spec sheets kinda put the 5le being better than 500, then again, spec sheets means little in audio laugh.gif

im actually more intrigued over the -500gram weight, as i either listen for long periods, or i just use my speakers lol.
Quazacolt
post Jun 5 2012, 09:28 PM

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QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 5 2012, 09:19 PM)
With better driving power maybe, but I'm more of a realistic audiophile, I get what I can afford and make sure my gear is fit for it, not shelling out monies for trophy amps/setups just because.

I can assure you, you won't feel a damn thing even with 500g sitting on your head. The clamping pressure takes care of that, and it doesn't crush your skull into a vice too. Leave it to the chinese...
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http://www.audio-technica.com.sg/con_product.php?prodid=10
or
http://www.audio-technica.com.sg/con_product.php?prodid=13

250gram lol.

for short listening, sure, you're absolutely correct. however i am almost certain after 5-6 hours or more, the weight is gonna carry a toll on your head. hell, even my 250gram headphones are fatiguing after that long hours, and AT cans with their 3d wing head bands make some really comfortable wearing lol (lets not forget the extra puffy modded w5k earpads lol)
Quazacolt
post Jun 6 2012, 05:23 AM

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QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 5 2012, 09:54 PM)
Unless you wear headphones 8 hours a day for a living, chances are you won't be affected.
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i already have a few occasions wearing over 8-10 hours, if you even count the few times i fell asleep with my headphones, thats over 10 hours already lol.
Quazacolt
post Jun 6 2012, 10:09 PM

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QUOTE(Ban-kun @ Jun 6 2012, 09:07 PM)
Actually they had some sort of external sound card hooked up before this, some Asus Sonar card, didn't impress me either, lots of microphonic and static noise.
Have you tried Grado/Alessandro headphones? The feel like air on your head, especially with the oversized bowl earpads and their relatively lightweight and minimalistic look.
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i've tried both Grado/Alessandro headphones and listening to rock on the grado (or even alessandro if you prefer to have it not so forward) is always a bliss. that said, AT's coloration on mid/female vocals are a notch better than the americans. weight/comfort wise grado materials are either metal or solid plastic, which yes, more weight as opposed to AT's generally magnesium casing (at least for the mid range and above, though yeah more expensive)

i havent personally worn the grado/Alessandro for the length i've worn my AT AD900, so opinions are definitely going to be biased, however for time i get to auditioned with them, i still prefer the lesser head/hair contact 3D wing design by AT. albeit if you're not used to it or you're having "non-mainstream/standard" head shape/size, then the design maybe too tight or too loose for you.

that said, the wood modded (was it sr60?) grado that akabane has is imho the best bass reproduction headphones i've EVER heard. no matter it being bass quality, quantity, slam/depth, refinement/finease, everything. i've never heard bass so well done on a headphone as that grado.

the last time i've heard it at penang the driver was "loosened" from the intense "bass auditioning" (i am assuming that it's the most likely root cause) so i am not sure if akabane repaired the headphones or not. if he got it repaired and got the time to arrange and what not, i'd highly recommend bringing anything bassy and give it a go. either the govibe peak or ALO RX MK3 would be the best amp pairing. (havent experienced anything better, as from the top of my head almost every audiophile around LYN cant give a rat's ass about low frequencies/bass lulz oh and shoutout to sheenho's pro700mk2 thumbup.gif )
Quazacolt
post Jun 6 2012, 11:17 PM

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QUOTE(Iqbal_kakashi @ Jun 6 2012, 10:18 PM)
It's Alessandro MSW1k? I have listened to it before, if any of you like MS1i, you're going to like that headphone very-very much. It's a whole new level. smile.gif
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i think so. my memory's pretty piss poor at times so it can't be helped >_<

 

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