Hifi man HE500 Thread

I am thoroughly enjoying the HE-500 with the Project Ember and a Russian valve that I have yet to figure out what it is. It lacks a bit of the slam and dynamics that I've managed out of some powerful solid state amps, but it has good synergy otherwise, though it is very valve dependent. I remember the Sunrise 2 as a bit more romantic and musical sounding, but its definitely not as powerful as the Ember which is more solid state like in its presentation with a bit of valve seasoning.

@cskippy, definitely agree, I do think the lack of mid bass is something that will bother some, especially if you compare it to something like the HD650 (too much imo), but the HE-500 does pair nicely with a DAC that has a bit of a mid-bass boost like the older Thetas of which I currently have one. From what I've read the Schiit Modi Multibit has a similar slight boost in the mid bass, so a Project Ember + Modi Multibit setup might be something interesting for those looking for a good value for money solution and looking for a bit more mid-bass presence.

 

Yeah, that would definitely do it. I used an ECC88 and it was the smoothest tube in the Ember and had great slam.

 

I preferred the 6N6P for smoothness. Very jazzy/smoky sounding.

The ECC88 was a great all around tube as well, though, and I enjoyed the slam you refer to.

 

I like listening to music. I'm an average person. If the sound doesn't get my attention some how, I will move on. I don't overly study this. If something sounds good and I like it, I may buy it.

These were listened on half my main rig, and half my bedroom rig. My UPS wouldn't have survived the trip with the Gungnir Multibit so the Modi Multibit came due to its quicker warm up time. For the amp I used a Lyr2 with "Premium" (72-74?) Reflector 6H23p-EB tubes. Both units were powered on for more than an hour. I used the USB input on the Modi Multibit with my iPad.

When headphones are needed I daily drive HD650 when I can. HE-400i when I can't. The reason for this/these listening session(s) (HD-800S, Elear, Utopia, HE-500, Amiron) was the intent to purchase LCD2's after hearing them several times before. I walked away with a mint pair of HE-500's instead. I'm not a bass head, or a fan of the "other" far end. For instance I have to be careful if I'm in the mood to crank the headphones a bit on the HE-400i with its high end.

I mainly listen to metal and rarely have a clear state of mind.

I know my impressions are not much. I will leave that to the pros. Always listen for your self!

Elear: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...cal-elear-and-utopia.2270/page-59#post-129791

Utopia: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...cal-elear-and-utopia.2270/page-59#post-129791

HD-800S: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...e-hd800-hd800s-thread.206/page-56#post-129794

Amiron: http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/beyerdynamic-amiron.3506/page-4#post-129793

HE-500: Wow. So full, clear, detailed, separation, punchy. It just ticks all the right boxes for me. The bass is phenomenal, very textured. That or the clarity stood out the most. The bass is a little more thicker than the Utopia's and my speakers, which is the only fault I could come up with. So clean overall. To me, these seemed to trade blows with the Utopia, which is why I walked away with them. I'm not saying these excel the best in every category, but the music that comes out of the HE-500 is gorgeous. The build on this particular pair is solid. (They look new: leather is perfect, no scratches or dents, no mods, stiff, and all original items came in the box.) This pair clamps pretty good (but I don't know if that's normal since these were supposedly "used.") They clamp more than the unused HD6XX (MD) I have, and from what I remember of the normal HD-650's. Pretty big difference with the newer HE-400i being less of a clamp and weight. The HE-500 are on the heavy side. Comfort may be an issue if you are not used to the weight plus clamp force. I spent over an hour with these using the velour pads for my listening session. I ended up taking these home.

 

Love these phones. Grabbed them over the weekend for $360. Best money I've ever spent in this hobby.

 

@vinylpancakes start looking for a cable now; the stock one will fail (mine lasted less than a month). HFM offered me a new stock p.o.s. if I sent the entire headphone back to them at my expense. Still miss the bass slam, but not the lack of comfort. After looking closer, these don't look stock. Mine didn't have that black strain relief, and right at the cup-end is where it failed. Good luck.

 

FWIW, my pair was used for over 5 years without issue with the stock cable. Connectors aren't an issue either if you counter twist before the final tightening turn.

 

The cable is pretty flimsy. One of the braided cables broke as I was un-tightening a connector to put the headphones back in the box. This happened right before I left on a 3 week vacation (from which I returned yesterday). Just remembered about the broken cable now

 

I've been "re-experiencing" my pair lately, finding myself naturally gravitating to them over other 'phones I have. I've never had issues with the connectors or cables, but I'm pretty ridiculously careful (as I'm sure many of us are). I also really like the Focus Pads. With those on, comfort is really good, despite the overall weight.

 

Are you using the stock cable?

Try checking to see if your cables are twisted and connected fully, I had this problem with my old HE-500 as well with some channel imbalance and the cable fully intact seemed to solve it.

 

Ok, all. I'd like some opinions. The HE-500 is my favorite headphone of all time (HE-6 excluded). I know all it's flaws and they suit me just fine.

My favorite aspect of the sound is an ambiance I have a hard time describing. They have a very immersive, dream-like quality that sucks me in.

My complementary headphones are the HD650, which are great. I appreciate them for what they are, but they just don't get me like the 500s. They play things a little more straight up, the bass is a hair weak, and the soundstage is a little more claustrophobic.

So, the reason for this post...

I plan to keep the 500s until they fall apart, and even then I'll probably hunt the used market for some more. BUT, eventually they'll be hard to come by. So, when that day comes, are there any headphones out there that you feel are a good mimic? What's the closest you've found? I need an exit strategy...

 

I am in the same boat.... although taking into account my age my HE500 may outlive me.
Did you check HE560? I only heard them once for a short time so I could not form an opinion, but they sounded pretty close.

 

Yep. The 560 really aren't too close in my opinion. A bit leaner sounding, and not as versatile. The 500 sounds good with just about anything, but the 560 seems more genre specific.

 

@Marvey

You were pretty familiar with the HE-500. Know of any similar models out there?

 

I suppose I should have specified headphones that I can afford

That is cool, though. I haven't heard any ZMF headphones since their initial releases so I'll have to check them out.

I'm not married to planars by any means.

 

I've never heard an HE-500, but to my eyes their FR measurements look better than the other Hifimans. It's a shame they discontinued them. Unfortunately they're out of my price range on the used market now. I see them usually going for around $400. I wish I'd bought a new pair when they were on clearance.

 

Be patient, they'll pop up for a good price. A couple of weeks ago I got a set for 350$ on ebay, and that is after a bidding war with *one* other buyer. If I didn't bid, they would have stolen picked them up for $270. They're indestructible and sweet jesus their sound is glorious.

edit: pics or it didn't happen

 

I sold mine recently in Canada for app $320 US.few month ago. Check Canuck Audio Mart - the prices for similar items are usually lower even with the cost of delivery.
After getting HEKv2 I sold them and immediately regretted it. In their price range (new or used) HE500 is IMO the best I heard. Not that I heard very many.