One of us! 
1 Like
what did that run you?
$450, but in very good condition. Totally worth it in my opinion, I should have gotten one years ago when they were still being produced!
was just curiousā¦cause thatās a big price deltaā¦your 500ās cost twice as much as the 5xx. 
Early impressions are these are what I was looking for. Very spacey/airy, thatās a big part of the personality. Very very open, like transparent to the outside world. As a paranoid, this is a plus. They eat eat eat power, these impressions are gleaned off a little Bravo Ocean. I anticipated that tube hybrid might be a good match to their personality the way others had described them. So, I may be smoooothing out the FR profile some ā but I have zero issue on the top-end. Thereās more upper-end detail and instrument separation than the Senn600 family for me. I donāt demand a ton of bass I wanted a good alternative to that profile and this does give a āspeaker-likeā presentation. No qualms with bass impact or extension, personally. I donāt love these pads, the huge opening is great, the cloth contact patch isnāt my ultimate cup of tea. Just a little abrasive, and the cans move a bit because as I mentioned the clamp is VERY light here. Curious how a thicky-thick pad might do in here to enhance seal/clamp ā Iād be more partial to a hybrid with velour as the contact patch. I wouldnāt look to lose any low-end, and I would anticipate others wonāt want to pick-up any more sizzle. Be careful. Iām not picky about headband padding, I think less is more sometimes, and I enjoy the texture. I mentioned a cheapness of feel in the build, but Iām adjusting to it. I enjoy the weight. I have a pair of Monoprice M560 which are impressively built - but even with a comfier pad swap I feel like these HE5XX are an easier long-term wear because of the lightness. Once they are on the head, Iām much less concerned with their build feel. These are a pair I wouldnāt bring to the grocery store or for a walk, too open ā way too loose. This is a desktop-only can. In time Iāll try on a modi3/magni3 temporary setup at temporary home. So far, in brief - I am satisfied. It hit the profile I wanted: spacious with a bit of crunch. I have no history log to compare it to in the pantheon of Hifiman headphones, I am not emotionally distraught over the Drop naming convention of them and any false expectations it subsequently did not set inside me. Hopefully their own merits will be appreciated in the long-term. Not an assertion, but a real question that I think is most relevant with this product or any other: What is available new that delivers this ātype/personalityā style as well or better for similar or less money?
4 Likes
Well, from those who have heard both, the HE5XX aināt the HE500.
Removed the tape mod, and tbh I like it with or without the tape mod at this point. I guess itās somewhat of a wasted effort to get them to slam like hifiman of old or higher end hifiman, but honestly I like them for what they are, still really good for the price if the sound signature is what you are after imo. I now really wonder how these would compare to a 560s because I have a feeling they might share some similarities, but I havenāt heard a 560s yet and tbh I donāt know if I will pick them up, admittedly I was more interested in the 5xx
2 Likes
Reading through your comments I think youāre right here. Easy to drive, build is good not great, similar sound signature. Bass is more flat than rounded though and the slam can be pretty decent depending on the track (good with electronic bass, bass light ish with instrumental bass). If someone found the treble sharp on the 560s I wouldnāt argue but for me itās closer to a hifiman than a beyer.
Iād guess the 5xx stage and space characteristics are more interesting as the 560s is nothing to write home about. Decently wide and open sounding with good imaging but nothing special.
5xx and 560s both seem like good choices at the price point.
Edit mids and timbre are fantastic on the 560s so regarding your comments both are strong here as well.
I would expect the 560s to be easier to drive and have better build tbh
That is what I have heard for sure regarding extension and bass linearity
Hmmm thatās what some write home about on the 560s lol, so I would have thought that would have been a highlight just like the hifiman, curious now
damn so reading a lot oof peoples impressions looks like I might have to skip on these been wanting to upgrade planars for a while now and was hoping these would be decent. the sundara has been price dropped a bit in canada now and to import these the price is pretty close anyway. was hoping for a 4xx with more bass quantity and impact and these look like they dont deliver sadly
If you are after more bass quantity and impact these are not the cans lol
2 Likes
The Sundaraās are very nice. I got mine at $379.00(Cdn.) for an open box pair that transformed into a brand new pair. Hopefully between Black Friday and Boxing Week there will be some great deals.
On the left, the HE-5XX that I received today. On the right, the HE-500 (Audeze headband and velpads). Both were driven by 4-pin XLR connectors from the Cavalli CTH, Cavalli Liquid Platinum, Marantz MM7025, or the THX AAA 789 at various times during my initial listening session.
First things first. The box is rather spartan (no cloth material as shown in MLEās review), which resembles that of the boxes from previous Drop collaborations (HE-4XX and the Edition XX). The following also greeted me out of the box:
As you can see, one of the screws of the right button is exposed just from hanging the left cup. To fit on my head, the cups are spread further apart, which further exposes the screw. It looks like that the right button is about to fail.
What follows is my stream of consciousness initial impressions of my newly arrived HE5XX to a friend:
-
Very cheap feeling, probably one of the cheapest feeling headphones that Iāve held in my hands (like Fischer-Price cheap feeling). Both the HE500 and the HD6XX feels much more substantial than the HE5XX. The upshot is that the HE5XX is light as feather where one would have no problems wearing it all day.
-
L/R indicators are not immediately noticeable (later found written on dark on dark text, see above pic) but one can tell which side is which from the cup angle.
-
There is indeed a chemical smell on the headband (definitely not new car, lol), but it isnāt strong nor does it fill my apartment with it.
-
The HE5XX lacks the slam of the HE500.
-
The slam of the HE5XX improves when driven from my Marantz (140WPC at 8ohms) but still noticeably trails that of the HE500 on the same amp.
-
The resolution/detail retrieval capabilities of the HE5XX trails that of the HE500, which is by no means a resolution monster.
-
Thereās less body in the mids of the HE5XX than the HE500. When switching from the HE500 to the HE5XX, the mids sounded thin and the upper mids and treble on the HE5XX were a little more peaky than the HE500 on Sun Kil Moonās āDuk Koo Kim [YT]ā
-
The CTH and LP add much needed body to the HE5XX
Later on, I found that the right connector on my HE5XX is becoming a little wonky. Also, the right button makes the right gimbal swivel considerably looser than the left gimbal.
Iāll add more laterā¦
EDIT: Couple of hours later, I smell the chemical odor from the HE5XX in my apartment (kind of almost towards burnt plastic smell but thankfully not as rancid) with the cans sitting a few feet away from me.
6 Likes
So hereās what Iām thinkingā¦ when the track it well produced and staging is well recorded I think the 560s does a good job of showing you that. However, if the track is good or average it wonāt exaggerate it.
I think thatās what I was trying to get across. It sounded like the 5xx was a bit exaggerated to you where the 560s to me just tells you how it is.
That would make sense, it does seem like the 5xx would be more fun than the 560s. Now I really gotta hear one to make sure lol
1 Like
Not nearly as knowledgeable as @M0N, nor will I pretend to beā¦ Probably havenāt had nearly the time to listen to them either.
I apologize for the novel.
So, just as a rundown of my set up, I am using the DAC in my ZEN, RCA split (line out, not variable so āPower Matchā and āTrue Bassā wont effect the other amps) to the BasX A-100(I have removed the jumper mod for this) and xDuoo XD-05 (OG). Iām running through with my DT-990 Pro, K550 MKIII, Dekoni Blue (Swapped back to the stock hybrid pads), and the 5XX. I donāt have my 4XX on hand, so Iām gonna have to wait to compare.
Power: These are NOT the easiest thing to drive. Granted, the T50RP (Blues) are notorious for being power hungry, but the 5XX seems to want ever so slightly less then the 990 Pro. 2-3 oāclock on the Zen, and Noon on the XD-05, both on high gain with their bass boost. Hardest to drive? Not at all. But they do want some juice to get going.
Comfort: These feel a bit like the 990 Pro after the Beyerdynamic has been broken inā¦ With some cavoites. Of course, there is the larger pads, meaning less likely to touch your ears, or your ears the driverā¦ but the fabric they chose is a bit rough, as it isnāt velour. I can say that even with the deerskin comfort strap on the Dekoniās, with the stock pads, they are the least comfortable long term to me, given the much higher clamp force, with the AKG being the most comfortable.
Build: They really do feel kinda cheapā¦ by far the 550 and Blues have a better build. They have about the same movement as a 990 (with the way the cups angle forward and back). While the 990 is louder, the 5XX has a sound that reminds me of noisy shoes, if that makes sense to anyone. As a quick note, the headband on my unit smells fine. I can also say I disapprove of how difficult it is to remove the pads, and even more so that the pads are glued on. A pad swap could potentially help, if there are any that would fit.
The left and right indicators are in glossy lettering on the back of the plastic piece connecting the sliders to the headband, contrasting against the satin finish. Beyond that, the connectors are angled slightly to the front.
My lineup of songs I tested with:
Breaking Benjamin - Angels Fall
Minmi - Shiki No Uta (Tribute to Samurai Champloo) Japanese Version
Yosi Horikawa - Letter
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk
Tha Trickaz, Apashe - Trap Requiem
A Perfect Circle - Judith Explicit
Volbeat - I Only Wanna Be With You
Dabin - Hold feat. Daniela Andrade (Original Mix)
Charles Bradley - Changes
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Frank & Nancy Sinatra - Somethinā Stupid
Gemie - ĪsŹį“s ļ½RETURNSļ½
Gemie - ĪsŹį“s
B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head
dona burke - GLASSY SKY
Hiroyuki Sawano - stRE:0ings
Ark Patrol - Intermission
Hiroyuki Sawano - RE:0
Platina Jazz - Come, Sweet Death (From āNeon Genesis Evangelionā) [feat. Niklas Gabrielsson]
Five Finger Death Punch - Far From Home (Live)
Mastodon - High Road
I Declare War - Quiet
Tom MacDonald - Politically Incorrect [Explicit]
Godsmack - Come Together (Live)
Inside Out - Dark
Evanescence - My Immortal [Band Version]
Godsmack - Serenity
Scott Bradleeās Postmodern Jukebox feat. Haley Reinhart - Creep
Stone Sour - Bother
Gorillaz - Dare
Glass Animals - Gooey
Bill Withers - Lean On Me
Gesaffelstein - Opr
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Tool - The Pot
Lemaitre - Nishio 2
Bass: These are lacking a lot of sub bass, and some kinda bass boost can help, but wonāt get the job done. Otherwise, I can definately agree with M0N on his statement that itās round. Nice, full, clean. Just lacking that sub punch. Sadly, that kinda kills it on songs like Dare where itās supposed to be there.
Vocals: This really made me want to turn away from the BasX (which I typically prefer) in favor for the ZEN or XD-05(A bit more the former then the latter). They didnāt sound quite as natural on the A-100 as they do on the others. While it seems to have a slight favor to female vocals, itās fairly natural, though will bring out some of the characteristics of the mic being used. In āSomethinā Stupidā I could clearly hear more of Nancy more consistently. I can say that in āGlassy Skyā, I could tell more of the sibilance in the way she hits an āsā. Nothing unpleasant, but it does stand out a bit more.
Pianos are absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The K550 come up next in performing with piano, but particularly with RE:0, none of the others made me feel like I was listening to the instrument crying.
Drums. Nice. Quick. Snapy. Not sure what more to say. They sound good. Sadly, in some more aggressive metal, they become the star of the show.
Initially, I thought these sounded really flat with metal, and it was just bringing out the drums, but with time it has gotten better.
Sound leak: Even between the two open backsā¦ These leak ALOT more. Granted, Iām still the kinda ass who would absolutely take these out in public, and I have, but to each their own.
Space: This is aā¦ Strange point for me. On some songs I feel itās a bit exaderated, while on others, I feel like itās not quite as much as Iād like it to be. For example, āĪsŹį“sā and āĪsŹį“s ļ½RETURNS ~ā donāt sound quite as great and spacious, but I also donāt feel like the music is trying to reach for more like the others.
Overall, I like them. From what I remember (it has been over 6 months), I donāt like them as much as I liked my 4XX, but Iāll have to get them back in had to really compare the two. Yeah, theyāve got their problems, but so do most other things in the price range. I feel the pads could be better (they donāt exactly seal well around my ears, and I can feel it, though not as bad as the beyer pads).
Again, I appologize for the lengthy, and probably not too great descriptionā¦ And taking so long on this.
**Edit: I will admit I kneecapped the Blues, as those are not the best pads. Iāve personally been using the Dekoni Platinum Pleather pads, but I wanted to try giving a more āout of the boxā approach.
7 Likes
The lack of clamp force is what I feel contributes to the lack of a seal. Sure, the cloth bits of the pads donāt help either, but the Arya, HEXv2, and the HE1000v1 all seal decently (not Audeze airtight though) with a similar hybrid cloth (or velour in HE1000v1ās case)/pleather construction in their pads.
I do think thatās the best hifiman headband design, best comfort + seal
1 Like
But could one acquire one of those headbands and have it fit on the 5XX
They (HiFiman) sell headbands - Not sure one fits your use case.
Perhaps this one?
2 Likes