[plin]

Quote:

jerg: yeah, 2 weeks sounds about right.
 
Btw, I found this quote: "Got a reply from Fang. +/- 25% in impeance fine, sound quality will not change much." I'm +48.6% in the left driver and +60.5% in the right. Lol
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/594111/has-hifiman-upgraded-downgraded-the-he500-drivers/15

 
I didn't notice this before, very important info, thank you. So, I guess, anything more than +/- 25%  is eligible for replacement.
Limits for channel imbalance must be, then, even lower than +/- 25%.
 
This means that any resistance more than 48 Ohm and less than 30 Ohm is out of manufacturer specs. Lots of measurements that I have seen here are out!

 

[BleaK]

Quote:

Got my HE500s today and I'm not sure if I like them..
Out of the box, they controlled sub-bass superbly.. and the mids were creamy... but the >~2kHz, the frequencies seemed a bit nasal and recessed to me.
After I applied an eq in Foobar, the sound is a fair bit better; less nasal and more highs... but I'm not convinced these are 5x better than the Shure SRH840s which are now only $149AU.
I will check the Impedance of the drivers with my friend's multimeter, will burn the HE500s in for at least 50 hours, then will take them to addicted to audio to compare them with the LCD3, SRH840s and grado RS1s with accompanying EQs..
I only committed myself to spending $700 knowing that I have 30 days to try them.

 
Try to only listen to the HE500 for a week straight, then go back to the Shure 840, then you will hear the difference.
 
Also, audio can't be measured exactly by cost, the diminishing return hits really hard after you go over the 200-300usd range. You are not paying for a headphone 5x time better, you are paying for a extra 10-20% (or so) better music quality and enjoyment.
 
My HE500 did not blew my mind when I first got them, actually I was a little disappointed in them. I gave it try anyhow and listened to them for a few days straight, and it was after that it dawned on me: "These are the most natural sounding headphone I have ever heard!"
 
And to this day, six months or so after, they still are the best headphone I have heard to date. These cans are going nowhere!

 

[.Sup]

To me the HE-500 are the most balanced headphone. My other main headphone is HD800 and HE-500 pros over it are: not as bright, fuller mids, fuller and stronger bass. Everything in perfect quantities. 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

To me the HE-500 are the most balanced headphone. My other main headphone is HD800 and HE-500 pros over it are: not as bright, fuller mids, fuller and stronger bass. Everything in perfect quantities. 

 
 
just what i needed to hear!
 
 
putting my RS1i and Pro 900 up for sale right now since i don't listen to them as much. its a hard decision to get rid of my RS1i  since they're absolutely awesome and i like their sound, but i can't justify keeping when LCD-2 and T1 are millions of miles better. hope the HE-500 will find themselves at home and complement the rest of my high end pairs (LCD-2, T1, HD 800, D7000)
getting ready to join the HE-500 club 

 

[Happy Camper]

The RS-1s on a portable is still worth keeping.

 

[Mr.Sneis]

Quote:

 
 
just what i needed to hear!
 
 
putting my RS1i and Pro 900 up for sale right now since i don't listen to them as much. its a hard decision to get rid of my RS1i  since they're absolutely awesome and i like their sound, but i can't justify keeping when LCD-2 and T1 are millions of miles better. hope the HE-500 will find themselves at home and complement the rest of my high end pairs (LCD-2, T1, HD 800, D7000)
getting ready to join the HE-500 club 

Also food for thought.  The LCD-2 and T-1 may be a million miles better but neither are the sound of an RS-1.  I don't know why but it's a headphone that isn't the greatest but its unique sound is worth coming back to every now and then.

 

[Llloyd]

Quote:

 
 
just what i needed to hear!
 
 
putting my RS1i and Pro 900 up for sale right now since i don't listen to them as much. its a hard decision to get rid of my RS1i  since they're absolutely awesome and i like their sound, but i can't justify keeping when LCD-2 and T1 are millions of miles better. hope the HE-500 will find themselves at home and complement the rest of my high end pairs (LCD-2, T1, HD 800, D7000)
getting ready to join the HE-500 club 

 
ahhhh nice~  I think you'll really enjoy the HE-500!
 
 
On another note I just received my MHDT Labs Havana DAC.  Right now I'm running it into the LD MKII Amplifier, very very soon to be a Decware Taboo.  The added qualities of the DAC, most notable being an increased soundsage and accurate timbre and well, they really did something great to my HE-500!  I bought the havana used with some other tubes but it sounds so good I'm not sure if I will roll or not.  Probably will out of curiosity at some point soon  I'm very pleased and curious to see what the taboo will bring as well.  The HE-500 really seems to be the perfect phone for me.

 

[FlySweep]

Measured my HE-500 tonight (at the TRS of a 7N silver cable made by Chris_Himself)..
 
L: 53.5 ohms
R: 53.6 ohms
 
Not bad.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

 
ahhhh nice~  I think you'll really enjoy the HE-500!
 
 
On another note I just received my MHDT Labs Havana DAC.  Right now I'm running it into the LD MKII Amplifier, very very soon to be a Decware Taboo.  The added qualities of the DAC, most notable being an increased soundsage and accurate timbre and well, they really did something great to my HE-500!  I bought the havana used with some other tubes but it sounds so good I'm not sure if I will roll or not.  Probably will out of curiosity at some point soon  I'm very pleased and curious to see what the taboo will bring as well.  The HE-500 really seems to be the perfect phone for me.

 
sweet
 
ill be using my WA6-SE with the DL III DAC
 
ive heard that the WA6-SE should power them well.

 

[plin]

Measured my HE-500 tonight (at the TRS of a 7N silver cable made by Chris_Himself)..
 
L: 53.5 ohms
R: 53.6 ohms
 
Not bad.
 

 
Channel balance is excellent, but according to this:
 
Quote:

Btw, I found this quote: "Got a reply from Fang. +/- 25% in impeance fine, sound quality will not change much.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/594111/has-hifiman-upgraded-downgraded-the-he500-drivers/15

 
 
your HE-500 is out of manufacturer specs! Specs define impedance as 38 Ohms, so 53 Ohms is 40% more!!! 

 

[Rebel975]

His drivers are so well matched; it had to of been on purpose. It would be interesting to hear his HE-500 vs one that's exactly 38 ohms.

 

[Llloyd]

Quote:

 
sweet
 
ill be using my WA6-SE with the DL III DAC
 
ive heard that the WA6-SE should power them well.

 
yeah it should have plenty.  I was really torn between the taboo and the wa6SE, eventually went with the taboo due to frank's review and its ability to power speakers.  I love woo amplifiers though

 

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

 
yeah it should have plenty.  I was really torn between the taboo and the wa6SE, eventually went with the taboo due to frank's review and its ability to power speakers.  I love woo amplifiers though

 
While I love the WA6 SEm... with... typical dynamic phones... it was not OK with the HE-500's I had.  They... really... want a lot more powa!!!

 

[.Sup]

Quote:

 
While I love the WA6 SEm... with... typical dynamic phones... it was not OK with the HE-500's I had.  They... really... want a lot more powa!!!

You had your volume pot turned all the way to the right?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

so the 2 Watt  WA6-SE is a no?