HiFiMan HE5 Reissue - Surprise + Measurements

Discussion in 'Headphone Measurements' started by purr1n, Dec 14, 2017.

  1. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    So, I think these HE-5 reissues, or whatever they are, kind of suck.

    I mean, they have some good things going on. Bass quality and extension is a highlight. Not quite as good as the LCD-2C, but more akin to that than the HD650. Very slight but tasteful low-end emphasis. Hard to notice.

    Overall speed and resolution seem pretty decent. Clarity and blackness are both hit-and-miss. There's potential, and it's not all bad, but there is this sort of ever pervasive hashy cloud to the sound.

    But what I think kills them is the overall tonal balance. The bass and lower-mids are pretty decent, really. Everything after that is all sorts of screwed up. They sound super hollow in the midrange and then very aggressive in the upper-mids/lower-treble. Treble beyond that is bright and steely.

    It's like a roller-coaster mishmash of different sonic traits: full, lean, laid-back, aggressive, dull, bright, hollow, dynamic, compressed/not-dynamic, etc. all at the same time. Like a nasty, nasty soup made of every possible ingredient known to man tossed in a bucket of lukewarm water.

    Anyway, I'm sure these can sound good with mods. But out of the box with the hybrid pads, I really have no idea WTF HiFiMan was thinking on these.

    On to measurements! These are using my "normal" in-ear measurements. EARs and other secret stuff still in development.

    I'm not sure I need to say a whole lot about the left channel measurements. They speak for themselves. I included an "adjusted" graph, because while I normally go for 1KHz at 90dB, sometimes that throws off how the results look.

    HE5 Reissue Left FR.png HE5 Reissue Left FR Adjusted.png

    CSDs at -35dB aren't terrible. Some resonance around 4KHz that may not be desirable, but these don't have any crazy audible, sharp ringing like the M1060. But crank it up to -45dB, and you can see there's a lot of decay stuff going on with these. Then again, my in-ear rig has been unkind in regards to CSDs as of late, whereas the EARs is a bit nicer (with mic flush with ear canal entrance). These may not actually be that dirty looking, i.e. could just be my rig.

    HE5 Reissue Left CSD -35dB.PNG HE5 Reissue Left CSD -45dB.PNG
     
  2. seersha

    seersha Acquaintance

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    I am curious about how and why they priced these the way they did. Do you guys think it to boost ef100 sales? I feel that for the extra 100 this is a great deal, but I feel the Ef100 is drastically overpriced at 499. What would you guys expect the resale value of these headphones to be when they begin to hit the used market? I feel it will be a lot more then 100.
     
  3. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    Obviously. Hifiman probably can't sell the EF100, like, at all. Pairing it with the HE5 Reissue ensures sales for the EF100. Pretty simple.
     
  4. AMW1011

    AMW1011 Friend

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    They figured that while they try to f**k us with "fake" HE-5s they'd throw in a shitty amp too. Kind of them really.
     
  5. seersha

    seersha Acquaintance

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    Yeah, that seems to be one of the most unpopular amps I have read about. The ef-5 was a cool amp, and it really paired well with their headphones, wish it would have been the ef5 and he 5. I wouldn't be surprised if most people buy the he5 and just sell the ef100. I'm assuming the price of the ef100 might hit the mid 100s, at least for used ones. It's a shame they are not the original he5. I like the idea they come with the wood cup covers. Do these sound anything like the he 5le or 500 since they are not similar to the original he 5?
     
  6. seersha

    seersha Acquaintance

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    Just got mine today and I was confused with how to change them to the wood cups that come with them, any insight? I noticed that the cover that goes over the sliders is almost glued on and isn't even the right size to fit the wood covers.
     
  7. sealand1

    sealand1 Almost "Made"

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    @purr1n Did you measure the impedance of HE5 reissue? Mine is about 45ohm but HFM claimed it should be 35ohm, very confuse.
     
  8. sealand1

    sealand1 Almost "Made"

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    And also the driver of HE5 looks like the "modern" design from HFM, the steel grill has been replaced by a thin mesh just like Ananda, and it's asymmetric design, three magnet bars have been removed from the front side. The most recent HE5SE does the same thing.
     
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    EARS SBAF compensation (flat line across in perceptive neutral):

    upload_2019-3-5_21-47-56.png

    This is more in line with what I hear and more consistent with @Hands impressions. Wonky mids and steely highs.
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2019
  10. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    Oh... This looks awful... I was thinking about buying a cheap pair of HE5 and test some serious modding on them. Now I don't know how to bump the midrange up...

    Wait, maybe I could try some thick leather pads on them? Last time I put ZMF Eikon Pads on my HE560, them sounds dull compare to FocusAPads, kinda like "too much midrange". Maybe I really should buy a pair of HE5 and give them a try?
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    They are alright. Pads will help. 8-10kHz is more annoying for me than the 3kHz bump. @Hands likes a warmer sound and the classic BBC dip at 3kHz.
     
  12. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    Thank you @purr1n ! 8-10kHz spike could be painful, but some electrostatic paper might be helpful. And I suddenly have a feeling of fat leather pads + paper could overdamp them...

    OK, now I feel good, cheap HE5 here I come! Oh no, my Liquid Platinum is broken, maybe later. Great.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yeah, some TP, or surgical mask material will tame the highs. The challenge is the even out the mids without pushing everything down. I think fluffy absorbing material on the inside of the earcups could help.
     
  14. Ti_Leo

    Ti_Leo Almost "Made"

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    I'm back with my HE5, I spent 5 days trying to find a easy, cheap and nondestructive mod, I think I made it half way. And I decided to post this not-so-perfect mod, since it's quite easy. But I have no measuring tools so I could only use my ears which have been burnt in by HE5's nasty treble, so...

    To me, the sound of HE5... I don't know how Hifiman did this, the vocal sounded hollow and powerless, sometimes even desperate. Then cymbals don't shine, but the 10kHz peak really hurt. The sound of HE5 made me worked for 5 days, tried all the pads, paper and foam I have, and finally I found a very easy mod.

    For this mod, you only need two things: some Blu-Tack and some TP.
    • Yes, I'm using the original earpads. I always find the sound is a bit weird using fat leather pads, I love them but I can't.
    • Use Blu-Tack to make the original earpads a little more angled, just make Blu-Tack a ring on the metal ring, and put more on the back. I used about 8g of Blu-Tack on each side, I didn't try different amount. Angling the drivers could bring up the body of vocal and the midrange sounds quite focused now, I did the same thing on my HE-560. An extra benefit is that cymbals seemed to sound better after angling. I don't know why.
    • (Maybe you want to try other material, as I found Blu-Tack could slowly take the skin of the earpads away from the plastic rings, but I can glue it back anyway.)
    • TP for the 10kHz spike. I used 1 layer of my favourite electrostatic paper in the earpads and I found it's good enough, didn't want to kill too much air.
    I think I made my HE5 better, as I'm no longer ambushed by the 10k spike while I'm looking for any sweetness from female vocal. Do my HE5 sound as smooth as HD6XX K? Nope, no as sweet, no as crystal, but the midrange is much fuller now. Is the 10k peak still there? Yes. I think it's 40% gone, just use more TP if you don't like it...

    I think I found a downside of my mod while I was typing: the depth of sound is mostly gone, as female vocal is in my head now. But I hate the original powerless vocal, I really need to look for the vocal sometimes, now it's much better.

    That's it, sorry for my bad spelling and grammar.
     

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