That is true, but I feel like when it comes to Bass, weight is an essential trait for me. So that is why I usually tie the two terms always together for me.
Huh, i like his definition of weight more and i think that better conveys what I’m trying to say…rather than saying the timbre was “off.” I found it helpful, thanks for sharing that.
1 Like
Finally tried the stock cable and I think it’s pretty good, it does little wrong to the yh5k imo. Really the main differences with the stock and danacable lazuli ref are the staging capability, dynamics, overall command/grip, and of course the technical performance. One thing I think the stock actually does better over the dana is filling in the lower midrange of the yh5k, pretty surprising actually. It has more weight to it which I think is better for the yh5k. Honestly, if the stock was in the same performance tier as the dana I’d probably choose the stock over it. Btw, I didn’t burn in this cable but it already sounds pretty good with it that I doubt it will change that much…
Of course, I wouldn’t rec it if you’re building a totl chain for the yh5k but for most it’s quite good (maybe a little overpriced if buying separately though). Thumbs-up!! 
I still want a brise tho… lol
4 Likes
Leather VS suede…
kind of expected but now I know for sure. basically suede will be the more relaxing / more forgiving / better all-rounder / warmer / smoother of the two. it’s not as airy and imaging seems to suffer a bit compared to the leather (on the hazy side). generally I don’t think full suede is a good material to use acoustically, like at all, but that’s just me (maybe velour would be a better pick). i don’t like an overdamped midrange, it’s not natural and doesn’t sound right imo. anyway, I do think the leather pads play to the yh5k’s strengths much better. you lose that “heightened clarity” quality and openness when you switch over to the suede and, in addition, is less engaging and alive. personally, i’d skip the suede… they’re comfy as heck though lol
2 Likes
Ahhh, finally getting around to doing this comparison on the same chain (ie. linn satie → crayon cha-1)… apologies in advance for the thought dump but I gotta write it down somewhere!
Utopia pre-20 VS YH5K
Right off the bat I just want to say that I do think the danacable I’m using is holding back the yh5k a bit, not in performance but mostly a synergy kind of thing, so I think that utopia just works better with the dana while the yh5k not so much. Onwards…
These two cans are a lot similar I find, they still sound different ofc but in terms of overall sonic picture, they’re very similar in goals. Both seem to go for that ‘analytical reference’ type of sound. Hands down the bass on the yh5k is just better (not surprised)–well-extended, textured, and more realistic. The utopia can slam a bit harder though but I’d rather take quality over quantity in most cases. For mids, it’s a little unfair since I think the dana synergizes much better with the utopia but, in general, the utopia is the wetter (slightly extended decay) of the two while the yh5k is dryer here, and both seem to emphasize the upper-mids a little more, with the yh5k having the more accurate and less smoothed-over texture. The treble performance are both standouts imo but both are different in their presentation. The utopia gives me the impression of, “I have all this potential in the treble but I don’t want to overwhelm you so I’m chillin’ (ie. smooth).” The yh5k, on the other hand, has this vibe of “I’m shoving all this treble down your throat cause I know I do it well but I won’t hurt you (ie. delicate).” Resolution-wise, I’d say on this chain the yh5k pulls out a bit more information here and, in addition, has slightly better depth, focus, and timbre/tone. Last thing to mention here is that the utopia likes to impress you with some party tricks–dynamics are more exaggerated and the stage presentation is holographic with a spherical shape. The yh5k doesn’t really have that and is likely the more natural of the two (although both aren’t particularly natural by default imo), but it does like to impress you with its heightened sense of clarity.
Tallying all these points individually, it seems like the yh5k mostly takes it here… BUT really it comes down to whether you want a smoother more romantic sound sprinkled with some party tricks (ie. exaggerated dynamics, holographic spherical staging, and slam) with the utopia or the more cleanly focused, heightened, and open-sounding yh5k… and ofc your chain and tastes, etc… Both are great cans but if I had to personally pick (on this chain) I’d choose the yh5k (with a different cable), it has quickly become my 2nd pick.
10 Likes
Was just browsing reviews online out of curiosity and, surprisingly, i agree with a lot of points from the whathifi review (and i don’t usually like looking at theirs lol). Have no idea about it competing with stax though cause I’ve never heard one but I’d agree they are a step up over the focal in detail (though i haven’t heard the utopia22), at least on my current chain. Anyway, i thought I’d share it cause i was bored lol
3 Likes
German Review:
In combination with the integrated CHORD amplifier solution, the mids are characterized by a certain objectivity, which dispenses with spectacular timbres, but in return inspires the knight of the grail of fine tones with outstanding detailed work on an almost electrostatic level. Due to lightning-fast transients, the reproduction of any acoustic material is also highly authentic.
Hifi review:
We give the YH-5000SE a few days of running before listening seriously. There are no two ways about it, these Yamaha headphones are exceptional performers. They come close to equivalently-priced Stax electrostatics when it comes to outright resolution and clarity, but in our opinion deliver the sound with greater verve, which makes them a more enjoyable listen.
Dang, that is the 2nd review that said the Yamaha Headphone has Stax-like clarity. Both of them used a Chord DAC/Amp as well, which is interesting since their opinion lines up. I hope CanJam Chicago got these headphones. My interest in buying these keeps increasing with each review lol. These headphones sound like a keeper for sure.
Yeah, no comment on that electrostatic level detail since I’ve not heard one. Well technically I have at a show but not sufficient enough to comment on. I like to use the term “heightened clarity” to describe the yh5k but have no clue if that’s how electrostatics are too.
For transient response, I think the mysphere is still superior, and I’ve not heard anything else that comes close (but that’s not really saying much based on my limited experience lol).
Just make sure they aren’t a brand new pair otherwise, it’ll sound nasty. Hope you get to hear them soon, we need more ears on this can. Can’t help but wonder how the pairing is with the 5000xl…
1 Like
You got me looking at the Yamaha YH-5000SE again lol. I wanted to say something, but I forgot where I heard it from and don’t remember the exact information either, so bear with me. Back when I was looking into which headphones to get into, I always kept this information in the back of my head. The articles I read back then were outdated, so who knows how true this holds up with today’s current headphones in the market.
From what I remember about the differences between dynamic, planar, and electrostatic. Electrostatic headphones were physically faster in producing sounds vs the other 2. So, in terms of producing sound with the least distortion and speed, it was electrostatic > planar > dynamic. Dynamic headphones were popular for being easy to make, cheaper to make, and the easiest to drive. One thing I remember dynamic headphones have the advantage is because its the slower of the other 2, the slow decay actually helps depending on what kind of sound you are looking for, like making the soundstage sound have more of an acoustic reverb property. Planar headphones were a step above in getting less distortion and it was physically faster in producing sound vs dynamic headphones. So Planar headphones are typically clearer, have better tonality, and have a quicker bass response. Then, we have electrostatic headphones, which are physically the fastest in producing the sound of the 3. Because of how fast electrostatic headphones can produce sound, they have the least distortion of the 3 making them the clearest and most detailed type of headphones.
Obviously, times have changed, so the above information is probably outdated with all the new technology there is in the new headphone market like D8000 having AFDS (Air Film Damping System). Heddphone is a Air Motion Transformer driver and is neither dynamic, planar, nor electrostatic. Yamaha YH-5000SE actually had something pretty groundbreaking from what I read I think 2 or 3 months ago, but I don’t remember where I read that information. Also, depends on the designer of the headphone, for example: A guy is making a car with v10 engine, but the car is heavy af vs a Cadillac with v6 engine with twin turbos, the Cadillac is faster cause its a better design.
I guess to go back to your topic of people comparing the Yamaha YH-5000SE to electrostatic headphones, I think that is the highest praise a headphone could receive for its level of detail.
Side note: A little off topic, but you mention you was wondering how it would pair with my Allnic HPA-5000XL. I just want to toot my horn a little bit since I rarely get to talk about the Allnic HPA-5000XL, but I think that would one of the greatest pairing ever. Because of the Yamaha specs, 34 ohms, 98 dB/mW sensitivity, and it’s a planar headphone. The Allnic HPA-5000XL is the best pairing for headphones around the range 30 ohm - 50 ohm and said to perform incredibly with planar headphones which unfortunately cannot claim since I only tried the D8000 Pro LE with the Allnic HPA-5000XL, but it sounded amazing with it. But to be fair, the D8000 Pro LE sounds amazing in almost anything you stick it into. One recent review I read this morning in the other forum for Yamaha YH-5000SE, is that he mention this,
"I tried the YH-5000SE with the Yamaha amp/dac HA-L7A at the Sydney hifi show for 15 minutes 28 April 2023. My initial impression, fortunately listening to music I am familiar with, very detailed smooth presentation. Very balanced across bass/mid/treble. I listened to Peg by Steely Dan and cowgirl by underworld. Sounded really good, because of the headphones lightening speed to resolve these complex tracks . Certainly from this initial experience I would recommend them for well recorded EDM and rock. I suspect poorly recorded music will not sound so good as they are very revealing of the mix - just like the Utopias are, as previously stated."
It got me interested because of the other 2 reviews in this thread mention the Yamaha YH-5000SE having “electrostatic” characteristics. You could probably test the Yamaha YH-5000SE “electrostatic” characteristics with a high BPM song. For me, I’ve been studying in band called “Band-Maid” because I bought VIP tickets and I don’t anything about them besides their music being really cool. I was studying the drummer, “Akane” because she wasn’t that good when they formed the band in 2013, but around 2016 or later, Kanami made more songs that included double pedals. So Akane had to get really good and really fast during that time period. You can hear the fruits of her labor in one of their fastest song “Black Hole” which is 220 BPM. Why go off topic and shill out Band-Maid? Because I have been testing my equipments some more, both the Allnic HPA-5000XL and my ATH-AD2000 (please do not confuse it with the X). The ATH-AD2000 is famous (at least of how I read it) with hard rock music and fast pace songs because how great of a headphone it is for high bpm songs. But, unfortunately, it is very amp picky because in many amps, the ATH-AD2000 will sound sluggish and the bass doesn’t decay as fast as it should. On my Allnic HPA-5000XL, ATH-AD2000 is just freaking goated. So I am trying to see how good Akane is with the double pedal about 2 or 3 years later and she freaking amazing with it. What I like with the AD2000 in that song is hitting the bass pedal really fast, I want a quick bass response, not a slow decay. If I get a slow decay, it will be muddied up the other sounds and it will be harder for me to appreciate Akane drumming skills. So point being, if the ATH-AD2000 is freaking love with the Allnic HPA-5000XL, I know it in my heart that the Yamaha YH-5000SE will go perfectly with my Allnic HPA-5000XL amp.
1 Like
Ok, this was bothering me because I usually note stuff down and for some reason, I didn’t note this information down. So I mention that Yamaha did something pretty dang ground breaking (might be a over exaggerating but hey). I found the video! So this is from the SBAF forum. This video did a fantastic job reviewing the Yamaha and I don’t think anyone reviewed it better than this man.
So you can skip to 3:43 in the video to see why the Yamaha YH-5000SE is so interesting compare to anything in the market currently. Because Yamaha love acoustic instruments so much, this headphone was tune in a “interesting” way to give the user the most beautiful experience on acoustic instruments, probably catering towards the sound of the piano. The reviewer then said the “music” sound is more attractive than the vocal sound, I’m guessing acoustic instruments sound better than vocals on these headphones. Then the reviewer said you can get a “tube-like” sound without a tube amp. The reviewer said this,”These days, the more expensive planar headphones come out, the more they match the numerical sound quality or the flat tone.” I agree with that statement because I let someone use my D8000 Pro LE on my Cayin N7 and he was disgusted and said the piano sounded flat. I added a tube amp to the chain and the piano no longer sounded flat. I’m guessing the “tube-like” sound that the Yamaha headphone is reproducing more body and texture to the music without a tube amp.
Then, in the next section, the reviewer talked about the bass on the Yamaha headphone. The bass to him sounds “vintage”. I am not too familiar with vintage gears, most of my collection is 2000 and after. Technically, the vintage gears I owned is the ATH-W10VTG, Sennheiser HD580 Jubilee, and AKG 240 Sextett/ AKG 340 “red driver”(or I was told it’s that version). I will probably give a listen to one of those headphones, probably the AKGs to get a feel of what a vintage bass sounds like.
So going towards the end of the video, the reviewer wrap it up informing, that the Yamaha YH-5000SE is actually a unique and interesting headphone. Even though unique is a beaten up word for reviews, I think that meaning is actually accurate when describing the Yamaha, just base on this review of course lol. The reviewer said this,
“I think Yamaha is serious about the sound of real instruments. If you are a regular listener of acoustic music, I highly recommend giving it a listen. On the other hand, it will suit the taste of those who like analog soft sound. Even when I listen to modern music with a lot of electronic sound, I feel a vintage sound as if I was listening to an LP with a vacuum tube amplifier. Even if you don’t use antiques inconveniently, a fairly analog sound comes out. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen headphones with such pleasant musicality.”
So, what I got from that review video is that the Yamaha YH-5000SE is more cater towards “music” and instrumental and less impressive on vocals. It has vintage sound like properties in its bass and tube-like sound properties.
I think the SBAF gave a better TLDR, so I will post it here as well. Source: Yamaha YH5000SE orthodynamic headphones (HP-1 successor) | Page 2 | Super Best Audio Friends
“ That review was excellent a lot of really interesting stuff going on with this headphone. For those who dont watch, they intentionally jacked up the 2nd order distortion to create a tube like sound while suppressing 3rd order distortion, I have never heard of any other headphone doing that. Treble and mids are dipped but air region still very present. Some extra energy around 60hz to give the bass some oomph without masking the recessed mids too much while having somewhat rolled subbass similar to a dynamic driver. Distortion in bass gets out of control at volumes greater than 90db, so not for those who want to listen super loud (but you shouldnt be listening louder than that anyway).
This headphone gonna get shit on by a lot of people because its real weird, but I think it is great to see headphones like this. Put this on with the right track and it will probably be an amazing experience you cant get anywhere else. Gonna be a lot of peoples favorite headphone…if they can afford it. I think this is the direction flagships should go, rather than trying to hit the Harmon target, just do something super weird (but possibily better) so that you can offer a unique experience.”
2 Likes
Just buy the open box unit from audio46 so you can tell us how it is lol
Surprised it’s still there but i guess i understand the hesitation
2 Likes
LOL. I’ve been thinking about it. Just not to motivated on buying another headphone at the moment.
1 Like
Someone over on SBAF bought one and hated it, but like everything else it’s one opinion.
The FR measurements are certainly different.
1 Like
I saw that and it seems like a lot of 1st impression are pretty negative. This headphone just reminds me of the Sony Qualia 010 only in looks and the way people have a love/hate relationship with it. Meaning, I feel like this headphone is a type of headphone you will grow to love because of how unique it is. And if you grow to love it, it might be one of the best headphone experiences and could be a sound that is very addicting. The Sony Qualia 010 was before my time, so I at least want to experience this hate that turns to love relationship with the Yamaha YH-5000SE.
Basically, I want to experience something like this where opinions are conflicting: SONY QUALIA 010: LOVED or LOATHED? | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
Do you remember what they said? I’m curious
If these series of posts are not motivating to buy the pair @hifiDJ suggested, then what is all this hyper-focused pulling of subjective claims from every corner of the inter webs all about? Be cautious of translations, as many of these are not done by people but AI, thus words and nuisance is often screwed up royally.
Let me play devil’s advocate, what are you trying to accomplish if you are not interested to buy them?
Just wanted to talk about the review because I find that video pretty interesting.
Also, just not motivated to buy any headphones. Rather spend that money on expanding further on my 2 channel setup.
1 Like
My apologies I took your posts the last few days on this can as deliberations you are having with yourself to buy them.
Nope, just wanted to contribute to the thread and add conversation. I do like talking about this headphone because of its interesting design.
I am probably not going to buy any headphones for the rest of the year. I am going to buy a super cheap setup for my tiny decware speakers. Then upgrade my DAC. Then, buying a 20 plus year old amp/DAC for my ATH-L3000 legendary setup. Then maybe buy a subwoofer or my next bookshelf speaker. Then maybe, if I care about headphones again, buy a headphone. If it’s headphone, it’s gotta be Axel Grell headphone, Sony MV1 and the Yamaha YH-5000SE I find that looks interesting to me currently. That won’t be for like a year though.
I might be conflating 2 responses in the thread.
The guy who owns them was none committal about them, someone who’d heard them at CanJam didn’t like them.