Audeze is an American model finest recognized for making every thing from some severe audiophile grade headphones to a few of the finest gaming headsets we have examined. Their MM-500 is extra of the previous choice, as an enormous, chunky and spectacular set of planar magnetic cans which have an eye-wateringly excessive price ticket besides – you may simply have to fork out £1699/$1699, no massive deal actually.
I’ve examined some fairly expensive headphones earlier than, though none have made fairly the identical preliminary impression because the MM-500s. Whereas the likes of the Focal Bathys include a smooth, attractive exhausting case, Audeze has chosen to go for a full-on briefcase for transporting these cans in. It is product of a mix of metallic and plastic, and is critically sturdy, whereas inside, there is a beneficiant serving to of moulded foam for transporting the MM-500s. You’re feeling such as you’re a member of the US Secret Service opening the briefcase up.
When you open the briefcase up, you are greeted with the MM-500s. They’re absolutely metallic, with a mix of machined alumnium and spring metal, which provides a premium really feel whereas additionally being fairly gentle at 495g. That is nonetheless fairly heavy in opposition to a pair of Grados, as an illustration, though is lighter than you’d initially anticipate. The MM-500s appear like a basic pair of Audeze cans, with a thinner headband, earcups with oval cutouts on the skin, and large, plush angled earpads which can be splendidly smooth amd supportive, whereas additionally coming with a heavier clamping drive to make sure they stick in your noggin.
The load of the MM-500s takes some getting used to, particularly with the stiffer headband, though putting it over a stack of books may help to loosen it up a tad if the clamping drive is an excessive amount of out of the field, in line with Audeze. It’s on the tighter aspect, however I did not have a lot of a difficulty with it when utilizing these within the evenings to hearken to some tunes or play some video games with.
The MM-500’s earcups are maybe the other to the Grado Hemps I’ve additionally examined just lately. The place the Hemps have been a thinner, shallower choice with material padding, the MM-500 has these luscious, deep cups with a few of the plushest leather-based I’ve felt on a set of headphones outdoors of my very own Focal Bathys I exploit daily. The earcups are additionally angled to adapt to the truth that folks’s ears aren’t truly parallel to the edges of your head – they’re angled out just a little. This implies sound goes proper into your ears, versus on different headphones which lack the adjustability so that you can swivel the earcups to realize this similar objective.
Your ears additionally sit fairly near the drivers contained in the MM-500, though they are not essentially drivers per se. In spite of everything, these are planar magnetic headphones, versus the extra frequent dynamic drivers. I’ve not an skilled on this by any means, however, in essence being planar magnetic signifies that they work by suspending the headphones’ diaphragm materials between magnetic fields which trigger vibration, versus working by putting the motive force over a coil that is pulled by a magnet, within the case of dynamic drivers. It signifies that planar magnetic cans want extra floor space to work, therefore the truth that the MM-500 are fairly cumbersome in opposition to extra ‘normal’ headphones.
By way of their tuning, it is right here the place the MM-500 mark a departure from earlier Audeze efforts, with a transfer extra in the direction of a reference set of cans, in the identical vein as Sennheiser’s HD660S2. In spite of everything, these are designed maybe extra for music manufacturing and studio work than they’re for generalist use. That is arguably as a result of title that quietly adorns the MM-500’s earcups. Look carefully, and you will see Manny Maroquin’s title on the aspect. He may not be a reputation you’ve got heard of, however the albums and songs by artists he is produced or blended you most definitely could have. Taylor Swift’s Pink as an illustration, Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten or Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox, have all had work on by Marroquin, and he is produced the MM-500 in collaboration with Audeze. That is fairly the endorsement.
With this level in thoughts, it adjustments the way you view the MM-500. In spite of everything, they won’t be as thrilling or energetic as different cans on the market, however they’re designed with a selected objective in thoughts – to offer probably the most correct view of music potential. Basically, if audio sounds because it ought to when blended in right here, it is going to be wonderful elsewhere. The opposite factor about these being designed for audio mixing means they arrive with the large quarter-inch jack on the top, however do include a 3.5mm adapter for plugging into extra regular issues, so you need to use the MM-500s along with your laptop computer, or a DAC.
I ought to say which you can genuinely use these with a MacBook or in any other case – they’re remarkably straightforward to drive, with a low impedance of simply 18 ohms. Whereas it is not a foolproof technique of measuring how straightforward headphones are to work with, it means you do not essentially require specialist audio gear for them to work, and get a lot loud. I had no points utilizing them with my MacBook Professional, or ordinary gaming PC for that matter with their bundled headphone jacks, though giving them extra oomph with a DAC or DAP is prone to yield higher-quality listening.
Music out of the MM-500s, whether or not it is Latin pop, exhausting rock or jazz fusion, has this splendidly clean and heat high quality that sounds wonderful. Upon plugging them into both my HiBy R3 II, FiiO M11S or Chord Mojo 2 DAC, I used to be greeted with some attractive audio with a deep however not overbearing low-end, wonderful and extra outstanding mid-range and clean treble. A hearken to Riverman from Noel Gallagher’s Excessive Flying Birds exemplified this splendidly, with reassuring bass, unbelievable vocal dealing with and stable, crisp treble with the monitor’s cymbal work.
That deep low-end was additionally mirrored within the unbelievable Let’s Groove from Earth, Wind & Hearth, with the monitor’s outstanding funky bassline, whereas Rush’s YYZ carried acceptable, correct oomph with fantastic extension. As for the mid-range, James Taylor’s Lighthouse was attractive, with the MM-500 dealing with his vocals effectively, in addition to the music’s outstanding acoustic guitar and drum work, whereas Peter Mayer’s The Final Island was a wealthy soundscape fronted by his vocals, and the monitor’s good percussion work.
The MM-500 additionally handles treble with a clean and crisp end, versus it being too sharp, as with another headphones I’ve examined. This was demonstrated effectively with the intermitted cymbal crashes and tambourine hits in Phil Collins’ I am Not Shifting, whereas on Ralph MacDonald’s Calypso Breakdown, the monitor’s fixed bell hits have been dealt with with panache. Steely Dan’s Do It Once more is at all times a monitor I exploit for testing treble, with the music’s percussion-laden introduction a possible minefield for some cans. The MM-500 served up a chic end result with every thing from its cymbals to chimes and organ having this wonderful smoothness and precision to it.
The soundstage right here is not as vast as different, much more ‘reasonably priced’ open backs I’ve examined, though there’s a good sense of width and awe-inspiring precision, comparable to on Rush’s 2112, the legendary 20 minute lengthy multi-part prog epic I at all times use for testing headphones. The monitor’s ‘Discovery’ part, which builds from restricted electrical guitar components with ambient water noise into intermittent vocals and even more durable rock is a selected spotlight for testing, because it offers you a way of how vast and spacious a set of cans might be, notably initially. As well as, I’ve at all times paid consideration to the place of the bongos on Earth, Wind & Hearth’s September. Get it proper, and so they’re far off within the distance on the correct hand aspect, with a superb sense of placement.
The extra pronounced mid-range in amongst the MM-500’s frequency additionally helped to make video games immersive too, with footsteps being outstanding within the likes of CS:2, and the open again nature of the headphones additionally serving to immersion. The stable stereo imaging additionally helped my immersion in Forza Horizon 5 races with engine notes of close by automobiles, whereas additionally working effectively in Assetto Corsa, too. GTA On-line was additionally unbelievable enjoyable with the MM-500, with the enjoyable of the sport’s drift racing or after I was merely operating over pedestrians and choosing fights with different on-line gamers within the midst of Los Santos.
The Audeze MM-500 is a superb set of planar magnetic headphones that, whereas designed for studio use for mixing and manufacturing before everything, fairly frankly shocked me for a way good they’re for each gaming and for normal music listening. They have a deep bass that is not overbearing, a superb and exact midrange and clean treble that made every thing from Genesis to Grand Theft Auto a chic hear. The large drawback, in fact, is the large worth they arrive with – £1699/$1699 is solely for pro-grade peeps or these audiophiles with a good chunk of change. Are they definitely worth the worth? Within the context of what you are getting, in all probability. Would I like to recommend you purchase them, although? No.
Permit me to clarify – the MM-500s are merely a few of the finest headphones I’ve used for purely listening, given their reference-like impartial profile and immense element, though if you happen to’re searching for a bit extra power in your music and extra enjoyable, then the Grado Hemps are fantastic, and price a 3rd of the worth of those. Or, if you would like the enjoyable of planar magnetics with out spending hundreds, go seize a pair of Audeze Maxwells, which is certainly one of our favorite gaming headsets.
I am not saying the MM-500 is a contextually dangerous set of cans, as a result of they actually aren’t – the final 1600 or so phrases ought to show that. However they’re solely price it if you would like a impartial sound, the popularity of those planar magnetic drivers, and likewise if you happen to’ve acquired £1699/$1699 to burn. In any other case, they are a little bit of a troublesome promote.
