Audeze MM-500 Professional Over-Ear Headphones

Man these things are so good. I sound design and produce electronic music, from DAW & VSTi through SoundBlaster AE9 & proprietary amp to these headphones. The sound clarity and accuracy is really unbelievable. I can not believe a pair of headphones can produce this kind of sound. It sounds literally the same as perfectly spaced monitors with room treatment. I don't really know how to describe it but it feels like there is absolutely no obstacles between me and what I'm trying to do and create anymore. For me personally, they fit perfectly. The cups are really luxury, especially compared to the felt or whatever cups on the beyerdynamic 990's. The only concern I have about wearing them for long periods is having things on high volume without realizing it due to the lack of distortion or crowding. Price tag is really high, personally I wouldn't buy them just for listening to music, but for producing, mixing, designing etc, yea definitely happy with them!

Even I read many reviews about the Audeze MM-500 before purchase, I wasn’t prepared to hear so many details... I wanted to make sure that Audeze warranty is valid because the company wants bill of sale from their authorized dealer and in my case - it was from Amazon. I have reached Amazon product support and was connected to Gramophone (seller) by Amazon messaging. I also tried to get help from Audeze customer support. The Gramophone responded quickly and offered to communicate with Audeze. Audeze customer support requested a bill of sale from Amazon and confirmed that in my case warranty is valid. I am very thankful to Amazon and Gramophone for their help.

Well.. I got the details and clearness but what about the dynamics and soundstages? Great details of the trebles. Sounds very clean. But the main issue was that the sound staging. It is really packed and smaller than other audeze. And since it has flat sounds, I couldn’t find good dynamics. This 1800$ headphones is worth for the sound engineers but not for the general audience. Talking about its build quality, Okay, the compared to other audeze products, it is way more lighter but it has smaller ear pads so it was just uncomfortable for me. But I could say that it is high quality built. Some would say that it is too tight but it was not that bad for me. Just a bit tighter than audeze lcd series. I recommend lcdx open back more for normal users. However, if you are okay with flat sounds and small soundstage, then it will be the perfect headphones. + I personally don’t like to use eq too much, but it did sound better after applying some eq. So.. it is your choice to try it

Buy these right now!!! I've never heard music until I pulled the trigger and bought these. I paired them with Sound ID Reference with the Virtual Monitoring software, and it's like I'm listening to my desktop monitors without the bass frequency problems that my room introduces.

Best

Just buy them. These headphones are on a different level. I use them to mix and they changed my entire life.

I purchased the MM-500's as my first premium pair of headphones after many years sticking with Sennheiser's HD600/650 series. During the immediate period prior to my purchase of the MM-500, I actually fully expected that I'd upgrade to the acclaimed Sennheiser HD800s, primed as I was by my familiarity and comfort with that famously warm, smooth and relaxed Sennheiser sound. Yet one day I scheduled a listening session at a local shop and demoed several headphones from different manufacturers, including the Audeze MM-500 and the Sennheiser HD800s. To my great surprise, after comparison, I found myself forming a strong preference for the Audeze MM-500 over the other headphones. The Audeze's dynamics, vast frequency extension, and crisp "airiness" are simply extraordinary. They are all-rounders that wonderfully reproduce recordings spanning many genres of music but I especially loved how the MM-500 seemed to leave nothing veiled: they are highly revealing, engaging, and, most of all, very fun. Given these characteristics, I can definitely see why Audeze markets the MM-500 toward audio professionals and engineers but if you're a casual listener like myself, definitely consider these headphones and give them a try. You may be joyfully surprised.

Now that I've had some time to listen to the MM-500, I wanted to share some insights. Most of which were concerns of mine before purchasing. BUILD: This was not a concern for me but it can’t be overstated just how well-built the MM-500 is. They’re built like a tank and feel indestructible unless intentionally misused. I purchased an open box so mine came with a few minor nicks in the paint. Nothing crazy but you can scratch them if you’re a little careless with them. That said, I think these could look really cool with some battle scars accrued over the years. The leather on the ear pads and headband are high quality as well. In the hand, the MM-500 feels like a sound investment. No pun intended. COMFORT: Coming from the Arya Stealth, I was bit concerned about comfort. I think I have a medium/large head. I read a lot of complaints about clamp force and the suspension strap. Yes, MM-500 is “clampy” but it doesn’t bother me during extended listening sessions. Perhaps it’s because of the ear pads which are the softest I’ve ever experienced. Regarding the suspension strap, there are more comfortable implementations, like that on the Arya SE. That said, the headband comfort is good in my opinion. SOUND: I'll start by saying my expectations were definitely met here. The MM-500 is detailed, balanced, and punchy with good body. Resolution - Detail retrieval is excellent and very competitive at $1-2k price point. I’m very pleased with it. Staging - If you’re coming from an Arya or HD800 variant, things might feel a little closed in at first. That’s how I felt when I did an initial A/B comparison with the Arya SE. Thankfully, I gave myself a moment to adjust to it. After adjusting, the stage is neither wide nor narrow to me. It’s middle of the road. This could be an issue for some but it’s fine for me. The stage is also tall, which I like, but may cause some to perceive the stage as being slightly narrower than it actually is. Imaging - In short, imaging is very good. At least on par with the Arya SE, if not better. Positioning, layering, space between instruments blah blah blah… all very good. Treble - It’s definitely relaxed but not lacking in my opinion. The treble is still very detailed and completely inoffensive. I’ve always enjoyed the treble on the Arya SE and never found it to be too bright or fatiguing. That said, I also really enjoy the treble on the MM-500. Not sure how that’s possible but all is good here as far as I’m concerned. Mids - The mids are definitely north of neutral but I didn’t experience any shout or honk whatsoever. I was actually expecting them to be more forward. I guess this is a reminder not to put too much faith in measurements. I really enjoy this presentation. Bass - I’m not a bass head but I was concerned that the bass would be a little too lean for my tastes. Bass is pretty neutral in my opinion. It’s very tight with good texture. Nothing more, nothing less. Although, I would prefer a pinch more sub bass, I never feel the need to use EQ. The MM-500 bass gives me exactly what I need, not what I want haha. I’m good with that. CONCLUSION: I was a looking for a headphone with a detailed, full bodied, and mostly uncolored sound. Something that would complement the Arya SE. I feel like I previously had that with the Clear Mg but I think the MM-500 suits my tastes a bit better. Audeze deserves a lot of credit for creating a reference sound that’s not boring. It’s actually quite engaging. Very pleased with the purchase.