Yamaha YH-5000SE Flagship Headphone Review

[Zwepp]

I guess that is true. Sort of like a horoscope I suppose.

In this case it looks more like a horrorscope..

 

[Crosstalk]

Yamaha is one of the few companies from which I wouldn't expect such an overpriced mess, thank you for reviewing it and the brave buyer that bought it and even sent it for testing!

I think the buyer can still return it to Amazon

 

[amirm]

is it possible that this measured set of headphones is defective or broken? So many positive reviews online.

No. See the measurements in the Korean video review I included. It is almost identical to my measurements.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I must admit, I really like the look, and I was hoping it to be decent headphone. Especially considering price and Yamaha name.
But it seems my hopes were dashed.

 

[oscar_dziki]

Holy moly!
Looks like a dynamic driver bass got together with a peaky estat midrange and an old school planar treble valley.

And they threw a fentanyl party.

 

[pavuol]

product web:
"No compromises were made and every detail was lovingly attended to, lending a sense of dignity befitting the flagship model."

"From the manufacturing of the driver to the careful completion of the entire assembly, the production of the YH-5000SE requires extremely high technical capabilities and precision. For this reason, we chose to produce this exclusive model at Yamaha’s Kakegawa factory, which handles our flagship models of grand pianos and audio components. Subject to the strictest quality control measures, each unit is carefully assembled by skilled craftsmen."

japanese skilled craftsmen in their flagship sending kind and respectful salute to ASR crowd:

 

[fin]

Yamaha is well-known for its budget pro audio gear. I own several of their audio interfaces and analog mixers, which have been of very good quality and have worked flawlessly for more than a decade. They also produced some excellent orthodynamic headphones in the 70s. It’s disappointing to see that they decided to enter the consumer hi-fi market and start producing flawed product and claim they were great. If this beautifully crafted and refined headphone had a frequency response curve even somewhat similar to a normal $100 headphone, I might be willing to spend $1,000 to buy it. Such a pity.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

The other thing I really am noticing about those measurements, aside from how the FR undergoes a 27 db drop relative to target between 1.5 and 2.5 khz is the mismatch of the channel volume. Not only are they badly mismatched but the one that's louder than the other switches with FR. Most egregiously, from 3k to 5 k the left is around 3db louder than the right, then it switches from 5k to 6 kg and the right is about 3db louder than the left, and then it switches back from 6k to 7k and the left becomes somewhat louder, and finally from 7k to around 9 k the right is again louder. Combine this behavior with its atrocious group delay and distortion, and it has to image like absolute crap. I don't think anyone will recommend pairing this Yamaha "flagship" with an A16 Realizer anytime soon.

Once again the target market for this kind of thing is obviously not the seasoned audiophile, audio engineer, or musician. A shame that newbies get conned into buying stuff like this when there are literally any number of great headphones that can be had for l.t. $500. A major audio company like Yamaha really deserves have its brand tarnished for bringing something like this to market and charging $5000 for it. Just shameful and greedy. And ultimately it's them biting the hand that feeds them, so it's breathtakingly stupid as well.

 

[the_brunx]

But, but headphone reviews like this: https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/yamaha-yh-5000se-headphones and the ones from headfi told us this is a 5 star flagship headphone.

 

[Orion76]

$27 dollar Tanchjim One measures better than a $5,000 headphone.

What a world.

 

[sq225917]

Beautiful junk

 

[tomtoo]

At least you can eq them somehow.

 

[Mr Swing King]

But, but headphone reviews like this: https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/yamaha-yh-5000se-headphones and the ones from headfi told us this is a 5 star flagship headphone.

Remove the name from the article and it reads like any other hyped “hi-fi” gear.
I gained zero knowledge reading that and wouldn’t have a clue as to what sound signature this headphone is adorned with…which should be one of the most important parts to any headphone review.

 

[Cammy]

is it possible that this measured set of headphones is defective or broken? So many positive reviews online.

Absolutely not

 

[cobra-kai-never-dies]

No. See the measurements in the Korean video review I included. It is almost identical to my measurements.

Your headphones measurements have always matched up with my listening impressions. Let's say well over a dozen headphones.

It kind of baffles me how Yamaha could mess up this bad. And to think I was going to buy these or spend the time to audition them... i thought they would be contender to the legendary focal utopias.

 

[cobra-kai-never-dies]

Absolutely not

My faith in Yamaha stems from their very good vintage audio equipment. I'm shocked with the results; but I have accepted it as reality now.

 

[DSJR]

I think I've still got those (HP-3) somewhere...

I used to sell the HP1 and they were a long-term 'pleasant' listen with a more full-bodied tone I remember. I don't remember the slight rise in the lower kHz region, as it was very much better than the sometimes astringent tones of some early Sennheisers. I don't remember the HP3, but then, rather large speakers was this twenty year old's bag back then

 

[AndreaT]

A fool and his money…

May ASR become a test for separating audiophiles into gullible and responsible one? How could you be fooled into spending a good chunk of money to listen through this? And maybe even brag about it with your less well endowed friends?
Great test Amir of a failed HP, with long shadows cast on the honesty and reliability of Yamaha. I shall not buy any audio products from a company that charges so much for so little.

 

[DSJR]

Is it to become the gold standard, like the Yamaha NS-10?

In some defence of the original NS10 - When placed on a bookshelf tight to the wall, the clarity of the still bright tones won through, the lack of general cheap-speaker 'smear' of the times when they were a low cost domestic product, being a huge plus point.

These headphones are so easily beaten by £/$25 in-ears it's embarrassing. For the music I play, even the HD600's disported in the low bass (the 'drum kicks' at the beginning of Tangerine Dream's 'Poland' CDs for example used to wallow on the HD600 and the distortion measurements done years after I sold them on showed why)

 

[cobra-kai-never-dies]

And they threw a fentanyl party.

lol great sense of humor. Made me laugh.