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Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones - High-end headphones with orthodynamic driver

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH describes the new Yamaha YH-5000S Headphones as ultra-light high-end headphones and thus the first product of its kind to bear the number 5000 in its product designation as an expression of the highest perfection and as proof of a superior high-end solution.

Story Highlights
  • Yamaha Music Europe GmbH is now able to present the new Yamaha YH-5000S Headphones, headphones of the absolute top class.

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH has always been committed to one goal, and that is to follow the mission of True Sound. Music should always be presented in such a way that it is a perfect reflection of what was recorded in the studio. The new Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphone, as the flagship headphone, is designed to fully live up to this philosophy and set new standards. It relies on technologies that deliver a harmonious, precise sound, materials that convey luxury and a construction that guarantees comfort when worn, with the manufacturer striving for nothing less than absolute perfection in all respects.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones with Orthodynamic Driver

The new Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones are the result of a long development whose roots go back to the 1970s. That’s when the Japanese consumer electronics company presented the legendary Yamaha HP-1 headphones based on planar-magnetic drivers. Exactly this concept has now been used for the new Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones, but in a more advanced, much more sophisticated version, which is now called Orthodynamic Driver.

The principle is, of course, quite similar to conventional planar-magnetic drivers, because here, too, a wafer-thin membrane is used on which thin conductive tracks are directly applied. These take over the task of a voice coil used in conventional headphones, and just like this, the membrane with the conductor tracks is located in an arrangement of permanent magnets that generate a very uniform, so-called isodynamic magnetic field. Music signals flow over the conductive tracks on the membrane, creating an interaction with the isodynamic magnetic field and driving the membrane evenly over its entire surface. This happens with the highest precision, enormously fast and free of inertial effects, thus also with the least discolouration and almost no distortion.

Yamaha True Sound – Every nuance of the music

To put it in a nutshell, the so-called Orthodynamic Driver from Yamaha offers two decisive advantages in particular: a massive reduction in the weight of the driver and, at the same time, a much larger diaphragm surface area, which not only achieves an enormously fast response, but also makes it possible to reproduce a very wide dynamic range and large frequency range.

However, such a driver design requires a much higher effort and an enormous precision in the manufacturing process, because above all the conductor paths have to be etched absolutely perfectly and evenly onto the diaphragm. The Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones therefore required extremely complex development work with prototype construction and careful measurements including strict analyses, as the manufacturer states.

Accordingly, the realisation of the new Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones took a long time, because, as mentioned before, they wanted to achieve absolute perfection in this solution for the realisation of a worthy reference model or flagship of the product portfolio.

Yamaha True Sound in numbers

Broken down to the bare figures, this means that the new Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones can reproduce a frequency range from 5 Hz to 70 kHz. It is obvious that these headphones are aimed at users who appreciate the finest analogue sound, as well as users who want to enjoy hi-res audio in all its details, because it is precisely here that it is crucial that a pair of headphones can really reproduce every nuance. The sensitivity of the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones is rated at 98 dB and the impedance at 34 ohms.

Maximum wearing comfort for fatigue-free listening over many hours

As the flagship of the entire headphone product portfolio, the developers at Yamaha naturally also set the highest standards for the wearing comfort of the new Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones.

First and foremost, the weight had to be reduced to a minimum, which is why they opted for a frame made of magnesium, resulting in a weight of only 320 g. The headband of the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones is made of a special material. The headband of the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones is made of stainless steel and is supposed to guarantee an optimal distribution of lateral pressure as well as an infinitely variable and thus always perfect adjustment for every user.

When it comes to the ear pads, users of the Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones have the choice between two options: a smooth sheepskin version is included, which can be easily wiped clean and absorbs less moisture. In addition, attachments made of the luxurious microfibre fabric Ultrasuede are included. This functional material in suede structure is also popular for high-quality fashion and in the automotive sector. It is characterised above all by a soft feel and feels particularly why and comfortable.

It should be explicitly mentioned that the ear pads for the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones are also offered separately as accessories, so that you can easily replace them after long use.

Flexibility in connection through different cables

The user can choose between different cables for the new Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones in order to be able to use them flexibly. First of all, the headphones come with a cable with a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack, but also a balanced cable with a five-pin plug, a so-called 4.4 mm Pentaconn. Of course, a 6.3 mm adapter is also included. The cables are all made of pure copper, coated with silver, and precisely braided, according to the promise of Yamaha Music Europe GmbH.

It should also be mentioned that the Yamaha HXC-SC020 two-metre cable with a high-quality XLR plug from Neutrik is available from specialist dealers as an option for the headphones.

Handmade in Japan

Since this is a high-end HiFi solution, to which the term HiFi Luxury can be applied, it is obvious that Yamaha decided to manufacture these headphones in Japan, namely by hand in the Kakegawa factory. This is where the Japanese company manufactures all of its exclusive audio components, as well as exclusive grand pianos and upright pianos, and can guarantee the highest quality in production by experienced employees with years of expertise.

By the way, not only the production of the orthodynamic drivers takes place in Kakegawa, but also the assembly of all individual parts of the Yamaha YH-5000SE headphones with subsequent detailed quality control.

A first listening impression

sempre-audio.at already had the pleasure of testing these outstanding new high-end headphones at Yamaha Music Europe GmbH at the High End 2022 in mid-May 2022. However, an NDA obliged us not to disclose any information about this until now.

Now, of course, we can report that the Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones really impressed us as early as May 2022 and thus still in the stadium of a prototype. The ease and sovereignty with which these headphones presented every nuance of the music was breathtaking.

Prices and availability

The new Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones are scheduled for release in early 2023, with the headphones coming with an elegant stand. The suggested retail price will be € 5.499,-.

Getting to the point

With the new Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones, Yamaha Music Europe GmbH is launching a truly outstanding pair of over-ear headphones that justifiably occupy the position of a reference solution and thus as Yamaha’s new flagship. sempre-audio.at editor-in-chief Michael Holzinger was already able to convince himself of this exclusively at the High End 2022 in Munich in mid-May, but had to remain silent about his experiences until today, bound by a signed NDA. Now, however, it can be openly announced that with the new Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones, a truly outstanding headphone will come onto the market at the beginning of next year.

PRODUCTYAMAHA YH-5000SE HEADPHONES
Price€ 5.499,-
ManufacturerYamaha
ManufacturerYamaha Corporation
DistributionYamaha Music Europe GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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