Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

Yamaha Unveils Flagship YH-5000SE Headphones for $5,000

Yamaha are jumping back into the high-end headphone market with the $5,000 YH-5000SE which are being made in Kakegawa, Japan.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones Dark

The high-end headphone market has been dominated over the past decade by Audeze, HiFiMAN, Dan Clark Audio, Focal, Sennheiser, and ZMF — with some older brands like Sony, Fostex, and Beyerdynamic hanging tough. The market has also seen its fair share of one hit wonders that either vanished or migrated rather quickly into the mainstream cauldron.

At one point, Yamaha was a significant player in the category with the development of its Orthodynamic driver; which can almost be considered to be one of the first planar designs. The brand made the decision to focus their attention elsewhere in the market and eventually released their first lineup of wireless headphones to not feel left out.

All of that changed this week with the new Yamaha YH-5000SE flagship headphones.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones Angle

The YH-5000SE features a new version of their Orthodynamic driver which has been integrated into a new headphone chassis that seemingly can’t decide if it is pat of the Star Wars galaxy or the latest iteration of Steampunk.

Every design element has been reimagined using state-of-the-art materials and acoustic testing. The Yamaha YH-5000SE have been in the works for a few years and they were not being released until they were satisfied that the final product could compete with anything available.

The Skinny  

The new driver utilizes an ultra-lightweight diaphragm to improve driver speed and agility; the result is far superior extension and transparency than ever before. The chassis isn’t just designed to hold the driver, but to provide the perfect airflow over the driver and remove any resonance at the back of the diaphragm. 

Yamaha went so far as to design and build a rolled Plain Dutch Weave stainless steel filter that is integrated into the housing because none of the existing grates provided the exact airflow characteristics needed.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones Swivel

The YH-5000SE also offer a rather interesting solution to improve comfort levels; the headband is a multi-layer design that is optimized to more evenly spread out weight and lateral pressure on your head creating the right amount of clamping force for the listener.

Adjustments are friction based for infinite stops and help create the perfect position of the cups over the ears; the gimbals feature an inclined swivel mechanism to ensure that the ear pads fit flush with the ear.

Weight is a major factor in the high-end headphone category and Yamaha have managed to control that through the use of magnesium in the main chassis. The Yamaha YH-5000SE only weigh 11.3 ounces (320 grams) which is considerably less than the Audeze LCD-5 and Monoprice 1570 Headphones that we just reviewed.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones on Stand

The YH-5000SE wont begin shipping until the end of Q1 2023 and when made available will come only as a kit with an included stand, two cables, and two sets of ear pads made from different materials.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

According to Yamaha, the YH-5000SE headphones are being built at the same factory in Kakegawa, Japan, that forges Yamaha flagship grand pianos and other premium audio products.

The headphone itself will go on sale later in 2023. The kit is due to retail at $5000 USD with the headphone price not set at press time; some materials suggest that the kit will be discounted initially. We will update this article when Yamaha confirms everything.

Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones Side

It’s great to see Yamaha back in the high-end headphone market and we’ve already reached out to Yamaha for our review pair which we hope to see by March of 2023.

For more information: Yamaha YH-5000SE Headphones

Where to buy: $4,999.95 at Crutchfield | Audio46

Related Reading:

Audeze LCD-5 Headphones Review: Long Live the King?

Yamaha YH-E700A Wireless ANC Headphones: Review

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

You May Also Like

New Products

Focal extends its wired headphone range with two affordable models based on the Bathys architecture in open and closed-back configurations.

Over-Ear Headphones

At $479, Sennheiser's HD 490 Pro Plus are two headphones in one with interchangeable ear pads that dramatically alter the sound.

Articles

High Tech Meets High Touch: Inside Sennheiser's High-End Headphone Factory in Tullamore, Ireland.

Over-Ear Headphones

At $36,000, Warwick Acoustics APERIO delivers one of the most spectacular headphone experiences we've ever tried.

Headphones

Audeze, a Boutique High-End Headphone Brand, Sparked a Revolution in Sound and May Have Changed the Gaming Experience Forever.

Reviews

Fancy Air Motion Transformer (AMT) drivers in a wireless headphone that's only $199. Could these be just what you're look for?

New Products

Beyerdynamic is celebrating its 100th anniversary with the DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition Studio Headphones for only $199. Grab a pair before they...

New Products

Six new models featuring upgraded battery performance, support for Bluetooth 5.3, and Harman's advanced Personi-Fi 2.0 technology.

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers