Here’s the video impressions from Pacific Audio Fest:
The nice thing about this was that we actually got a chance to listen for a longer period of time.
In any case, we did also get one in and I was able to do some measurements. Sure enough they match my impressions.
So it’s similarly ‘midrangey’ to the LCD-5 with chilled out treble, with a very subtle difference in the relative tonal balance between upper mids and treble, even though the overall ear gain level is similar. But this is again why I think for folks who liked the LCD-X 2021, the MM-500 is likely not the headphone you’re after - or at least not without EQ - because the LCD-X 2021 is more relaxed in the upper mids and emphasized in the treble by comparison. I would personally prefer a bit less energy at 3khz and a bit more in the treble, but it’s not far off for what I like.
For those comparing the LCD-5 to the HD650, the MM-500 is actually closer to the HD650 in my opinion, just not as technical as the LCD-5.
Sound signature smoothed to the same degree as the target (apples to apples):
Comparison the LCD-5
You can see once again it’s very similar to the LCD-5, just with a few subtle differences in the upper mid to treble balance. But in short, the sound signature on the MM-500 is very “midrangey” to my ear as mentioned, but not in a bad way.
I’ll have a full review out soon.