Headphones — Yamaha YH-5000SE

The YH-5000SE is the open-back over-ear headphone that Yamaha names as its flagship, built around a reworked version of the Orthodynamic planar magnetic driver the company first used in the 1970s, starting with the HP-1. Skilled staff build every unit at the Yamaha factory in Kakegawa, Japan, the same plant that builds the brand's top grand pianos and audio components.

Key specs that matter

Yamaha quotes a frequency response of 5 Hz to 70 kHz, a sensitivity of 98 dB per mW at 1 kHz and an impedance of 34 ohm at 1 kHz. The headphone weighs 320 g. Two detachable cables come in the box - an unbalanced lead with a 3.5 mm three-pole plug and a screw-on 6.3 mm adaptor, and a balanced lead ending in a 4.4 mm five-pole plug. Two sets of earpads are also supplied, the HEP-5000LE in sheepskin and PU leather and the HEP-5000SU in Toray Ultrasuede, together with a machined headphone stand of aluminium and copper alloy measuring about 117 x 282 x 146 mm and weighing about 0.98 kg.

Engineering and use context

The diaphragm is a thin film with the voice coil etched in a special pattern on both faces and a fine corrugation pressed into it. Yamaha removed the fixed central structure found in conventional drivers, so the round film is held only at its outer edge, and concentric corrugation with pattern reinforcement keeps its shape. Magnetic materials were kept away from the diaphragm area, and micro-perforated air dampers sit on both sides to control film movement. The large open-back housing gives ample internal volume and limits reflections in the rear cavity. A Japanese-made rolled plain Dutch weave stainless steel filter regulates air pressure inside the housing, and an arch-shaped protrusion inside acts as a reflector. The frame is magnesium, chosen for its high vibration damping among practical metals, and a triaxial mesh taken from aerospace use protects the open back. The headband arm is stainless steel, the pad uses three-dimensional stitching, a stepless slider sets the length, and the swivel axis is tilted to even out pressure behind the ear. Both cables use braided silver-coated OFC conductors. The leather pads combine sheepskin at the contact surface with perforated synthetic leather and mesh, while the suede pads pair Ultrasuede with a mesh interior.

Pairing

With its good sensitivity and moderate impedance, the YH-5000SE can be run from portable players as well as desktop amplifiers, and the included balanced lead suits sources and headphone amplifiers with a Pentaconn balanced output. The screw-on adaptor covers full-size jacks on home equipment.

Alternatives

The Yamaha YH-4000 uses an Orthodynamic planar driver in an open-back over-ear design, rated at 97 dB per mW and supplied with an unbalanced cable only.