Audeze MM-500

HiFi, OpenBack
Audeze MM-500 — The Mixing Engineer’s Planar

The MM-500 is Audeze’s love letter to mixing and mastering engineers. Developed in consultation with Grammy-winning producer Manny Marroquin, this is a headphone designed specifically for professional work — and it happens to sound absolutely wonderful for music enjoyment too.

Build & Design

Lighter than the LCD-X at 510g, which is still substantial but manageable. The magnesium housing is a step up from Audeze’s usual aluminium, and the overall construction feels purposeful and professional. Comfort is improved over the LCD-X with redesigned earpads and better weight distribution. The suspension headband works well.

Audeze include their Reveal+ DSP plugin for studio use, which targets a neutral response curve. It’s a nice touch for professional users, though I preferred the natural tuning for casual listening.

Sound

Bass

Audeze bass, refined. The MM-500 has that characteristic Audeze planar bass — deep, textured, and authoritative — but with more control and less warmth than the LCD-X. It’s flatter and more neutral in the low end, which serves mixing work perfectly. Bass guitar is articulate, kick drums have impact without excess, and sub-bass extends cleanly.

Mids

Here’s where the MM-500 differentiates itself from the LCD-X. The midrange is more forward and present, with better vocal clarity. It sits closer to the Harman target, making it more tonally correct for professional work. Crinacle rated the MM-500 highly for its midrange accuracy, placing it among the best tuned Audeze headphones to date.

Treble

More extended and revealing than the LCD-X, with better air and sparkle. The MM-500 doesn’t roll off as early, providing more top-end detail for catching problems in mixes. It’s still smooth by Audeze standards, but there’s more energy up top than the warmer LCD-X.

Soundstage & Imaging

Professional-grade. Imaging is precise and reliable — you can make confident panning and level decisions. The stage is moderate in width but excels in depth and layering. For headphone mixing, this is exactly what you need.

Comparisons

Against the LCD-X 2021, the MM-500 is more neutral, more forward in the mids, and lighter on the head. The LCD-X has more bass weight and warmth; the MM-500 is more accurate. Against my HD600, the MM-500 extends further in both directions with superior resolution, but the Sennheiser remains competitive in midrange naturalness at a fraction of the price.

Through my RME ADI-2 DAC FS — a natural pairing of two professional tools — the MM-500 is revelatory. Every detail of the recording chain is audible.

Verdict

Pros

  • Excellent neutral tuning for professional work
  • Lighter and more comfortable than LCD-X
  • Superb midrange clarity and imaging
  • Scales beautifully with professional sources

Cons

  • Less “fun” than the warmer LCD-X
  • Still heavy by non-planar standards
  • Premium price point
  • May be too revealing for casual listening

Ratings:

  • Build & Design: 8.5 / 10
  • Sound: 9 / 10
  • Comfort: 7 / 10
  • Value: 7.5 / 10

The MM-500 is the headphone I’d want if I were mixing records for a living. That it also sounds magnificent for pleasure listening is a bonus.