[Insidious Meme]

Got mine in today from Razor Dog. Box was packed nicely which meant no dented corners. Thanks for that. Since I suck at giving impressions, I'll just state that I had my ears on these since I first heard them at a mini meet not too long ago. It was justified again at the Newport Show. Only issue is that the cord is pretty short. I guess I'll have to sort through posts about what to get after this. I'm running this through my headphone out of my AV receiver, the Harmon Kardon AVR5. Yes, burning them in before making any sort of real discussion, I get it. But I already enjoy them. We'll see where this goes.

 

[pearljam50000]

I'm going back and forth between my TH900 and HE560 on my Rudistor RP010B.

TH900 strengths: ambiance, bass impact,
non-pushy, slightly recessed vocals and mid-centric instruments like woodwinds,
liquidity (again, especially in vocals, where it counts to me),
sweet non-mechanical fizz-free highs, freedom from abrasiveness or sandpaper-affect on any vocals, kindness to all recordings, freedom from fatigue.

HE560 strenths: immediacy, detail, well defined image boundaries, layering, bass control and transparency,
sense of being there, liveness, 4th wall gone.

[It's not that either phone is not decent in any of the strengths of the other, it's that the other seems better at it.]
Overall, it's hard too say which I like better, so I'm just leaving it at that.

Why am I concentrating on these you may ask?
After finally getting around to setting up a desktop system with a Chord Hugo and the Rudistor amp (and ripping a lot of CDs), these 2 phones work best on this system for me (with honorable mention to my Grado GS1000i phones here).

I also have a PM-1, HD800,  LCD3, RS1, and HE500.

Can you compare to HD800?

 

[conquerator2]

Actually no I just checked the power specs.
I have no doubt about the musicality and beauty of sound that amp can poses..
Only that I know the hd800 impedance actually responds to higher voltage and scales well in that environment.

The he560 sounded more expansive when I switched to balanced power..

I am thinking it has more to do with the amp design that the balanced use alone.
Balanced use usually brings slightly better bass control but that should be it...
Meaning if you have a powerful SE amp, there's no need to upgrade to balanced for superior audio performance as that might not be the case
Unless the balanced amp is better overall, of course.
Of course there's also the possibility of expectation bias which I believe in but to each his own
Just my 0.002$

 

[tigon_ridge]

Has anyone gotten a chance to pair a HE-560 with a Mjolnir yet?

 

[Maxx134]

I've got the Bottlehead Crack that provides plenty of power to the HD800, yet I heard a big step up in quality and drive from the Teac HA-501.

As in the speaker world, it's how loud I like my music and the actual sound quality of the equipment that are the real factors, not looking at specs on a sheet. Respectfully.

One of the first things my friend and I noticed was how deep and controlled the bass sounded from the Teac. That applies to the HE-560 for me. It does the job and I hope you get a chance to have it change your mind, someday. :wink_face:

I am going to agree with you. .
With three levels of power and variable adjustable damping control (probably an impedance matching control.)
I would say this unit is a real step above its competition even a notch above its price range..
Probably why you herd both cans so much better.
Makes me wonder why headphone amps don't have this very useful feature..
I also know how great Teac can be and only still wished they had balanced out because the design being dual mono would just make sense..

I guess I have a stubborn philosophy that, all things being equal,
balanced is always better. .

 

[YtseJamer]

  Has anyone gotten a chance to pair a HE-560 with a Mjolnir yet?

 
X2

 

[Sonic Defender]

Some very general initial impressions (I know why even bother), but I am waiting for a more detailed review/impression once my new amp arrives. I have to say the 560 is a very well balanced and effortlessly musical headphone. An initial complaint is that the cable just wants to kink up constantly, that will annoy me for sure. I can feel an after-market cable replacement coming up; plus it is too short as has been mentioned. Another gripe is the box, which is lovely, but not particularly functional to store the 560 in between uses. It is difficult to remove it from the foam surround. I would have much rather had an extra 2 feet of cable in exchange for a plain Jane box that works.
 
I understand that presentation is important, but I think many head-fiers would willingly trade the case for a longer cable. And yes it was a little clumsy to screw the cables onto the connectors, but that is far from a real problem, just low-hanging fruit for improvement.
 
Sonically the 560 is just what I have been reading about. Quite detailed, but with an evenness about it that is very engaging and richly analogue sounding (which is good). I loved my D7000, but for me there was a little too much bass, and the separation of the instruments could have been better. Despite that, the D7000 is a gorgeous sound signature and I am very happy I had the chance to own it. That said, despite my limited time with the 560 I can already tell that it will correct those two key aspects of the D7000 that I always felt needed to be addressed. The bass on the 560 is just lovely. I am having a difficult time articulating what I felt about it so for now I will just say it is gorgeous. There is no leanness there, plenty of bass (of course not basshead level). I am going to very much enjoy getting to discover the 560s ability. I really like the treble energy, it seems very well balanced between revealing and musical. Again, it is very hard in my experience to present enough treble to be engaging and revealing without crossing into over-presentation and the 560 seems to strike this balance very well. It was quite the relief to hear the amount of airy treble after reading so often about the lack of treble extension typical in many planars.
 
I really haven't had much time so I think I will stop here, but man these are lovely and I feel that my investment is well placed here. Fit and finish on my set was perfect as far as I noticed and no damage to the case at all, and my pads were both matched correctly. Love the comfort, D7000 level comfort I feel. Thank you RazorDog for the great service and for packing the headphones well.
 
As an FYI I use Steely Dan - Negative Girl as a reference song when first hearing a new sound signature. As always, Steely Dan recordings are very nice. This album would certainly be closer to hot mastering than other efforts of theirs, but it is exceptionally well done. Come on USPS, I need my Yulong A18!
 
Update: I have to update my opinion of the comfort. While the 560 is extremely comfortable, to be fair the D7000 remains the most comfortable headphone I have ever owned. They were almost without impact while being worn. The 560 does have more clamping pressure, but not so much so to be anything but extremely comfortable.

 

[YtseJamer]

I have the Mjolnir and I should receive my pair of 560s early next week but I don't have a balanced cable for the HiFiMAN. 

 
What's the best option if I don't want to pay more than $200/$250 ?  The VANQUISH from Norne Audio ?

 

[hifimanrookie]

I have the Mjolnir and I should receive my pair of 560s early next week but I don't have a balanced cable for the HiFiMAN. 

What's the best option if I don't want to pay more than $200/$250 ?  The VANQUISH from Norne Audio ?

Well..u could try a toxic cables Black Widow..very affordable... Goes very well with the hifiman range...i used them with a he300, he400,he500 (all owned) and now my code-x that i own now check their thread/ profile out for pricing.

 

[Andolink]

Well..u could try a toxic cables Black Widow..very affordable... Goes very well with the hifiman range...i used them with a he300, he400,he500 (all owned) and now my code-x that i own now

check their thread/ profile out for pricing.

 
Toxic Cables does not currently sell a Black Widow cable for HiFiMan according to their website.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Toxic Cables does not currently sell a Black Widow cable for HiFiMan according to their website.

their site is very old..its not updated..because of all the orders they just dont have time to update it...

This is where u have to look..and then pm them with ur order..and then all goes ahead

http://www.head-fi.org/u/279519/toxic-cables

 

[YtseJamer]

their site is very old..its not updated..because of all the orders they just dont have time to update it...

This is where u have to look..and then pm them with ur order..and then all goes ahead

http://www.head-fi.org/u/279519/toxic-cables

 
Thanks!

 

[Clemmaster]

  I have the Mjolnir and I should receive my pair of 560s early next week but I don't have a balanced cable for the HiFiMAN. 

 
What's the best option if I don't want to pay more than $200/$250 ?  The VANQUISH from Norne Audio ?

Is changing amp an option for you?

 

[YtseJamer]

  Is changing amp an option for you?

 
Yes 

 
I'm currently thinking about the idea of replacing my Mjolnir with the Lyr 2. 
 
Honestly, I'm tired of wasting money on balanced cables every time I'm changing my headphones.

 

[Clemmaster]

   
Yes 

 
I'm currently thinking about the idea of replacing my Mjolnir with the Lyr 2. 
 
Honestly, I'm tired of wasting money on balanced cables every time I'm changing my headphones.

Plus the Mjolnir is said to be an aggressive amp -> while it could be great to give a kick to Audeze's lacking treble, the Hifiman rather need something smoother/warmer.
 
MLE had great results with Lyr + HE-4. Considering how close the HE-560 is to the HE-4, and the direction Schiit went with the Lyr 2 (less thick), it could be a very good match indeed.