[bavinck]

My q701s took some time to getting used to so I can understand, it took me a good week for me to appreciate them. The k601 is the only headphone I've ever tried and absolutely loved the first try, but every other headphone I've owned needed a bit of brain burn in, sometimes my impression of a headphone got WORSE as time went by. I guess we should just wait for a more stable verdict

Totally fair

 

[tgaguirre]

Bummer!  It seems like these aren't going to be quite as good as what everyone was expecting...  

 

 

[nick n]

If those are tuned that way I will hazard a guess that some pad rolling is in order ( among other things )= lower profile/smaller opening/fabric backed etc etc .
Will nail them down when they show up. Thanks for the impressions so far.

 

[DaveLT]

$200 for a planar sounded like a great deal, but then the he400i dropped to $250 so there is really nothing the m560 has going for it... And the impressions certainly aren't doing any favors

Yep, best deal ever I only paid 170USD for it

  If you want something that folds flat and can easily be tossed in a backpack the HE-400i doesn't work - and neither do my T50RP MK3. If you want a fold flat planar I think the next step up is the Oppo PM-3 at $400.
 

Oppo PM3 is meh. 

I don't think there is a benefit to limiting your options to both portable and planar just for the sake of being a portable planar, especially since the m560 apparently has no strengths of a typical planar. There should be plently of great portable headphones to choose from

The difference between a dynamic and planar is not that huge anyways

The issue with portable planars is that they are very meh
 

 

[ebann]

First impressions...
 
Build quality is decent. They dont look or feel cheap at all and the are really nicely finished. Id prefer a matte finish on the wood vs that 80's high gloss luxury car interior look but whatever.
They look much better in person than the picture on Monoprice. No L/R indicator on the cable but I know my music well so it was a 2 second fix to mark it after swapping sides. pretty silly oversight. Light and feel pretty good on the head but the droop a little and need to be lifter higher every now and then.. The headband is spring steel so it does not want to bend much to add some clamping power (first headphone I've ever had that needed MORE clamp!). Earpads are cozy and after a few hours the cans are still pretty easy to wear. The pads are magnetic and hold nicely. The headphones smell like new Nikes. The guts are all plastic (see my teardown photos a few posts up) and you can start to see the inside is where the cost savings came from. 
 
On to the sound...
 
Well...unimpressive. The first time I tried planars  (t50rp) I was taken a bit back at the sound. Although it was not the sound I like I could appreciate the speed and articulation. I was looking forward to a similar or better experience with these but was kinda disappointed with what I heard. 
 
Bass - not punchy at all and distorts easily. Subdued but they definitely go low.
Mids - buried and unexciting. Id say muddy. they EQ pretty good though.
Highs - Im a Grado fan so they don't seem so bright to me a bit harsh for sure.
Headspace/Soundstage - Pretty spacious with the caps off and I have no problem pinpointing instruments.
Details - oddly this is the first headphone I have listened to  that I do NOT hear new details I have never noticed in familiar songs. In fact Im having some trouble locating little details Im used to hearing (this is improving with time).
Isolation - With the wood caps on these are pretty silent to others in the room. With the caps off not as loud as my Grados.
Amps- these things hate amps! tried 3 and the sound is bloated and dull, I Plug them directly into my Mac or phone and they sound much better and the soundstage opens up.
Caps - Take them off and leave them off! Not terrible but I'll only use them when I really need to. (Note to monoprice: the case should have a pouch for the caps!)
 
Update after 2 hours -- This is such an odd headphone. Some songs sound so good and others sound horrible. Im going to run my burnin over the weekend and see what happens. 

 

[ebann]

I still say these are promising once a few mods are nailed down. I have hope in the m1060's and will grab a pair of them as well.

 

[darinf]

I forgot to compare the M560's to the Massdrop AKG K7XX especially since they are the same price...
 
The K7XX's (1st version), are better in every way. They are much more balanced. The highs are smoother, not as elevated and not harsh. Might be a little bit less bass than the M560's, but the bass, mids, and treble are just better than the M560's.
 
Not looking good for the M560's. Yes, I will keep breaking them in over the weekend. Maybe they will keep changing. They've gone from lean and harsh to almost V shaped now. The bass has increased significantly, but the mids still seem thin and the treble may be a bit less harsh.
 
As I listen to them for longer and longer, they start to sound better. I guess "brain burn in" is a thing. But then, once I switch to any of my other headphones, I realize how much better other headphones are. It brings me back to reality. 
 
We'll see. Good thing I have 30 days to return them...

 

[leeperry]

Looks like a T50RP driver knock-off in a pretty shell, monoprice eh.

 

[MuZo2]

If those are tuned that way I will hazard a guess that some pad rolling is in order ( among other things )= lower profile/smaller opening/fabric backed etc etc .
Will nail them down when they show up. Thanks for the impressions so far.

Also seems overdamped?

 

[Daemon Ursus]

It's bigger than the T50 driver, but really what do you expect? there are only so many ways to make the drivers. That's like complaining that all dynamic drivers use a cone shape. 

 

[Niyologist]

Looks like getting the Edition S was a good idea then.

 

[leeperry]

  It's bigger than the T50 driver, but really what do you expect? there are only so many ways to make the drivers. That's like complaining that all dynamic drivers use a cone shape. 

 
Oh great, we got experts on-board

 

 

[Daemon Ursus]

   
Oh great, we got experts on-board

 

Kind of like how you think you were the expert on making a funny comeback here.

 

[gtb75]

Any feedback from anyone who has been burning them in nonstop for the past 48 hours?  Based on early feedback a few hours in it seems like the were changing pretty rapidly.  
 
Also, with regards to my "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" comment in terms of break in, I have personally had components that I was certain I would return before they were fully cooked.  The most dramatic of those were my current Odyssey amps in my 2-channel rig.  Everyone (forums and builder) said they would take the full 30 days to break in and I just didn't see them coming around.  At around the halfway point I started to listen here and there - they went from no bass one day to bloated bass the next day.  The changes in sonic character from day to day were crazy and unlike anything I had ever experienced before!  I was certain that I would be sending them back and getting the Brystons I had at home at the same time but then, near the 30 day mark, I took a listen an they were magical - and in a totally different zip code than the Brystons.  I always knew break in made a difference, but the Odysseys were unlike anything I've ever experienced during the process!  

 

[darinf]

  Any feedback from anyone who has been burning them in nonstop for the past 48 hours?  Based on early feedback a few hours in it seems like the were changing pretty rapidly.  
 
Also, with regards to my "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" comment in terms of break in, I have personally had components that I was certain I would return before they were fully cooked.  The most dramatic of those were my current Odyssey amps in my 2-channel rig.  Everyone (forums and builder) said they would take the full 30 days to break in and I just didn't see them coming around.  At around the halfway point I started to listen here and there - they went from no bass one day to bloated bass the next day.  The changes in sonic character from day to day were crazy and unlike anything I had ever experienced before!  I was certain that I would be sending them back and getting the Brystons I had at home at the same time but then, near the 30 day mark, I took a listen an they were magical - and in a totally different zip code than the Brystons.  I always knew break in made a difference, but the Odysseys were unlike anything I've ever experienced during the process!  

Coming up on 48 hours of continuous break-in now...
 
Definitely changing for the better...
 
Most notably, the bass level had increased significantly. Going from very lean, no bass, to decent bass levels, maybe even more than some of the headphones I compared to early on. The bass is a little more boomy than say the HD600's, but at least there is bass now.
This has also helped "fill in" the mid bass and give the lower mids more body.
The highs have smoothed out too. Definitely not as crazy harsh and sibilant as before. Now they don't hurt my ears. However, they are still bright. I don't expect that they will ever turn into a dark sound like HD650's or anything. But the highs are getting better.
 
Overall though, I just feel like the frequency response is not smooth. I am interested to see some measurements to see if there are a few peaks and valleys throughout the frequency spectrum. When I compare them to the HD600's, the HD600's just sound smoother and natural. 
 
They haven't changed as much in the 2nd 24 hours as they did in the first 24 hours. I'll keep them burning in as long as I can.
 
-Darin