[tim0chan]

I just rebought it. eBay was selling some B-Stock with a full warranty for $240. Using their 15% off coupon today, I knocked it down to $203. Will never get a price that good again without significant time/luck. The Argons are likely to be going up for sale to someone they are more suited for.

link?

 

[raoultrifan]

I am trying hard not to rebuy the T60 lol. I sold mine to buy one of the HE560 v2s from Adorama and wish I had not. The 560 sounded amazing with EQ but it was extremely uncomfortable to me, and still didnt have the guitar magic the T60RP had.

Now I have a Sennheiser 660 S which is an amazing headphone, but I miss my T60. I think I just prefer Planars to dynamic, even an amazing dynamic just isnt as enjoyable for me.

[...]

I've no issues wearing the HE-560 (2.5mm jack and velour pads) for several hours, instead the T50RP-mk3 can't wear them too much...need to take'em off and rearrange the cups on my ears every 30 minutes; after more than 2 hours of wearing the T50RP-mk3 my ears start hurting me a bit. I assume there's not a big difference between T60 and T50RP-mk3, but I still want to purchase 1 pair of these...still waiting for a lower price perhaps.

However, while comparing directly the TP50-mk3 vs. HE-560 I can easily say that difference is big in soundstage and big enough on frequencies reproduction and accuracy (better bass too), a clear advantage over the HE-560. We can't possible compare a completely-open headphone with a semi-closed (almost closed actually) headphone, because soundstage differences will change a lot the way our ears perceive the sound. With a bit of EQ in bass/sub-bass I listen with pleasure on my T50RP-mk3 in my living room with BURSON CV2+; in my bedroom I use HE-560 or K701 (modded) as open cans and AKG K550 or Solo2 as closed cans (with Essence One MKii or Burson PLAY).

P.S.: I see no reasons to give up on HE-560 not on T50RP-mk3, even if I'll probably purchase sometimes a pair of T60RP. The flatness of T50RP-mk3 and fullness of HE-560 are reference grade to me (based on my budget, of course).

 

[Asahi Templar]

I've no issues wearing the HE-560 (2.5mm jack and velour pads) for several hours, instead the T50RP-mk3 can't wear them too much...need to take'em off and rearrange the cups on my ears every 30 minutes; after more than 2 hours of wearing the T50RP-mk3 my ears start hurting me a bit. I assume there's not a big difference between T60 and T50RP-mk3, but I still want to purchase 1 pair of these...still waiting for a lower price perhaps.

However, while comparing directly the TP50-mk3 vs. HE-560 I can easily say that difference is big in soundstage and big enough on frequencies reproduction and accuracy (better bass too), a clear advantage over the HE-560. We can't possible compare a completely-open headphone with a semi-closed (almost closed actually) headphone, because soundstage differences will change a lot the way our ears perceive the sound. With a bit of EQ in bass/sub-bass I listen with pleasure on my T50RP-mk3 in my living room with BURSON CV2+; in my bedroom I use HE-560 or K701 (modded) as open cans and AKG K550 or Solo2 as closed cans (with Essence One MKii or Burson PLAY).

P.S.: I see no reasons to give up on HE-560 not on T50RP-mk3, even if I'll probably purchase sometimes a pair of T60RP. The flatness of T50RP-mk3 and fullness of HE-560 are reference grade to me (based on my budget, of course).

I think the original 560 was much better in terms of comfort, the V2 changed to the Sundara headband and they quite frankly suck. Very strong clamp unless your head is very small and that strap caused my head to itch. The original 560 had the most comfortable headband Hifiman ever came up with, it just had the bad habit of snapping yokes.

I think the Massdrop 4xx has the overall best Hifiman headband as it is both reasonably comfortable and doesnt break as easy.

The T60 is a big improvement over the regular T50 for comfort, The earpads are MUCH nicer and it has a comfort strap to take pressure off the top your head. Its not as good as some of the modded T50s for comfort, but its close.

560 does sound amazing with a bit of EQ, raise the 2k range and drop the 4k and its an amazing experience. The t50 is definitely lacking in subbass and deep bass in general, EQ helps but it distorts if you do it too much.

T60 improves the extension ,getting it down to around 34hz before it falls off a lot. Still not as good as the HE560 in this regard, but not far off from it.

I could definitely seen owning both of them, as the 560 gives a wide open sound and the T60 is more intimate.

I actually never tried just EQing up the subbass on the T60 but I assume it will handle a small boost without much issue.

 

[raoultrifan]

[...] The T60 is a big improvement over the regular T50 for comfort, The earpads are MUCH nicer and it has a comfort strap to take pressure off the top your head. Its not as good as some of the modded T50s for comfort, but its close.

Another one like this and I'll add it to my basket.

T60 improves the extension ,getting it down to around 34hz before it falls off a lot. Still not as good as the HE560 in this regard, but not far off from it.
I could definitely seen owning both of them, as the 560 gives a wide open sound and the T60 is more intimate.[...]

I'm still waiting for some freq graphs plot with the T60...hope someone will do that (Innerfidelity, Head-Fi, etc.)

 

[kintsaki]

Let me ask you all this:

The He-560 was around 1K $,
is there a lite version for 300$
just like the He X V2 was the lite
version of the He-1000?

 

[Asahi Templar]

Let me ask you all this:

The He-560 was around 1K $,
is there a lite version for 300$
just like the He X V2 was the lite
version of the He-1000?

The lite version is the He-400i, very similar FR, but has a harsh spike in the 8K region that the 560 fixes. If you EQ down the 8k region by 6db or so they are extremely similar.

Alternatively you could try the Massdrop 4xx which is the 400i with a studier headband and different earpads that make it a little warmer sounding.

They are great sounding headphones once the 8k region is toned down.

I think the 4xx is the main competitor for the T60RP in the 300 and under price bracket.

 

[kintsaki]

The lite version is the He-400i, very similar FR, but has a harsh spike in the 8K region that the 560 fixes. If you EQ down the 8k region by 6db or so they are extremely similar.

Alternatively you could try the Massdrop 4xx which is the 400i with a studier headband and different earpads that make it a little warmer sounding.

They are great sounding headphones once the 8k region is toned down.

I think the 4xx is the main competitor for the T60RP in the 300 and under price bracket.

why do we then are saying we are comparing 300$ priced phones such as the T60 and the HE-560? if the He560 is 900+ $?

 

[raoultrifan]

AFAIK there are 3 versions of HE-560:
- 1) The first one (V1) that appeared years ago at around 900 USD or even more (screwing plugs for the headphones cables).
- 2) V2 (the on I got for about 500 USD from Amazon) that looks the same as V1, but it has 2.5mm TRSS plugs for the headphones cable.
- 3) And the V3 Asahi Templar was speaking about, the one with the different headband. This one was on sale on eBay and Adorama somewhere around 300 USD or even lower if refurbished.

My V2 had a rattle from the first day, so I got it back to UK (Hifiman service) and I got a new one without issues from HK (I got difficulties with Customs, but I was fine after all).

 

[raoultrifan]

Let me ask you all this:

The He-560 was around 1K $,
is there a lite version for 300$
just like the He X V2 was the lite
version of the He-1000?

Just search on Amazon or eBay or Adorama. I got mine from Amazon this summer:
"Total Before Tax:
Estimated Tax:
Order Total:
$499.00
$49.90
$548.90"

 

[Asahi Templar]

AFAIK there are 3 versions of HE-560:
- 1) The first one (V1) that appeared years ago at around 900 USD or even more (screwing plugs for the headphones cables).
- 2) V2 (the on I got for about 500 USD from Amazon) that looks the same as V1, but it has 2.5mm TRSS plugs for the headphones cable.
- 3) And the V3 Asahi Templar was speaking about, the one with the different headband. This one was on sale on eBay and Adorama somewhere around 300 USD or even lower if refurbished.

My V2 had a rattle from the first day, so I got it back to UK (Hifiman service) and I got a new one without issues from HK (I got difficulties with Customs, but I was fine after all).

Yeah Hifimans naming conventions are awful. There are two version of the V3 Raoultrifan described (the one with the Sundara Headband) which were called the HE560 v2 and the HE560 V3. The only difference between them is the length of the strap on the headband. The V3 is slightly longer than the V2 which should help a bit with the clamp, (but I still dont think it would be very comfortable for me.)

The V3 (version V2 one with shorter headband) sold for 250 dollars at Adorama Camera a few weeks ago which put it in the same price bracket as the T60. The V3 (v3 with longer headband) sells for 300 generally. The Adorama Camera website says 900 but they put out a promo code in their emails which drops the price.

 

[HungryPanda]

I got my He-560 for $349.99 from Adorama this summer, both yokes broke off so HiFiMan sent me the metal headband and all is well, sound great too, much better than my 400i's. Love having those as well as the T60 which cost less at €285

 

[kintsaki]

hank you all for enlightening me on the variations of the He-560!

I never heard any of them.

I own the He-6 which I drive with a pro amp capable of delivering 700 RMS per channel into 2 ohms (40W into 50 ohms) with a damping factor of 500, (meaning it pounds the bass and sub bass at least 10 times harder than Audiophile headphone amps) and the lite version of the He-1000 that Zeos says it's almost the same.. These are supposed to be the legendary models of Hifiman.

What beats me is how it is possible for someone to like any of the T20/40/50/60 RP's and at the same time like a variation of the He-560 which was reported inferior to the ones I have???

O Well , everybody listens different...

but that different ???
and so many? I met more people in other threads that were torn between Fostex and these Hifiman variations!
oh and of course the resemblance or comparisons to the Senn Hd 600!

I am going to have to post on all that some time soon...

 

[raoultrifan]

[...]
What beats me is how it is possible for someone to like any of the T20/40/50/60 RP's and at the same time like a variation of the He-560 which was reported inferior to the ones I have???[...]

Well, I only have T50RP-mk3 and HE-560 and both sound pretty neutral to my ears, so I see no reasons not to like both. Also, I always use EQ with my headphones to notch-down any imperfections (especially between 3-6KHz) and for the T50RP-mk3 I also raise the 30 Hz with about 2dB to compensate the low-end roll-off. I'm using the T50RP-mk3 in my living because they're semi-closed and sound is not getting outside as HE-560 does, so...I'll keep using them for long time for sure.

BTW, not sure who considered HE-560 as being inferior to the T50RP-mk3, but I think he's wrong in most circumstances. However, HE-560 is probably inferior to HE-6.

 

[kintsaki]

F

Well, I only have T50RP-mk3 and HE-560 and both sound pretty neutral to my ears, so I see no reasons not to like both. Also, I always use EQ with my headphones to notch-down any imperfections (especially between 3-6KHz) and for the T50RP-mk3 I also raise the 30 Hz with about 2dB to compensate the low-end roll-off. I'm using the T50RP-mk3 in my living because they're semi-closed and sound is not getting outside as HE-560 does, so...I'll keep using them for a long time for sure.

BTW, not sure who considered HE-560 as being inferior to the T50RP-mk3, but I think he's wrong in most circumstances. However, HE-560 is probably inferior to HE-6.

According to various reviewers (Tyler etc, the 560 may be better than the He-6 but worse than the lite He1000), once again these are only opinions and I do not own the 560.
My opinion may be partial. I know well the Fostex line., but not the Hifiman.
The T 2/4/5 and 6 are different and the 5 is not my favorite. Even if you close them all or open them all (cap slits) they still sound different even if you use same baffle ring. In addition recent T20s are much more refined than the ones prior to the introduction of the T60 and do not have the hot highs, but do have deeper and better bass than my Hifimans along with the superior full bodied mids and fine highs

 

[raoultrifan]

Hard to say: https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE5602014.pdf vs. https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE6.pdf. I see about the same 30 Hz and 300 Hz square-waves, so bass will have about the same signature, also the low-end roll-off is pretty similar too. I do see that HE-6 is brighter, but this might be an advantage after all, depending on who's listening.

Seems that you need to buy HE-560 now and tell us what you think.