[SearchOfSub]

No. HD800 destroys HE-500 in terms of staging, especially in terms of depth and height. Planars generally tend to convey a hard right and left staging, and this is no different with the modded HE-500. The HE-560 has a more competitive staging yet still falls behind the HD800 in this regard. Where HE-500 may come ahead for some may be in terms of tone. People need to be careful about not simply comparing, one-dimensionally, headphone to headphone either; the entire chain matters, and this is especially the case with the HD800. I think both complement eachother quite nicely.

What would you say between 560 and hd800?

Is it true the sonic signature of any headphone company will stay the same? I have he500 and hd650 and much prefer he500.

Would you say would be the same for hd800 vs he560?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

What would you say between 560 and hd800?

Is it true the sonic signature of any headphone company will stay the same? I have he500 and hd650 and much prefer he500.

Would you say would be the same for hd800 vs he560?

The HE-560 will tend to thrive off of a system on which the HE-500 thrives. The HD800 will require a different setup to maximize its strengths and minimize its weaknesses. A nice "entry-level" setup that will allow you to achieve these objectives with an HD800 would be Valhalla 2 paired with a good DAC like the Gungnir MB. Obviously the V2 will not drive your planars adequately. The sky is the limit with the HD800. The HiFiMANs tend to hit their fullest potential with speaker amps. I like both the 560 and HD800 a lot, and my answer would depend on your chain, since so much depends on the synergy of all components together.

 

[SearchOfSub]

I have the valhalla2 and thinking of changing to he560 + gustard h10 or valhalla2 and hd800. my dac is audioquest dragonfly.

 

[joespride]

So openness and staging is not that much better on hd800 over modded he500?

Openness i a rather large difference, clarity and detail retrieval are a large difference . Sound Stage with a headphone is more a factor of imagination in the sense of it is all still in your head in other words there is no out of head experience like many tend to state it is an exageration, so in reality how much larger can sound stage be if it is still all in your head
 
near 20 hours on the HD800 hass nor produced an out of head experience any different than the HE500
 
IMHO most confuse the openness and clarity which allows better placement of instruments, performers as soundstage, for me soundstage is equated with speakers

 

[Sorrodje]

Headstage is probably a more accurate word for what a headphone offers.