HiFiMAN HE-560: AN IMPROVED HE-500? OR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT?
Jul 25, 2014 at 6:02 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 32

Justin_Time

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HiFiMAN HE-560: AN IMPROVED HE-500?






FIRST IMPRESSION: DISPELLING A MYTH

As promised, my HiFiMAN HE-560 arrived this weekend by overnight delivery from Todd (What a guy!). Usually, I wait at least a few months before voicing my opinion on any product. I am breaking my own rule today. My first impression of the HE-560, after only 20 hours of break-in, was so different from what I was led to believe, I feel that I should share this experience with you as it may help you make a more informed decision about this new offering from HiFiMAN.

Without further ado, let me say right away that the new HE-560 is clearly superior to the HE-500 in almost every way. But regarding the sound, I want to dispel any notion that the HE-560 is simply an improved HE-500 and shares much of the family sound. This is not the case. I can say with certainty that the HE-560 sounds very different from the HE-500; this sound is clearly better but I am still on the fence as to whether I prefer it to the sound of the HE-500. Despite their obvious flaws, there are gems in the sounds of headphones like the HE-500 or the Grado PS1000 that make me love them. I hope my first impression will help you decide if the new sound of the HE-560 is for you. If you are in the market for a pair of headphones with great ergonomics, great sound and a good value, the HE-560 is an outstanding choice. But do not expect it to sound like the HE-500.

DESIGN/BUILD/ERGONOMICS

The first thing I noticed about the HE-560 was its weight, about a third less than its predecessor's. While I would never go so far as to call the HE-560 "portable," the lighter weight (just short of 400 grams) makes it much easier to live with than the HE-500. About as light as the Sennheiser HD-800, the HE-560 is very comfortable to wear thanks largely to (a) the swiveling ear-cups that adjust to the shape of your head and (b) the new ear-pads that are soft (synthetic leather over soft foam with velour facing) and (c) the new headband—more about it later—that puts just enough pressure around your ears to provide a light seal without excessive discomfort in long listening. Talking about comfort, the HE-560 is far superior to the HE-500 (with its sadistically hard ear-pads and stiff headband), and easily surpasses the LCD2/3—the hefty weight of the LCD was made bearable only by the amazingly soft lambskin ear-pads. The HE-560 rivals and may even surpass the Sennheiser HD-800 and the Fostex TH-900 for long-term comfort. And that is saying a lot.

If I have one complaint about the build of the HE-560, it is the cable connectors to the cans. I wished HiFiMAN has done away with these ridiculously small and unreliable connectors. First they are nearly impossible to tighten with your fingers. You really need a pair of needle-nose pliers or a small wrench for that—notice the scratches on my brand new cable. Second, the quality control on these connectors is poor. Many of them arrived with the front nut stuck to the back knurled ferrule. You have to carefully loosen them up first before use to ensure free rotation. Third, put too much tension on the cable and the connection comes loose. So, if you test different cables and undo these connectors more than a few times, they break! I wished HiFiMAN would replace these annoying connectors with something like the mini-XLR connectors (LCD) or mini-plugs (Oppo PM-1) or quick disconnects (HD-800).





We come now to the big design change: the HE-560’s headband. It is made of two separate pieces: a flat, thin metal leaf-spring bent at a sharp angle (like an inverted U) to apply a gentle pressure around your ears, and the actual head-band, a suspended strip of flexible material that distributes the weight of the headphones evenly over the top of your head. This two-piece headband is noticeably lighter that the one-piece headband on the HE-500. Though I never had any trouble fitting the HE-500 headband over my head, the HE-560 headband offers a wider range of adjustment and better weight distribution for those who had trouble with the stiffer headband of the HE-500. Ergonomically, the HE-560 is a resounding success, a huge improvement over the HE-500. In terms of look, not so much.





LOOK/FINISH

Even in the best-case scenario, wearing large headphones can never be confused with a fashion statement. As I have said before, with massive cans like the LCD2/3 and the HE-500, the image of Princess Leia and her twin Danish-roll hair buns does come to mind. Now with the HE-560, Princess Leia also sports a giant antenna (the spring) or perhaps a big bow on top of her head. Not an improvement in my opinion. Thank goodness for the AKG K1000 and more recently, the wonderful-sounding but sadly shaped Abyss for setting the low bar in term of look, or I would have to declare the HE-560 winner of the Geeky-Look-of-the-Year contest. Many of you may disagree but that's all right: it's a matter of taste. But do put on the HE-560 and consult your better half for a second opinion.





The grills remain essentially the same and do a good job of inconspicuously blending into the whole design. The wood trim around both cups was a different matter: a good idea badly executed. These wood trims would benefit from a more modern-looking grain (say bamboo with cross grain) and a lighter or darker finish--the current shade and dull finish is dated and looks more like (cheap) vinyl. The rounded tubular shape of the twin arms also looks very old-fashioned and does not go well with the sleek, high-tech look of the leaf-spring. The overall design seems to lack cohesion. The HE-560 definitely looks different from the HE-500, but not necessarily better.








SOUND

Advanced literature from HiFiMAN, previews and reviews, and even the brochure accompanying the HE-560 led me to believe that the sound of the HE-560 would be similar to that of the HE-500 but much improved: “higher sensitivity, smoother trebles, tighter and deeper bass.” My excitement was raised to a fever pitch. OK, so my initial experience went something similar to this scenario: I grabbed a cold beer, plunked myself down in my favorite La-Z-Boy and got ready to watch Terminator 2, which was built up to be like Terminator, but much better. I turned on my flat screen and…surprise! It’s Shakespeare in Love! What in the @%&%#*$!? Now, I am not saying that Shakespeare in Love is not a great movie--it is! Or that, as a film, it is inferior to Terminator 2! It ain’t! And Gwyneth Paltrow is a lot easier on the eyes than Arnold. But I expected to see Terminator 2, i.e. Terminator 1 on steroid. No amount of steroid would turn Gwyneth Paltrow into Arnold Schwarzenegger. That was roughly how I felt when I listened to the HE-560 for the first time. It sounded in many ways much better than the HE-500, but most of all, it doesn’t sounds anything like the HE-500! That caught me totally by surprise.

SENSITIVITY: Let's put this one quickly to rest. I do not care about impedance or sensitivity numbers, or manufacturer's claim. Regardless of which amps or cables I used, the old HE-500 always played louder than the new HE-560, not by much, but enough for me to hear the difference. Case closed!

FAMILY SOUND: Let's put this one to rest as well. The HE-560 does not share much of the family sound of the HE-500/HE-6. To my ears, the HE-560's voicing is completely different. The sound is far more balanced. It is smooth, clear and open, and replete with texture and inner details. It is a dynamic and yet relaxing sound. Nothing like the sound of the HE-500, which is punchy, energetic and in your face. Sadly, one of the very few family traits that the HE-560 shares with the HE-500 (like a recessive gene!) is a hardening of the sound (or glare) now and then in the lower trebles (~3 to 5 KHz where the overtones for female voices and violins are). What I miss the most, however, is the tremendous energy in the bass and midrange that I hear from the HE-500 and HE-6.

FOCUS/IMAGING/SOUNDSTAGE: The difference between the HE-560 and HE-500 is very noticeable here. The HE-560 has a center image that is a little more recessed (just one or two rows back) than the HE-500's. Couple this with a wider and especially deeper soundstage—Drew Baird’s description was right on target here—and the difference between the two headphones could not be more striking. There the HE-560s produces much more air around voice and instruments. So when it comes to orchestral music, the HE-560 is where the HE-500 could only hope to be. The center image of the HE-560, however, is a little more recessed and the focus not quite as tight so instruments and vocals lack some of the immediacy (the you-are-there) of the HE-500 and HE-6.

BASS: HiFiMAN claims the bass of the HE-560 to be "tighter and deeper." This may be so on paper, but not to the ears. The HE-560 definitely has a flatter and possibly deeper bass—HiFiMAN claims a response down to 15Hz!—but as I found again and again for both transducers and amplifiers, a measured flat response invariably sounds bass-shy to the ears. The HE-560’s bass is in good balance with its open midrange. It is very clean and devoid of the bloom that gives weight (impact) to the bass of the HE-500. But what it lacks in bass volume, the HE-560 makes up with a better control resulting in a more nimble, rhythmic and very engaging sound. By comparison, the HE-500's bass sounds a little ripe and the thunderous bass of the LCD2/3 seems thick and slow like a ponderous elephant. The difference between the HE-560 and HE-500 could not me more striking here.

TREBLES: Except for the occasional hardening I discussed earlier, the HE-560's trebles are smooth and free of harshness or sibilance. They are superior to the trebles on the HE-500 (less glare and sibilance) but not more extended to my ears, despite HiFiMAN's claim to the contrary (50 KHz!). I do not hear a lot of overtones for the snare and cymbals beyond 10 KHz. Or it could just be my aging hearing.

TRANSIENTS/INNER DETAILS: The HE-560 show surprising quickness and also good control in the transients attacks resulting in a sound that is detailed but smooth and free of harshness or ringing. The decays are slow enough to produce a rich and airy sound that is never analytical or sterile. This is another area where the sounds of the HE-560 and HE-500 clearly diverge. While the HE-500 sounds driven, energetic and exciting, the HE-560 sounds, smooth, articulated and relaxed. So much for family resemblance.

NOTE 1: I hear much improvement in the weight and volume of the HE-560’s bass using OCC cables (Copper Venom; Toxic Cables). The improvement in soundstage size and richness in the midrange was also significant. I strongly recommend this cable for the HE-560. I also tried the more transparent and quicker (and much more expensive) OCC Silver cables (Silver Poison and Silver Widow from Toxic Cables) with disappointing results: total mismatches.

NOTE 2: I have the production ear-pads. I do not know how much difference the pre-production or pre-order ear pads would make. I would appreciate comments in this area.

NOTE 3: I find the HiFiMAN break-in time of 150 hours ridiculous. If you listen to these cans for 30 minutes a day, it would take you nearly a year to find out what they really sound like at their best. Unacceptable! Unless, of course, you are willing to leave your Woo WA5 on continuously for six (6) days…What the heck, why not. A new set of Sophia Royal Princess 300B and 274B tubes will set you back only $1,500…

PARTING THOUGHTS

I like the HE-560 a lot. But the main reason I broke my own rule to share with you my initial impression of these cans after only 20 hours of break-in is to tell you this: do not part with your HE-500 just yet, especially if you like its sound a lot. In many ways, the HE-560 is much better than the HE-500 but, for better or for worse, it is NOT a direct replacement of the HE500.

First, if your sole purpose for trading up to the HE-560 is more sensitivity, hold on to you HE-500. If anything, the HE-560 is slightly less sensitive than the HE-500, numbers and claims to the contrary notwithstanding. Second, the HE-560 has a more open, smoother and more finely-articulated sound than the HE-500. This sound is supported by a bass that is well-controlled but definitely on the lean side. The new sound also has a less forward center image with more air and presence and a larger sound stage, making the HE-560 a better performer for orchestral music than the HE-500, but not as adept with more intimate or smaller-scale music.

Overall, the HE-560 is superior to the HE-500 both in terms of sound and ergonomics. The smooth and relaxing voice of the HE-560, however, lacks the punchy bass and energy in the midrange that is the reason some of us love the HE-500. The more extended frequency range claimed by HiFiMAN (15Hz to 50KHz!) never materializes into a more extended bass to my ears. The HE-560 is light years ahead of HE-500 ergonomically: lighter weight and far more comfortable fit thanks to the new, widely adjustable head-band, light-pressure leaf-spring, swiveled ear-cups and soft ear-pads. As for the newer look, well, you’ll be the final judge.

My opinion about the HE-560 may change as I spend more time with these excellent headphones. But I do hope that I have shared enough information to convince you that the HE-560 is a great pair of headphones. You may like it a lot better than the HE-500. But do not expect the HE-560 to be simply an improved HE-500 as both headphones share little in terms family sound.

And with that, Good Bye!


Justin_Time (ST)




Amps tested with the HE-560:
Vioelectric V200/V181
Bakoon HA-21
HeadAmp GS-X Mk2
EAR HP-4
Woo WA5 (upgraded parts and tubes)

Cables:
Stock
Copper Venom Cable (OCC copper; Toxic Cables)
Silver Poison & Silver Widow Cables (Toxic Cables)

Other Headphones Used in Comparison:
Audeze LCD2 & LCD3
Fostex LA-900 (Lawton Modified)
HiFiMAN HE-500 and HE-6
Sennheiser HD-800
Oppo PM-1

Source:
• Oppo 105 Transport/DAC
• PS Audio PerfectWave Mk2 Transport and DAC
Music:
• Alison Krauss superb SACD Now That I've Found You
• Strunz and Farah CD Americas
• Fritz Reiner Scheherazade (Living Stereo SACD)
 
Jul 25, 2014 at 7:38 PM Post #2 of 32
Excellent and spot on review and comparison between 560-500 .
I would like to hear your impressions when you have had more time with them .
So far i am loving them since they are giving me the sound i love from my Magnepan 1.7
 
Jul 25, 2014 at 8:25 PM Post #5 of 32
Since you have to raise the volume knob on the 560 vs 500 to match the sound, make sure you're carefully volume matching when comparing.  Once I did that I found the 560 bass to be more comparable than I initially thought.
 
Jul 26, 2014 at 10:45 AM Post #8 of 32
  Excellent and spot on review and comparison between 560-500 .
I would like to hear your impressions when you have had more time with them .
So far i am loving them since they are giving me the sound i love from my Magnepan 1.7

Spot on regarding the Maggies.  I have the 3.7 and there is a definite "family" sound especially in terms of cohesion.
 
By the way Magnepans long ago gave up on the single membrane/magnet design used in the HE-560 to get away from the "credit card" sound (a muffled, slightly hollow sound).
 
They now use ribbon (ultra-light aluminum foil) for the treble and pseudo-ribbon for the rest of the frequency.  You might find the description of these technologies interesting on their website.  
 
Jul 26, 2014 at 10:53 AM Post #9 of 32
  Since you have to raise the volume knob on the 560 vs 500 to match the sound, make sure you're carefully volume matching when comparing.  Once I did that I found the 560 bass to be more comparable than I initially thought.

I always carefully matched the volume although this was not always possible with some "notchy" volume controls.
 
No, the HE-560 definitely has a deeper and more accurate bass but surrendered to the HE-500 in terms of volume and punch.  That was always a frustrating dilemma for me in my college days building amps and speakers for fun.  A flat, theoretically more neutral frequency response always sounded anemic in the bass!  Our ears do not "hear" the same way that measuring instruments do. This is a well known psycho-acoustic phenomenon. 
 
Jul 26, 2014 at 11:34 AM Post #10 of 32
Spot on regarding the Maggies.  I have the 3.7 and there is a definite "family" sound especially in terms of cohesion.

By the way Magnepans long ago gave up on the single membrane/magnet design used in the HE-560 to get away from the "credit card" sound (a muffled, slightly hollow sound).

They now use ribbon (ultra-light aluminum foil) for the treble and pseudo-ribbon for the rest of the frequency.  You might find the description of these technologies interesting on their website.  

Is great to have this kind of performance in a pair of headphones , since the 1.7 use the quasi- ribbon approach in bass,lower midrange and super tweeter the coherence is exceptional, and that is what i have been experiencing with the 560. Is the first time that i don't miss my Maggies when listening through headphones. Good times !!
By the way , congratulations for your excellent review . I hope you elaborate more once you get the Focus A pads since i am in the fence to buy them but i am not sure if it is worth.
Regards,
Carlos
 
Jul 27, 2014 at 4:32 PM Post #11 of 32
Thanks for the great review. Pretty much spot on with my thoughts on the two except for some minor disagreements. 
 
On the sensitivity, I find my HE560 to require less power. Confirmed with my amp's power meters. My preorder HE560 had to be a notch down to reach the same value at 1000Hz vs HE500. Strange thing is that the production version actually requires to be a notch and a half or two above to reach the same value vs HE500.
 
Some people rumored that the impedance was variable on some pairs due to Q.C, not sure if it's true or not but it may explain the varying sensitivity. Or, maybe I shouldn't trust a power meter from an amp made in the 1970s. 
confused_face_2.gif
 
 
Aug 4, 2014 at 6:09 AM Post #12 of 32
HiFiMAN HE-560: AN IMPROVED HE-500? UPDATE (08/04/2014)
 
 
1.  I have reached the 150-hour milestone. While there was quite a big change in the sound between 25 and 50 hours, the change was smaller between 50 and 100 hours.  I could not detect any audible change between 100 and 150 hours.  So, with my unit, a break-in of 50 hours was sufficient to achieve most of the ultimate sound quality.  I am sure there is some variability among units.

 

2.  Break-in takes the sound of the HE-560 even farther away from that of the HE-500.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  To my ears, the HE-560 has better tonal balance than the HE-500.  Its sound was and is now very smooth, clear and open, with plenty of texture and inner details.  With full break-in, the bass has acquired an excellent control and more punch.  It is not as tight as the HE-500's bass but is equally dynamic with more clearly defined pitch.  The soundstage of the HE-560 is now outstanding with good width and depth. The final HE-560's sound is significantly superior overall to that of the HE-500 and is rivaling the HE-6's sound in quite a few areas.  The HE-6 is still quite beyond the reach of the HE-560 in terms of sound purity, transparency, presence and bass impact.

 

3. I tried the Focus-A pads this weekend.  First I must say that comparing ear-pads was difficult and time consuming.  Too much time elapses between ear-pad changes making the process less of an A-B comparison than a comparison from memory. Unlike many in this forum, I hear only a small difference between the stock (Focus) ear-pads and pre-production (Focus-A) ear-pads. Yes, there was a reduction in the sound hardness or glare but this HiFiMAN "family" coloration was not completely removed.

 

4.  I was more successful in reducing the hardness/glare in the HE-560 sound by changing the cable. Switching from the stock cable to the Copper Venom (OCC copper; 22AWG Rectangular wires; cryogenic treatment) from Toxic Cables, I nearly eliminated the hardness from the HE-560 sound.   I also gained more bass volume and punch and a tremendous increase in sound-stage depth. The sound is also slightly richer which may or may not be to the liking of everyone. 

 



 
           

 
Aug 4, 2014 at 8:46 AM Post #13 of 32
Can't wait to hear your impressions .

 


HiFiMAN HE-560: AN IMPROVED HE-500? UPDATE (08/04/2014)


 


 


1.  I have reached the 150-hour milestone. While there was quite a big change in the sound between 25 and 50 hours, the change was smaller between 50 and 100 hours.  I could not detect any audible change between 100 and 150 hours.  So, with my unit, a break-in of 50 hours was sufficient to achieve most of the ultimate sound quality.  I am sure there is some variability among units.



 



2.  Break-in takes the sound of the HE-560 even farther away from that of the HE-500.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  To my ears, the HE-560 has better tonal balance than the HE-500.  Its sound was and is now very smooth, clear and open, with plenty of texture and inner details.  With full break-in, the bass has acquired an excellent control and more punch.  It is not as tight as the HE-500's bass but is equally dynamic with more clearly defined pitch.  The soundstage of the HE-560 is now outstanding with good width and depth. The final HE-560's sound is significantly superior overall to that of the HE-500 and is rivaling the HE-6's sound in quite a few areas.  The HE-6 is still quite beyond the reach of the HE-560 in terms of sound purity, transparency, presence and bass impact.



 



3. I tried the Focus-A pads this weekend.  First I must say that comparing ear-pads was difficult and time consuming.  Too much time elapses between ear-pad changes making the process less of an A-B comparison than a comparison from memory. Unlike many in this forum, I hear only a small difference between the stock (Focus) ear-pads and pre-production (Focus-A) ear-pads. Yes, there was a reduction in the sound hardness or glare but this HiFiMAN "family" coloration was not completely removed.



 



4.  I was more successful in reducing the hardness/glare in the HE-560 sound by changing the cable. Switching from the stock cable to the Copper Venom (OCC copper; 22AWG Rectangular wires; cryogenic treatment) from Toxic Cables, I nearly eliminated the hardness from the HE-560 sound.   I also gained more bass volume and punch and a tremendous increase in sound-stage depth. The sound is also slightly richer which may or may not be to the liking of everyone. 



 







 


           

 
 
Aug 4, 2014 at 8:58 AM Post #14 of 32
Can't wait to hear your impressions .

 


HiFiMAN HE-560: AN IMPROVED HE-500? UPDATE (08/04/2014)


 


 


1.  I have reached the 150-hour milestone. While there was quite a big change in the sound between 25 and 50 hours, the change was smaller between 50 and 100 hours.  I could not detect any audible change between 100 and 150 hours.  So, with my unit, a break-in of 50 hours was sufficient to achieve most of the ultimate sound quality.  I am sure there is some variability among units.



 



2.  Break-in takes the sound of the HE-560 even farther away from that of the HE-500.  And that is not necessarily a bad thing.  To my ears, the HE-560 has better tonal balance than the HE-500.  Its sound was and is now very smooth, clear and open, with plenty of texture and inner details.  With full break-in, the bass has acquired an excellent control and more punch.  It is not as tight as the HE-500's bass but is equally dynamic with more clearly defined pitch.  The soundstage of the HE-560 is now outstanding with good width and depth. The final HE-560's sound is significantly superior overall to that of the HE-500 and is rivaling the HE-6's sound in quite a few areas.  The HE-6 is still quite beyond the reach of the HE-560 in terms of sound purity, transparency, presence and bass impact.



 



3. I tried the Focus-A pads this weekend.  First I must say that comparing ear-pads was difficult and time consuming.  Too much time elapses between ear-pad changes making the process less of an A-B comparison than a comparison from memory. Unlike many in this forum, I hear only a small difference between the stock (Focus) ear-pads and pre-production (Focus-A) ear-pads. Yes, there was a reduction in the sound hardness or glare but this HiFiMAN "family" coloration was not completely removed.



 



4.  I was more successful in reducing the hardness/glare in the HE-560 sound by changing the cable. Switching from the stock cable to the Copper Venom (OCC copper; 22AWG Rectangular wires; cryogenic treatment) from Toxic Cables, I nearly eliminated the hardness from the HE-560 sound.   I also gained more bass volume and punch and a tremendous increase in sound-stage depth. The sound is also slightly richer which may or may not be to the liking of everyone. 



 







 


           

 

Hahaha, thanks a lot. At this very moment i was reading your impressions. So you think it is not worth to buy the Focas A pads and instead try to go for a different cable ? Where can i buy the cable you used ? Is it expensive ?
Thanks again to remember i was waiting for your opinion.
 

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