[LCMusicLover]

I got my HE-560 early last week and am a casual listener, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. HE-560 (paired with Grace m920) has enough bass for me, esp sub-bass. It has a very different presentation from HD650, which doesn't have as much subbass. For vocals, I think HD650s are still better; the he-560 (in my setup) has a lot more clarity, but the tone is a little off and it sounds a bit plasticky. I don't think the 560s have a very mid-forward presentation compared to the 650s.

Agree, not mid-forward. More 'mid-neutral'.

I guess if @mgh24 wants vocals to dominate then your response might be more helpful. But to my ears they're just right. I'm listening to Cowboy Junkies 'He Will Call You Baby'. Instrumental intro creates a backdrop, and Margo's voice comes in and fills the front. I can absolutely sense the band spread out behind her.

Conversely, listening to U2 'The Joshua Tree', Bono is at the same depth on stage as the instruments.

I guess I love the sound stage and prefer the sig, which I guess you would characterize as somewhat V-shaped.

 

[LDD-Iris]

As my stock pads are slowly but surely falling apart, I'm looking for new pads. From what I can tell after spending a few minutes and browsing the forum, there are a few pads that work with the Hifiman HE-560, namely the Audeze (vegan) pads, Focus (a) pads and so on. Which pads do you recommend and why?

I recommend Hifiman focus pad-A. It reduces the partials and sounds more natural.

 

[Raketen]

The stock cable is kind of a pain to solder! those strands really like to snap off after applying any heat. I should have just left the 6.3mm on

 

[DavidA]

The stock cable is kind of a pain to solder! those strands really like to snap off after applying any heat. I should have just left the 6.3mm on

I don't like modifying stock cables since many use wires that are coated so it makes soldering a PITA. Simpler to just build a new cable from scratch most of the time.

 

[Raketen]

I don't like modifying stock cables since many use wires that are coated so it makes soldering a PITA. Simpler to just build a new cable from scratch most of the time.

This stock cable isn't enameled... actually I think I'd prefer that, because the plastic insulation makes it a lot bulkier (replacement is 3.5mm trrs) and its a little bit low strand count which adds some extra stress at the solder joint while i'm working on the other leads.

In the past I haven't found that litz type stuff too difficult to work with by burning it off and cleaning with denatured alcohol.

 

[Brahmsian]

Can I use my HE400i cable with the HE560?

 

[Raketen]

Can I use my HE400i cable with the HE560?

The HE560 has two different connections depending on the production run- the originals have a weird threaded coaxial connection, and the later runs use some more standard stereo TRS type jack.

 

[Brahmsian]

All my questions about both headphones pertain to the latest runs. Both are standard, so the answer seems to be yes. Follow up: does the HE560 come with a ¼ to 3.5mm adapter?

 

[Raketen]

All my questions about both headphones pertain to the latest runs. Both are standard, so the answer seems to be yes. Follow up: does the HE560 come with a ¼ to 3.5mm adapter?

Mine didn't, but it's also the old coaxial connector version.

 

[thebkt]

All my questions about both headphones pertain to the latest runs. Both are standard, so the answer seems to be yes. Follow up: does the HE560 come with a ¼ to 3.5mm adapter?

All of them use the same 2.5mm connectors and are compatible with each other. The 560 comes with a 6.35mm cable.

 

[mandrake50]

The HE560 has two different connections depending on the production run- the originals have a weird threaded coaxial connection, and the later runs use some more standard stereo TRS type jack.

The SMC connectors are a bit of a PIA, but hardly weird.. and way more durable than the 2.5 mm connections. Maybe they could be considered to be "different" as not many others used them, but "weird". Not in my opinion. Better, after the initial connection effort, undoubtedly "better".

 

[Raketen]

The SMC connectors are a bit of a PIA, but hardly weird.. and way more durable than the 2.5 mm connections. Maybe they could be considered to be "different" as not many others used them, but "weird". Not in my opinion. Better, after the initial connection effort, undoubtedly "better".

I guess it is "weird" only to me, since I have not used this type of connector in headphones before. I think if they had made the cable termination shorter and recessed the headphone socket less so that the locking collar would be easier to turn it would be much better. There are some headphones like Sony's Z7 that use a threaded collar 3.5mm TRS which combines the locking mechanism, along with the durability & ease of swapping TRS (excepting 2.5mm I guess), and also has the advantage of working with non-collar standard 3.5 TRS cables as well.

 

[DavidA]

I guess it is "weird" only to me, since I have not used this type of connector in headphones before. I think if they had made the cable termination shorter and recessed the headphone socket less so that the locking collar would be easier to turn it would be much better. There are some headphones like Sony's Z7 that use a threaded collar 3.5mm TRS which combines the locking mechanism, along with the durability & ease of swapping TRS (excepting 2.5mm I guess), and also has the advantage of working with non-collar standard 3.5 TRS cables as well.

I'm with @mandrake50 about the SMC jacks, they are a more secure connection than the 2.5mm and from what I've experienced seem to last longer also. One reason you don't want to use 3.5mm TRS jacks is they take up a lot of space within the cups while the SMC jack don't protrude much into the cups, its one of the few jacks that can be used for the Fostex TH-X00, TH-600/900 series without any cutting of the cups/baffles. The best implementation of the 2.5mm jack is in the HD700 since they also have a small flat key to provide a more secure connection while still being easy to remove.

 

[SAndreev]

Saw the 384 GBP offer on HE-560 on amazon UK and spent couple days reading up on the subject. Finally pulled the trigger this morning, will be my first planar ever. I hope they'll replace my 12 year old HD650 as my daily use open cans. It is a looong thread you have here, so it is a bit hard to find information. What are the suggestions on cables, pads? I have a balanced cable for my Denon 7200, terminated in 3.5 mm, I ordered some adapters and will try to use it with 560, but eventually will order a new one or make my own cable. I also have ZMF Ori pads originally intended for Denons (didn't like the sound with them on), has anyone tried them on 560?

 

[DavidA]

Saw the 384 GBP offer on HE-560 on amazon UK and spent couple days reading up on the subject. Finally pulled the trigger this morning, will be my first planar ever. I hope they'll replace my 12 year old HD650 as my daily use open cans. It is a looong thread you have here, so it is a bit hard to find information. What are the suggestions on cables, pads? I have a balanced cable for my Denon 7200, terminated in 3.5 mm, I ordered some adapters and will try to use it with 560, but eventually will order a new one or make my own cable. I also have ZMF Ori pads originally intended for Denons (didn't like the sound with them on), has anyone tried them on 560?

I'd just listen to the HE560 for awhile and see you would like and dislike about the HE560 before thinking about any mods. Having both the HE560and HD650 I can't see one being able to replace the other since they are quite different in how they present the music to me. Since you have the Denon 7200 you might think the HE560 to be bass lite since its closer in sound to the Fostex TH series which have too much bass at times IMO.