[gardibolt]

Wow, sorry to hear this - maybe see if you can gamble on a used set? seems like the new ones (maybe a batch) might be having major QC issues.

I think I'm going to try the warranty route since I'm very leery of buying one of these without a warranty and I think you're right this is a bad bad batch out there now. We'll see if this gets anywhere. At least their CS is pretty responsive.

 

[Haris Javed]

Believe me, David's got game!

yes I agree - I see the error of my ways!

 

[knowhatimean]

yes I agree - I see the error of my ways!

How close sounding to a completely undamped (including no grilles) HE 6 does the HE 560 come ?

If not for the fact that the HE 6 was completely unwearable, due to weight & comfort issues, after 15mins or so; that's not going to work if you're listening to Mahler( or even some Beethoven Sonatas), I would still be using them !

 

[koover]

yes I agree - I see the error of my ways!

It’s all good man. It’s very cool you even responsed as most would have just blown it off.
I agree with you though as the 560 likes and needs some power, at least for me.
When I flip the Lyr2 on high gain, roll in a nice tube, the bass definitely kicks in, the treble smooths out and it sounds just perfect.
As a side note, David is the one who insistently pushed me (in a very good way) into getting this HP which I’m glad he did.
Enjoy!

 

[peter123]

Yeah, I agree with the need for power as well. Personally I'm really enjoying the HE560 from the Burson V2+ fed by my tube DAC.

 

[phthora]

My 560s sound different and to my ears better on my NFB-28 than they do on my Black Label, but I wouldn't call them underpowered or in need of wattage on the Black Label.

There is a difference between needing power (because they sound bad without it) and scaling well (sounding better with more power). If DavidA says the UD-301 drives them well, then, by god, I believe him. I am surprised that he thinks that, but I still believe him.

 

[Haris Javed]

It’s all good man. It’s very cool you even responsed as most would have just blown it off.
I agree with you though as the 560 likes and needs some power, at least for me.
When I flip the Lyr2 on high gain, roll in a nice tube, the bass definitely kicks in, the treble smooths out and it sounds just perfect.
As a side note, David is the one who insistently pushed me (in a very good way) into getting this HP which I’m glad he did.
Enjoy!

 

[DavidA]

If you never heard a Teac amp I'd suggest trying one out since they seem to perform much better than what the specs say from those that I've tried so far. As I noted above that the UD-301 headphone output only has 100mW I think its a high quality 100mW that it puts out and it seems to have better synergy with more headphones than my Ember or Lyr2 but since I listen at fairly low levels it may / might be under powered for someone who listens at 85dB+ since that about as loud as I can get the HE560 with the UD-301.

The headphone jack of my Teac A-H01 is also only rated at 100mW and its the same when I tried the headphone jack of a friend's UD-501 (100mW), they all sound the same to me and also to the owner of the UD-501 who also has the HA-501 paired with it. The HA-501 is an interesting amp since there is a switch which you can change the damping factor (as TEAC calls it - like changing the output resistance on the Ember) and its like a fine tuning to better match the amp to a headphone.

@koover, can't thank you enough for the tubes / adapters for the Lyr2, they are still in use and I think much better than most of the sub $100/pair tubes that I have.
@phthora, your point on the power versus scaling is a great point that I think gets lost at times since most "powerful" amp are usually seem to be built better IMO.
@Haris Javed I would have been thinking the same as you that the HE560 is under powered with the UD-301 but hearing is believing for me. I hope you get to try a Teac amp since I feel they are under appreciated but it also means there are some great deals out there.

 

[Sonic Defender]

@DavidA , absolutely, the TEAC gear is solid and flies under the radar. I wish I needed an amp/DAC as on a Canadian used gear site I saw a mint 501 going for a stupidly low price, like stupidly low. Nice to hear some love for TEAC.

 

[ToddRaymond]

I s'pose I could chime in to say that I've yet to experience any issues with either 560 that I've owned. The first pair was purchased Oct. 2015, and I sold them last year to fund other stuff. Then I got my second new pair for $588 CDN early last month, and it's been fine thus far. Sounds good out of my Master 9. Also, a wee shout out to Triton Audio Cables for building such a great balanced cable for said cans!

 

[TimeSnow]

Just to say that my Batman ones have the original headband and are first gen (screw in connectors).

And the headband is still totally fine after all this time.

 

[gardibolt]

No response today from HiFiMan CS but I suppose I shouldn't expect anything until next week due to the Chinese holiday.

 

[phthora]

If you never heard a Teac amp I'd suggest trying one out since they seem to perform much better than what the specs say from those that I've tried so far. As I noted above that the UD-301 headphone output only has 100mW I think its a high quality 100mW that it puts out and it seems to have better synergy with more headphones than my Ember or Lyr2 but since I listen at fairly low levels it may / might be under powered for someone who listens at 85dB+ since that about as loud as I can get the HE560 with the UD-301.

The headphone jack of my Teac A-H01 is also only rated at 100mW and its the same when I tried the headphone jack of a friend's UD-501 (100mW), they all sound the same to me and also to the owner of the UD-501 who also has the HA-501 paired with it. The HA-501 is an interesting amp since there is a switch which you can change the damping factor (as TEAC calls it - like changing the output resistance on the Ember) and its like a fine tuning to better match the amp to a headphone.

@koover, can't thank you enough for the tubes / adapters for the Lyr2, they are still in use and I think much better than most of the sub $100/pair tubes that I have.
@phthora, your point on the power versus scaling is a great point that I think gets lost at times since most "powerful" amp are usually seem to be built better IMO.
@Haris Javed I would have been thinking the same as you that the HE560 is under powered with the UD-301 but hearing is believing for me. I hope you get to try a Teac amp since I feel they are under appreciated but it also means there are some great deals out there.

Not to derail this thread too much, but is that Teac a current mode amplifier? That might explain why the wattage specs don't seem to match the experience. BTW, the UD-501 is up on Massdrop for $360. Seems like a hell of a deal.

 

[DavidA]

Not to derail this thread too much, but is that Teac a current mode amplifier? That might explain why the wattage specs don't seem to match the experience. BTW, the UD-501 is up on Massdrop for $360. Seems like a hell of a deal.

I saw the MassDrop UD-501 also but its a little too big for my setup and my GF is already on my case for making space on the living room table
I'm not sure if the UD-301 is a current mode amp and couldn't find anything of note on the Teac site but if someone can clue me in I'd like to know.

 

[LCMusicLover]

I s'pose I could chime in to say that I've yet to experience any issues with either 560 that I've owned. The first pair was purchased Oct. 2015, and I sold them last year to fund other stuff. Then I got my second new pair for $588 CDN early last month, and it's been fine thus far. Sounds good pout of my Master 9. Also, a wee shout out to Triton Audio Cables for building such a great balanced cable for said cans!

+1 for Triton. I've bought several cables from them and have been satisfied every time. Nice cables and very fast service with great communication.