[Terja]

Plastic?? >> think HE-6.

 

[jerg]

it's not pointless whining jerg. changing the material that the ear cups are made out of isn't a small revision. and it feels like it's been done at the last minute which doesn't inspire confidence. we're not talking about a budget can here.

It's not, more like a whole month; you'd know if you've been following the thread more closely.
 
Wood has its pros and cons and I suppose Hifiman felt like they got burnt trying to work with solid wood again. Metal wouldn't work since it'd be way too heavy and counter-intuitive to the goal of this which is to minimize weight without compromising on the driver size.
 
If you are so hell-bent on getting something that's all wood or all metal, and performance / reliability / comfort is all secondary, plenty of other options man. Good luck in your search lol.

 

[cute]

  My wife just raised an interesting question, one which should put us obsessive audiophiles to shame...
 
Does using veneer vs. solid wood change the weight, and if so, by how much?  Reckon it all depends on the underlying material of the cups.

 
I have worked for a furniture maker that used exotic veneer, very beautiful stuff.....my wife's comment when I told her about plastic with veneer instead of solid wood......
"wouldn't that change the sound"............exactly why they had to add dampening material!  Didn't dawn on me initially, wife caught that one!

 

[Ishcabible]

but it's not solid wood. solid wood cups was a selling point for this high end can. replacing that with wood veneer is kinda tacky to me in a can costing close to a grand.

 
I'm not sure that's true for most people interested in the HE560. In fact, I was initially surprised they made them wood considering using plastic has consistently worked for them and proved to be a problem with the HE5. While I love wooden headphones (Heck, I'm waiting weeks extra for my pair of ZMF x Vibros because I want a particular species of wood), if switching to plastic allows for a better sound, I'm all for it.

 

[philo50]

   
I'm not sure that's true for most people interested in the HE560. In fact, I was initially surprised they made them wood considering using plastic has consistently worked for them and proved to be a problem with the HE5. While I love wooden headphones (Heck, I'm waiting weeks extra for my pair of ZMF x Vibros because I want a particular species of wood), if switching to plastic allows for a better sound, I'm all for it.

+1

 

[up late]

It's not, more like a whole month; you'd know if you've been following the thread more closely.

Wood has its pros and cons and I suppose Hifiman felt like they got burnt trying to work with solid wood again. Metal wouldn't work since it'd be way too heavy and counter-intuitive to the goal of this which is to minimize weight without compromising on the driver size.

If you are so hell-bent on getting something that's all wood or all metal, and performance / reliability / comfort is all secondary, plenty of other options man. Good luck in your search lol.

a whole four weeks of r&d. got no issue if hi fi man had opted for a material other than wood or metal for the cups early in the design process but this feels rushed. plastics are light, durable and can look schmick. no need to dress a quality plastic finish in wood veneer.

 

[Ultracer]

I'm a bit disappointed by the sudden cosmetic change of the cans. Personally, I prefer lighter color of wood with not so obvious grain, with kind of matte texture. With the new design, the wood is more matte, but then the wood/veneer is just 'not natural' to my eyes
.
To be honest, Edwood pairs look really great, fine grain, and overall perfect color.
 
In my opinion again, the new design is not classy, and the thing is it's not modern either. It's mixed. It gives you a feeling that the product is trying to be something, but it's not the thing it wanted to be.
 
Anyway, if my 900$ can bring top tier sound. And if I can change the veneer somehow, to a better looking wood. It's fine for me.
 
I know I don't have the real cans with me to make all this judgement, but those are the things that struck me when I first read about the update.

 

[jerg]

a whole four weeks of r&d.

got no issue if hi fi man had opted for a material other than wood or metal for the cups early in the design process but this feels rushed. plastics are light, durable and can look schmick. no need to dress a quality plastic finish in wood veneer.

They chose the colour/material scheme as a signature look of HE560s, and this is them sticking to it with some compromises. It might be "no need" for your viewpoint, but certainly not theirs.

 

[up late]

I'm not sure that's true for most people interested in the HE560. In fact, I was initially surprised they made them wood considering using plastic has consistently worked for them and proved to be a problem with the HE5. While I love wooden headphones (Heck, I'm waiting weeks extra for my pair of ZMF x Vibros because I want a particular species of wood), if switching to plastic allows for a better sound, I'm all for it.

a lot of folks were attracted to the wood cups from what i've been reading in the he-560 threads. hifiman must have thought it was a selling point until they ran into technical hitches. the fact that they've decided to keep a wood veneer finish confirms it don't ya think?

 

[up late]

They chose the colour/material scheme as a signature look of HE560s, and this is them sticking to it with some compromises. It might be "no need" for your viewpoint, but certainly not theirs.

you're right about it being a compromise that's for sure

 

[jerg]

you're right about it being a compromise that's for sure

It's the only way to give some semblance of genuine wood texture/grain, without having to physically work with lumber. That's certainly a compromise.

 

[Ishcabible]

a lot of folks were attracted to the wood cups from what i've been reading in the he-560 threads. hifiman must have thought it was a selling point until they ran into technical hitches. the fact that they've decided to keep a wood veneer finish confirms it don't ya think?

 
My apologies, I interpreted "selling point" as a major factor in buying the headphone, which I'd hope isn't true. I will say that it is a nice way to differentiate the look between the HE400i and HE560 unlike the slight color/finish changes between the previous lines, and I actually think the contrast between the veneer-covered sides of the cups and black front of the cups actually looks a little classier.

 

[up late]

yep and i expect better design choices from a can at that price point jerg

 

[jerg]

yep and i expect better design choices from a can at that price point jerg

You could give them design suggestions for the Jade 2 or the HE6-successor in the future, maybe they'll implement them.
 
I'm not gonna debate the design/pricepoint thing any more with you, because it's just going in a circle. You are stern on your viewpoint, me on mine.

 

[up late]

You could give them design suggestions for the Jade 2 or the HE6-successor in the future, maybe they'll implement them.

I'm not gonna debate the design/pricepoint thing any more with you, because it's just going in a circle. You are stern on your viewpoint, me on mine.

there are already companies out there making classy cans that hifiman could take design cues from.

yeah let's just agree to disagree. that's how these differences of opinion usually end up before the mods step in.