[conquerator2]

What you're stalking the man now? Lol.

Nah he didn't reply yet, but I just now saw an email from him 2 days ago asking if I could give him some info about my observations with the baffle, I guess he read about my posts on Friday and has already started investigating.

Nah I just checked to see if he happened to be online and wanted to ask you...

Send the man an email then, please.
If you think it necessary of course.

 

[Pianist]

  HE560s are undeniably technically superior to HE500. In terms of tonal balance, HE560s are neutral and extended, while HE500s are organic and forgiving.
 
So if you want a more neutral headphone, HE560 beats out HE500 entirely. If you want a more coloured/warm presentation, then HE500's merits weigh about the same as HE560 (trade tonal balance preference for technicality).
 
As for comfort it's not even close, the new design shuts the old design down.
 
Does that sort of answer your question?

 
Just how much more neutral HE-560s can possibly be? I thought your earpads already improved HE-500's FR to the point, where they became almost completely neutral. The only area where, HE-560 can be more neutral is the lowest sub bass below 30 Hz, but that will hardly be audible, if at all, and maybe the upper treble, but I personally, don't find HE-500s to be recessed in the upper treble. And I can't really see how HE-500s are colored and warm. If HE-500 is warm and colored, what is LCD-2 then and, god forbid, Shure SRH1540 and NAD HP50? No offense, but I smell "new toy" syndrome here.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ There is no way that the 560 would sound considerably different than the 500. 

 

[Nimzerz]

   
Just how much more neutral HE-560s can possibly be? I thought your earpads already improved HE-500's FR to the point, where they became almost completely neutral. The only area where, HE-560 can be more neutral is the lowest sub bass below 30 Hz, but that will hardly be audible, if at all, and maybe the upper treble, but I personally, don't find HE-500s to be recessed in the upper treble. And I can't really see how HE-500s are colored and warm. If HE-500 is warm and colored, what is LCD-2 then and, god forbid, Shure SRH1540 and NAD HP50? No offense, but I smell "new toy" syndrome here.

+1 IDK where people got the idea that he-500 is warm or that...lush? I think every headphone should sound at LEAST this "full" tbh. And I kind of agree with what you're saying as well.

 

[Zoom25]

How does the HE-560 compare sound and comfort wise to HD800 and either of the TH-600/TH-900?

 

[koiloco]

Lol.  I always knew the sales pitch was coming sooner or later...I am gamed.  Let it roll. 

 

[cute]

  The he4, IMO, has a V shaped/tilted signature no matter what amp that you use with it. I've used some very good amps with it and it still had the same signature. 

 
May be my tubes that make the HE-4 more lush, more forward in the mids (also, I have never used the stock cable), maybe the cable/cables I use have something to do with it as well.  I had the DT990 600 ohm that was truly V shaped though.  To me, the HE-4 is more like an open Alpha Dog.

 

[headphonatic]

He-500 squad on the roll
 
I have to agree; the He-500's lack a bit of air (dip at 14K). But as a trade off, the tonality, texture, and timbre are what really make the He-500's shine. It's all about response balance with the He-500's, and I'm sure the He-4 has way more treble spikes than the He-500's. 

 

[MattTCG]

   
May be my tubes that make the HE-4 more lush, more forward in the mids (also, I have never used the stock cable), maybe the cable/cables I use have something to do with it as well.  I had the DT990 600 ohm that was truly V shaped though.  To me, the HE-4 is more like an open Alpha Dog.

 
I guess we will have to disagree on this one. On a good amp, the bass on he4 will outclass the AD both texture and impact, but the mids will still remain slightly recessed. The mids on the AD will outclass the he4 in terms of sounding the most natural and cohesive with the rest of the signature. (I had an aftermarket cable on the he4 as well)

 

[jerg]

   
Just how much more neutral HE-560s can possibly be? I thought your earpads already improved HE-500's FR to the point, where they became almost completely neutral. The only area where, HE-560 can be more neutral is the lowest sub bass below 30 Hz, but that will hardly be audible, if at all, and maybe the upper treble, but I personally, don't find HE-500s to be recessed in the upper treble. And I can't really see how HE-500s are colored and warm. If HE-500 is warm and colored, what is LCD-2 then and, god forbid, Shure SRH1540 and NAD HP50? No offense, but I smell "new toy" syndrome here.

 
I think you have that perception (and no doubt others do as well) because different people scrutinize audio / sound quality to different degrees. I am very discriminatory of tonal balance and the nuances involved, otherwise why the heck would I even (dare to) mod the HE500 in the first place? 

 
Oh I know my own compilation of mods and their effect on my HE500s clear enough. Primarily the jergpad mod attenuates the frequency response, and through that mainly the upper mids / lower treble region is "fixed", and some resonance issues in the 500-1000 Hz issues are gone (which is a decay phenomenon, not related to FR or neutrality). There are ofc minor things that get changed like sub-bass behaviour and "openness" and this and that but those are less significant in the grand scheme of things.
 
But ultimately my uber-modded HE500 still is far from flat when I do a simple freqeuency sweep. There is a significant downward slope between 1kHz and 2.5kHz, there is an audible sharpness at 10kHz exact, and roll-off past 12kHz is drastic.
 
Here is a recent measurement the user Ultrabike did on Purrin's HE500 with just modulor's Jergpads:
 

 
Now just to give you perspective, that's flatter and more even of a FR response than the vast majority of headphones, only a handful of headphones ever measured are more linear than this. But fundamentally it is still more "natural" than "neutral" to my ears. It needs more energy around 2kHz, and treble needs the 10kHz mini-peak shaved off and have more extension into the teen kHz's.
 
So there's my perspective.

 

[cute]

 

   
May be my tubes that make the HE-4 more lush, more forward in the mids (also, I have never used the stock cable), maybe the cable/cables I use have something to do with it as well.  I had the DT990 600 ohm that was truly V shaped though.  To me, the HE-4 is more like an open Alpha Dog.

 
I guess we will have to disagree on this one. On a good amp, the bass on he4 will outclass the AD both texture and impact, but the mids will still remain slightly recessed. The mids on the AD will outclass the he4 in terms of sounding the most natural and cohesive with the rest of the signature. (I had an aftermarket cable on the he4 as well)

 
I did prefer the HE-4 over the HE-500, HE-6 and T1, and if I get the HE-560 it would be because it sounds closer to the HE-4 than any of the other three.  Personal preference wins!  I think the HE-4 compliments my Alpha Dog pretty well, with my setup!

 

[Pianist]

Originally Posted by jerg /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
It needs more energy around 2kHz

 
Do you then also think that HD800 and SR-009 are also somewhat deficient in the presence region, considering that they have similar roll offs to HE-500 after 1 kHz?

 

[mlxx]

  HE560s are undeniably technically superior to HE500. In terms of tonal balance, HE560s are neutral and extended, while HE500s are organic and forgiving.
 
So if you want a more neutral headphone, HE560 beats out HE500 entirely. If you want a more coloured/warm presentation, then HE500's merits weigh about the same as HE560 (trade tonal balance preference for technicality).
 
As for comfort it's not even close, the new design shuts the old design down.
 
Does that sort of answer your question?

 
Usually I don't like too lush like the HD650, I much preferred my HE400 to that. Maybe the HE560 will suit me better than the HE500.
 
Have you tried the HE560 with your 11.32 as amp?

 

[jerg]

   
Do you then also think that HD800 and SR-009 are also somewhat deficient in the presence region, considering that they have similar roll offs to HE-500 after 1 kHz?

HD800 does have a rolloff but it's MUCH less of a slope than HE500, and starts at 500 Hz instead of 1kHz. The lesser slope of decline makes it much more negligible.
 
SR009's roll-off starts at 2kHz instead of 1kHz. Past that it gets into the mid-upper midrange where HE500s climb back up unlike SR009 which stays put all the way to the treble and beyond.
 
So they're not really comparable..

 

[jerg]

   
Usually I don't like too lush like the HD650, I much preferred my HE400 to that. Maybe the HE560 will suit me better than the HE500.
 
Have you tried the HE560 with your 11.32 as amp?

I did, not for too long though as the difference between having EF6 as the amp / 11.32 preamp, vs driving straight from 11.32 was immediately apparent (the latter had shallower, less cohesive midrange; bass still sounded great, treble was a tad more shrill, like tssss).