[Soundsgoodtome]

   

I could have sworn the bottom portion of the Focus production pads were perforated leather as well...could be wrong and don't have the 560 handy atm.

 

[Skooks]

I prefer HE-500 to HD800 and LCD-2. I'd get the HE-500 even if all three were priced equally. This is not to say that HD800 is not better in other areas. It's a fabulous headphone no doubt.

Anyhoo... I wonder why some users gravitate around a product that they hate so much. Why not go to the sales forum instead? I mean, share your opinion as to what you find lacking and why you prefer other products... and then... leave already. Am I too harsh?

You might not like Hifiman. But apparently many people do, which is true for any surviving brand. Their goal is not to satisfy you, but enough people.

If you're for well executed boxes and perfectly symmetrical well stitched pads, spend some at the Audeze and OPPO forum. And if you dread waiting for a not so well finished product for three months, than stay away from Hifiman.

I mean, why would I hang around the Audeze and HD800 forum and constantly bitch about the negative aspects of their products? Exactly.

You got it right, zxc! This sight is for 560 users and those interested in trying these excellent phones.

 

[TMRaven]

I do think more critical posts are always welcome on impressions and/or appreciation threads for certain gear though, keeps the balance of thread from making it feel too warm and fuzzy.  

 

[tinyman392]

 

I could have sworn the bottom portion of the Focus production pads were perforated leather as well...could be wrong and don't have the 560 handy atm.

 
That's a key...  LOL...  Red is perforated leather.  The Focus A has no perforated pleather.  The Focus has perforated pleather.  Brown is regular pleather while the black is velour.  Blue is a meshed fabric. 
 
With that said, the Focus is the pad with perforated leather while the Focus A is the one with the meshed fabric. 

 

[zxc]

I could have sworn the bottom portion of the Focus production pads were perforated leather as well...could be wrong and don't have the 560 handy atm.

It is not perforated, at least the ones I have.

Here's another view of why preproduction pads have more volume inside despite their lower inner diameter.

 

[tuna47]

I agree that negative opinons are fine but I hate when someone just keeps knocking the product
I know Ron and cute do not like them no problem return them or sell them I hate hearing it every day
I had AKG 702s and their was one guy who spent almost every day knocking them waste of time

 

[tinyman392]

I agree that negative opinons are fine but I hate when someone just keeps knocking the product
I know Ron and cute do not like them no problem return them or sell them I hate hearing it every day
I had AKG 702s and their was one guy who spent almost every day knocking them waste of time

 
Actually Cute likes them if I'm not mistaken, but has a slight issue with the way vocals are produced. 

 

[Eric_C]

Dear Eric,
I had phones from the same brand but one closed and one open (beyer)...and especially the soundstage was totally different..a closed phone wont ever get the open soundsignature an open phone has...and another thing..the enigma has a very specific sound..i understand from Luis (LFF) u like it or u absolutely hate it..some even sold their enigma as they couldnt get customed to the sound....the he560 is a more ' all love it' kind of phone as far i understand...as i said before..am really curious how they compare...and still think better comparision would be the code-x with the he560, although the code-x is almost double the price...pricewise the enigma is indeed comparable.

 
Sorry for late reply, time differences lol just woke up. Anyway I didn't want to do you the disservice of not responding:
Sound stage and sound signature are different things; in general I understand "signature" to refer to the tone of a headphone, the frequencies emphasised. I think I know which Beyers you're referring to (770 and 880 or 990?); I've had my 880 for 6 years now and like it. The 770, I do not, because the sound sig is weird and treble is harsh. In any case, this counter-example you raised doesn't negate what I said earlier: design doesn't necessarily predict how a headphone sounds. Thus I'm interested in what people think of how the HE-560 sounds, especially compared to LFF's Enigma.
The Enigma seems to not work for some people because of its sound signature. That's fine. But it's not very meaningful information for me until there's direct comparisons with the HE-560, which I have tried.
 
FWIW I've briefly tried the 560 in stores, have mixed impressions (great comfort, bad treble bite on SS amps), but I'm still lurking here because the headphone's gotten stamps of approval from folks whose opinions I trust. 
 

  Just get a hifiman he560 for the next 3 weeks (review against LCD3 and he-6 powered by a Liquid Gold)

 
Un autre Grenoblois! I stayed there on exchange, years ago.
Looking forward to your review--the Liquid Gold should do justice to all those headphones!

 

[zxc]

All products have issues. People have issues too. The better the discussion focuses on the former, the better. Because frankly, the mixture sucks.

 

[jamato8]

I have a big issue with the 560's. A major issue. Not enough time! I also look forward to Fang, someday, designing some closed phones so I can listen to them with others around and I can drift off into my world of music spiritual replenishment. 

 

[TooPoor]

About the LFF Enigmas and HE560: I don't have the 560 yet. Comes in on Monday. Having spent a lot of time with the Enigma though, I can say that they seem (to me) very different than the 560 that I've spent time with (auditioning). The Enigmas are brutally dependent on the source/gear. I really like the Enigmas, but I don't feel like my gear is up to snub, or my audio files. I feel like the 560 is more forgiving and musical. The Enigmas are the most open sounding closed cans I've heard, if that matters. They also do extremely well with bass. They are very detailed but with a dark veil. The 560 has the opposite of a veil to me. If I enjoy the 560 as much as I anticipate, I will probably part with my Engimas (if anyone is interested 

). More on Monday and sorry for my disjointed rambling comparison.

 

[audionewbi]

A bit of a random question but can I power the HE560 with my wagnus amp?

 

[Ony38]

 
Un autre Grenoblois! I stayed there on exchange, years ago.
Looking forward to your review--the Liquid Gold should do justice to all those headphones!

 
Grenoble is definitly a place for headphones lovers! I hope you enjoyed your stay in France
 
My review will be post on Tellement Nomade website and the Liquid Gold is definitly a great amp (I am also currently waiting for an EC 4-45). Monday, I will spend a day with an Abyss/LCD-X/LCD-XC/LCD3 and he-6, big planar comparison incoming! 

 

[tinyman392]

After getting a little more time with the two pads, I did find that the differences were bigger than what I initially heard in the first couple hours of use.  Now, I know they seem like they are on their way out, I did want to post something more definitive and final about the pads. 
 

FocusPad vs FocusPad A

 
As many of you know, there are not one, but two hybrid pads that are available for the HiFiMan HE-series headphones.  They are called the FocusPad (production) and FocusPad A (pre-production).  The core differences between them visually is that the production pad, on the interior wall, uses perforated pleather.  The preproduction model uses velour for the inner wall.  
 

A Word on Comfort

 
Before I go on to sound, I’ll go over a couple things regarding comfort.  The FocusPad A is much more comfortable than the FocusPad.  It utilizes a softer foam which compresses easier and reduces the clamping force that the FocusPad has.  Also do note that the FocusPad A seals better with my head…  That’s my head, so your mileage may vary in that regard.  It may also explain the difference in bass I hear.  
 

Sound Differences

 
Starting from the low-end, the bass, as stated does have slight differences to it.  The FocusPad A seems to have a little more fluidity to it and less of a body/thump to the low/mid-bass regions.  It sounds a lot less one-noted.  I’m not sure if this is due to the pad or the seal, but it definitely is evident.  
 
There are two main things that pop up in the midrange for me.  The first is vocals.  With the production pads, vocals tend to have a bit of raspiness to them, something that the preproduction seems to get rid of.  I would not have heard this if I didn’t compare the pads.  This doesn’t really bother me though.  Some vocals, on the other hand, do gain a bit of air and sweetness to them though.  There is a bit more aggression in the midrange which can add a tad bit to detailing with the production.  The preproduction pads can be a bit too smooth for me.  
 
There is mainly one thing I hear in the treble, and that’s a bit more softness to it.  It’s not as harsh and more forgiving to poor recordings overall with the FocusPad A.  
 

Conclusions

I know a lot of people stated that the FocusPad A were more neutral...  I don't think one is more neutral than the other...  The FocusPad (production model), graphically, has the peak go back to the "zero" point (@ 1 kHz) in contrast to the rest of the graph if you look at the measurement.  Though there is a dip in the 2 kHz...  On the other end of things, the FocusPad A is much more linear, though still has a small downslope into the treble (OW-like). 
 
Personally, I find the FocusPad A to be a little too smooth and lacking in aggression shows up for guitars really.  The additional treble energy is also very nice.  On the flip-side of things, the Focus A (for me anyway) have a much better bass response and fluidity to it.  Makes it such a hard choice which pads to use   I love to rock out, and would love to have both things (aggression and bass fluidity).  As of right now, I actually do prefer the FocusPad (production).  Though the A is much more comfortable. 

 

[398698]

Got the headphones today. Sounds good, comfortable, much lighter than the 500s. Feels good on the ears and head. A few problems though...
 
Scratches on each of the gimbals, minor scratch on the headphone extenders and one of the pad stitching looks like its about to fall apart. Not a big deal, but for the money I spent, I expected something a little better. A couple scratches is fine, but there are minor scratches on every aspect of the headphone.