[tinyman392]

  Possibly...  I find the Focus pads a little on the brighter side of neutral as it is so I wonder if it wouldn't exaggerate that...   

 
Exaggerate!  Exaggerate!  Exaggerate!  LOL  JKJK  

 

[rgs9200m]

For the record, after a month or so with the 560 w/the stock Focus pads it came with, driven by a Rudistor RP010B amp, I get amazingly great results with no abrasive highs, believable staging in all dimensions,
controlled transparent pretty deep bass, a great balance between natural sound and excitement, and an overall feeling this is some of the best, maybe the best in general, sound I have ever heard from headphones.
Insight and musicality combined.
It's the kind of sound where I just listen for hours, and keep clicking on more Jriver stuff until I'm too tired for more and I'm motivated to rip more of my CDs each day.
(I do use a Moon Silver Dragon balanced cable though; it gives smoother sound that I like w/o loss of detail or insight.)

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^I will give a big +1, with Focus A Pads, Copper Litz Cable, Lyr 2 with Silver Shields....NO abrasive highs, the best tone of any headphone I have ever heard, great soundstage, imaging, excellent with every musical genre I have ever feed it, OK, sounding like a Fan Bois....well yes I am , well done HiFiMan!

 

[NA Blur]

Erm, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the conclusions of the break-in tests were not decisive. If I recall correctly, any changes were less than 1 dB apart, which is trivial.

I am not talking about burn-in necessarily if you read my post.  I was simply asking whether or not Tyll thinks it might tone down over time.

 

[FlySweep]

My solid state amp & tube/hybrid amp for the HE-560:
 
Gustard H10:
 

 
Cavalli CTH:
 

 
The HE-560 sounds absolutely effortless off these amps. Smooth, wonderfully detailed, open, and dynamic.  Haven't said much cause I'm too busy enjoying the sound.  I highly recommend both these amps for the HE-560.

 

[Oregonian]

I have been a closed headphone fan for the early days of my headphone hobby, which started in early 2012, and have loved all I've been exposed to from the cheapies (Panasonic RTF-600) up to the TH-900 (most assuredly not cheap) and may in between.  I'd guess about 35 or so and have owned most of them, with a sprinkling of audition units in the mix thanks to the generosity of both HiFiMan and HeadAmp.   Then my eyes were opened to the potential of open backs with the audition of the HD-700.  Yes, it impressed the heck out of me and the bass was glorious.  Really made me realize an open back could do it all, which got me interested in learning more about them.  Started reading the copious threads about the HiFiMan models and got the itch to try an HE-6.  Well, after I bought a pair, spent a couple of weeks getting the right amp lined up (a Pioneer Spec 1 & 2 system that has been bench tested at 309 wpc) and the open back mod done, it was game on.  And what a spectacular game it is.  Never thought I could hear such bliss.  I drive the HE-6 straight out of the speaker taps with a custom 26' long silver coated copper cable. 
 
All this preamble to set the stage for my foray into listening to the HE-560.  It arrived last week with great anticipation on my part.  Opening up the box, I honestly was not impressed by the look or feel of the headphone.  The veneer looks inexpensive and that metal hoop up top, well, honestly, it looks like "Abyss-lite" and some kind of torture device for a braces-wearing kid for overnight.  That said, looks are not important - sound is the only real measuring point of a headphone, and these have "it".  Auditioning them A/B style with my HE-6 (it fed again out of taps and the HE-560 out of the headphone out, a point to remember) I ran them through vinyl, CD's and iPod music (albeit nicely delivered by a NuForce iDo DAC setup) and listened to both phones back to back with the same source and music.  Mostly it was smooth jazz but because the Eagles were in town last week, I went through my entire Eagles library, starting with one of my favorite songs of all time, "One of These Nights" up through the Hell Freezes Over CD. 
 
The HE-560 is just a smidgen below the HE-6, and though the HE-560 is stock, with no grill mods, nor fed out of the speaker taps (since they are not my headphone I do not feel right touching a thing), they put up a good fight.  The bass out of the HE-6 is the best I've heard, better than the Lawton modded D7000, D5000 and TH900, and is so visceral, full and powerful that it astounds me even now, a month into my ownership.  The HE-560 is not quite up to the level of the 6 in the bass department, which to me is the most critical measurement of a headphone.  I call myself a reformed basshead, one who used to think the XB500 was the end all/be all, but no more.  I like a solid, clean bass that I can feel with the planar mids and highs to go with it. 
 
Another interesting thing is the power it needed.  It could be listened to back to back with the HE-6 at the same volume and when I compared it to the D7000 (my favorite dynamic can) the volume mismatch was huge.  Had to turn the preamp down a considerable amount to volume match it.  How some of you are listening to it out of low power sources amazes me - maybe I just like the full bodied sound it gives me with oodles of power pumped through it but I can't imagine driving it with anything less than a stout vintage amp.  I'm a vintage freak by the way - have 8 separate vintage systems in use in my world, 4 of them over 100 wpc. 
 
Comfort is another surprise to me and likely to you.  I don't think the HE-6 is in any way uncomfortable or too heavy, and honestly am not that impressed by the HE-560.   Sure, it is comfortable, but not in the class of the X1 for example, where it disappears on your head.  If they copied the X1 suspension it would be perfection.  But alas, it is just good, not great. 
 
Look, for the retail price of $900, it should look the part.  It looks, honestly in my opinion, cheap.  No better than the HE-400i, which I'm also auditioning.  In fact, it's not that much better than the 400i, and at double the price I feel it should blow it away.  Maybe my 53 year old ears aren't the discerning golden ears of some of you, but I know what I like, and I like the HE-560.  A lot.  But it's not amazing nor is it world class in my view.  A very good headphone it is, but I like the looks of the HE-400i more with it's finish instead of the veneer.  If it was wood like originally intended and wasn't made with as much plastic I'd like it more, but I was impressed by the sound but not the fit or finish. 
 
Would I buy it?  Not after living with the HE-6 driven properly.  But that I guess is the rub - I put it up against one of the top headphones in the world (in some peoples' view) and it just isn't as good a value overall. 
 
I enjoyed the headphone a lot but I gave it the acid test comparing it to a modded, well driven HE-6.  Hard to compare with that competition. 
 
Thank you Justin and HFM for the opportunity.  It was very enjoyable. 

 
Fed with this...............
 

 

[TMRaven]

Nothing to be amazed about driving it out of 'low power' amps.  The 560 still sounds great out of a lowly iMac or macbook air as well.  More power won't give the 560 a more full-bodied sound.

 

[miceblue]

Nothing to be amazed about driving it out of 'low power' amps.  The 560 still sounds great out of a lowly iMac or macbook air as well.  More power won't give the 560 a more full-bodied sound.

Yeah I'd say how the amp itself sounds matters far more than power. I remember driving the HE-4 through an Emotiva amp and it sounded great compared to the O2 amp I had at hand. Tried my very efficient V-MODAs out of the same Emotiva amp and I heard the same differences out of that compared to what I'm used to with the O2 as I did with the HE-4.

I still like the Emotiva's sound to this day, but I don't think the power has to do with how it sounds. I'd be curious to know how it sounds with the HE-560 though; its expansive-sounding soundstage would probably pair nicely.

 

[Za Warudo]

I wouldn't say the X1 disappears on your head, the pads can be a bit scratchy and your ears start to hurt after awhile due to it rubbing against the metal parts inside the cup.  The only (minor) gripe about the HE560's comfort is that it isn't as light as dynamic headphones like the HD650.

 

[No_One411]

Interesting find on the Gustard H10. 
 
Do they work well with the Paradox Slants as well? I've been looking into upgrading my amplifier for a while so....
 
Sorry for the OT...
 
Quote:

  My solid state amp & tube/hybrid amp for the HE-560:
 
Gustard H10:
 

 
Cavalli CTH:
 

 
The HE-560 sounds absolutely effortless off these amps. Smooth, wonderfully detailed, open, and dynamic.  Haven't said much cause I'm too busy enjoying the sound.  I highly recommend both these amps for the HE-560.

 

[money4me247]

any other great amp recommendations for the he-560?
 
what would be the minimum specs required for an amp good enough for the he-560? hahah

 

[shayson1357]

hello TMRaven "Nothing to be amazed about driving it out of 'low power' amps.  The 560 still sounds great out of a lowly iMac or macbook air as well"
I'm still very "green" when it comes to headphones and amping but I could not disagree with you more on this statement of yours....
I'm currently using the sony xb900 headphones(24ohms and 106db/mw) running out of various devices(phone/laptop/desktop pc headphone out).... running the headphone out of the iphone 4s gives a smooth'er sound(less harsh, less hiss/distortion/interference) than running it out of the pc audio port which just plain sucks/ utter garbage  

 .... my first headphone, old creative sound blaster usb headset, sounded a lot better than the xb900(cause of no proper amplification)...
however, when I listened through the iphone I noticed that the bass didn't hit as hard as from the pc out, sound was less dynamic too not to mention a lot less volume(more current maybe ? )(these cans are bass monstrosities though

)
so between two uber cheap dac/amp chips the difference is quite in your face..... I cannot imagine the difference I'll hear when I get to try my first proper amp and dac(something in the $400/$500 range for both). I'm staying with this low budget since I "plan" on keeping this rig for a year or two and then getting the he-6 with speaker amps,well...that's unless fang bian has some cards left up his sleeve for his new flagship (electrostatic cans maybe ?

 )

 

[miceblue]

Well to be fair, Apple's computer products tend to have very good on-board audio. The HE-560 sounded pretty good out of a Retina MacBook Pro for me compared to the iPhone.

 

[Bill-P]

I had a bunch of pads lying around, and seeing as the HE-560 is so sensitive to pad rolling, I thought... why not?
 
Here are my impressions on numerous ear pads I have that fit the Hifiman rings, in no particular order:
 
Beyerdynamic stock white velour ear pads: Obtained from a trade. These... are something to behold. The soundstage opens up and extends to infinity. It is so massive that in some recordings, there are sounds that are pushed far into the distance, and they become almost too faint to notice. Had I not known the recording well enough, I would have overlooked such details. As a result, I had to push the volume up further than my usual comfort zone, but that resulted in some sibilance as... you guess it, the stock white Beyer ear pads sound almost like how the Focus Pads sound. Only... they push a lot more treble in there. The soundstage is impressive, but the occasional sibilance and overly bright sound is not something I was willing to put up with. For those who have an overly warm and mellow amp that rolls off the high end significantly (as in... you think the HE-560 sound "dark"), I think these ear pads are the right fit for you guys. Oh, talking about "fit", they are more comfortable than the Focus Pads, and even more than the Focus Pads A, which are padded too thick.
 
Audio Technica ATH-W1000's original protein leather (pleather) ear pads: bought an extra pair for my W1000. I figured... why not put them on the HE-560 and see how the HE-560 would behave. Wow... before we even go into sound... I'd just like to say... the comfort shoots right through the roof. The W1000 ear pads are extremely soft, so the clamping force of the HE-560 is no longer felt. The leather material is smooth to the touch. Pretty much the only thing left I can complain about comfort is that there is possibility of the pleather making me sweat after a while, but that's a minor problem. Okay, as for sound, the W1000 ear pads seems to contain some Audio Technica magic, so the whole presentation is smooth and very liquid even though I'm driving the HE-560 with a solid state amp. It's like attaching a tube to the HE-560 permanently. And yet clarity is improved. It's like lifting a veil. The Beyer pads do lift a veil but they are too bright for me to notice the extra clarity. I haven't heard anything quite like this since auditioning the Zana Deux. It's quite amazing. How about soundstage? Just a smidge less than the Beyer pads, and is generally either on par with or better than the stock Focus Pads. Until I find something better, I think these will stay as my main ear pads. Here's the only drawback that I noticed: the HE-560 sounds slightly thinner with these on compared to the other ear pads. I think that's due to the slight recession in the lower mid region. Nothing a bit of EQ (hardware... since my McIntosh has EQ knobs) can't fix, though.
 
Beyerdynamic stock protein leather (pleather) ear pads: ripped off my good ol' DT770 that I broke. These are the second step below the velour ear pads, and IMO, they are just the right balance of sound. Soundstage is only slightly behind the velour ear pads, and treble is sweetened up a notch. Basically, they sound like a blend between the Focus Pads and the Focus Pads A, only with more upper midrange. I think these have the velour pads beat in terms of sound quality. On that note, their drawback is that they are very stiff, so they can get a bit uncomfortable. Perhaps even more so than the Focus Pads. Their sound is just so right, though. It was a toss up between this one and the W1000 pads for me, and then I went with W1000 pads, but I think many will prefer this one.
 
eBay pleather ear pads for Beyer DTxx0 headphones: well, just something I bought a while ago for fun because... $10? Why not? These actually turn out to sound quite nice with the HE-560. Treble is rolled off in a polite but obvious manner, and yet upper midrange is still preserved. With these on, the HE-560 strongly reminds me of the LCD-2, except that the soundstage is still slightly open, and with some air. I think those looking for a sound that's obviously darker than stock will love these. They're $10, so the damage is very minimal compared to the other offerings mentioned here.
 
Yeah, the HE-560 is very sensitive to pads rolling, no doubt. For now, I am happy with the W1000 ear pads. I get the feeling they will absolutely love the L3000 ear pads (even more rolled off treble, stiffer so more bass), but I don't have a pair to test as of now. Perhaps someone who has them can chime in.

 

[FlySweep]

  Interesting find on the Gustard H10. 
 
Do they work well with the Paradox Slants as well? I've been looking into upgrading my amplifier for a while so....
 
Sorry for the OT...

 
It absolutely does.  Gain switches are on the back (-12, -6, +6, +12).. so it's got the versatility to drive everything from my highly sensitive cIEM (UERM) to the 560 with ease.  Here's the eBay page from where I purchased it.  I had an extremely smooth transaction and the seller was excellent to deal with.  I've had the amp for a couple of weeks and couldn't be happier with it.  In my time in this hobby, I've owned and listened to enough SS amps to get a good idea of the landscape.. and this amp is better than anything I've heard at the price point..and one of the best ss amps I've heard under $1000.  It's the last solid state amp I anticipate buying for the foreseeable future, actually... I'm that satisfied with it.