[Wildcatsare1]

Tubes do settle down in about 24 hrs in mho, give it a chance but there are better sounding tubes

Money, check out the Lyr Tube Rolling Thread, http://www.head-fi.org/t/673709/schiit-lyr-tube-rollers, lots of great tubes out there Bugle Boys, Tele's, Silver Shields....the stock tubes are a bit sibilant, and brittle on the top end, with limited bass extension compared to the better alternatives, IMO...

 

[jerg]

 
No arguments here. I will say that I wouldn't want to see any cuts to the sound quality in favour of better fit and finish at the same retail pricing. I still feel better paying more for sound quality with some skimping on looks if necessary to achieve this. For instance, give me a cheap ass Grado box, I don't care. Much rather know a few extra dollars went into the sonics than on appearance.

Ditto; function over form for me as well. I am stating an observation though of a lot of people who DO care about the appearance / build quality of HE560s more than how they sound. Maybe not here on head-fi, but on other headphone forums I frequent.

 

[swspiers]

  Ditto; function over form for me as well. I am stating an observation though of a lot of people who DO care about the appearance / build quality of HE560s more than how they sound. Maybe not here on head-fi, but on other headphone forums I frequent.

Wait- there are other forums? 

 
MOAR HEADPHONES!!!!!!!!!

 

[ThurstonX]

  hey how long do you think it takes for the stock tubes to settle down? slash will there be any changes in sound quality for the tubes over time?
 
noticed a few things with the sound that was a bit unfortunate. will give it more time before i judge too harshly though.
 
edit: and also which gain setting is recommended for the he-560??? low or high :S hahaah
 
man it's soooo fun to get a new toy to play withhh heh!

 
Congrats on your Lyr 2.  I like to give "new" tubes 50 hours before passing judgement.  Maybe it's tube-dependent, but in the Lyr tube rolling thread, I know some say certain tubes will sound best after 200 hours.  Since you've heard them fresh, you could leave your Lyr 2 running overnight, then have another listen.  I know with the Lyr, people like to let the MOSFETs warm up for a few hours before listening.  That does seem to make a difference.

Enjoy!  and... sorry about your wallet (unless you can resist the Glass Menagerie that is tube rolling

 

[garunamodi]

  Ditto; function over form for me as well. I am stating an observation though of a lot of people who DO care about the appearance / build quality of HE560s more than how they sound. Maybe not here on head-fi, but on other headphone forums I frequent.

True, but when paying $900 it is reasonable to expect a perfect product. I can say for sure there are very large profit margins on these, eating into it a few $$ for quality control would definitely be worth it.
 
I believe the LCD2 also cost ~$900, and I'm pretty certain Audeze customers would be appalled to receive one as badly damaged as some of these HE-560s.

 

[jerg]

  True, but when paying $900 it is reasonable to expect a perfect product. I can say for sure there are very large profit margins on these, eating into it a few $$ for quality control would definitely be worth it.
 
I believe the LCD2 also cost ~$900, and I'm pretty certain Audeze customers would be appalled to receive one as badly damaged as some of these HE-560s.

Like I said last page, if Hifiman wants to become more mainstream-popular with future full-sized headphones, they need to jack up QC and lower the tolerances. HE560 at this current state is finally largely problem-free, but it is by no means cosmetically perfect.

 

[TMRaven]

I haven't had a Hifiman headphone break apart on me yet, but the company doesn't seem to be growing at the rate of Audeze.
 
I would personally like a better CQ and build on all of their products too, just like Audeze.

 

[rgs9200m]

 
I looked my 560 over very carefully just now and I don't see any flaw at all. ('not sure about the box; it's way back in a closet and I never looked at it much.)

 

 

 

 

[MattTCG]

  I haven't had a Hifiman headphone break apart on me yet, but the company doesn't seem to be growing at the rate of Audeze.
 
I would personally like a better CQ and build on all of their products too, just like Audeze.

 
While I agree with both of you on the QC issues, Audeze is not without their own very real QC issues both past and present. In fairness to hifiman, they have shown a real willingness to listen to the community and their customers and redesign the new line in terms of comfort and sound. On both these fronts they are hugely successful IMO. 
 
I actually am big a fan of the Audeze house sound since I first heard it. If Audeze would show the same willingness to listen to the community and redesign a new line that is simply lighter weight and more comfortable, they could rewrite the playing field. I seems that they are more of a "take it or leave it" company. 

 

[Eric_C]

Re-posting amp question: Vali vs Asgard 2? Will A2 tame the highs, and give bigger soundstage?

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Re-posting amp question: Vali vs Asgard 2? Will A2 tame the highs, and give bigger soundstage?

You should look at the Project Polaris as well if you're thinking of the Asgard 2. The Polaris has been said to be on a tier above the ASG, I find the Polaris to pair extremely well to the 560.

 

[wmedrz]

  True, but when paying $900 it is reasonable to expect a perfect product. I can say for sure there are very large profit margins on these, eating into it a few $$ for quality control would definitely be worth it.

I sent mine back on Aug 26th for replacement/repair because the right cup started rattling. 
 
I still haven't seen any headphones and was told they were lost during shipping

 

[money4me247]

  Money, check out the Lyr Tube Rolling Thread, http://www.head-fi.org/t/673709/schiit-lyr-tube-rollers, lots of great tubes out there Bugle Boys, Tele's, Silver Shields....the stock tubes are a bit sibilant, and brittle on the top end, with limited bass extension compared to the better alternatives, IMO...

thanks. yea, i noticed a bit of sibilance when i first listened to them, which was extremely disappointing. though either my brain has gotten used to the sound or they've settled a bit.
 
so if my tube budget would be only $50 for a match set is there really anything high quality out there for me or do i really need to jump into that crazy $50+ price range.
 
thxs for your advice.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

You should look at the Project Polaris as well if you're thinking of the Asgard 2. The Polaris has been said to be on a tier above the ASG, I find the Polaris to pair extremely well to the 560.

Or take a big step up to the Lyr 2, and then some the excellent tube alternatives for squeezing excellence out of your 560's. Then there is the grill mod, Jerg Pads, Thurston's Far Out Grill Replacement, too put the cherry on top !

 

[Oregonian]

I love my HE-6, HE-400, am enjoying the HE-400i demo, felt fortunate to be able to try the HE-560 on the audition tour. So you know I am a fan.

But the apologists for the QA and, earlier, the customer service shortfalls is nothing short of ridiculous. A $900 headphone should be flawless and the attention to detail on the packaging of a headphone, allowing it to arrive damaged, is inexcusable.

This is not a startup. How long have they been in biz? Long enough to stop accepting this nonsense.

Yes, it's all about the sound. I get it. But giving a pass for all the myriad reasons is not holding them accountable. A problem our society seems to have in general.