[Liu Junyuan]

Pads will definitely affect the sound more than a cable.  I've tried plenty of both!    I'm all about my light and supple DIY cable, not to mention my perfect DIY pads 

Yes, Thurstonx is the unofficial professor of pad rolling, perhaps occupying a throne "more or less" similar to that of Jerg.

 

[rawrster]

That H10 amp seems to be pretty popular lately. It sounds like a pretty good combo at a reasonable price from what I've heard about the amp. 
 
When I was buying the Lyr 2 it was still relatively new and bought the Lyr 2 since it was more of a known quantity. I wish I took the chance on the H10 to hear what it is about but my journey with the HE-560 is going to go on a different path very soon...

 

[TMRaven]

  See, I hear the HE-560 differently and it is very probably my current amp but I don't hear the 4khz bump. The high mids in general don't grate in any way. It's actually the opposite, the consonants and vocal characteristics are smoothed over quite noticeably but this doesn't make them dull. I love how female vocals and strings sound in this part of the frequency as much as the others. Focus-a pads would be a problem in this case.
 
Though, the H10 I'm awaiting is gonna change up the sound and maybe the Cardas cable is gonna add some air and presence up top as I did hear it can do that with some headphones. Maybe the focus-a pads would be needed in that case, I'll have to see.
 
What amp/source do you have?

 

You might be listening to only the warmest of masterings, or you have a very high tolerance for treble.
 
The dulling of vocals you mentioned is most likely attributed to the 2khz null.  Switching from focus pads to focus-a doesn't make the null any deeper, so it likely won't negatively affect the vocals like you're thinking.

 

[Sonic Defender]

My favorite cable with my 560's is the Norne Draug 2, a fairly high gauge all copper lots cable, with the grill mod and Focus A Pads received rave reviews at the Nashville Meet. Honestly they gave the Ethers a run for their money, actually preferred by several attendees.

Another of Trevor's cables, the SolvX has received rave reviews with the 560 and HE6. It is an extremely supple, user friendly cable.

Can't complain about the Solv X at all, great cable for sure. It is now feeding the Fostex, but I was indeed extremely pleased with it and my dearly departed 560.

 

[DreamKing]

   

You might be listening to only the warmest of masterings, or you have a very high tolerance for treble.
 
The dulling of vocals you mentioned is most likely attributed to the 2khz null.  Switching from focus pads to focus-a doesn't make the null any deeper, so it likely won't negatively affect the vocals like you're thinking.

 
I went through the gamut of recording colorations and quality of masterings. I have a lot of records with peaky highs and they just sound smoothed out.
 
Does it translate into sibilance for you? Because I have K550's that I did find sibilant and had to eq down. But this is honestly weird to me because I can't imagine it the HE-560 being smoother than it is.
 
If it's just a bit more energy at that frequency then maybe I do have high tolerance.
And in this case it would be more noticeable at higher volumes. My current amp has decent volume for modern recordings but I'm getting the H10 because I'm not satisfied with tracks that have more dynamic range.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

That H10 amp seems to be pretty popular lately. It sounds like a pretty good combo at a reasonable price from what I've heard about the amp. 

When I was buying the Lyr 2 it was still relatively new and bought the Lyr 2 since it was more of a known quantity. I wish I took the chance on the H10 to hear what it is about but my journey with the HE-560 is going to go on a different path very soon...

Dunn, daa, dummmm.....in our next episode @Rawster will announce that his 560s were really Beats trapped in the body of a 560!!!!

Oh wait, that's Bruce Jenner

 

[Hifi59]

I went through the gamut of recording colorations and quality of masterings. I have a lot of records with peaky highs and they just sound smoothed out.

Does it translate into sibilance for you? Because I have K550's that I did find sibilant and had to eq down. But this is honestly weird to me because I can't imagine it the HE-560 being smoother than it is.

If it's just a bit more energy at that frequency then maybe I do have high tolerance.
And in this case it would be more noticeable at higher volumes. My current amp has decent volume for modern recordings but I'm getting the H10 because I'm not satisfied with tracks that have more dynamic range.

I would only notice the peak with some recordings and it was minor. However, since owning the He-400is, that peak stands out a bit more. They still sound great, but I wanted to capture the positive attributes of the 400i (slightly more mid bass) and a bit more forgiving of excessive treble in a recording. Nothing major, just a tweak. I feel the focus -A pads accomplished this along with an after market cable to a lesser extent. I still like the Focus pads, but the A pads are my choice for now. Btw, I have about 180-200 hours on my 560's.

 

[ThurstonX]

Yes, ThurstonX is the unofficial professor of pad rolling, perhaps occupying a throne "more or less" similar to that of Jerg.

 
LOL, I dunno about all that.  jerg has been an absolute Titan (hey! they're from Tennessee when it comes to mods, not only for his inventiveness, but for his ability to document them so well, and then the willingness to take them to the next level.  My hat's off to him... and my cans are on me... for all that.
 
You're a student as well as a prof (or budding prof), so you probably know better than most: Profs gotta publish, yo!

  I'll cop to King o' Tinkerin', but thanks for nod 

 

[Wildcatsare1]

LOL, I dunno about all that.  jerg has been an absolute Titan (hey! they're from Tennessee when it comes to mods, not only for his inventiveness, but for his ability to document them so well, and then the willingness to take them to the next level.  My hat's off to him... and my cans are on me... for all that.

You're a student as well as a prof (or budding prof), so you probably know better than most: Profs gotta publish, yo!   I'll cop to King o' Tinkerin', but thanks for nod 

Don't let him kid you, Rangy is the Brains of that operation!

 

[Hifi59]

See, I hear the HE-560 differently and it is very probably my current amp but I don't hear the 4khz bump. The high mids in general don't grate in any way. It's actually the opposite, the consonants and vocal characteristics are smoothed over quite noticeably but this doesn't make them dull. I love how female vocals and strings sound in this part of the frequency as much as the others. Focus-a pads would be a problem in this case.

Though, the H10 I'm awaiting is gonna change up the sound and maybe the Cardas cable is gonna add some air and presence up top as I did hear it can do that with some headphones. Maybe the focus-a pads would be needed in that case, I'll have to see.

What amp/source do you have?

I'm using both the Fiio E-12 DIY for se duties and CEntrance Hifi M8 portable unit for balanced listening.
Both sound great.

Mostly listening via Spotify 320kbs. Music ranges from Sinatra to Metellica.

 

[jexby]

I'm using both the Fiio E-12 DIY for se duties and CEntrance Hifi M8 portable unit for balanced listening.

Not to burst your M8 bubble, but it has neither a balanced DAC nor balanced amp inside it.
It's merely has an external facing XLR jack to its SE amp.
mgoodman can confirm as such.

 

[politbureau]

  That H10 amp seems to be pretty popular lately. It sounds like a pretty good combo at a reasonable price from what I've heard about the amp. 
 
When I was buying the Lyr 2 it was still relatively new and bought the Lyr 2 since it was more of a known quantity. I wish I took the chance on the H10 to hear what it is about but my journey with the HE-560 is going to go on a different path very soon...

Interesting you say this, as I have both! The Lyr 2 with good tubes is all about dynamic, open, warm 3D sound. I find the H10 a beautifully detailed, very neutral, revealing amp, but it lacks the warmth and musicality that the Lyr 2 has with a decent set of tubes.
 
Given the choice, I could live without the H10, but not the Lyr, simple as that. The X12 vs the Gungnir... now thats a different story. I like the Gungnir paired with the Lyr better overall, but the X12 is a fantastic DAC, particularly when paired with the MX-U8 via IIS. I'm really excited to see what Gustard has in store with the X20.

 

[headwhacker]

Not to burst your M8 bubble, but it has neither a balanced DAC nor balanced amp inside it.
It's merely has an external facing XLR jack to its SE amp.
mgoodman can confirm as such.

That's correct, it just have a balanced headphone out for used with a balaced terminated headphones. But it never works as a balanced amp/dac.

 

[DreamKing]

  Interesting you say this, as I have both! The Lyr 2 with good tubes is all about dynamic, open, warm 3D sound. I find the H10 a beautifully detailed, very neutral, revealing amp, but it lacks the warmth and musicality that the Lyr 2 has with a decent set of tubes.
 
Given the choice, I could live without the H10, but not the Lyr, simple as that. The X12 vs the Gungnir... now thats a different story. I like the Gungnir paired with the Lyr better overall, but the X12 is a fantastic DAC, particularly when paired with the MX-U8 via IIS. I'm really excited to see what Gustard has in store with the X20.

 
Apart from the details and resolution, this is the complete opposite of what I heard in the H10 thread of the pairing with the HE-560. I have not heard someone say the sound is neutral.
 
It's interesting how we hear stuff differently. What's the X12's sound like?
 
 

I'm using both the Fiio E-12 DIY for se duties and CEntrance Hifi M8 portable unit for balanced listening.
Both sound great.

Mostly listening via Spotify 320kbs. Music ranges from Sinatra to Metellica.

 
I don't know if the DIY edition has a different sound signature than the regular E12 but I wouldn't hear any peaks from mine because I find its sound very warm and compact. I don't have a 1/8" adapter to actually try it with the HE-560 though.

 

[Hifi59]

Not to burst your M8 bubble, but it has neither a balanced DAC nor balanced amp inside it.
It's merely has an external facing XLR jack to its SE amp.
mgoodman can confirm as such.

That's ok. Bubble not burst. The audio thru that connector though is louder than the others and it sound slightly different.(smoother perhaps, less grain. Very minor)
I can use it on medium gain but when I use other jacks, I must go to high gain for decent output.