[conquerator2]

Hi,
We are very excited to let you know that HE-560 is ready for pre-order.

Order it now, and get a travel case for free.

http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=196

Thanks for the updates!

Any info on whether the headphones are being shipped to some of your dealers to release simultaneously (late April)?
I've done pre-orders with stereodesk and he said he is getting some of the headphones from the first batch.
Thank you.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote from jerg:
 

HE500's merits are in terms of tonal balance (I think it has its own organic natural charm, relative to HE560's more neutral / HE6-esque balance), rolled-off treble (HE560 is much airier/extended, and IS less forgiving with music; everything sounds very smoothed-off with HE500), lush reverberant midrange (HE560's midrange is much "quicker" and faster in transients, and in turn less lush for vocal-junkies). All these merits are, as you can tell, preferential.

 
The stock HE-500 retain a lot of the qualities you have in your modded ones, being a little more forgiving and lusher sounding. I do think the HE-560 is closer to the tonality of the hE-6, and I'm pretty sure that back in October 2013 these were going to be called the HE-6i (for improved).
 
But I don't want people to mistake your comment about, "everything sounds very smoothed-off with HE500" to mean that the HE-500 tends gloss over details, because that's pretty far from the truth.  You know how people tend to read too much into something, and that's a good place for people to misread the intent.

 

[conquerator2]

I am thinking the 560 retail version might have fixed the issues I had with the HE-6.
Comfort and weight is one thing.
Weight to the sound is the other. HE-6 always felt a bit light with certain songs, be it fast paced instrumental music with lots of weight or electronica.

 

[Headphoner]

  Hi,
We are very excited to let you know that HE-560 is ready for pre-order.
 
Order it now, and get a travel case for free.
 
http://www.head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=196

Can the HE-560 be ordered with 4-pin XLR termination instead of the standard quarter-inch phone plug?

 

[tigon_ridge]

 
Can the HE-560 be ordered with 4-pin XLR termination instead of the standard quarter-inch phone plug?

+1

 

[Headphoner]

Great review!
 
Can you comment on two possibilities for amping the HE-560 phones:
 
1) Emotiva Mini X a100 speaker amp
 
2) Schiit Magni (1.2 watts into 32 ohms)
 
I listen to classical, Broadway, folk and opera

 

[conquerator2]

Great review!

Can you comment on two possibilities for amping the HE-560 phones:

1) Emotiva Mini X a100 speaker amp

2) Schiit Magni (1.2 watts into 32 ohms)

I listen to classical, Broadway, folk and opera

Both should work well...
Magni will give you more room on the pot, Emo might get loud too fast to get much play on the volume.

 

[Frank I]

The HE560 is excellent with good classical recordings as well. The soundstage leave little if anything to be desired. The inner detail is terrific and basically the he560 disappears. There is nothing in the frequency rangethat brings any attention to itself. The headphones is veyr neutral and balanced . I cant wait to hear the final production version of the product. This will be an exciting headphone that just plays music. The tonality is spot on.

 

[draven5494]

I'm very excited to read all of these great impressions about the HE560, especially the treble and soundstaging/imaging.  
 
I don't want to derail anything but can someone who has placed their pre-order tell me if you were charged the full amount when you placed the pre-order or are you charged when the headphones actually ship?

 

[smellyfungus]

  I'm very excited to read all of these great impressions about the HE560, especially the treble and soundstaging/imaging.  
 
I don't want to derail anything but can someone who has placed their pre-order tell me if you were charged the full amount when you placed the pre-order or are you charged when the headphones actually ship?

Just checked my statement and it has been charged already. (From Head-Direct) Dunno how the 3rd party sellers are doing it.

 

[davidsh]

So, can we get some comment on the cable (not sound, I am thinking build and feel)?

 

[MattTCG]

  The HE560 is excellent with good classical recordings as well. The soundstage leave little if anything to be desired. The inner detail is terrific and basically the he560 disappears. There is nothing in the frequency rangethat brings any attention to itself. The headphones is veyr neutral and balanced . I cant wait to hear the final production version of the product. This will be an exciting headphone that just plays music. The tonality is spot on.

 
The overall tone of any headphone is something that I've grown to put more and more importance on. Tone and comfort are now at the very top of my list. 

 

[cute]

 

  The HE560 is excellent with good classical recordings as well. The soundstage leave little if anything to be desired. The inner detail is terrific and basically the he560 disappears. There is nothing in the frequency rangethat brings any attention to itself. The headphones is veyr neutral and balanced . I cant wait to hear the final production version of the product. This will be an exciting headphone that just plays music. The tonality is spot on.

 
The overall tone of any headphone is something that I've grown to put more and more importance on. Tone and comfort are now at the very top of my list. 

 
And on the top of your head!

 

[daerron]

Based on Hifiman's QC history I think anyone who is prepared to place a pre-order qualifies as a brave individual, especially when it involves a brand new design such as the HE-560. I will be patiently waiting till the end of the year while they iron out all the production kinks and enjoy the HE-500 in the mean time.

 

[conquerator2]

  The HE560 is excellent with good classical recordings as well. The soundstage leave little if anything to be desired. The inner detail is terrific and basically the he560 disappears. There is nothing in the frequency rangethat brings any attention to itself. The headphones is veyr neutral and balanced . I cant wait to hear the final production version of the product. This will be an exciting headphone that just plays music. The tonality is spot on.

So I take it the soundstage is decent enough 

Still I wonder, just for the sake of it, how Oppo does in this regard.