[Haris Javed]

   
I found the treble to be brittle and dry through the ifi unit, though bass was extended. I remember getting the he560 and thinking it wasn't great at first, but you really have to give them some time. Also please try focus A pads before thinking of selling them. I found the sound of the focus pads not so great. I makes the 4k peak strong, and the bass is more one note type of textureees ​I

I see - I will be getting an Audio gd - nfb29h in a few weeks, will see how it pairs with the HE-560 and LCD-X. People here who use that amplifier are very happy with the pairing.

 

[tvnosaint]

I see your problem. It is "lyr" + 560. I had the exact same combo and thought my Philips X1 were superior - that was until I moved to IFI IDSD Micro. I know that Lyr has tons of power but it fails to pair well with the 560. I even replaced the tubes on the Lyr, but it didnt help much. The IDSD has lower power but the sound is extremely tight, and controlled - Also as mentioned above you are still probably getting used to the 560 sound - give it a few weeks, and you will see how much better it is.

I never liked the lyr w the he560. Then I put in a pair of Lorenz pcc88s after trying a dozen or so 6dj8s and 6n23ps. The pcc88s gave the 560s body that always lacked in the others. They are not quite as clear as some of the others but a very exciting presentation. Gets close to what the h10 does. The pcc88s are usually under $50 a pair. Valvos ,Siemens et al I've seen many German variations for a low price but I've only tried the Lorenz. The sound of mine reminds me of a heerlen tube more than the German counterparts

 

[stjj89]

I never liked the lyr w the he560. Then I put in a pair of Lorenz pcc88s after trying a dozen or so 6dj8s and 6n23ps. The pcc88s gave the 560s body that always lacked in the others. They are not quite as clear as some of the others but a very exciting presentation. Gets close to what the h10 does. The pcc88s are usually under $50 a pair. Valvos ,Siemens et al I've seen many German variations for a low price but I've only tried the Lorenz. The sound of mine reminds me of a heerlen tube more than the German counterparts

 
You prefer the Lorenz PCC88 in the Lyr with the HE-560 even more than the 74 or 75 Reflektors?

 

[tvnosaint]

I do with heavier music. It lacks the soundstage , refinement detail and balance of the HGs but it has more guts and a more aggressive more raw sound. It works with music that calls for that approach. Even on pop music with the he560 it just has more body. Caveats galore but I enjoy it with the 560. However, to my ears the 560 while beautiful is a little lean and dry in the mids. They make my zmfs sound congested and are not a good pairing. all of my impressions are based in the first 50s with the tubes . So this could change.

 

[Madman242]

I have a Lyr 2 with '69 Amperex Holland tubes and am loving the sound. I have not tried other amps though. I used to have an Asgard 2 but sold it because I found it a bit harsh (with Grados mind you), and the Lyr was much smoother.

 

[DavidA]

  I have a Lyr 2 with '69 Amperex Holland tubes and am loving the sound. I have not tried other amps though. I used to have an Asgard 2 but sold it because I found it a bit harsh (with Grados mind you), and the Lyr was much smoother.

Those ampere Holland are nice warm tubes, great for the HE-560 and HD-650.

 

[cs098]

Got my he 560s's back, with new connectors!!!
 
Customer service is very good, just hope this time it won't fall apart as easliy.

 

[raybone0566]

Got my he 560s's back, with new connectors!!!

Customer service is very good, just hope this time it won't fall apart as easliy.

Could you post some pics. Thanks

 

[Koolpep]

Could you post some pics. Thanks

Hi, if you check on the right side of this page you can click on recent images. There are a few with the new connectors.

Cheers,
K

 

[Koolpep]

Got my he 560s's back, with new connectors!!!

Customer service is very good, just hope this time it won't fall apart as easliy.

Cool! Enjoy them

 

[DavidA]

Has anyone looked to see if the driver is still the same between the old style connector and the new?  On the HE-400i thread it was noted that the drivers are different between old SMC connectors and the new TRS connectors.
This is my driver with the old SMC connector:


As you can see there is a backing plate.  Those who have the new style connector HE-400i don't have the backing plate on the drivers.

 

[Hifi59]

I owned the 560s for a year, now have the 400i. The 560 has a nicer soundstage and is the more articulate headphone; however, the 400i is easier on the ears (somewhat) where treble is concerned and has more (but not quite as good bass detail) as the 560. If somebody was on a budget the 400i is an awesome way to get almost everything the 560 offers. You don't sound like you are on a budget so I would wait and see what the HE-X is all about. Some ears I trust did not feel the Ether was much better if at all than the 560 and given the large price difference if that were true the Ether may not be the best choice. The 560 is an amazing headphone; if the slight treble tilt bothers you simple to trim a little off the top with a parametric EQ cut.

Your description of the differences between the 400i and the 560 is dead nut accurate! I once owned both and I completely again with your assessment. I eventually sold the 400i. I bought the Focus-A pads for the 560 to help tame that small 4-5k peak and have been very happy with them I also applied on of the Mr Speaker doggy treat stick on piece to the drivers and it nicely smoothed out the upper midrange and highs.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Your description of the differences between the 400i and the 560 is dead nut accurate! I once owned both and I completely again with your assessment. I eventually sold the 400i. I bought the Focus-A pads for the 560 to help tame that small 4-5k peak and have been very happy with them I also applied on of the Mr Speaker doggy treat stick on piece to the drivers and it nicely smoothed out the upper midrange and highs.

Awesome that the pad change worked well for you. Looking back I wish I had kept the 560 as they really strike me as an exceptional headphone that can play with the more expensive flagships surprisingly well. My set of 560s were so perfect, never an issue with anything. I still kick myself for letting them move on, but at least somebody else is enjoying them. I am kind of waiting to see what the HE-X is all about. If it is as the 560 was to HE-6 as compared with the HE 1000 I will most certainly consider getting on board. I am still quite happy with the 400i. The narrow soundtage sometimes is noticeable, but in general it doesn't bother me.

 

[Hifi59]

Awesome that the pad change worked well for you. Looking back I wish I had kept the 560 as they really strike me as an exceptional headphone that can play with the more expensive flagships surprisingly well. My set of 560s were so perfect, never an issue with anything. I still kick myself for letting them move on, but at least somebody else is enjoying them. I am kind of waiting to see what the HE-X is all about. If it is as the 560 was to HE-6 as compared with the HE 1000 I will most certainly consider getting on board. I am still quite happy with the 400i. The narrow soundtage sometimes is noticeable, but in general it doesn't bother me.

I had a mini meet last weekend with 3 other people and we had an easy 20k worth of equipment there. This included the Ethers, hifiman he-X and he-1k,sennheiser HD-800, my own LCD 3f, 2f , 560 and my latest Zmf Omnis in Cherry wood amongst much more.

It was rather unanimous that none of us were enthused with the HE-X. They are not nearly as pleasing as the 1k.
Descriptions included etchy high end when pushed to lack bass. I did not like them at that price. Maybe a grand, maybe. Believe it or not, the star of the meet were my Omni headphones. Every one loved them. They can compete with the Lcd2 AND 3! Zach of Zmf really did a great job tuning these things. I run them off of my Burson Soloist night after night for about a month now. They are easily my second favorites slightly behind my LCD-3f. I have 5 sets of Planars. The Ethers sounded great until I heard the hifiman1k. The Ethers remind me a lot like the 560s but without the 4K peak. Smaller than I thought they would be. Again, worth about a grand to me. The hifiman 1k are a touch polite, but they are very resolute and that makes for a great listen to my ears.

My preference of my own headphones are LCD-3f , Zmf Omni , LCD-2f/Hifiman 560 , Mr speakers Alpha dogs with treats applied then Oppo 2 with leather pads.

 

[jthom320]

Hello all.
 
TLDR is A. has anyone used these with the Creative X7 and B. is the soundstage good enough for virtual surround.  
 
I'm looking for a replacement set of headphones for my HD598s.  I'm going to be running off of a Creative X7 DAC/Amp.  Supposed to be one of the better external sound cards available if not the best.
 
Reason for this sound card is SBX (Virtual Surround) is a pretty large usage point for me with these headphones.  Going to be playing a lot of CoD, single players games, movies and what not through these.  Music will be listened to as well but not the priority.  I suppose I'm a man of specific tastes but I really want to get my game sound on at the highest (semi-affordable) level.

Anyway I've gone through considering quite a few new headphones.  Recently the AKG 712 pros, HD 700s, Shure 1840's etc.  Each has kind of a critical flaw and unfortunately the HD800 and AKG 812 are a little more then I want to spend.  Anyway my concern with the planars is soundstage.  I'm fairly certain these will sound great but I'm not all that confident in how well they do with positional audio.  Height width depth the whole thing.  
 
I recently got a pretty strong recommendation for these including with my specific usage so they are now being considered.  Would like some thoughts on them for what I'll be doing.