[tuna47]

Have the 560 driven by the Lyr lots of power
I find that I have to set the volume higher on the 560 then the 500 should be other way around anyone else notice this

 

[jh7000]

  The problem with the HD6X0 is that the velour pads can get really hot.  I think the Fidelio X1 is the most comfortable headphone I've used, I even wish they have some more clamping force.  If only AKG used the X1's suspension headband instead of their bumpy ones.

I found the Fidelio X1 earpads to be a bit too small.  There really is very little to complain about with the HE-560 comfort. I can easily wear them for hours ... I kind of forget they are on my head.

 

[rwelles]

Can any previous HD-600 owners comment on their experience with the HD-560's in terms of comfort and sound? I keep thinking I may have grown too attached to the HD-600's. And I love how my Asus Xonar is strong enough to drive them and that I can wear them for 8+ hour music/gaming sessions while never becoming sore, with sound that I enjoy. Guess I'm leaning towards the HD-600's... but kind of want to try something new. Personally, loved how vocals on the HE-500 sounded.

My work HP before the 560 preorder was the HD650. The 560 with any pad is much, much more comfortable the the HD650. I'm still stretching out the 560 metal headband (using a stock DVD case length-wise). I expect it to improve with time. Even if it doesn't, beats the HD650 hands down in many ways.
 
Sound-wise, very different from the HE-500, but I prefer the difference!!!

 

[AgentXXL]

  OK, they're here! 

 
After my initial 20 minutes of listening (I know, far less than the recommended 150 hrs of burn-in, but hey!), here are my initial impressions:
 
PROS:
- overall construction and fit/finish are very nice - my wood veneers match in color and I can't find any defects so far
- definitely reminiscent of my listening sessions with the HE-500, but certainly a more open soundstage (width)
- bass is well defined and certainly seems to have fantastic impact, but need to listen balanced to truly compare with the HD800s
- overall, very comfortable to wear - the lighter weight is certainly a big bonus - my neck would fatigue after 2 hours with the HE-500, but I can tell these will go MUCH longer
- love the cable that it ships with - very light and flexible
 
CONS:
- the pads seal around my ears much tighter than my HD800s and as such I notice sweating quite quickly - this may change after the pads wear-in
- although the cable is well built, I find it too short for my liking - I'm working on a replacement balanced cable right now, so we'll see how they sound with my OCC cable once done
- definitely not the prettiest to look at when wearing... thankfully the visual esthetics are the least important - sonic qualities are what count!
 
That's enough for now and obviously are only my initial impressions. So far though, things bode well and I'm pretty pleased with the addition of the 560s to my collection. We'll see how I feel once my balanced cable is put into use and they've had significantly more burn-in time.
 
Dale

 
I'm quoting myself as I've now had about 12 hours of additional listening on the HE-560s, and about 10 of those hours using a balanced cable. While my comments above indicated I was initially pleased with them, all I can say now is WOW!! 

 
With the balanced cable I'm really having a great time listening to them! I've tried doing some more comparison with my HD800s (using the same source, DAC and balanced amp) but the lure of the extra bass on the HE-560s has me spending more time with them. Obviously part of that is the 'new toy syndrome', but I'm really enjoying them immensely. I've always enjoyed listening to the extra bass on the older HE-500 when at meets or when using a friend's pair, but something about the fact that these are MINE make me enjoy it even more! I guess it's because I can now pull them out and listen to music that benefits from the extra bass ANYTIME I want. I still prefer my HD800s for classical, instrumental and jazz. I've now spent a lot of time listening to vocalists and the HE-560 is easily as enjoyable as my HD800s. I will admit that my HD800s could benefit from some better amplification (I really enjoy them with the Bryston BHA-1), but the HE-560s are really well driven from my Cypher Labs Algorythm Solo -dB DAC and the Ray Samuels Audio Intruder. I'm using Amarra on my Macbook Pro to feed the DAC, and the balanced output of the DAC to feed the Intruder. I've enjoyed this combination with my HD800s for the last year but I know that the HD800s sound better (and offer more bass) when driven by better amplification like the BHA-1.
 
Thankfully the higher sensitivity of the HE-560s makes them easily driven by the CLAS -dB/Intruder combo. I'm not noticing anything in the mid-treble range that bothers me, so I guess my hearing isn't bothered by the apparent 4KHz bump that's shown in the measurements. I'm not really noticing any change in the way the HE-560 sounds, but I'm nowhere near the recommended 150 hrs of burn-in (more likely brain-burn as I get accustomed to the signature). I've never really been much of a believer in burn-in but I do believe your brain and hearing can/will adapt over time and let you hear things that you originally didn't. Yes, it's possible that mechanical movement can/will change the signature, but with the solid feel of the HE-560 build, I doubt that 150 hrs of use will alter anything mechanically. It's more likely that after 150 hrs of use, and especially now that I'm driving them balanced, my hearing will adjust and let me notice the nuances of the HE-560s.
 
Too bad we just had a local Head-Fi meet last weekend - I would have loved to try the HE-560s on a Bryston BHA-1 (which was at the meet) and see if they change in sound like my HD800s do. I may just have to go by the local Bryston dealer and spend some time in the showroom with my Macbook, DAC and then alternate between my Intruder and the BHA-1. I'm also going to have to look into something like the Fiio headphone switcher (no longer sold) so that I can more quickly do an A/B comparison between the HE-560 and HD800. It takes me under a minute to switch headsets and cables, but a nice switch that is neutral would make the task much easier. That said, I'm very convinced that I'll be keeping the HE-560s for a LONG time, as will I with my HD800s.
 
One thing I will say to users debating between the HE-560 and the HD800 is that you can't go wrong starting off with the HE-560. Then if you find them not to your liking, you'll be able to easily resell them and use the funds towards an HD800 (or other) purchase. Even with my limited time evaluating the HE-560s, I'm certain they are a fantastic value at the $899 MSRP, especially compared to the $1599 MSRP of the HD800s.Give them 6 months or so and the street price might drop lower, but they're worth the MSRP in my mind.
 
More comments to come after more time with them... 

 
Dale

 

[Keithpgdrb]

Can any previous HD-600 owners comment on their experience with the HD-560's in terms of comfort and sound? I keep thinking I may have grown too attached to the HD-600's. And I love how my Asus Xonar is strong enough to drive them and that I can wear them for 8+ hour music/gaming sessions while never becoming sore, with sound that I enjoy. Guess I'm leaning towards the HD-600's... but kind of want to try something new. Personally, loved how vocals on the HE-500 sounded.

HD600 owner here.  I've spent a lot of time with the HE500, but the sound was just too unbalanced in comparison to the 600's, so it went away.  I wouldn't get it again.  same goes for all the old orthodynamic cans.  Now, the new crop of cans are worth considering.  the 560 is fantastic, the lcd x is also quite good except for the weight.  Haven't heard the XC.  I hated the PM1, and the "dog" brand isn't for me.
 
The 560 is definitely a great headphone that ticks a bunch of the boxes your talking about.  Having said that, if you have had and loved the 600 for years, already have the gear to work with it, and already know its fantastically comfortable, why not just get it again?  There's a reason the 600 stays in the conversation with "better" cans.  If I get 560's, I'm not sure I'd get rid of my 600.  I doubt it.

 

[Feet]

HD600 owner here.  I've spent a lot of time with the HE500, but the sound was just too unbalanced in comparison to the 600's, so it went away.  I wouldn't get it again.  same goes for all the old orthodynamic cans.  Now, the new crop of cans are worth considering.  the 560 is fantastic, the lcd x is also quite good except for the weight.  Haven't heard the XC.  I hated the PM1, and the "dog" brand isn't for me.

The 560 is definitely a great headphone that ticks a bunch of the boxes your talking about.  Having said that, if you have had and loved the 600 for years, already have the gear to work with it, and already know its fantastically comfortable, why not just get it again?  There's a reason the 600 stays in the conversation with "better" cans.  If I get 560's, I'm not sure I'd get rid of my 600.  I doubt it.

The input was much appreciated.

It's good to hear that the HE-560's are that comfortable. I think what I'll do is get a cheap pair of HD-600's for the time being and wait on the HE-400i's to come out before deciding what to get after. And hopefully by then both will be available locally for me to sample in person to get a better feeling of their sound. Learnt the hard way with the blind buy (ergonomically anyway).

 

[SoAmusing777]

  It will be so nice when all of our 560s start showing up and we can actually discuss what we are hearing with them! Turns out that RazorDog (great service from them by the way) will be shipping my 560 early next week so with a little luck I will have them by the weekend, but that seems ambitious seeing as how they need to cross the border. Regardless, within a week I will finally have a chance to hear these. Ever since hearing a HE-400 paired with a HFM amp at a meet I was very interested in hearing their sound. I was ready and able to go for the LCD 2 or possibly the 3, but frankly based on the reviews of some of the more experienced head-fiers it seemed like a no-brainer to try the 560. Of course without being able to speak from direct experience it sounds like we may have a new benchmark of performance/price. I can only hope that is true. In typical head-fi fashion the rusty wheels in my head are already wondering if going for a tad more refinement than my Asgard 2 can offer is in order .... damn head-fi, I will be broke forever.

Definitely. I'm getting mine Monday for $720 shipped That's pretty much the exact same reason I'm getting the 560, no brainer compared to the rest. I agree with that as well, but curious to see how the 400i performs.

 

[zxc]

The input was much appreciated.

It's good to hear that the HE-560's are that comfortable. I think what I'll do is get a cheap pair of HD-600's for the time being and wait on the HE-400i's to come out before deciding what to get after. And hopefully by then both will be available locally for me to sample in person to get a better feeling of their sound. Learnt the hard way with the blind buy (ergonomically anyway).

Have been using HD600's for about a decade now. Last January I tried the HD800, HD700, HE-500 and LCD-2. HE-500 won. Has loads more detail and texture compared to the HD600. The issue with HE-500, compared to HD600, is the recessed upper midrange and lower treble region. HE-560 is supposed to fix that. I'll try to update once I receive my order, hopefully next week.

 

[SoAmusing777]

Have been using HD600's for about a decade now. Last January I tried the HD800, HD700, HE-500 and LCD-2. HE-500 won. Has loads more detail and texture compared to the HD600. The issue with HE-500, compared to HD600, is the recessed upper midrange and lower treble region. HE-560 is supposed to fix that. I'll try to update once I receive my order, hopefully next week.

Would be nice to hear (no pun intended ) by the HE-500 won for you over the HD800. I would think bass.

 

[Feet]

Have been using HD600's for about a decade now. Last January I tried the HD800, HD700, HE-500 and LCD-2. HE-500 won. Has loads more detail and texture compared to the HD600. The issue with HE-500, compared to HD600, is the recessed upper midrange and lower treble region. HE-560 is supposed to fix that. I'll try to update once I receive my order, hopefully next week.

Sounds good, zxc. Looking forward to hearing your take on how they compare with the HE-500's.

 

[Ronnietron]

A quick question for you head-fiers, my amp I am currently using tops out at 500 mW per channel at 16 Ohms. Would that be enough to show the true potential of the HE-560? They sound very good tonally, but I noticed a much more spacious sound from the Woo Audio WA6 I listened too in the shop when I demoed the unit. Possibly from more available power?

Thanks for your input all

 

[zxc]

Would be nice to hear (no pun intended ) by the HE-500 won for you over the HD800. I would think bass.

HD800 is a very special headphone no doubt. It's nothing short of an engineering marvel. Definitely more detailed than anything I've listened so far. Very comfy as well. Yet, I think the HE-500 is much more enjoyable to listen to. HD800 has a weird frequency response that I somewhat not appreciate as much. Yes, I do hear every little detail, but I'm not sure if I want to, given its presentation. Also, given that HD800 is the best dynamic headphone offer so far, I think the future lies in the orthodynamic (or electrostatic?) technology.

 

[SoAmusing777]

HD800 is a very special headphone no doubt. It's nothing short of an engineering marvel. Definitely more detailed than anything I've listened so far. Very comfy as well. Yet, I think the HE-500 is much more enjoyable to listen to. HD800 has a weird frequency response that I somewhat not appreciate as much. Yes, I do hear every little detail, but I'm not sure if I want to, given its presentation. Also, given that HD800 is the best dynamic headphone offer so far, I think the future lies in the orthodynamic (or electrostatic?) technology.

For sure. Hmm, interesting. The HE-560 is quite detailed too. Not to the degree of the HD800, but it's close (from what I read in a review). The future lies in orthos. Stats are too power hungry, expensive, and proprietary.

 

[davidsh]

HD800 is a very special headphone no doubt. It's nothing short of an engineering marvel. Definitely more detailed than anything I've listened so far. Very comfy as well. Yet, I think the HE-500 is much more enjoyable to listen to. HD800 has a weird frequency response that I somewhat not appreciate as much. Yes, I do hear every little detail, but I'm not sure if I want to, given its presentation. Also, given that HD800 is the best dynamic headphone offer so far, I think the future lies in the orthodynamic (or electrostatic?) technology.

For sure. Hmm, interesting. The HE-560 is quite detailed too. Not to the degree of the HD800, but it's close (from what I read in a review). The future lies in orthos. Stats are too power hungry, expensive, and proprietary.

I am positive stats have a bright future too. Hifiman is coming with their new stat and other small companies like king sound pop up too. Generally the interest has been growing over the last years which can be seen if you look at the inflated prices on vintage Stax gear.
Planars do have an edge as they don't need special high voltage amplification, besides generally having tighter and more prominent bass and often a more mainstream sound.

There's also no doubt hi-end dynamics will persist

 

[Misterrogers]

Wow. Dropped to to read some impressions on the cans I just ordered and stepped into 'pad-gate' 

 I feel a bit bad for Fang; his genuine attempt to make a last minute tweak to provide a better product has swamped him with all the negative 'noise' competing with what should be resounding praise for another awesome set of cans. Chill gang, enjoy your production HE-560's.