[conquerator2]

Really? I thought they fixed it with the current Focus-A pads now. AFAIK Fang told me they are now symmetrical and mirrored.

Mine Focus-As came matched FYI,
So there's truth to what he said.
Perhaps the ones that came from pre-orders are sold out now.

 

[Clemmaster]

   
Yes, it would, esp. when I pay the difference in price.  It's not like I'm asking for two headphones.  They keep an HE-500 in stock for sale or (eventual) replacement, and make a sale on the HE-560s.  But whatever.  Either way I'm getting a pair of new HFM headphones.

What happens to the warranty then? Would you expect them to provide you with full warranty on the HE-560? Should they cover the repair cost on the HE-500, too?
 
Doesn't really work that way 

 

 

[boirefish]

20 hours burn in he560 update
 
I think my mind has been burned in moreso than the headphones themselves. I also turned both my he560 and lcd-2 on loud and listened to their predominant resonance side by side without actually putting them on - this isn't an indicator of how they should sound when worn properly, but I was just curious. On the outside, it sounds like lcd-2 is actually more airy and open than the he560. 
 
onto listening:
 
The treble is still very much defined in the he560, and is probably the most pervasive feature I can note. This means electronic music like skrillex - bangarang really stands out. Also, fast paced music is mostly done well with these. It has been well established that the mids of both he500/560 are very pronounced, and I would agree. As long as the track has vocals, they will make themselves known, despite at times sounding forced and somewhat colored by treble.
 
Same thing goes for the bass. I now understand why there are many people who appreciate the bass response, as it is clean, and kicks in on music with rhythmic beats.
 
If I were to personify the bass response in the he560/LCD-2, a conversation with them would go something like this:
 
Me: Drop the bass!!!
He560: No worries, I got you son. Going to drop it right here yo
LCD-2: Been doing it since before you were born, boirefish.
 
Overall with the he560, the bass, mids and treble all have a way of distinguishing themselves, but together they sound a little try-hard, like three teenagers in a small room trying to one up each other, with each subsequent story told being more grandiose than the previous, so someone splits them up into different rooms.
 
The LCD-2 is them 40 years down the track - an engineer who married a 10/10 and has the perfect family, a CEO who could have retired 20 years ago but enjoys his lifework and lives frugally, and the warmest gastroenterologist you'd ever meet, always with a story to tell. Now these three are just reminiscing together, the room is overflowing with modesty, and it just feels like they haven't had a good drink together for too long. 

 

[zxc]

This might seem harsh but in my opinion the TH900 should be priced at half the msrp. Maybe it was the Eddie Current amps or Bifrost DACs on both counts but they didn't impress twice I've auditioned them.


Maybe one of those where you gotta let it burn in your brain? Who knows..

Honestly, that's about right. I won't own an HD800 ever, but I know many will, and I know why. Similarly, many will not get the TH900 even if it were half the price, for very good reasons. HE-560 does almost everything better except the bass, for hundreds less. Still, I've never heard bass as well defined as the TH900. And if bass is a very important part of a music for someone, TH900 will be worth the high cost, despite it's serious deficiencies. 

 

[wmedrz]

On my code-x and all the audezes the thick part of the pads is on the back side of ur head..the smaller is in front..has to do with staging or something...google for it

I know that's how it is on most headphones and was surprised to see the thin part in the back, but that's how they came. It would make sense to have the thick part in the back since ears angle out in the back like someone said. Check out moon audio review, you can see from the pictures the thick part is in the front. 
 
I think the proper way to angle the pads is how you like 

 

[conquerator2]

Mine came angled to the back
Hifiman photos suggest so too

 

[hifimanrookie]

I know that's how it is on most headphones and was surprised to see the thin part in the back, but that's how they came. It would make sense to have the thick part in the back since ears angle out in the back like someone said. Check out moon audio review, you can see from the pictures the thick part is in the front. 

I think the proper way to angle the pads is how you like :atsmile:

when i had my he500, i bought the modular 2.0 angled pads...and i experimented around with the position of the thick part, and this is what i found out:

When the thick side is on the back the soundstange is further away..as if ur on the second or third row listening to a concert.
When the thick side was in front the soundstage was as if the artists were on my lap...so much closer..as if they were around me...more 'in ur face sound'

Although i preferred the front-thick part better at first..it did fatique at a certain moment..so i went back to the thick in back configuration..and used that until i sold him to a very happy new owner my 123 on this angled thingie

Ps..maybe they turned the thin part on the back so it fits better in the case? My code-x was delived like that..otherwise he would never ever fit in the orginal he5 case it was then just a turn to the back action and then voila...music.

 

[TMRaven]

People not knowing the thick part of the pads go on the back-side of the ear is actually a thing.  Between the LCD-X,XC and now HE-560, I can count at least 10 instances of family and friends putting them on backwards.

 

[wmedrz]

when i had my he500, i bought the modular 2.0 angled pads...and i experimented around with the position of the thick part, and this is what i found out:

When the thick side is on the back the soundstange is further away..as if ur on the second or third row listening to a concert.
When the thick side was in front the soundstage was as if the artists were on my lap...so much closer..as if they were around me...more 'in ur face sound'

Although i preferred the front-thick part better at first..it did fatique at a certain moment..so i went back to the thick in back configuration..and used that until i sold him to a very happy new owner

my 123 on this angled thingie

Ps..maybe they turned the thin part on the back so it fits better in the case? My code-x was delived like that..otherwise he would never ever fit in the orginal he5 case

it was then just a turn to the back action and then voila...music.

Actually, I looked at the pictures of 6moon audio review again and some other pictures and it does look like the thick part is in the back! I recorded the unpacking of my pair and looked at it this morning. The thick part is definitely to the front. I can tell because the cable connects are angled forward and that's where the thick part is. Maybe mine was one off or that's just how they come? 

But I switched it this morning to where the thick part is in the back for the first time and listened for around an hr. This is more comfy! There is less clamping and it sounds airier.

 

[wmedrz]

  What happens to the warranty then? Would you expect them to provide you with full warranty on the HE-560? Should they cover the repair cost on the HE-500, too?
 
Doesn't really work that way 

 

Speaking of warranty, I noticed the warranty on the 560 is 1year in the in the included pamphlet. The pamphlet that came with the 500's talks about a 3 year warranty. 

 

[Fegefeuer]

Are they serious?

 

[ThurstonX]

  What happens to the warranty then? Would you expect them to provide you with full warranty on the HE-560? Should they cover the repair cost on the HE-500, too?
 
Doesn't really work that way 

 

 
And yet they seem somewhat willing to do it, for a slight premium.
 
So, a question for everyone who owns or is familiar enough with the HE-500s and the HE-560s:
 
if you had to choose between the two, which one would you choose?
 
TIA 

 

[wmedrz]

   
And yet they seem somewhat willing to do it, for a slight premium.
 
So, a question for everyone who owns or is familiar enough with the HE-500s and the HE-560s:
 
if you had to choose between the two, which one would you choose?
 
TIA 

I've only had around 20-30 hrs listening time with both, but the comfort level alone on the 560's is bar none the better choice. I'm also enjoying the clarity over the more disguised sound of the 500's.

 

[ThurstonX]

  Speaking of warranty, I noticed the warranty on the 560 is 1year in the in the included pamphlet. The pamphlet that came with the 500's talks about a 3 year warranty. 

 
Just double-checked the pamphlet in my soon-to-be-returned HE-500s:

"One-year free repair when used according to our recommended instructions."
 
But on head-direct.com they offer refund (within 30 days) or replacement.  Anyway, didn't see three years mentioned anywhere.  And as listed on my order:
 
Warranty
(Refund/Replacement)
 

30 / 365 Days​

​

(From 2014-4-3 16:00:00)​

 
down to the freakin' hour! 

 

[fccn75]

  20 hours burn in he560 update
 
I think my mind has been burned in moreso than the headphones themselves. I also turned both my he560 and lcd-2 on loud and listened to their predominant resonance side by side without actually putting them on - this isn't an indicator of how they should sound when worn properly, but I was just curious. On the outside, it sounds like lcd-2 is actually more airy and open than the he560. 
 
onto listening:
 
The treble is still very much defined in the he560, and is probably the most pervasive feature I can note. This means electronic music like skrillex - bangarang really stands out. Also, fast paced music is mostly done well with these. It has been well established that the mids of both he500/560 are very pronounced, and I would agree. As long as the track has vocals, they will make themselves known, despite at times sounding forced and somewhat colored by treble.
 
Same thing goes for the bass. I now understand why there are many people who appreciate the bass response, as it is clean, and kicks in on music with rhythmic beats.
 
If I were to personify the bass response in the he560/LCD-2, a conversation with them would go something like this:
 
Me: Drop the bass!!!
He560: No worries, I got you son. Going to drop it right here yo
LCD-2: Been doing it since before you were born, boirefish.
 
Overall with the he560, the bass, mids and treble all have a way of distinguishing themselves, but together they sound a little try-hard, like three teenagers in a small room trying to one up each other, with each subsequent story told being more grandiose than the previous, so someone splits them up into different rooms.
 
The LCD-2 is them 40 years down the track - an engineer who married a 10/10 and has the perfect family, a CEO who could have retired 20 years ago but enjoys his lifework and lives frugally, and the warmest gastroenterologist you'd ever meet, always with a story to tell. Now these three are just reminiscing together, the room is overflowing with modesty, and it just feels like they haven't had a good drink together for too long. 

Boirefish, very nicely put - what a great way describing the two hp's with a family timeline analogy!
 
The more I go back and forth between the 2.2 & 560, I consistently wished for the 2.2 to have more of the upper midrange and air as in the 560.  With the 560, to complete the package with my ears, I only wish that it has more of that syrupy lower midrange, larger dimenionality of perceived image (fuller with more "meat"), and perhaps a touch more subbass from the 2.2.  If these two can merge into a sort of hybrid, that would make my day!