[Wildcatsare1]

  thanks. yea, i noticed a bit of sibilance when i first listened to them, which was extremely disappointing. though either my brain has gotten used to the sound or they've settled a bit.
 
so if my tube budget would be only $50 for a match set is there really anything high quality out there for me or do i really need to jump into that crazy $50+ price range.
 
thxs for your advice.

There are all sorts of great tubes under $50.00, just watch the Tube Rolling Thread, some examples; Gold Lions, Russian 6N23P's, the top shelf stuff exceeds $50.00, but you can get close to that price with Amperex Bugle Boys, PQ's that are exceptional tubes as well.

 

[money4me247]

Or take a big step up to the Lyr 2, and then some the excellent tube alternatives for squeezing excellence out of your 560's. Then there is the grill mod, Jerg Pads, Thurston's Far Out Grill Replacement, too put the cherry on top !

or maybe try project ember. I was torn deciding between those two. I think if you want to tube roll like crazy, project ember is actually a much better choice as you don't need to worry about a pair of matched tubes (which easily more than doubles your price). project ember is the more budget-friendly option with similar performance and wider range of tube rolling options.
 
so my quick impressions of lyr 2 after a few hours is that they are a noticeable upgrade over the sub-$100 bravo v3 (both compared in stock configurations rather than with the same tube though). will try with the bravo with the lyr tube later to see what is tube and what is amp. The lyr 2 does indeed sound really amazing. I do have a bit of mixed feelings about lyr's current sound signature (which I assume is dependent on the tubes), and can understand why there were two members here that felt negatively towards the lyr 2 with the he-560. it does take your brain a bit of time to adjust to a new sound signature & i've only had a few hours of listening, so hard to critique sound. 
 
overall, a vast improvement over the bravo v3! bass presence and impact has improved by miles. easily to tell apart from the bravo v3. that was the whole reason that I decided to upgrade my amp in order to increase the bass quantity, so in that aspect I am very happy!!! The bass is now pretty perfect for my preferences.
 
Stock lyr 2 really does make the he-560 sing, but for $450, I feel like we can be a bit more critical of its performance. a minor quibble was that I did heard a bit of sibilance on a track I never noticed sibilance with, so I was bit disappointed there. of course that is totally more source/track issue, but weird how I never noticed an issue with the Bravo V3, so I have to investigate farther. I was wondering if anyone else here experienced something similar as me with the sibilance. I feel like my ear is not as critical as others, so if I notice it, it's probably pretty obvious. 
 
It seems to me that if you get the lyr 2, you will probably be investing in a new matched set of tubes as well. The stock configuration of lyr 2 exceeded my expectations & I was immediately happy with it for the obvious boost in bass, but upon more critical listening, my enthusiasm has been tempered a bit. I feel like the most enthusiastic supporters of the lyr here all do not use stock tubes, so their comments can be quite misleading. So, I think you may need to be prepared to invest another $100+ on tubes if you get the lyr 2. I will probably not upgrade tubes as the pricing is too much for me to swallow right now after jumping up to the HE-560 & then the Lyr 2.

 

[money4me247]

I love my HE-6, HE-400, am enjoying the HE-400i demo, felt fortunate to be able to try the HE-560 on the audition tour. So you know I am a fan.

But the apologists for the QA and, earlier, the customer service shortfalls is nothing short of ridiculous. A $900 headphone should be flawless and the attention to detail on the packaging of a headphone, allowing it to arrive damaged, is inexcusable.

This is not a startup. How long have they been in biz? Long enough to stop accepting this nonsense.

Yes, it's all about the sound. I get it. But giving a pass for all the myriad reasons is not holding them accountable. A problem our society seems to have in general.

 
lol... the packaging is extremely excellent. there is no way these headphones get scratched in transit the way they are packaged. Their customer service is generally excellent and they work with anyone who has any complaints over cosmetic issues. I agree that for $900, they should arrive 'perfect,' and my experience has been nothing short of perfect. I think the complaints are realistically few and far between, but amplified here as obviously only people with issues will comment.
 
I think that working with wood, you inevitably get these sort of slight cosmetic type complaints. Wood scratches. If you want no scratches, do NOT use wood! lol. I find wood on headphones silly for this exact reason. When people talking about cosmetic problems, it is hard to know exactly what they are referring to. My HE-560 looks fine, but I am sure if I could find a scratch or uneven coloration or something to complain about. It is perfectly acceptable for people to expect higher standards for this price, but I don't think Hifiman has any customer service shortfalls. If you have a complaint, you can get a refund or replacement, no problem.
 
I think this is you audiophile's fault. The black metal version of the HE-560 demoed was pretty damnn gorgeous, but nooooo... audiophiles just love their wood. would have none of these problems if you guys didn't have your wood fetish.  

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Both my Denon D7000s, both my LCD2s, and ESW9 came perfectly, without any flaws in the wood.

 

[Bill-P]

  Stock lyr 2 really does make the he-560 sing, but for $450, I feel like we can be a bit more critical of its performance. a minor quibble was that I did heard a bit of sibilance on a track I never noticed sibilance with, so I was bit disappointed there. of course that is totally more source/track issue, but weird how I never noticed an issue with the Bravo V3, so I have to investigate farther. I was wondering if anyone else here experienced something similar as me with the sibilance. I feel like my ear is not as critical as others, so if I notice it, it's probably pretty obvious. 

 
Well, my ears are a lot more sensitive to sibilance than some others. One possible reason is because I listen to music and movies pretty much at live level (80dB or above), so stress on amp aside, that level would reveal a lot of information about any recording. Regular people I know listen to 70dB or below.
 
On the other hand, my taste is more toward the darker side of neutral, with a bit of bass boost. I guess I'm just too used to speakers?

 

[MattTCG]

   
Well, my ears are a lot more sensitive to sibilance than some others. One possible reason is because I listen to music and movies pretty much at live level (80dB or above), so stress on amp aside, that level would reveal a lot of information about any recording. Regular people I know listen to 70dB or below.
 
On the other hand, my taste is more toward the darker side of neutral, with a bit of bass boost. I guess I'm just too used to speakers?

 
You should really consider turning down the volume. You will inevitably have tinnitus or worse. Save your hearing!! I wouldn't wish tinnitus on anyone.  

 

[Eric_C]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.
I really don't want to splurge on anything more expensive than the Asgard 2, so that leaves Lyr out. If I had the cash that is absolutely the amp I'd want.
Dislike the Project amps; I'm uncomfortable with the open design.
Thus, it's really Asgard 2 or I stay with the Vali until I can afford a major upgrade.

 

[mandrake50]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.
I really don't want to splurge on anything more expensive than the Asgard 2, so that leaves Lyr out. If I had the cash that is absolutely the amp I'd want.
Dislike the Project amps; I'm uncomfortable with the open design.
.

I had a Lyr 2 for a few weeks. I got rid of it and kept my Sunrise III and Polaris. Unfortunate that you don't like the design. From the bang for the buck audio performance perspective, you are missing out. I don't have the 560s, but I was listening to the Polaris through my meridian DAC with the 400i. Using 192/24 tracks in binaural from the Chesky's Ultimate Headphone Test Disc .. I was simply awed by the sound. The Polaris will cost about the same as the Asgard, puts out over double the power and has lots more ability to adjust for gain, input sensitivity and even FR.

 

[jexby]

I had a Lyr 2 for a few weeks. I got rid of it and kept my Sunrise III and Polaris. Unfortunate that you don't like the design. From the bang for the buck audio performance perspective, you are missing out. I don't have the 560s, but I was listening to the Polaris through my meridian DAC with the 400i. Using 192/24 tracks in binaural from the Chesky's Ultimate Headphone Test Disc .. I was simply awed by the sound. The Polaris will cost about the same as the Asgard, puts out over double the power and has lots more ability to adjust for gain, input sensitivity and even FR.

 
did you only use the stock tubes in the Lyr 2?
 
If you could summarize/generalize your comparison between the Lyr 2 and Polaris with respect to soundstage, bass and micro-detail it would be appreciated.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.
I really don't want to splurge on anything more expensive than the Asgard 2, so that leaves Lyr out. If I had the cash that is absolutely the amp I'd want.
Dislike the Project amps; I'm uncomfortable with the open design.
Thus, it's really Asgard 2 or I stay with the Vali until I can afford a major upgrade.

The Asgard 2 is a great amp, all kidding aside, I have several Friends who use the Asgard with 560's, LCD 2.2's, Alpha Dogs, HD650's who are extremely happy with the amp. I will be able to listen too one on the 20th at our meet. I plan on writing "listening notes" at the meet, I'll PM them to you if you are interested.

 

[Eric_C]

Wildcatsare1, thanks very much but I'm probably going to decide on the Asgard 2 within the next 24 hours. I've got a friend who'll be in the US next week, and he'll be able to pick up the amp, saving me international shipping costs and mark-up by local dealers.
 
Btw in case anyone's interested, my brief thoughts on amping the 560 with Vali and Pico (the original one, not the Slim or the new Power):
Vali is a bit brighter/sharper. If there's a hint of brightness / hot mastering, it sounds borderline piercing. Otherwise quite alright. Soundstage feels a bit narrow. Am on 10 o'clock on volume.
Pico is actually smoother up top, and therefore sounds more pleasant. Bass seems stronger, prolly equally tight. Am on 11-12 o'clock, on high gain.
 
For practical reasons, the Pico is a bad choice. It needs recharging, and a 1/4"-to-1/8" adapter, and it could get yanked off the table by accident.

 

[No_One411]

   
Well, my ears are a lot more sensitive to sibilance than some others. One possible reason is because I listen to music and movies pretty much at live level (80dB or above), so stress on amp aside, that level would reveal a lot of information about any recording. Regular people I know listen to 70dB or below.
 
On the other hand, my taste is more toward the darker side of neutral, with a bit of bass boost. I guess I'm just too used to speakers?

I did notice that some headphones do open up at higher volumes. I generally listen to even lower volumes than most people. 
 
I'm still really scared when I heard the levels you were listening at. I honestly am surprised as to how your hearing is still so good. haha 
 

   
You should really consider turning down the volume. You will inevitably have tinnitus or worse. Save your hearing!! I wouldn't wish tinnitus on anyone.  

+1 for truth. Tinnitus is terrible for this hobby. It's like the permanent ringing you get in your ears after a live concert or club without earplugs. 

 

[Articnoise]

   
While I agree with both of you on the QC issues, Audeze is not without their own very real QC issues both past and present. In fairness to hifiman, they have shown a real willingness to listen to the community and their customers and redesign the new line in terms of comfort and sound. On both these fronts they are hugely successful IMO. 
 
I actually am big a fan of the Audeze house sound since I first heard it. If Audeze would show the same willingness to listen to the community and redesign a new line that is simply lighter weight and more comfortable, they could rewrite the playing field. I seems that they are more of a "take it or leave it" company. 

Yes Audeze has their own QC issues like cracked wood rings and failing drivers.
 
I do think even Audeze have listened to “the community”. They have step by step developed a more open sounded phones with a bit more energy in the upper midrange and treble and in some cases even a little dryer sound (LCDX) than before. I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with a lighter can in less than a year.

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
Yes Audeze has their own QC issues like cracked wood rings and failing drivers.
 
I do think even Audeze have listened to “the community”. They have step by step developed a more open sounded phones with a bit more energy in the upper midrange and treble and in some cases even a little dryer sound (LCDX) than before. I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with a lighter can in less than a year.

You can bet they will as for certain they monitor threads like this and would have noticed how favourable the response to the 560 has been where cost/performance and weight are concerned. They would be foolish to ignore this as I am willing to bet that HFM is gaining market share at Audeze expense. I certainly was looking at the LCD 2 or 3 and hearing some LCD 3 owners praising the 560 as coming very close in performance at a much lower price made me take the plunge.

 

[conquerator2]

Some closing words on the grill mod :}
 
Grill mod
- Both headphones benefit equally from this reversible modification. A slight improvement in air quantity [midrange + treble], bass punch [mid + sub-bass], soundstage width + expansiveness and delicate, pin-point imaging. A slight edge is taken away from aggressive instruments, like electric guitars or violins - this is a con for me but considered a positive by most as it adds up to the natural presentation of these headphones. The bass quantity rise is certainly a plus, though it does mask some slight finesse with instruments where the punch/texture ratio was already perfect before - like string bass.
Overall, I think this mod does bring mostly sonic merits, with just a few slight subjective kinks. It might not be preferred by everyone but I agree that the good things it introduces outweighs the bad, even for me. Certainly recommended to anyone, if just to try - as it is fully reversible.