[conquerator2]

Sup guys!
If this hasn't been a long week spent in London! 6 long days full of walking, sight-seeing and grossly overpaying for food [IMO

]... We also managed to miss the returning flight and got feesed accordingly... While having to stay in a hotel at the airport [which happened to be prettier than the one we stayed at before...also, with even more luxurious and costly food! Yay

]
Oh and I've been without my 560s 

 
I got to listen to my faithful RE-400s at least. Great headphone they're! Especially for a 100 bucks, these IEMs are hard to beat!
But I am not too fond of them lately - troubled fit, left and right soundstage and all that... Well, they are still a marvelously smooth and engaging IEMs but I wanted to try something new!
 
And so there was this store that had some headphones in them that I went to visit while in London - WestEndDJs. I got to audition some good headphones that I wanted to try for some time! I was fairly impressed with the Beyerdynamic 770s and 990s, along with the Sony 7506, which proved fairly good. I also got to try the K712s but I suspect the ampage I provided was not adequate at all for these [deceiving readings they show, though

]. A disappointment were the DT250s, which seemed like a can I would like... Alas, I did not... They were very bassy, even more so than the M50X, which I also tried while there [and did not like for that reason]...
Lots of various headphones, mostly good and some bad, but I am definitely glad I had the opportunity to audition these! Although the stuff probably hate me now 

 
Anyway, I managed to snatch the closed Yamaha HPH-MT220 for a good price! After reading grizzlybeast's review, I was very excited to get these! And very well they sound, except for a thing or two...
First things first, they're definitely neutral and monitoring headphones, with pretty good bass, if a bit more punchy and emphasized than what my golden standard is. But for the price, it is pretty great. The midrange is likewise good - neutral and well-present. The vocals are less forward than what I am used to but mostly fine, with good presence and articulation. The highs are definitely on the bright side [they remind me of my former K612 a lot] with lots of extension and space for electric guitars and cymbals - these certainly shine! Maybe even a touch too much 

The soundstage, layering and separation is certainly top notch and as good as I've heard from a closed headphone yet. The soundstage size deserves special mention, certainly beating my 560 in sheer size and proving capable at imaging and precision as well.
 
There are three personal things that however prevent it from being the headphone for traveling
 
Comfort - Soft memory foam pleather! Good quality and certainly my favorite choice with velour but it is thin! These pads are simply too thin to accommodate for my larger ears. Coupled with drivers slightly angled and protruding outwards, this means my hunt for alternative pads has just began [and since the earpads are square in shape, it certainly won't be easy!]. The 560 Focus pads in comparison... Ohhhhhhh... I think my ears are thanking me still!
 
Treble - This treble is bright. It is exquisite with instrumental music with lots of bite to the instruments without harshness. However, it is elevated in the sibilance area and me, being as overly sensitive to sibilance as I am... Well, my ears got butchered every time there were vocals with any amount of sibilance. I just can't stand it and it completely prevents me from enjoying the music I love. I am not claiming my music is audiophile quality all the time - it certainly isn't but the 560 handles sibilance exquisitely no matter the song...The MT220 mercilessly reveals it whenever there is some. It helps with bite, makes instruments sound exquisite but I cannot stand any sibilance and alas, it cannot stay... Joining the K612 

For reference here are headphones I thought handled sibilance excellently - 560, X1, MA900, RE-400 and from what I've heard at the shop most Beyerdynamics did well too and so did Sonys.
I do not blame the 220s for displaying sibilance - it is clearly stated that they're monitoring headphones and the review clearly states so, but I guess I am just so sensitive to sibilance emphasis that I just cannot use them for prolonged listening... A shame

 
Closed - Yes, this is something I've realized time and time again. There are very few headphones that are closed but sound airy and/or 'open' [the Alpha Dogs supposedly being one ] and every time I hear a closed headphone, I think it sounds good but closed and it always gets to me, eventually when I come back to open headphones. The 220s sound remarkably open and airy for a closed headphone, especially a portable one, but they are simply no match for the realistic timbre, openness and airyness of the 560. No way... The RE-400 sounds surprisingly open and smooth as well and I can actually imagine a closed headphone sounding like it being phenomenal, but I haven't found one, yet... 

I suppose since I am not bothered by it [and listening relatively quiet, having good ears] I'll refrain to buying only semi-open and open headphones only for portable use. I used the MA900 and X1 previously and it bothered nobody... So I shall come back to my old habits 

 That and the occasional IEMs and maybe an open sounding closed headphone [vented?] one day, perhaps, hopefully. 

 
 
Now I am back to my beloved 560s and they're simply sounding as great and gracious as ever. I am loving it. Just loving it. Though I can't but marvel at the future and what HFM can possibly do. A souped-up 560 with an even larger stage? A superior electrostat? Until, then I'll be with my 560s 

 And possibly lesser,open and portable headphones

 
The 560 is just the impeccably balanced and even sounding headphone compared to anything I've heard before and whenever I hear something else, I am constantly reminded by the 560 that it does most things better 

 
'Tis is the end of my story Have a marvelous day everyone! Good night and enjoy your 560s! [And know that you own a heck of a headphone 

 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

conquerator2 Have you tried the MDR-7520? They're a great closed and somewhat resembles the re400. Ortho like clarity, excellent bass impact, detail, and great extension. The mids are Sony and the highs extend well but not glaring. Doesn't play well with bad masters but amazing with great recordings.

 

[conquerator2]

They only had the 06 only unfortunately. Otherwise I certainly would have tried them.
I am looking at the Philips L2 as a possible future purchase atm or the X2. Or something along the lines. My portable setup will soon he based around the X1 - E12 setup, which should provide enough quality and drive for my needs, coupled with a portable headphone of choice

 

[Za Warudo]

E12 has a rather high noise floor, not useful for IEMs or easy to driveheadphones.

 

[olegausany]

conquerator2 Have you tried the MDR-7520? They're a great closed and somewhat resembles the re400. Ortho like clarity, excellent bass impact, detail, and great extension. The mids are Sony and the highs extend well but not glaring. Doesn't play well with bad masters but amazing with great recordings.

MDR-7520 have great sound but bad isolation, wish there would be headphones sounding like 7520 and have isolation of Alpha Dogs

 

[YtseJamer]

New review: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/headphones-and-earphones/headphones-and-earphones-reviews/hifiman-he-560-planar-magnetic-headphone-review.html

 

[Sinter]

I'm interested in knowing how owners would rank various aspects of the HE-560's on a scale of 1-10 to see if they mirror mine.

Initial quality
Construction
Materials
Comfort
Looks
Overall sound
Customer service
etc.

 

[TMRaven]

I do not know what initial quality is?
 
construction: 7/10
materials: 6/10
comfort: 8/10
looks: 7/10
overall sound: 9/10
customer service: 10/10

 

[MattTCG]

  I do not know what initial quality is?
 
construction: 7/10
materials: 5/10
comfort: 8/10
looks: 7/10
overall sound: 9/10
customer service: 10/10

 
This. Maybe a little higher for materials. 

 

[TMRaven]

Hmm, yea I think I'll change materials to 6 cause of the thick wood veneer.  I  think it's even too thick to be considered a veneer.

 

[Sinter]

I do not know what initial quality is?

construction: 7/10
materials: 6/10
comfort: 8/10
looks: 7/10
overall sound: 9/10
customer service: 10/10

Initial quality: rub marks, damaged box, veneer, etc

 

[Ultracer]

Initial quality: 6
Construction: 6
Materials: 8
Comfort: 9
Looks: 8
Overall sound: 9
Customer service: 6

 

[Sonic Defender]

  E12 has a rather high noise floor, not useful for IEMs or easy to driveheadphones.

Drove my M80 really well and does a great job with my XS. I'm not sure what you think, but I consider both of those headphones pretty easy to drive.

 

[mlxx]

Quote:

  Again, the 560 probably scales up just as much with upstream gear as the LCD3 does.  It might even alter its sound based on upstream gear moreso than the LCD3 because its overall frequency balance is more neutralish.
 

 
Again.. yeah most things scale up.. not the point.. getting a $2000 hp with a $200 amp isn't ideal. I wasn't trying to say the LCD3 is better than the HE560 etc. Just that you will get a lot more out of it. Anyway, I guess if your objective is to churn through headphones to spit out reviews then it doesn't really matter, so I will move along, nothing to see here.
 
 
 
Quote:

 
Hard hitting is an easy one to describe for me.  Whenever there's brief, but high dynamic peaks within a recording that arise from percussion hits, rather it be acoustic or synthesized, the amount of pressure you 'feel' the bass hits with.  I would definitely agree that the LCD-X hits harder in the bass than the LCD3, if only for the fact that it has more sub-bass than the LCD3 does from my memory.  LCD-X's bass was close to the quantity my HE-400 had.  LCD2 and LCD3 though, no.  Audezes do good at giving you lots of enveloping low tones, like with multiple cellos or a standup bass's plucks.  There's more a little more quantity there than with the 560, but when it comes to instantaneous bursts of energy, it doesn't really feel or sound as if it hits harder than the 560.  
 

 
LCD2/LCD3 doesn't hit hard?... oooooook... moving along...
 
 
Quote:

 
@mix, I am at a loss as to how it is the headphone can sometimes produce bass and other times fail to do so. That would indicate source differences (the songs I mean) or a defective headphone. They either work the same way all of the time, or they don't work. At least that has been my experience.

 
It doesn't come and go it is just not there, probably too neutral for me.

 

[Eric_C]

LCD2/LCD3 doesn't hit hard?... oooooook... moving along...

 
So do you feel that they hit hard, as per TM's definition?