[WhiskeyJacks]

Does anyone know of any Universal IEMs that have a similar sound to the HE-560 by chance? within the 500dollar ballpark. everything I have tried just kind of leaves disappointed and I know that details and that big sound are not going to be there coming from the HE-560 but is also the tonality and signature

 

[conquerator2]

Does anyone know of any Universal IEMs that have a similar sound to the HE-560 by chance? within the 500dollar ballpark. everything I have tried just kind of leaves disappointed and I know that details and that big sound are not going to be there coming from the HE-560 but is also the tonality and signature

Have you triedHiFiMAN's own RE-400/RE-600?
I tried both and both are very good.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Have you triedHiFiMAN's own RE-400/RE-600?
I tried both and both are very good.

I had the RE-400 and it was pretty good considering the price. I would consider the RE-600, I am looking at the Noble 4 right now because from how people describe it may of some tonality that is similar to the HE-560

 

[uelover]

  I had the RE-400 and it was pretty good considering the price. I would consider the RE-600, I am looking at the Noble 4 right now because from how people describe it may of some tonality that is similar to the HE-560

 
No, way.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

   
No, way.

 Why No, way. ?

 

[TMRaven]

I've bent my headband multiple times at the bends.  Haven't snapped my headband yet.

 

[monoxyde1234]

My ears have had the pleasure of listening to the he560 for a month now and have been accustomed to its sound signature coming from an "entry level headfi" denon d2000 which have served me well for over 2 years.

While i usually do my own research and read countless threads when seeking for advice on which equipment to get and how to set them up, I am in no way a seasoned audiophile and curiosity could always get the
worse of me, so i'd like to seek advice on how to pair a dac and amp on my current setup which goes like this:

laptop/computer>av receiver (via hdmi)>he560(via receiver headphone out)(i acknowledge the great transgression i've made)

while i did consider connecting an amp/dac setup directly to my laptop, i'd like to know *if there's a way // whats the best way" to connect an amp/dac setup via my receiver, getting its signal from my laptop via hdmi
and the reason i'm asking is i also use my tv as my primary display for my laptop and while i know i can just feed my receiver with a video signal via hdmi and connect an amp/dac setup via usb, having the option of
having all my equipment connected through my receiver and the convenience of switching from my headphones to my HT speakers entices me to pursue such a setup.

to better illustrate my question:

setup 1: main problem, aside from a less than ideal chain, is that the dac would only be feeding on one source's signal (laptop)

 
Setup2:
problems depending on the setup, a) if i can connect my dac to my av receiver such that the audio signal bypasses the receiver's dac/amp, it could lead to my dac
being fed with signals other than what its supposed to receive (dts, dolby, 5.1, 7.1 signals) which could potentially open a can of worms, which leads me to option
b) connect my dac to the receiver such that the receiver processes any audio signal and feed the dac with a proper signal, which could also potentially open a can of
a different set of worms.

 


either way, even if it turns out to be an exercise in futility, i might just get away without a dedicated dac and with just an amp. what do you guys think?

 

[money4me247]

^^^ lol it's not that complicated. just laptop > amp (with pre-amp speaker outputs) > headphones. this gives you ability to switch to speakers. dac optional.
 
most people here profess that a dedicated amp & dac will outperform a general purpose A/V receiver. not sure how accurate that claim is, but you can side-by-side test your own gear to see.
 
edit: if you are connecting through an AV receiver with its own amp & dac, it is pointless to add further amp/dacs to the chain. just pick one.

 

[monoxyde1234]

as with anything i have the faintest the idea of, i do tend to over complicate things 

 anyways, thank you for explaining and clarifying things for me ^^ , and so my journey goes.

and on the interest of contributing impressions, coming from a denon d2000, the he560 is simply a revelation in terms of detail, its natural and expansive presentation, and sound signature.
percussions just have the right amount of impact and weight that it feels natural, vocals are ever so present and engaging without being over/under emphasized against all other instruments,
and highs are something i'd call sweet without any hint of harshness which the d2000s suffers by alot. I'd say it just shines effortlessly with acoustic/jazz/instrumental genres.

I have to admit though, as a lot around here have already said, that for people coming from a more mainstream sound signature (v-shaped bass boosted) headphones, it might lack in
bass rumble, which the denons can effortlessly produce but in return, suffer in lack of detail, which the he560 effortlessly reproduces, even with the most nuanced of details. 
Some might also find it lacking in that high octane energy on some rock/metal/grunge genres. dont get me wrong, it does have a lot of energy but im thinking due to its natural presentation,
it does suffer on such genres that demand a very forward and energetic presentation, which some might call lacking a nudge of life.

To sum things up, the he560 is in no way the one ring to rule them all. the hd800 excels in detail, while the th900 excels in bass, while both the he560 and lcd 3 is in the middle,
he560 being closer to the hd800, and lcd 3 just a hair closer to th900. With the he560's lighter weight against the lcd3, its more impactful bass against the hd800, and its
sweet highs against the th900 harsh tendencies, its easier to drive drivers against its older borther he6, not to mention its sub $1000 price,
the he560's can in no doubt claim to be the best compromise/balance/value out of all the 5, well for me at least 

 yet again, in this hobby, its all very YMMV

P.S. could it be that sauron is wearing stax?

 

[bl42ed0]

So I'm probably going to get my HE-560 within a few weeks after having used the HE-500 and the LCD2.2 for the past 2 years. Do you think the 560 can replace both the 500 and the LCD2.2? I love female vocals and female vocals in electronic music....simply fantastic. Because of these tastes, I had a preference of using the 500s for electonica or top40 music whereas I used the LCD2 for rock, classic rock, jazz, instrumentals, etc, etc. I've been just using a piece of Schitt Modi as the dac to run from my computer to either an EF5 with aTelefunken ECC822 tube or a Mjolnir. So should I keep all 3 because they're all different gear I can use for different listening sessions or is the 560 a better version of the 500 where I can begin to sell it?

Also, EF5 or a Mjolnir to power an he-560? If the EF5, what are the best tubes for the 560? If the Mjolnir, what's the best XLR cable I can get for the 560? Thanks.

 

[Ekul61]

Who has owned a 400i for a month or more before moving to the 560. How does the 560 compared to the 400i? Seems like they sound much better after burn in.

 

[Pooger]

Monoxyde: a few questions
1. What type of files do you listen to? Mainly mp3, or lossless CD, or?
2. Do you want to feed your HT speakers ever with those same files, or are your headphones your main way of "serious" listening?

If you're listening to even lossless CD resolution files, chances are that you can beat the built in DAC in your AV receiver for $200 to $300.. MP3 files, it's probably not worth it. If you want to also listen to your files through your HT speakers, then I would go laptop> DAC > AV receiver (use an aux input, so you're just feeding the analog out from your DAC). I'm also certain you can beat (waywaybeat) the headphone out from you AV receiver with an amp--and your impression about the sound of the 560s will really be different. Ideally, you'd go straight from the DAC to the amp, but you could also go with the set up above, and feed the amp from your receiver--there will be a pre amp out connection on the back, that you can connect to the amp. This will not be as good as the direct connection, but you can listen to it both ways and decide. Less expensive amps that people here seem to love with the 560s are Lyr 2 and Project Polaris (or it's tube sister, Ember).

If you can borrow a good headphone amp, you can try using the AV built in DAC, and output to the amp, to see what the difference is. If I were going to buy these one at a time, I'd probably start with the separate amp first, then add the DAC. A well matched amp will really make the 560s sing.

 

[monoxyde1234]

Pooger, to answer your questions
 
1) I listen to lossless files as much as i can but use mp3 if it cant be helped, amd based on my recent listening habits, id say its 70/30 lossless/lossy, 70% of the time listening to music
and the other 30% researching for them 

 
2) its more of a convenience than anything for me i feed my HT with lossless files. I'd say id be reaching for my headphones 9/10 when i want to "hear" the music and use my 
HT if there is no one around and i want to "feel" the music or if their are friends over. if i put it in terms of my drinking habits, headphones are like a bottle of wine or a 10 year old whiskey where i can just sit back, relax,
and enjoy it everyday, and my HT is more of a vodka or tequila, for i times when there are friends over and i feel like getting wasted 

and as per your suggestion, thanks and going forward, i'd probably end up with your suggested setup, laptop(usb)>dac(aux)>receiver(pre-amp out)>amp>headphones. 

 

[uelover]

   Why No, way. ?

 
The Noble 4 is a great sounding IEM. So is the RE600.
 
However, they do not sound similar to the HE560.
 
Off my head I can't think of an IEM that sounded similar to the HE560.

 

[olegausany]

Pooger, to answer your questions
 
1) I listen to lossless files as much as i can but use mp3 if it cant be helped, amd based on my recent listening habits, id say its 70/30 lossless/lossy, 70% of the time listening to music
and the other 30% researching for them 

 
2) its more of a convenience than anything for me i feed my HT with lossless files. I'd say id be reaching for my headphones 9/10 when i want to "hear" the music and use my 
HT if there is no one around and i want to "feel" the music or if their are friends over. if i put it in terms of my drinking habits, headphones are like a bottle of wine or a 10 year old whiskey where i can just sit back, relax,
and enjoy it everyday, and my HT is more of a vodka or tequila, for i times when there are friends over and i feel like getting wasted 

and as per your suggestion, thanks and going forward, i'd probably end up with your suggested setup, laptop(usb)>dac(aux)>receiver(pre-amp out)>amp>headphones. 

If you have $1200 you can do the following.Get Oppo HA-1 which is great Dac/amp combo.You will connect it to your laptop with USB cable and plug your headphones to headphones out. You connect your reciever's AUX input and HA-1's preamp out using RCA cable and enable bypass in HA-1's settings. So when you want to use headphones you just start your music,put headphones on your head adjust HA-1's volume and enjoy your music. If you want to use speakers you either unplug or mute headphones out, turn on your reciever, adjust it's volume if needed and enjoy your music