[Arttt]

with 12 years old single malt scotch he560 sound better... make sure your legs are on coffee table and socks are off , this stuff is important and increase micro detail , makes soundstage deeper...
on the third glass mids get warm and intimate ....

 

[DavidA]

  with 12 years old single malt scotch he560 sound better... make sure your legs are on coffee table and socks are off , this stuff is important and increase micro detail , makes soundstage deeper...
on the third glass mids get warm and intimate ....

Nice to hear your impressions, I find that 3 beers has a similar effect but my GF prefers a glass of a full bodied cabernet, keeps the mids from becoming bloated

 

[Guidostrunk]

^^ I agree fellas. A couple 2 , 3 , 7 cocktails , and full immersion. Lol.

 

[Jazic]

Just got these and haven't finished burning em in yet but so far I find them to be very very open and detailed but a little anemic when it comes to bass. 
 
I screwed around with stock pads and some other pads and found that some angled velour pads sounded best of the bunch by far. They sounded similar to the leather angled pads but the velours actually sounded warmer and are more comfy.
 
Here are the velours: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZGFVEUE/
 
I've got a handful of pads and just for a breakdown of what I've discovered so far:
 

1. Stock Focus pads = bright and detailed with bass presence but lacks quantity not quality.
2. Brainwavz Angled Velour = darker sounding and warms up the sound by bringing out the sub bass.
3. Brainwavz Angled Leather = slightly less dark vs the angled velour but sound feels smaller like stage is squished a little.
4. Brainwavz Leather = Very similar to stock focus pads but with a touch more bass and sparkle up top.
5. Brainwavz Hybrid Velour/Leather = Increased soundstage but it sucked up most of the mids making it sparkle up top a bit more than focus pads. Bass was similar to leather but mostly overpowered by the highs.
6. Shure SRH1540 pads: Probably the most comfy pads I've ever used and these sounded similar to stock pads but brought out the mids just a touch more and tamed the upper highs some.

 
These are my quick notes and may vary but it's a good starting point for anyone wanting to pad roll.
 
Another hack I found is when i took apart the cheap velour stock pads for use with other pads I cut out a ring from a coffee can lid to give it some rigidness without being too thick. it still bends but it's 10x as rigid so it doesn't fold when putting the tight Brainwavz pads on. I used a few inches of tape on each of the 4 corners to stick them together. Worked like a charm! Any flexible but semi rigid plastic will do. 
 
 
I wish I had some spare pads so I could A/B these pads with HE400i's side by side quickly but so far comparing stock pads together the 400i has more sub bass and sparkle up top and the HE560 has more mids and larger stage and details. Now with the velour pads it's brought their sound similar by bringing out the HE560 sparkle, taming the slightly boosted mids and brings up the impact and punch of the sub bass. 
 
I'm sure with more burn-in it'll change a bit. I have noticed the HE400i changed for the better by getting more clear in the upper highs and more impact on the sub bass. 
 

 

[Guidostrunk]

Are those the brainwavz , angled velour pads in the pic? They look extremely comfortable.

Just got these and haven't finished burning em in yet but so far I find them to be very very open and detailed but a little anemic when it comes to bass. 

I screwed around with stock pads and some other pads and found that some angled velour pads sounded best of the bunch by far. They sounded similar to the leather angled pads but the velours actually sounded warmer and are more comfy.

Here are the velours: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZGFVEUE/

I've got a handful of pads and just for a breakdown of what I've discovered so far:

• Stock Focus pads = bright and detailed with bass presence but lacks quantity not quality.
• Brainwavz Angled Velour = darker sounding and warms up the sound by bringing out the sub bass.
• Brainwavz Angled Leather = slightly less dark vs the angled velour but sound feels smaller like stage is squished a little.
• Brainwavz Leather = Very similar to stock focus pads but with a touch more bass and sparkle up top.
• Brainwavz Hybrid Velour/Leather = Increased soundstage but it sucked up most of the mids making it sparkle up top a bit more than focus pads. Bass was similar to leather but mostly overpowered by the highs.
• Shure SRH1540 pads: Probably the most comfy pads I've ever used and these sounded similar to stock pads but brought out the mids just a touch more and tamed the upper highs some.

These are my quick notes and may vary but it's a good starting point for anyone wanting to pad roll.

Another hack I found is when i took apart the cheap velour stock pads for use with other pads I cut out a ring from a coffee can lid to give it some rigidness without being too thick. it still bends but it's 10x as rigid so it doesn't fold when putting the tight Brainwavz pads on. I used a few inches of tape on each of the 4 corners to stick them together. Worked like a charm! Any flexible but semi rigid plastic will do. 


I wish I had some spare pads so I could A/B these pads with HE400i's side by side quickly but so far comparing stock pads together the 400i has more sub bass and sparkle up top and the HE560 has more mids and larger stage and details. Now with the velour pads it's brought their sound similar by bringing out the HE560 sparkle, taming the slightly boosted mids and brings up the impact and punch of the sub bass. 

I'm sure with more burn-in it'll change a bit. I have noticed the HE400i changed for the better by getting more clear in the upper highs and more impact on the sub bass. 

 

[Jazic]

Are those the brainwavz , angled velour pads in the pic? They look extremely comfortable.

They are indeed. I linked the URL to their amazon page.

 

[Gavin C4]

Wow, these brain waves pads seems very decent! Interested into changing into them, I would order them shortly. 

 

[Jazic]

I was surprised at how the velour sounded warmer and brought out the bass punch better than the angled leather pads did.

Comfort is still pretty decent. I have a huge head so I'm still adjusting the tension so it's less of a vice grip on my head.

 

[Gavin C4]

The angled leather pads should be thicker, that brings your hear further away from the driver. Maybe this is the reason that you hear less punch. I think I will be getting the Brainwavz flat velour pads instead of the angled version. 

 

[drwlf]

  The angled leather pads should be thicker, that brings your hear further away from the driver. Maybe this is the reason that you hear less punch. I think I will be getting the Brainwavz flat velour pads instead of the angled version. 

 
I hope I read your post correctly:
Isn't it actually the other way around (in general with Hifiman drivers), there being an apex point where the bass "punch" is the strongest, it being a wee bit further than the one achieved with stock Focuspads, i.e. angled Brainwavz' having a stronger bass response, them being pleather, velour or hybrids.

 

[Jiggybutt]

After very much reading and a discount at a store in my country, I finally decided to order the 560. I thank you all for everything you vrote, wich led to me making up my mind. Where I live it is really impossible to go anywhere to listen to quality headphones before buying them. Now I am looking for a good amp to drive my new he-560! I currently have the original schiit stack, magni and modi, and thinking about the asgard 2 or maybe a tube amp like Litte dot mk3, has anyone tried it with 560?

 

[DavidA]

  After very much reading and a discount at a store in my country, I finally decided to order the 560. I thank you all for everything you vrote, wich led to me making up my mind. Where I live it is really impossible to go anywhere to listen to quality headphones before buying them. Now I am looking for a good amp to drive my new he-560! I currently have the original schiit stack, magni and modi, and thinking about the asgard 2 or maybe a tube amp like Litte dot mk3, has anyone tried it with 560?

You might want to look at the new schiit Jotunhiem, and if looking for a new DAC then you can get the Jot with a DAC built in.
 
I've had the original Modi/Magni stack and they don't drive the HE-560 very well, a little thin, bass lite and not dynamic sounding.  I still have my Asgard2 but to me this is not a good pairing with the HE-560 since both are a touch on the brighter side, there are some who like this pairing so YMMV.  I wouldn't recommend the LD Mk3 for the HE-650 since its an OTL design for high impedance headphones like the HD-6XX or 250ohm Beyers.  I'm currently using a Lyr2 and it drives the HE-650 quite well but is a little tube dependent.

 

[doctorjazz]

I've used the Liquid Carbon, the RSA RS-2, and the MicroZOTL2, all of which drive the 560 well to my ears.

 

[raybone0566]

560's back from hifiman waiting at the house. Going to put these and my audio Gd nfb1 amp up for sale. Anyone interested in this combo 950.00 and it's yours.

 

[Jiggybutt]

  You might want to look at the new schiit Jotunhiem, and if looking for a new DAC then you can get the Jot with a DAC built in.
 
I've had the original Modi/Magni stack and they don't drive the HE-560 very well, a little thin, bass lite and not dynamic sounding.  I still have my Asgard2 but to me this is not a good pairing with the HE-560 since both are a touch on the brighter side, there are some who like this pairing so YMMV.  I wouldn't recommend the LD Mk3 for the HE-650 since its an OTL design for high impedance headphones like the HD-6XX or 250ohm Beyers.  I'm currently using a Lyr2 and it drives the HE-650 quite well but is a little tube dependent.

Have you listened to the jotunheim? I've googled it for a few minutes now, but cant really find a good review of the sound it has. I guess it's quite new on the market.