[Voxata]

No problems here.. on Fiio X5/A5 or Mimby/jot. Pm me a link I'd love to help.

 

[DavidA]

  OK, I need some serious help....
I'm on my second pair of 560s, brand new. I originally sent the first pair back because of a raspy distortion on monumental sections of many songs. More than one song, many songs, had portions of this distortion.  Most of my stuff played fine. Most tracks on a recording were fine, except for the now and then raspy distortion here and there (enough to irritate me to no end) Second pair came in and I was anxious to NOT hear that distortion, only to find out indeed it was there on many of the same songs.  Here is what is weird and why I don't think it is the recordings. I will go back to some of the culprits and the sound is not distorted, listen to a variety of things and the distortion is off again on again.  But mostly on during the culprit sections, but not always. I know, weird.
 
I run it direct from the Sony HAP-S1, volume 50 to 60. 
 
Questions:
Can someone answer what are the sound characteristics of an under (amplification) powered 560? Is raspy distortion part of that?  
 
Would anyone be willing to have me share one of the distorted files on dropbox and share it with you to see if you are getting the distortion? Is there a PM feature here?
 
Since I don't have time to get an amplifier, what suggestion would you offer to find one to test? I know that if these headphones are defective, I would need to return them soon.
But it just seems so odd to have two pair with the same problem. That is four total because each cup has the problem. and you would think that a messed up membrane would be rarely on all four cups from two pair. I'm in a total quandary.
 
Or if there are any double blind tests that I can do to find what the real problem is, please let me know.
Just another question, are there bad headphones that circulate around the vendors? Could I be getting refurbished or returns? Yeah, I only paid $550 on the first pair which were tagged as barely used demos. And I was very grateful that my seller replaced them and even more surprised that he offered to send me a brand new pair as the replacement. (If your canine needed a shave he would go to this vendor)  
 
Could you tag or forward this to someone you know that would absolutely know the answers? Thanks 

A HE-560 under amped usually sounds thin and lacks bass, but raspy distortion at music peaks or monumental sections might also cause distortion.
 
There is a possibility that you could have gotten 2 defective pairs if all the drivers were from the same batch which would account for all drivers being defective.
 
Might want to return them and try another vendor, not what you want to hear but might be a better solution.

 

[Voxata]

That song you referenced in the PM to me has some distortion in the lyrics for me. Verified using HE-560 and DT770 on Mimby+Jot. Drums etc come in powerful and clear, however her voice in certain areas has distortion. 

 

[iclickjohn]

That song you referenced in the PM to me has some distortion in the lyrics for me. Verified using HE-560 and DT770 on Mimby+Jot. Drums etc come in powerful and clear, however her voice in certain areas has distortion. 

Thank you for your help. I did find a local audiophile from the club I belong to. Visited his home and did a double blind test. My 560s were flawless on his headphone tube amp. And his headphones (inexpensive cones) did not show distortion from my HAP S1. Conclusion, the 560s must not like the headphone jack and I feel driving them from an amp From the outputs, should (I hope) solve this problem.

 

[Voxata]

You may try driving from the speaker taps directly. PM me and I'll give you a schematic for wiring them to do so.

 

[grape ape]

I've read a lot about these headphones but one thing I can't figure out from the reviews and impressions is what kind of music these headphones are suited for. I've been getting a lot of miles out of a pair of K702's but the only thing those cans are good for are live recording and classical music which for the last 6 years has been the only music I listened to. 
 
However for the last few months rock and indie music has been creeping back into my rotations and the k702s haven't been cutting it as rock feels like drinking flat soda through those cans. I just bought a used pair just out of curiosity but are they suited for rock and or roll?

 

[raybone0566]

I've read a lot about these headphones but one thing I can't figure out from the reviews and impressions is what kind of music these headphones are suited for. I've been getting a lot of miles out of a pair of K702's but the only thing those cans are good for are live recording and classical music which for the last 6 years has been the only music I listened to. 

However for the last few months rock and indie music has been creeping back into my rotations and the k702s haven't been cutting it as rock feels like drinking flat soda through those cans. I just bought a used pair just out of curiosity but are they suited for rock and or roll?

560's do rock & indie very well. You should be fine. Amp matching is important

 

[grape ape]

yeah I've read that. I'm currently doing research. I'm not sure my current amp which is a tube MOSFET hybrid will cut it but I'll wait until they get here. 

 

[Joong]

Gustard h10 or A20H is good for the phones.

 

[grape ape]

Gustard h10 or A20H is good for the phones.

The h10 seems to be in my price range. I'll try to be patient and see if one comes up used before I make a decide. Thanks for the tip. 

 

[ToddRaymond]

yeah I've read that. I'm currently doing research. I'm not sure my current amp which is a tube MOSFET hybrid will cut it but I'll wait until they get here. 

Sounds like a good amp topology to pair with the 560s. Genre-wise, I found it work well with everything (though I don't listen to any EDM, or much metal, hip hop, or super dynamically compressed pop).

 

[ascl]

Sounds like a good amp topology to pair with the 560s. Genre-wise, I found it work well with everything (though I don't listen to any EDM, or much metal, hip hop, or super dynamically compressed pop).

I listen to mostly metal and a bit of EDM... and I think the 560s work fantastically well with it (FWIW I run mine off a Violetric V100).

 

[grape ape]

I hope so but the amp is dark and warm which might bring out exactly what I don't want. I don't want to push the 560's into HD650 territory (I know that's hyperbolic, it's just an amp) I want to bring them forward which would be going solid state. Like I said, I'll wait til they get here since it's all just me taking guesses at this point. I'm just so excited to get my first planer headphones!

 

[Voxata]

I can vouch for Jot and the 560. Truly stellar. Schiit also has that nice return policy.. word of warning though, it'll pass that DAC signal through strong (My iDSD was a bit harsh, etc) and Mimby has done well. If you've a budget for that combo anyways, there is a return period too.

 

[DavidA]

  I hope so but the amp is dark and warm which might bring out exactly what I don't want. I don't want to push the 560's into HD650 territory (I know that's hyperbolic, it's just an amp) I want to bring them forward which would be going solid state. Like I said, I'll wait til they get here since it's all just me taking guesses at this point. I'm just so excited to get my first planer headphones!

Depending on the sound signature that I want from the HE-560 I just roll tubes in the Lyr2, you can go from slightly warm to bright quite easily.