[tvnosaint]

After nearly two years I have regrettably come to the decision of selling my Hifiman HE-560s. I've come to really enjoy the sound on these headphones, took them to my local Headfi meet and happened to prefer the sound signature to nearly all the others I heard there. The issue for me is the longevity of these headphones, I bought new earpads some months ago due to the seams on my previous ones opening up (revealing the foam insider) and within the last week I've noticed that the new set are coming undone just like the first pair. Issues like these makes me question the quality of the headphone ( or products from China in general), a week before this my Gustard Dac X12 that I've had for probably about half a year now is outputting static noises every now and then when I have a listen. This has forced me to go back to my Schiit Stack (I'll soon be replacing the Gustard with the Joutenheim if I can ever get the Gustard issue resolved).  I've known of a few people who have had quality control issues before (some within this thread), that along with the fact that the owner of Hifiman has gone money crazy means I no longer have faith in this headphone and the brand as a whole. With that said, I'm looking for a new set of headphones (ones that'll be upgrade in sound and not have me questioning the longevity. The Focal Elear came to mind but the not so great treble extension takes it off my list, the HD800S came to mind as a solid all rounder.... I was wondering if anyone could give me a comparison between the sound of the HD800S (aka the new ones) and the 560s which I know the majority of us in this thread are quite familiar with. Thanks in advance.

You may want to look into zmf headphones. My ori really cut the 560 out of my rotation. But it is only semiopen. There are some great deals on used ones here as well. Good luck

 

[monoxyde1234]

so I just got a response from Mark of hifiman customer support with regards to replacement headbands for my he-560's:
 

  Hi, assuming your out of warranty then we offer a replacement option where you can send your headphone to us and we swap it.  The fee for that is US$50 plus US$30 for the return shipping, you bare the cost of the initial shipping your headphone to us.  
 
Mark

 
So with this option, I'd be looking to spend around $100 just for replacing my headbands, well It will get swapped with a new unit after all, but just can't justify the price with just the broken headbands.
 
Needless to say, I emailed them back just to clarify if they can just ship me a set of new headbands, just in case Mark misread my inquiry. 
If not, then I also tried my luck and asked if I can just swap my He-560's for a higher-end model for a reasonable price. (fingers crossed)

 

[monoxyde1234]

  so I just got a response from Mark of hifiman customer support with regards to replacement headbands for my he-560's:
 

Hi, assuming your out of warranty then we offer a replacement option where you can send your headphone to us and we swap it.  The fee for that is US$50 plus US$30 for the return shipping, you bare the cost of the initial shipping your headphone to us.  
 
Mark

 
So with this option, I'd be looking to spend around $100 just for replacing my headbands, well It will get swapped with a new unit after all, but just can't justify the price with just the broken headbands.
 
Needless to say, I emailed them back just to clarify if they can just ship me a set of new headbands, just in case Mark misread my inquiry. 
If not, then I also tried my luck and asked if I can just swap my He-560's for a higher-end model for a reasonable price. (fingers crossed)

 
Well It took less than 30 minutes to get a response this time

  Hi, sorry no we no longer make parts separately available.
 
If you would like to however send the whole thing back and make it a part exchange we could knock something off for you.  Didi you have something in particular in mind?
 
Mark

 
Alas, that's a definitive no for replacement headbands. But something better might come out of it...

 

[drwlf]

  so I just got a response from Mark of hifiman customer support with regards to replacement headbands for my he-560's:
 
 
So with this option, I'd be looking to spend around $100 just for replacing my headbands, well It will get swapped with a new unit after all, but just can't justify the price with just the broken headbands.
 
Needless to say, I emailed them back just to clarify if they can just ship me a set of new headbands, just in case Mark misread my inquiry. 
If not, then I also tried my luck and asked if I can just swap my He-560's for a higher-end model for a reasonable price. (fingers crossed)

 
Just a month or two back they stopped the service completely/price was 200$+30$
http://archive.is/utYRp
http://archive.is/Xx1nc
http://archive.is/J7T1O
 
Now deleted from reddit, backlash reduced the price the older one/Fang mentioned this in the Edition 6-thread being an "error".

 

[ToddRaymond]

You may want to look into zmf headphones. My ori really cut the 560 out of my rotation. But it is only semiopen. There are some great deals on used ones here as well. Good luck

Riiight. Been meaning to look into those—thanks for the suggestion! I am sort of in the same boat as ZekeAdebayo. I never had an issue with my 560s in the short while I owned them, but now that I have the funds again, I'm not sure that they are the best choice, long-term. I take good care of my stuff, but even still, I'm not sure I'd able to get more than a couple of years out of them. Though I love the sound they produce, and the comfort even more.

 

[ToddRaymond]

Thanks for sharing that, monoxyde1234. That's very reassuring that they're able to offer that outside of warranty. $100 or so to me isn't too bad at all, should something happen. That Ori does look pretty badass though....

 

[tvnosaint]

All the zmfs are built like tanks. Maybe someone in your area has one. The only area the 560 beats them in is air. Because it's open. I still enjoy the 560 and have no plans to sell it. Open headphones are easier on my ears. I've had no issues with my 560 though. I bought it used in May 2015.

 

[monoxyde1234]

 
 
Just an update on resolving My He-560 broken headband thru Hifiman support.
 
 
Quote:

  Hi, there, by the little calculation the move form your broken HE560 to a new Edition X v2 would be US$630 plus US$30 shipping and you would be responsible for the initial shipping of your 560 to us.  How does that sound to you?
 
Mark

 
 
Needless to say, I'm going ahead with this deal. That couldn't have gone any better in my opinion 

 
Quote:

 

  so I just got a response from Mark of hifiman customer support with regards to replacement headbands for my he-560's:
 

Hi, assuming your out of warranty then we offer a replacement option where you can send your headphone to us and we swap it.  The fee for that is US$50 plus US$30 for the return shipping, you bare the cost of the initial shipping your headphone to us.  
 
Mark

 
So with this option, I'd be looking to spend around $100 just for replacing my headbands, well It will get swapped with a new unit after all, but just can't justify the price with just the broken headbands.
 
Needless to say, I emailed them back just to clarify if they can just ship me a set of new headbands, just in case Mark misread my inquiry. 
If not, then I also tried my luck and asked if I can just swap my He-560's for a higher-end model for a reasonable price. (fingers crossed)

 
Well It took less than 30 minutes to get a response this time

Hi, sorry no we no longer make parts separately available.
 
If you would like to however send the whole thing back and make it a part exchange we could knock something off for you.  Didi you have something in particular in mind?
 
Mark

 
Alas, that's a definitive no for replacement headbands. But something better might come out of it...

 

[DavidA]

@monoxyde1234, thanks for posting the updated situation with your broken headband.  It really sucks the way Hifiman is handling the problem if a person doesn't want to upgrade like you (I'm one of them) since I didn't care for the Edition X or 1K when I heard them at a friends house last year.  I guess I'll wait for the HE-350 from massdrop to come available again or look for a used on just to get the headband and maybe do some experimenting with the housing with alternate drivers.

 

[nicoragua]

I was wondering, what would be a nice upgrade from a Gustard H10 for my HE 560 + Bimby. I wanted to go for Eddie Current BW, but it's unavailable.
Price limit : 1500€.
Nice to have : European distributor.
Thanks!

 

[DavidA]

  I was wondering, what would be a nice upgrade from a Gustard H10 for my HE 560 + Bimby. I wanted to go for Eddie Current BW, but it's unavailable.
Price limit : 1500€.
Nice to have : European distributor.
Thanks!

http://www.iconaudio.com/main-products/icon-audio-hp8-mkii/
 
http://www.violectric.com/
 
Both European distributors

 

[drwlf]

  http://www.iconaudio.com/main-products/icon-audio-hp8-mkii/
 
http://www.violectric.com/
 
Both European distributors

I wonder how iFi iCAN Pro or SPL Phonitor x/e fares, I doubt you can go wrong with those, European and around the 1.5k€ mark

 

[Steve Wilcox]

There's some HE 560 deals on Amazon UK on that look like they might be too good to be true. What do think? Does buying through Amazon provide any assurance that you're buying from a bona fide seller?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00LMSR5OS/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

 

[drwlf]

There's some HE 560 deals on Amazon UK on that look like they might be too good to be true. What do think? Does buying through Amazon provide any assurance that you're buying from a bona fide seller?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00LMSR5OS/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

 
Those contact me here-listings with ridiculously low prices in all Amazons are all fakes/scams, and it's been going on for ages now.
The storefront on these scammers have 2000+ pages of items with these prices, and some capslocked contact me-crap.
Sometimes they're not even "new sellers", but reputable old vendors with lots of good feedback - they've just been hacked.
It takes a while for Amazon to remove these, but they should be gone in a matter of minutes/hours.
 
(If you do buy some of these listings via Amazon, you'll get your money back eventually.) but obviously:
DO NOT CONTACT THEM/SEND MONEY OUTSIDE OF AMAZON. EVER.

 

[nicolo]

  I was wondering, what would be a nice upgrade from a Gustard H10 for my HE 560 + Bimby. I wanted to go for Eddie Current BW, but it's unavailable.
Price limit : 1500€.
Nice to have : European distributor.
Thanks!

 
The best amp i have ever heard with the HE-560 is the Yulong Sabre A18 amp. It's discontinued now, so see if you can one second hand or on sale.
The Airist Audio Heron 5 is also spectacular with the HE-560s. Same foes for the MicroZotl-2. The Cayin iHA-6 is also an excellent pairing.
 
All of these are well within your budget.