[Brahmsian]

my new 560 clamps pretty tight.

Yeah I think my main concern right now is comfort. I was just listening to Brahms's 3rd on the 400i and thinking that actually a slightly better 400i wouldn't be such a bad thing. Classical sounds very nice to me on the 400i, my main complaint being that it sounds too congested. I expect that the 560 would be less congested with a slightly larger soundstage and more air at the top.

 

[abvolt]

Wish some of these other makers of hp's would run sales like hifiman, I think they did the same thing with there he-500's, 3 or so years ago it's excellent I sure would like to see the he-1000 v2 on sale..enjoy

 

[DavidA]

Yeah I think my main concern right now is comfort. I was just listening to Brahms's 3rd on the 400i and thinking that actually a slightly better 400i wouldn't be such a bad thing. Classical sounds very nice to me on the 400i, my main problem being that it sounds too congested. I expect that the 560 would be less congested with a slightly larger soundstage and more air at the top.

For classical the HE560 is quite a bit better than the HE400i IMO, the sound stage is wider and deeper, highs better extended and smoother but the choice of amp should also be considered. Some say the HE560 needs a lot of power, but its the quality of the power that is more important than the "watts"

 

[mandrake50]

So far this does not match with what I am hearing. Granted I have not spent that much time with the new ones, nor done a direct comparison. The upper midrange /lower treble seems smoother and actually there is a bit less sibilance than what I remember. Low end seems a bit fuller. They will bake for a few days (like 7 or 8) and I will take the previous model out and compare them. It has been a while since I spent much time with the 560s. Audio memory is so fleeting and unreliable. Who knows.

A definite yes to stretching the headband frame.. I had forgotten how tight these are on the head without doing that. The new ones definitely put pressure on the ear pads when hanging and not on the head.

 

[Russian1]

I just got a new set of HE 560s. I have wondered over time why my impressions of the original set I have didn't match what others have reported. This new set is definitely different from my first set. I have not listened extensively nor done an A_B comparisons yet. But I plan to. I wonder if what I am hearing is simply unit to unit variations or due to some changes that have been made over time. I will put some hours on the new ones before making any final determination. The old ones do have hundreds of hours on them. Hifiman says 150 hours of break in. Though not a big believer in burn in... I will comply with their recommendation.

Has anyone had the chance to directly compare one of the early variations with the most recent model?

BTW, these things are real stiff.. mechanically. The pivots for the cups take some considerable force to move the cups. I am having to adjust the phones on my head with both hands to get a decent seal. The clamp is much higher than my original set. This could be age and use, but I don't remember the older ones being this tight. No problem, of course, I can stretch them out some. Just a few observations.

Fortunately I see no QC issues and the drivers seems to be performing equally.

So you bought one more set of HE 560s?
And you still own the first HE 560 which you had bought a long time ago?
What's the point?

I mean HE 560 are excellent cans, I can confirm that as I've had them for several years, and they are my favorite.
But having two sets of HE 560 is something I've never heard of...

 

[DavidA]

So you bought one more set of HE 560s?
And you still own the first HE 560 which you had bought a long time ago?
What's the point?

I mean HE 560 are excellent cans, I can confirm that as I've had them for several years, and they are my favorite.
But having two sets of HE 560 is something I've never heard of...

While I don't have 2 HE560's currently, I did for a short period have 2 but ended up giving one to my son and I currently have 2 HD700's and 2 Nhoord Red V2's in cups made of different woods.

Also, the 2 HE560's that @mandrake50 have are from different times, the old one is with the SMC jacks and back plate while the newer one is 2.5mm jack without the back plate IIRC.

 

[mandrake50]

So you bought one more set of HE 560s?
And you still own the first HE 560 which you had bought a long time ago?
What's the point?

I mean HE 560 are excellent cans, I can confirm that as I've had them for several years, and they are my favorite.
But having two sets of HE 560 is something I've never heard of...

The point is that I have had a hard time warming to the original version, even though many here rave about them. I have always had a suspicion that my originals were somehow different. With the sale, I figure I could afford to try long term with my gear and compare. One of them will be sold... maybe both. With all of the headphones I have I don't need to keep ones around that I don't use regularly.
Most listening recently has been done with either the HE1K or my (relatively) new Aeons.

So now you have heard of it... two sets of HE 560s

 

[Brahmsian]

The ¼ inch plug on the HE560 doesn't work well with my listening habits, which nowadays is almost completely from my laptop or phone. Don't like the idea of an adapter because the cable begins getting a little heavy. Hifiman sells this cable http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/crystalline-cable-3-5mm-trs-plug.html with a ⅛ plug. According to them, it works with the 560. Anybody try it? Or is there a cheaper cable that is just as good? By the way, is that cable the same one that came with my 400i?

 

[DavidA]

The ¼ inch plug on the HE560 doesn't work well with my listening habits, which nowadays is almost completely from my laptop or phone. Don't like the idea of an adapter because the cable begins getting a little heavy. Hifiman sells this cable http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/crystalline-cable-3-5mm-trs-plug.html with a ⅛ plug. According to them, it works with the 560. Anybody try it? Or is there a cheaper cable that is just as good? By the way, is that cable the same one that came with my 400i?

If you are only using a laptop then I wouldn't recommend the HE560 only because I have been disappointed every time I tried the HE560 directly from a laptop or desktop system even if the system had a decent sound card like the STX. The cable that comes with the HE400i (shorter and right angle 1/8" jack) is different than the one that comes with the HE560 (longer and 1/4" jack), also the one that you linked to is a different type of wire than the stock one. To me there are many better cables at a cheaper price but its even cheaper for me to just build my own.

 

[Brahmsian]

Thanks for the advice. It was either the 400i or the 560, and I've decided to stick with the 400i for now..
________________

Headfonics sums up their 400i/560 comparison this way:



It sounds to me like there's a lot of truth to Headfonic's assessment. It's just that it implies that the 400i isn't good at classical. Granting the 560 is better, the 400i is still highly recommendable if you don't care too much about "being flatter, more linear and more neutral" and just want an enchanting and enjoyable sound. To my ears, the 400i is a little dark-sounding, and not analytical and accurate, but it's very warm and inviting. I spent every spare moment this weekend trying to decide whether I could live with it as a classical music headphone. The answer turned out to be yes. Despite its shortcomings, it's a very musical and engaging classical music experience.The strange thing is that I don't like it for any other genre. For pop and rock, which the reviewer recommends it for, I will reach for my M1060s almost every time.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Ok folks,

So...... I've been wanting to post about this for some time.
This is for everyone that is using angle pads on their 560's. I've had my 560's for over a year now and have always fiddled with the placement of the FAT part of the pads.
For me, I would always revert to the 7 o'clock position with the pad placement. Here's a diagram of what I mean.

For me the 7 o'clock position seems to be the most comfortable, and the preferred sound with pad placement. The fat part just seems like the best place at 7 , because it's the most recessed spot in the circumference around the ear.
I've moved them from 9 , all the way down. At 7, things become more center focused. Height in the stage increases, and bass presence seems fuller. But, that's just my subjective findings.
From scanning pics over time of others pad placement. It always seems like they're at the 9 position. To me they never felt quite comfortable there , and it seemed to collapse the height.

I'm super curious if anyone else has messed with this. It could be my ocd at the end of the day lol.

Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts if they've tried, or are willing to try it.

Thanks!

 

[Brahmsian]

HE-560 can ship with a 3.5mm plug if you ask them.

 

[abvolt]

The ¼ inch plug on the HE560 doesn't work well with my listening habits, which nowadays is almost completely from my laptop or phone. Don't like the idea of an adapter because the cable begins getting a little heavy. Hifiman sells this cable http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/crystalline-cable-3-5mm-trs-plug.html with a ⅛ plug. According to them, it works with the 560. Anybody try it? Or is there a cheaper cable that is just as good? By the way, is that cable the same one that came with my 400i?

You really need an amp to drive the 560's properly your laptop or phone won't do justice to these great sounding hp's..enjoy

 

[peter123]

 

[DavidA]

My HE560 with a grill mod: