[Hansolo76]

Since I only have one amp that I am happy with with my HE560s, I'm putting some serious thought into a HE-Adapter and a solid state bookshelf amp. Anybody try this route?

 

[SilverEars]

My wife's car can hit 145 db on the RTA while mine stays around 135-140 in all honesty, but obviously that could end a headphone hobby rather quickly. Who listens to anything with the volume on full always anyways Thanks for the concern though.

I'll try someone else's recommendation on the SPL app, but I have very little faith in the mic on my phone collecting true SPL...

Shameless endorsement but my Lyr 2 with matched 1967 Voskhods is the only unit I currently have doing my HE560s any justice.

How else will you know what dB is outputted? By guesstimating? The app is better than nothing

The smartphone apps are fairly accurate. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2014/04/09/sound-apps/

You're just getting a loudness value, for practical purposes, it works. It's not like you're measuring headphone frequency response.

 

[DavidA]

Maybe for $200, I'd get one and get the yoke changed. Does it say broken yokes? Or have Hifiman replaced them? Is there a chance to get Sundara yokes from Hifiman with these?

I just don't like having too many headphones around since I won't be giving much time to a lot of them if I did. Same thing with other gear. I only like to keep things around I'd use regularly.

I'm down to 1 DAP, 2 headphones, 1 amp, 1 DACs(one for my powered speakers), 1 iem now. I keep around what I know I will use regularly, or it will go in the market.

Only reason I'd have lots of headphone is for comparisons, but for just listening, only ones I'd use is most practical.

I'm one that likes variety so I tend to keep many headphones along with DACs and amps to mix and match. Unlike @koover I usually listen to a few different headphones almost everyday and when relaxing can use as many as 6-7 different ones during a 2-3 hour session and since my GF is also listening with me we will usually pass a few different headphones back and forth between us so most of the time we have 5 headphones hooked up to 2-3 DACs and 5 amps.

I'm still thinking of getting a spare HE560 since that $200 price is pretty tempting

 

[Hansolo76]

How else will you know what dB is outputted? By guesstimating? The app is better than nothing

The smartphone apps are fairly accurate. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2014/04/09/sound-apps/

You're just getting a loudness value, for practical purposes, it works. It's not like you're measuring headphone frequency response.

I'm way newer to headphones than car audio, so do you have a recommendation on an Android? It doesn't have to be free either, just worth the price. RTAs are not cheap.

 

[koover]

I'm one that likes variety so I tend to keep many headphones along with DACs and amps to mix and match. Unlike @koover I usually listen to a few different headphones almost everyday and when relaxing can use as many as 6-7 different ones during a 2-3 hour session and since my GF is also listening with me we will usually pass a few different headphones back and forth between us so most of the time we have 5 headphones hooked up to 2-3 DACs and 5 amps.

I'm still thinking of getting a spare HE560 since that $200 price is pretty tempting

Hey David, Hope you're well man.
I believe you misread my post. I CANNOT listen to 1 headphone weeks on end as I use all of them. Sometimes I listen to my entire stall in 1 day during a long listening session comparing and just enjoying the different characteristics of each.

 

[DavidA]

Hey David, Hope you're well man.
I believe you misread my post. I CANNOT listen to 1 headphone weeks on end as I use all of them. Sometimes I listen to my entire stall in 1 day during a long listening session comparing and just enjoying the different characteristics of each.

Sorry, my bad, its too early here in Hawaii and I'm a little hung over since we were up drinking wine and listening to music until 4am.

@Hansolo76 this is the app I use: http://appcrawlr.com/android/sound-meter-26

 

[raoultrifan]

The one I just got from Adorama has a March 2018 manufacture date so I expect they've resolved the yoke issue. No issues so far and I'm not being particularly gentle with them.

$200 for a busted yoke pair + 20 euro or so for Paul's 3-D printed replacement yokes is outstanding if a little DIY.

My Amazon order got cancelled and now I'm waiting a bit for things to clear up. I had contacted Hifiman about this issue and about my will to purchase a headphone with a good headband/yokes; I wonder if they're ever reply.

However, I've been contacted Paul on private, just in case I'll decide to purchase a random pair of HE-560 from Amazon or another seller. Meanwhile, I wonder if someone did tested Paul's yokes, please. Thank you!

 

[SilverEars]

I'm way newer to headphones than car audio, so do you have a recommendation on an Android? It doesn't have to be free either, just worth the price. RTAs are not cheap.

I have an Android based phone, so I use an app called Sound Meter. I recently checked for dB level output on my headphone out of curiosity sake. I'm about 65dB with +- 5dB

I try to listen at a reasonable low volume as possible to protect my hearing as much as possible. Particularly due to the fact that a headphone hobbiest like I would listen for long durations.

You can use this for speakers, car audio, or whatever position you are at. Or just apply it inside your headphone cup to see what dB level you get at your typical listening level. It's important that you are aware of how loud you listen to protect your hearing from permanent damage. You want to keep your hearing as good quality as possible as SQ isn't really SQ without quality hearing.

 

[Hansolo76]

I have an Android based phone, so I use an app called Sound Meter. I recently checked for dB level output on my headphone out of curiosity sake. I'm about 65dB with +- 5dB

I try to listen at a reasonable low volume as possible to protect my hearing as much as possible. Particularly due to the fact that a headphone hobbiest like I would listen for long durations.

You can use this for speakers, car audio, or whatever position you are at. Or just apply it inside your headphone cup to see what dB level you get at your typical listening level. It's important that you are aware of how loud you listen to protect your hearing from permanent damage. You want to keep your hearing as good quality as possible as SQ isn't really SQ without quality hearing.

According to Sound Meter with the volume at 85/99 on my Burson Conductor Air and the same music passage:

Fostex T50RP = 76 avg / 84 max

Hifiman HE560 = 71 avg / 81 max

That's twice as loud at max and almost four times louder on average, right?

 

[DavidA]

According to Sound Meter with the volume at 85/99 on my Burson Conductor Air and the same music passage:

Fostex T50RP = 76 avg / 84 max

Hifiman HE560 = 71 avg / 81 max

That's twice as loud at max and almost four times louder on average, right?

Not sure what you mean by "twice as loud at max and almost four times louder on average" in comparison to what? If those are the reading you get for your listening levels then you are listening at fairly safe levels and some might consider them lower listening levels. Did you do some rough calibration of the app? There is a settings option that you can adjust the reading to read higher or lower since not all built in mics are the same so its recommended to do a rough calibration before using the app.

 

[raoultrifan]

My Amazon order got cancelled and now I'm waiting a bit for things to clear up. I had contacted Hifiman about this issue and about my will to purchase a headphone with a good headband/yokes; I wonder if they're ever reply.[...]

They did replied quite fast, they advised me to purchase from their own store. However, they didn't actually told me if purchasing from their store will get me a HE-560 with good yokes or not.
BTW, did anyone ordered from Hifiman store? If delivery done to US will involve any Customs payment? What about EU delivery?

Thanks a lot!

 

[DavidA]

They did replied quite fast, they advised me to purchase from their own store. However, they didn't actually told me if purchasing from their store will get me a HE-560 with good yokes or not.
BTW, did anyone ordered from Hifiman store? If delivery done to US will involve any Customs payment? What about EU delivery?

Thanks a lot!

I've ordered ear pads and a cable from Hifiman store and didn't get any customs fee to the US but I don't know if its different for a headphone due to the dollar value.

I think you might want to get a broken yoke since one person was given the choice of getting the same style headband or the newer Sundara style which is all metal so no worries about the plastic cracking

 

[Hansolo76]

Not sure what you mean by "twice as loud at max and almost four times louder on average" in comparison to what? If those are the reading you get for your listening levels then you are listening at fairly safe levels and some might consider them lower listening levels. Did you do some rough calibration of the app? There is a settings option that you can adjust the reading to read higher or lower since not all built in mics are the same so its recommended to do a rough calibration before using the app.

I did try to calibrate it, but not sure how successfully.

Decibels are an exponential scale. An increase of 3 decibels is actually a double in volume. Just like a 6 decibel increase is four times the original volume.

I initially stated that I was not too impressed by the output of the HE560 off my Conductor Air vs my Fostex. Even if my base measurement is off, the 3-5 db increases in volume should be double to close to quadruple total output volume in true decibels.

 

[Motocrossman24]

They did replied quite fast, they advised me to purchase from their own store. However, they didn't actually told me if purchasing from their store will get me a HE-560 with good yokes or not.
BTW, did anyone ordered from Hifiman store? If delivery done to US will involve any Customs payment? What about EU delivery?

Thanks a lot!

I ordered mine from the hifiman store which is in the USA and have had no issues with them after proabably a month and a half of daily listening...I think they have various warehouses in various countries but not sure...obviously I didn’t have to deal w customs.

 

[Motocrossman24]

According to Sound Meter with the volume at 85/99 on my Burson Conductor Air and the same music passage:

Fostex T50RP = 76 avg / 84 max

Hifiman HE560 = 71 avg / 81 max

That's twice as loud at max and almost four times louder on average, right?

81db is quite quiet...that’s not even reaching hifiman’s efficiency numbers...I’d say if your actually getting only 81db from max volume you are severely under amped.