[takezo]

                                 HiFiMan HE-560 USA/Canada Tour Thread
 
 
Well boys and girls the Hifiman HE-560 planar headphone Touring Event in the USA has begun! Head-fi members in the west and east
coast, as well as our Canadian brothers and sisters, have begun receiving their packages. Warmest thanks goes out to the HiFiMan staff
and Dr. Fang Bian for making this possible.
 
As outlined in the HiFiMan sign up list each member will audition the HE-560 along with its various accessories for a week (7 days) and
then ship the package to the next member on the list. The HiFiMan staff will contact each member with more information.
(Initial member will hold onto it for 2 weeks for burn-in)
 
Members are encouraged to post their impressions or more detailed reviews on this thread.
 
Here's the list of the members scheduled to take part in this tour:
 
EAST COAST
1. marshallmole
2. daltonlanny
3. swspiers
4. wmedrz
5. Wildcatsare1
6. cardon
7. kunlun
8. lmswjm
9. thegunner100
10. skyline315
11. bluemonkeyflyer
12. Keithpgdrb
13. dxanex
14. mac336
15. bdavidson
16. GloryUprising
17. Zida (CAD)
18. spbach
19. monoglycer (CAD)
20. Dr. Mephisto
21. ivanrocks321
22. moodyrn
23. Armaegis (CAD)
24. geetarman49 (CAD)
25. Terja (CAD)
 
WEST COAST
1. takezo
2. Whitetriton
3. darinf
4. Maxvla
5. Oregonian
6. Barra
7. roadcykler
8. Biscuitz
9. mechgamer123
10. drbluenewmexico
11. revolutionz
12. gsr108
13. tigon_ridge
14. Greggo
15. blitzpirate
 
 
 
 
The staff at HiFiMan sent some extra Accessories to be included in this tour: 
 
Two sets of the Focus A (pre-production) pads
Two sets of the Focus (Production) pads
Two sets of cables with 1/4 inch plugs
Two sets of cables with 4-pin XLR with 3.5mm plug adapters
 
 

 
 
I received my package last wednesday, the 23rd, and have been burning in the headphone almost continuously for the last five days. i only listened thru it occasionally just to be sure
volume level and sound is playing correctly, but initial thoughts have been very positive. it's unlike the HE-500 i used to own and somewhat similar to the HE-6. i will post an
impression near the end of its stay at my home next wednesday.

 

[jasonb]

Is the sign up closed? 

 

[takezo]

officially, it is, but you can contact HiFiMan and convince them to add you to the list.

 

[takezo]

i've been auditioning the HE-560 i received from team HiFiMan for the past 10 or so days and i am confident
in saying that i view this headphone as the best that HiFiMan has come up with in their planar line. it has some
minor issues that i will point out below but the goods outweigh the bads. i used my sansui au-6500, au-8500
and pioneer 9100 speaker amps along with a good but long-toothed cia vda-2 and vac power supply being
fed thru both cd transport and pc/usb/winamp. music preference ranges from beck to shostokovich.
 
my impressions:
 
positives:
 
outstanding comfort - the dual suspension frame is reminiscent of the sony r-10 and the stax line and
provides superior support and comfort. the focus-a pads are more compliant when worn and my choice
over the focus pads in regards to comfort. it's the lightest planar headphone i've worned to date.
 
the single-sided magnetic design seems to be the answer to the over-dampened thick sound characterisic
that the HE-500 presents. while many may still prefer that, i must admit that the HE-560s open and
un-fettered presentation is a very welcome change in my book. (by un-fettered, i mean the salient presence of
partials or harmonic overtones which provide a rich, supple and complex tonal characteristics.)  the soundstage
also seems larger and wider than the HE-500 contributing to the open sound. bass is far superior in the HE-560
as pitch is articulated better than the more visceral bass of the HE-500. the HE-6 bass is more visceral as well
but also just about as articulate.
 
the pads provide a salient tonal shift for the HE-560 which impacts the mids and highs:
 
the focus-a pad shifts the tonal balance to the lower mids - this is the closest it gets to the original HE-500
sound. the bass is more impactful but relative pitch is more difficult to assess below the C-0 or 3 octaves
below the middle C. it also presents a more romantic vocals even with pop materials. unfortunately,
it also affects the upper frequencies by softening the decay of transients. this is most evident in bells,
chimes, horns, cymbals and high hats. instead of a "Ting - Ting" i hear "Tin - Tin"
 
the focus pad shifts it to the upper mids. - this presentation is closer to the HE-6 with less sibilance even
when powered adequately. however, there is a presence of some raspiness in the vocals, especially with
womens voice. the highs are well controlled and more realistic with these pads. i hear "Tink - Tink" and
brush strokes of a cymbal or cymbal rolls sound more coherent and less white-noiseish. it's not on par with
the stax sr007 or even the sr507 but along with the HD-800 (where i can hear the "Ting -Ting") it's the
closest i've heard from a non electrostatic design and even cleaner sounding than the HE-6. violin sounds
organic and sometimes biting/alive using these pads whereas it seems muted and soft using the focus-a
pads. for classical recordings this is far better than the HE-500.
 
negatives:
 
not as efficient as i had hoped it would be but compared to the HE-6 it's very much listenable with a WA-6
tube amp. with tube amps like the WA-6, the bass is the issue as it does not sound as tight and focused
(but it's not a night and day difference) as with solid-state amps, or hybrid amps for that matter. a tube amp
that provides a very low output impedance or Z-source may help some in this regard.
 
output impedance (since planars exhibit nearly all resistance only) measures at 48.8 ohms both sides
with a dmm; a far cry from the 35 ohm listed on HiFiMan site. the only affect this may have is with
volume control range.
 
provided 1/4 inch plug cables are relatively short (6 ft) and would be preferable at 9 or 10 feet.
 
compromise with the pads (this may be seen as a positive as well in that we have options):
with the focus-a i find myself compromising the accuracy in the high freq. and a harder but rounder bass.
with the focus pads there is a compromise in the lower treble with the presence of a raspy coloration.
i find my self enjoying classical and jazz acoustical pieces more with the focus pads and for vocals
i prefer the focus-a pads.
 
warranty is 1 year. (HifiMan hps use to be 3 yrs)
 
conclusion:
 
this is what i was expecting when i had the Koss esp-950. this is what i would imagine an offspring
between a Koss esp-950 and Stax sr-507 would be like. compared to the LCD-2.2. the comfort and
tonal presentation is preferable for me in the HE-560.
 
ps: i let it burn-in for over 150 hours from july 23rd to august 4th and did not find any significant
differences in the bass nor the highs. the only affect i noticed was the caps in my amps settled to
give a smoother sound after a day or so of continuous supply of power, but after i had turned it off for
several days the sound returned to what i had heard initially.
 
the cable did make a small difference: i made a 10ft cable using occ copper and it presented a more
dominant lower end. articulation is still very good. the HiFiMan crystalline cable does seem to be more
subdued in the bass.

 

[daltonlanny]

Hello all,
Don't want to make this long or boring, so I will make it short and sweet..
Here is my review of the HE-560 headphones that I received for the HIFIMAN touring event going on right now.

Received my East Coast touring pair a couple of weeks ago in outstanding condition, and all accessories as described by takezo above.
There were absolutely NO ISSUES with quality control on mine, and no flaws that I could find.
EDIT: Upon closer examination, there are some scratches on the metal covering on the headphone box, but nothing wrong with the headphones themselves. Also, I just now noticed, just before I boxed them back up to be sent to the next person on the list, that the pair of extra production ear pads in the plastic bag appear to have no cloth dust covers on them.Did not take them out of the bag to examine them though. No big deal really.
I tried two pairs of ear pads. One pair was the stock pair that came installed on the headphones, the other was Focus A pads that I had purchased a couple of weeks before I received the touring HE-560.
I did not try out, or look at any of the other ear pads or cables that came extra with the HE-560.
I would like to say a very special thank you to the folks at HIFIMAN for giving me this opportunity to audition their outstanding headphones, burn them in, and enjoy them in my home for almost two weeks. Very kind and gracious of them. Many thanks guys!
Burned them in over 150 hours with pink noise and music.
Auditioned them with all genres of music, and with my Marantz CD6004, CD5001 cd players, Oppo BDP-95 universal disc player, HeadAmp GS-1 fully discrete headphone amp and Harman Kardon  HK3490 receiver.
 
Positives:
Very comfortable. Much more comfortable than my HD 600's, former AKG Q701, and most all other headphones I have tried or owned. Right on par with the Beyerdynamic DT 880, and nearly as comfortable as my old vintage HD 540 II and 540 Reference headphones, which are the most comfortable I have ever worn.
Very nice looking, and sleek.
Bass: Very well extended, smooth, fast, accurate, and can be very powerful. Goes plenty deep for me. Deeper than any of the Sennheisers, with no peak or boominess in the mid/upper bass.
Mids: Smooth, detailed, fast, balanced, full bodied, and very open. Did not hear any harshness at all. My Sennheisers sound somewhat thinner in the mids compared to the HE-560.
Treble: Sounds very fast, smooth, and detailed. Did not hear any harshness, glare, sibilance, etching, or brightness to speak of.
These have a very well controlled midrange and treble, with no grain, IMHO
One advantage planars definitely have over dynamic drivers is a lack of spotlighting or shoutiness. My Sennheisers can sound shouty or spotlight certain areas at times.
The Focus A and Focus pads do sound somewhat different, and described by takezo, but I never heard any raspiness or brightness with the production pads. I do slightly prefer the Focus production pads overall.
Soundstage and imaging: Excellent. Wide and fairly deep. Great instrument separation. Not quite as pinpoint as my dynamic headphones. No real complaints here at all though.
 
Negatives:
Less sensitivity than my other headphones. Takes considerably more power to drive them to the same levels than my dynamic transducer headphones.
The headphone cable is too short. Needs an extra 2 to 4 feet of length.

Bass: No negatives.Balanced almost perfectly, IMHO. Better extension than all my other cans, and no bass hump that I can detect.
Mids: No negatives, IMHO. Balanced almost perfectly, IMHO. Even more so than the HD600. Does not have the peaky upper mids that the HD 600 can sometimes have.
If anything negative in the least, it seems there may be a slight dip around 2K which makes voices sound very slightly distant compared to my other cans.
Treble: This is where they sound different to me, and contrary to most everyone else who has commented on them.
Compared to my Senneheiser HD600, HD 540 I and HD 540 II Reference headphones, AKG K340, former AKG Q701, and Stax Lambda Signature that I used to own, the HE 560 can sound somewhat subdued or rolled off in the top octave.
Maybe I am just used to dynamic headphones, and my former Stax, and their generally more forward treble?
I love the smoothness, balance, and openness of the highs, but wish they had just a slight bit more air and detail on top.
I don't have any complaints or issues at all with the lower or mid treble though.
 
Conclusion:
Overall, I am very pleased with these headphones, and enjoy their comfort, looks, and sonics very much.
They have much better bass extension, and midrange smoothness than 95% of all headphones I have owned or auditioned.
I would definitely consider purchasing these in the future.
HIFIMAN has did an excellent job with these, and an excellent job voicing them.
Great job, HIFIMAN!

 

[takezo]

the WestCoast unit is on its way to Whitetriton. happy days!

 

[Whitetriton]

I demo'd the HE-560 last week and very much enjoyed their sound.  Thank you to Hifiman for offering this demo program and allowing me to participate. 
 
To summarize, for testing, I mostly had the HE-560 hooked up to a Schiit Bifrost (Uber)/Lyr combo.  The sound was nice and smooth.  I did not notice any particular frequency area jump out in a bad way (such as the, in my opinion, overly bright and bassy HE-400).  Vocals were clear, bass was tight and snapped, and the treble was enjoyable but not excessive.  Comfort was poor. 
 
Below are some of my more detailed thoughts and comparison with HE-500 and HD800. 
 
 
COMFORT
 
First, the HE-560 headband is extremely comfortable. I felt little to no pressure on the top of my head.  Unfortunately, I felt a lot of clamping force pressure on the sides of my head.    I was shocked how tightly they squeezed my head right out of the box.  That alone would have been a deal breaker for me.  However, over the week, they loosened enough where they were manageable. 
 
My biggest negative for the HE-560 is that the cups made my ears so hot though that I would sweat listening to them.  Each time I took them off, there was a sense of relief.  It has been rather warm in southern California lately, but even listening at midnight. . .in front of a fan, these got hot.  Four sets of pads were included (2 sets each of two different pairs).  I pm'd Hifiman as to what the differences were because, just looking at them, I could not tell any differences.  I received a response saying that they would ask customer service as they did not know, but I never heard back. 
 
 
SOUND
 
I compared the HE-560 to the HE-500 and HD800 and used the Smart Tools app on my Android phone to try to match the volume.  I got close, but could not say with 100% confidence it was perfect.  As such, my impressions COULD be the result of simply one headphone being louder at any given time or inability to accurately "remember" how each sounded due to the delay in switching. 
 
I compared the HE-560 directly with the HE-500 on the Lyr.  At the same volume level on the Lyr, the HE-500 was a bit louder (per my phone app and per my ear).  The most notable difference between these two headphones, to me, was the soundstage.  The HE-500 was wider, but, in comparison, sounded artificially wide.  The HE-560 soundstage was more narrow, but sounded more. . .normal, as if the music were being played in front of me, not out to the sides.  If I had to pick between the two soundstages I would take the HE-560.  I also noted that bass sounded a touch tighter or snappier on the HE-560. 
 
I also compared the HE-560 to the HD800 although, for this comparison, I used the Lyr for the HE-560 and the Bottlehead Crack (no speedball) for the HD800, both fed from the Bifrost Uber using the Schiit SYS preamp to switch between the two (insert caveat about using different amps here).  They both sounded really good, but I did notice some  differences. 
 
The first song, "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones was quite interesting.  I immediately sensed that on the HE-560, Norah's voice seemed to be a bit further away than the HD800.  I wasn't sure if this was purely a volume issue so I turned up the HE-560 a bit to experiment but that did not change the sensation.  I liked the HD800 better here. 
 
Next,­ I think I heard  subtle nuances in Norah's voice on the HD800 that I didn't notice on the HE-560. . or at least, didn't notice until I actively tried to listen for them. On the HD800, they were more obvious.  Perhaps this is detail retrieval.  In any event, I preferred the HD800.
 
There was one song in my comparison test where I felt the HE-560 treble was more fun/pronounced and the HD800 was boring/flat.  However, I didn't experience that on other songs. 
 
 
DESIGN
 
I'm not a fan of Hifiman connectors.  Trying to screw them on with human-sized fingers or without overly twisting the cables seems much more difficult than plugging in headphones should be.  While by no means impossible, the HE-560 seemed more difficult to me than other Hifiman models I've used.  Also, with the headphones not able to fit in the fancy box with the cables plugged in, having an easier way to attach/detach would make a lot more sense. . .OR, make a box (I vote for a hinged lid instead of slide out since I see no reason to need to put the lid some place away from the box) where the headphones can fit with the cables still attached.  I'd also be curious to know how much the headphones would sell for without the box.    
 
 
CONCLUSION
 
Overall, I liked the sound quality of the HE-560 more than the HE-500, but not as much as the HD800.  Unfortunately, comfort-wise the HE-560 is last of the three.  It just doesn't seem to breathe on my head.  I was surprise as so many people have indicated that the HE-560 are very comfortable.  I think it just goes to show the high degree of subjectivity involved in headphone preference.   

 

[monoglycer]

This is a slightly delayed review from the Canadian tour. Thank you to hifiman for organizing this tour!
 
This review will not be very long, I do not have other higher end headphones to compare to as well has being unable to critically pick out/quantify weird peaks/valleys in what I hear.
 
With that said there are three major selling points to the HE-560 for me.
 
1) The ergonomics: The HE-560 barely weigh more than the HE-300 which is extremely impressive given the fact that the HE-560 are orthodynamic vs dynamic of the HE-300. In addition the wide headband combined with the low weight results in the most comfortable orthodynamic headphone I have tried (even more comfortable than my HE-300 sadly).
 
2) Sound quality: From a qualitative standpoint, the HE-560 is the most neutral sounding headphone I have had extensive time with. None of the frequencies are out of place, and just sounds 'right'. The HE-560 were run from a millet hybrid max tube amp fed by a fiio e10 DAC.
 
3) Aesthetics: This is a minor point to most people in the forums but I for one appreciated the wooden box that the headphones came in as well as the general fit and finish of the entire headphone, no hint of any QC issues that have been seen in other hifiman products in the past (thus far).
 
Conclusion: The HE-560 are the best headphones I have had a chance to audition and I would seriously consider buying a pair. For members of this forum the current price tag isn't that steep compared to other flagship headphones that are currently out there. I am seriously considering buying a pair in the future.

 

[Maxvla]

After nearly a week with the HE-560s, I've gotten a good idea of how they perform. Thank you to Hifiman for the opportunity.

A little history first - I've heard most of the Hifiman full size line up, including HE-5, HE-5LE, HE-300, HE-500, and HE-6. The only one I purchased was the HE-6, which I ultimately did not care for. I have since heard them on some nicely matched rigs and have respect for what they are capable of. That said, I still was not interested in picking up a pair for myself. Part of this was because of the old frame construction that was very uncomfortable and insecure. The pads contacted my head in such a way to create pressure points, and the slide adjustment never quite stayed where it was supposed to. I would adjust the slider, put the headphone on, and it would re-adjust from the pressure the pads created. The other part was due to the sound being oddly presented. It's hard for me to recall the details as that was some 4 years ago, but I recall the soundstage being rather poor.

After that experience, my interest in Hifiman full size headphones extended only to trying at meets, and as long as they used that old frame, I wasn't willing to even enter a loaner program because I knew comfort would be a problem right away. When I saw Hifiman had redesigned the frame for the HE-560 and 400i, I was interested. As many of you know, I'm firmly in the HD800 camp, but as many of you may not know, I'm open to trying anything once and will give it a fair shot. I've had issues with nearly every ortho and stat I've tried thus far and wanted to see if the HE-560 tackled any of my previous complaints. The key issues I've had with these types of headphones are 1) Soundstage - specifically center coherence, 2) Resolution - not so great on orthos, decent to great on stats, 3) Comfort - due to weight and how the pads create pressure points because of this.

Expanding on this, I'll discuss a few popular options in this category. The Audeze LCD-2, to me, is a fairly low resolution headphone with a mostly left/right presentation, almost nothing in the middle. The pads, while large, are still not that comfortable, and since they compress so much, the headband ended up holding more weight than was comfortable for me. Next is the Stax SR-009 and SR-007 mk1. Both of these headphones are quite high resolution, the SR-009 moreso. Both Stax phones are somewhat comfortable, but they both share the LCD-2's left/right stage, but not as dire. Hifiman's own HE-6 isn't quite at the resolution of the Stax (or HD800), but it isn't bad at all, and I've already mentioned the dreadful comfort. The soundstage on this phone seemed to come from behind me instead of from the front, quite distracting. Oppo's PM-1 has more or less solved the comfort issue with it's light weight and relatively low clamp and superior pad design. It still suffers somewhat from the center issue, but is the best ortho I've heard regarding this to date. The PM-1 is decidedly colored and on the medium-low end of resolution. I still liked it after I'd had a while to adjust to it, but not enough to buy one, or even the lower priced, reportedly identical sounding PM-2.

Moving on to the HE-560, how did it fare? Despite an initially positive experience with the fitment, after a few hours I was back to having Hifiman ear aches from the pressure. I tried everything non-permanent to adjust it to be comfortable and nothing worked. Both pads types felt the same, I adjusted the headband from high to low and all settings between. Nothing worked well enough. The soundstage was no better than I've experienced with other orthos, the hallway effect was very much present, lots of left/right, very little center. Despite the poor soundstage, I do like the overall signature, and find it very similar to the PM-1, though not as dark, and cleaner. The HE-560 is an odd phone in that it sounds extremely clean and clear, but it also masks a lot of detail, which became apparent any time I would switch back to the HD800. Initially I thought the HE-560 was quite detailed, but after extensive listening I find it has rather low resolution. They lack air and depth. With this low resolution, I found the HE-560 quite forgiving, except in certain circumstances. My Korean and Japanese pop/rock collection is rather painful to listen to, with daggers in the treble using both the GS-X2 and Black Diamond. Perhaps there is something in the mastering from these countries? I didn't find that problem with the 'brighter' HD800, however, using the same amps.

I'd never experienced large differences in pads on the same headphone until the HE-560. All of the comments above apply to both pads, so while the differences are large, the over-arching sound of the headphones and their presentation is not altered enough to sound like a different headphone. I preferred the Focus Pad over the Focus Pad-A. The largest difference I detected was in bass impact. Where the Focus Pad had good quantity, excellent impact, and reasonable sustain, the A pad featured almost no impact at all and lower quantity and insufficient sustain. I played some thumping tunes with the A pads and it was essentially humming the bass line, where with the standard pads, it had impactful, toe tapping bass. There were times I wished I had the standard pad type bass on the HD800, it is that good. I ended up preferring to keep my HD800 bass the way it is, tending toward lean, but always impactful and musical. I wouldn't say the standard pads were ever overbearing in bass like LCD-2s almost always are, and the bass with these pads was definitely better than the PM-1. The A pads did open up the top slightly, adding a small amount of air, but the trade off in the bass was too much.

If you can consider the HE-560 comfortable, I'd say it is one of the better orthos out there. Sonically, I think it is a more well rounded ortho than the PM-1, and while drier in signature, just as engaging. Just stay away from modern Asian music . If you are a soundstage detail junkie like myself, the HE-560 is more of the same ortho you've heard time and time again, with some minor refinements. Keep trying, Fang. Perhaps your stats will win me over .

Thanks again, Hifiman.

Gear used:

Hifiman HE-560
Sennheiser HD800
Matrix X-Sabre
Matrix Mini-I
ECP Black Diamond
Headamp GS-X2

 

[hekeli]

My Korean and Japanese pop/rock collection is rather painful to listen to, with daggers in the treble using both the GS-X2 and Black Diamond. Perhaps there is something in the mastering from these countries? I didn't find that problem with the 'brighter' HD800, however, using the same amps.

 
Could be the ~8-9khz peak which can be reduced with grill removal.. that combined with Focus-A makes a pretty different and pleasurable phone (to me)..

 

[swspiers]

I guess I posted this in the wrong thread.  So here it is- in the correct one!...
 
  I can't thank Team Hifiman enough for offering the tour for these headphones. It says a lot about our community that manufacturers are willing to ship product to complete strangers, with no deposit. The whole commuunity should be applauded for this level of both trust and responsibility.
 
The only disappointing thing about the HE-560 was how little time I had to actually listen to them during my time on the tour, which as under 2 hours. Both my head amp and my main receiver went out of commission within two days of getting them, and replacements took another two days. It was very frustrating. On the other hand, I do have an entirely new audio system, and that's never a bad thing. My wife saw through my frustration quickly, especially when I had new gear ordered within hours. But hey, I keep researching, what can I say?
However, I can say that the time I spent with them was worthwhile. The 560's improved upon my major problems with the HE-5LE's, which was mostly exaggerated and inaccurate, if very fun, bass. The other improvement is the obvious reduction in weight. Just before my Burson went into distortion mode (which I did fix), I was able to enjoy the Cowboy Junky's Trinity Revisited. The sense of space and presence was on par with some of the best speakers I have heard, including the Magnepan 20.1's. However, when Natalie Merchant's voice began to distort, it was the end of that session. Other than that, the detail was amzing, but never irritating or glaring, which would be the case with elevated treble. I felt that they were fairly neutral, and still had detail that rivaled the Grado GS series headphones, but without the glare.
I switched to my Marantz SR-7002 receiver HP out, and was amazed at the sound quality. The 560's might not be the easiest cans to drive, but the sound out of the receiver was stellar. Unfortunately, the darn thing went into perpetual protect mode the next day with an amp failure that I didn't feel was worth repairing. I bought a Schiit Magni, and used the audio out of my Oppo BDP-103, and was again impressed with both the amp and the headphones.
Life got in the way, and a new job made demands that just did not include headphone time, but I did get to listen to some King Crimson and Porcupine DVD-A's. Percussion as amazingly tactile, and again the bass guitar tone was the best I have ever heard with headphones. The Talking Drum from Crim's Larks Tongues in Aspic was a complete joy to listen to. This is a very dynamic track, with huge volume swings which the 560's produced with an almost speaker-like presentation.
Time was limited, but I have reason to believe that more listening would have revealed the same thing: these are state-of-the-art for <$1000 planars. Even my beloved Alpha Dogs and the Grado GS-1000e's could not compete. They're in the same league, but the HFM product gave a truly superior experience. All I have left to write is about 1000 words about equipment failure, but that's a different subject...
 
Thanks again, HFM. You have crafted a very fine headphone indeed!

 

[Oregonian]

I have been a closed headphone fan for the early days of my headphone hobby, which started in early 2012, and have loved all I've been exposed to from the cheapies (Panasonic RTF-600) up to the TH-900 (most assuredly not cheap) and may in between.  I'd guess about 35 or so and have owned most of them, with a sprinkling of audition units in the mix thanks to the generosity of both HiFiMan and HeadAmp.   Then my eyes were opened to the potential of open backs with the audition of the HD-700.  Yes, it impressed the heck out of me and the bass was glorious.  Really made me realize an open back could do it all, which got me interested in learning more about them.  Started reading the copious threads about the HiFiMan models and got the itch to try an HE-6.  Well, after I bought a pair, spent a couple of weeks getting the right amp lined up (a Pioneer Spec 1 & 2 system that has been bench tested at 309 wpc) and the open back mod done, it was game on.  And what a spectacular game it is.  Never thought I could hear such bliss.  I drive the HE-6 straight out of the speaker taps with a custom 26' long silver coated copper cable. 
 
All this preamble to set the stage for my foray into listening to the HE-560.  It arrived last week with great anticipation on my part.  Opening up the box, I honestly was not impressed by the look or feel of the headphone.  The veneer looks inexpensive and that metal hoop up top, well, honestly, it looks like "Abyss-lite" and some kind of torture device for a braces-wearing kid for overnight.  That said, looks are not important - sound is the only real measuring point of a headphone, and these have "it".  Auditioning them A/B style with my HE-6 (it fed again out of taps and the HE-560 out of the headphone out, a point to remember) I ran them through vinyl, CD's and iPod music (albeit nicely delivered by a NuForce iDo DAC setup) and listened to both phones back to back with the same source and music.  Mostly it was smooth jazz but because the Eagles were in town last week, I went through my entire Eagles library, starting with one of my favorite songs of all time, "One of These Nights" up through the Hell Freezes Over CD. 
 
The HE-560 is just a smidgen below the HE-6, and though the HE-560 is stock, with no grill mods, nor fed out of the speaker taps (since they are not my headphone I do not feel right touching a thing), they put up a good fight.  The bass out of the HE-6 is the best I've heard, better than the Lawton modded D7000, D5000 and TH900, and is so visceral, full and powerful that it astounds me even now, a month into my ownership.  The HE-560 is not quite up to the level of the 6 in the bass department, which to me is the most critical measurement of a headphone.  I call myself a reformed basshead, one who used to think the XB500 was the end all/be all, but no more.  I like a solid, clean bass that I can feel with the planar mids and highs to go with it. 
 
Another interesting thing is the power it needed.  It could be listened to back to back with the HE-6 at the same volume and when I compared it to the D7000 (my favorite dynamic can) the volume mismatch was huge.  Had to turn the preamp down a considerable amount to volume match it.  How some of you are listening to it out of low power sources amazes me - maybe I just like the full bodied sound it gives me with oodles of power pumped through it but I can't imagine driving it with anything less than a stout vintage amp.  I'm a vintage freak by the way - have 8 separate vintage systems in use in my world, 4 of them over 100 wpc. 
 
Comfort is another surprise to me and likely to you.  I don't think the HE-6 is in any way uncomfortable or too heavy, and honestly am not that impressed by the HE-560.   Sure, it is comfortable, but not in the class of the X1 for example, where it disappears on your head.  If they copied the X1 suspension it would be perfection.  But alas, it is just good, not great. 
 
Look, for the retail price of $900, it should look the part.  It looks, honestly in my opinion, cheap.  No better than the HE-400i, which I'm also auditioning.  In fact, it's not that much better than the 400i, and at double the price I feel it should blow it away.  Maybe my 53 year old ears aren't the discerning golden ears of some of you, but I know what I like, and I like the HE-560.  A lot.  But it's not amazing nor is it world class in my view.  A very good headphone it is, but I like the looks of the HE-400i more with it's finish instead of the veneer.  If it was wood like originally intended and wasn't made with as much plastic I'd like it more, but I was impressed by the sound but not the fit or finish. 
 
Would I buy it?  Not after living with the HE-6 driven properly.  But that I guess is the rub - I put it up against one of the top headphones in the world (in some peoples' view) and it just isn't as good a value overall. 
 
I enjoyed the headphone a lot but I gave it the acid test comparing it to a modded, well driven HE-6.  Hard to compare with that competition. 
 
Thank you Justin and HFM for the opportunity.  It was very enjoyable. 

 

[Terja]

Oregonian, thanks for the excellent review. I was really looking forward to a tap to tap comparison of the HE-560 and the HE-6. I think that the HE-560 could take it and that way you could really get a feel for how close it scales to the HE-6. I'm with you when you write "maybe I just like the full bodied sound it gives me with oodles of power pumped through it." To me this is the most telling difference I've noticed between running my HE-500 via taps or via TRS (any TRS). Somehow it makes that huge of a difference and I've never bothered reverting to single-ended with the 500. And of course it's not about volume or playing it loud, but having a rich, thick, muscular background to paint the music onto, not something thin, screechy, wimpy, or or lean. MMV, etc ...

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Hi,
HIFIMAN Headphone Stand is available on head-direct.com.
 
It looks good and it only costs $20. This is the same stand we use at various shows (CanJam or CES) and meets, so I can tell you that they are definitely durable.
 
Here is the link.  http://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=217
 

 

[roadcykler]

Okay, so here's my review of the traveling headphones. I liked them. Thanks.
 
 
J/K. Lucky for me I was on a staycation and had lots of free time to listen to music via the HE-560s and did so on several occasions. To avoid a verbose post, I'll go the "Pro/Con" route. And these are obviously my opinions so keep that in mind and read the other reviews if you are seriously considering these. 
 
Pros
 
1. The sound. I compared these to my HE-500s and they are very similar to my ears. I think the 500 is a little better in the higher frequencies, the 560s may, I say may be slightly better in the midrange, and I think the 500s have slightly better bass. Kind of the sub-bass that the Audezes are known for. Not quite to that level but certainly better by a little. 
 
2. Comfort. I had no problems whatsoever wearing these for a few hours at a time. The headband fits the shape of my head better than any other, more solid headband that I've used. They were noticeably lighter than my 500s and I'm sure that contributed to the comfort.
 
3. Style. Even though it appears to be a wood look sticker around the cups, it still looks good to me. Other than that, they are black and that's my favorite color so it works. 
 
Cons
 
1. The cable connections. I understand that this connection is unique (as far as I know) but it's a pain in the arse, and even moreso on this headphone. On mine, the connection sticks out of the cup enough to be able to fully hand tighten the connector. On the 560s, the first bit is similar but as the connection gets closer to the cup, it has to go into a small cutout which makes grasping the part that turns nearly impossible. I bought a small wrench for the sole purpose of slightly snugging the cable and on the 560's when the nut is almost tight or just slightly so, it's difficult to even get the wrench on a flat to turn it.
 
2. The cost. Again, this is my opinion, but to my ears they don't sound enough better in all aspects which I would expect given the $300 cost difference. They are good, but not that good. Then again, I'm not someone who thinks that higher cost equals better performance. It's just not always the case but that's a different thread.
 
 
Lastly, I'd like to thank the good folks at HiFiMan for giving us the opportunity to spend some time with their newest offering for just the cost of shipping to the next person. I vowed a while ago to never buy an expensive pair of headphones without first being able to listen to them and programs like this allow that to happen. Maybe more manufacturers should get on that bandwagon.