[Greggo]

It has been over a month now without any updates from the western tour.  What's going on?

 

[Greggo]

Well, the West Coast Tour set arrived at my house yesterday and I unpacked it all this morning. As luck would have it, my Gustard H10 arrived yesterday as well and I am off to go grab a few cables right now. Pics and comments to follow here in the next day or two, though I understand if many of you are just burnt out on 560 feedback at this point...

 

[swspiers]

though I understand if many of you are just burnt out on 560 feedback at this point...

Um, not at all!

 

[Greggo]

Hey, good to hear! I am still excited about this headphone even though I have two things that are bugging me at the moment. First, I want to just order a set right now because I think they are just fantastic and love the fit and feel of these as well, but it will have to wait until later this year due to funds. Second, as much as I love these things, I am having a tough time coming up with exactly how to describe what is different as I compare these back and forth with my Senn HD700.  I am going to add the HD600 into the mix as well and do a short review on the HE-560 that includes a nice comparison between them and both the HD700 and HD600.
 
This is all much more difficult than I thought it would be, and it did take a few days for my amp to settle in so I will attempt to get this wrapped up by the end of the week. Also, this Friday I am taking them into the office for a company Can Jam and will be getting some opinions from my office mates as well.
 
Here they are:
 

 

[moodyrn]

I just finished my evaluation of the he560, and in short all I can say is....very impressive for a can less than 1000.00! If this was a 1300-1500.00 can, I wouldn't say it was overpriced. Especially given what some of the audeze and hd800 cost. Now I wouldn't say it's better than those, but I will say it's on the same playing field with each one having strengths and weaknesses vs the other.
 
But I will directly compare them to my current favorite he6. At first listen, two things surprised me. One was how hard it was to drive them. Given some of the earlier impressions, I was expecting something that could easily be driven by most typical desktop amps. But my hifi m8(1.2 wpc) had a hard time trying to drive them. I could get it fairly loud with the volume knob at the 3:00 position(max volume is around 5:30), but the sound was a little distorted. At moderate volume levels, the bass sounded a little bloated and the sound as a whole was somewhat congested. So I had to move them to my full sized rigs. It was with these rigs I did my comparison to the he6.
 
The second thing that surprised me was how close they sounded to my (stock at the time) he6. These two cans sound more alike than the hd600 vs hd650. But further listening would reveal quiet a few differences overall. I will say the he560 have about the same amping requirements as the original he5. If I had to guess, I would say they need around two full watts to be properly driven. So while still not as hard to dive as the monsterous he6, they still need pretty beefy amplification IMO.
 
So would I rank these as high as I would the he6? Well as close as they come, they don't quiet match them overall, but still sound far better than they should at their asking price. On their own, it's hard to find flaws(although they are there). But when switching back between to two I find that the bass of the he560 sounds a little thudish. It's not as well defined as the bass from the he6. The he6 overall have the best bass I've heard. Sure the 009 is a tad bit nuanced, but don't have the impact and slam of the he6 bass. And yes the lcd 2 have even more impact but can sound a bit sloppy at times. And the lcd3 have a bit more slam, but lacks the precision of the he6 bass. So what I'm saying is, the he6 bass doesn't do everything perfect, but it doesn't have anything lacking either. It just does everything excellent.
So the he560 bass falling a little short in comparison isn't a bad thing. It's still best the bass out of most cans. Though not as precise or articulate as the bass from the he6.
 
The mids from both cans are probably the area where I find the biggest difference between the two. The he560 mids are smooth and velvety. They are slightly warm compared to the mids of the he6, but not warm in general. They are not as warm sounding as the mids form the he500. I would say they are just slightly on the warm side of neutral. They have plenty of body and can be seductive at times. The mids of the he6 are dead neutral IMO. And they have an organic richness that the he560 doesn't have without the added warmth. It's like the mids of the he560 tries to sound natural, and the he6 mids just does. The mids of the he560 are pretty well balanced with the rest of the spectrum, but not quiet as seamless as the mids of the he6 given the added warmth.
 
Now to the highs. Now this should really be an unfair fight since the only highs I've heard that can match the highs of the he6 are the ones form the 009. The highs from the he6 can sound harsh, overly bright, and just flat out fatiguing if not amped properly. I'm not just taking about power. Yes they need a few watts to be properly driven, but outside of that, the quality of those watts are just as important and they are just as picky as the hd800 in that requirement. The he6 highs are soooo life like, and pure. They sound extremely natural without a hint of grain or harshness. They are very nuanced as well. They highs of the he560 surprisingly comes very close. But they also sound a little sibilant compared to the he6. There is a slight grain in the lower treble that's just not there with the he6. The highs are not harsh, and are better than most of the cans out there. But just don't sound as realistic as the highs from the he6 sounds.
 
Now on the sound staging. While I think it was a little overblown to say the sound stage was as wide as the hd800 as I've read previously(not even quiet as wide as the he6 sound stage). The sound stage is nice and wide and surpasses all of the audeze's I've listened to by quiet a wide margin. And even though it doesn't match the hd800 or even the he6 in width, it more than makes up for it in depth. And as a result, the sound stage does sound more spacious than the sound stage of the he6 overall. Images are just produced further out in front of you which is very impressive since I do think the he6 have a very holographic sound stage itself, but there's a sense of space with the hd560 that's just not quiet there with the he6. So this is the one area I feel it does surpass the he6 in. The other area where the he560 surpass the he6 in is comfort. And in this regard, it beats it by a mile. These are very comfortable, and I mean very. Not quiet hd800 comfortable, but the comfort is much closer to the hd800 than it is to the he6.
 
 
So overall would I recommend these over the he6? Well that depends on if you have an open mind in regards to the he6. If you're willing to build a setup around the he6 knowing most dedicated headphone amps won't get you all of the way there, then I recommend the he6 without hesitation. But if you are not willing to build a rig around the he6, and comfort is extremely important to you, then I would recommend the he560 over the he6. A properly driven he560 will easily surpass the he6 if it's not properly driven.

 

[YtseJamer]

  I just finished my evaluation of the he560, and in short all I can say is....very impressive for a can less than 1000.00! If this was a 1300-1500.00 can, I wouldn't say it was overpriced. Especially given what some of the audeze and hd800 cost. Now I wouldn't say it's better than those, but I will say it's on the same playing field with each one having strengths and weaknesses vs the other.
 
But I will directly compare them to my current favorite he6. At first listen, two things surprised me. One was how hard it was to drive them. Given some of the earlier impressions, I was expecting something that could easily be driven by most typical desktop amps. But my hifi m8(1.2 wpc) had a hard time trying to drive them. I could get it fairly loud with the volume knob at the 3:00 position(max volume is around 5:30), but the sound was a little distorted. At moderate volume levels, the bass sounded a little bloated and the sound as a whole was somewhat congested. So I had to move them to my full sized rigs. It was with these rigs I did my comparison to the he6.
 
The second thing that surprised me was how close they sounded to my (stock at the time) he6. These two cans sound more alike than the hd600 vs hd650. But further listening would reveal quiet a few differences overall. I will say the he560 have about the same amping requirements as the original he5. If I had to guess, I would say they need around two full watts to be properly driven. So while still not as hard to dive as the monsterous he6, they still need pretty beefy amplification IMO.
 
So would I rank these as high as I would the he6? Well as close as they come, they don't quiet match them overall, but still sound far better than they should at their asking price. On their own, it's hard to find flaws(although they are there). But when switching back between to two I find that the bass of the he560 sounds a little thudish. It's not as well defined as the bass from the he6. The he6 overall have the best bass I've heard. Sure the 009 is a tad bit nuanced, but don't have the impact and slam of the he6 bass. And yes the lcd 2 have even more impact but can sound a bit sloppy at times. And the lcd3 have a bit more slam, but lacks the precision of the he6 bass. So what I'm saying is, the he6 bass doesn't do everything perfect, but it doesn't have anything lacking either. It just does everything excellent.
So the he560 bass falling a little short in comparison isn't a bad thing. It's still best the bass out of most cans. Though not as precise or articulate as the bass from the he6.
 
The mids from both cans are probably the area where I find the biggest difference between the two. The he560 mids are smooth and velvety. They are slightly warm compared to the mids of the he6, but not warm in general. They are not as warm sounding as the mids form the he500. I would say they are just slightly on the warm side of neutral. They have plenty of body and can be seductive at times. The mids of the he6 are dead neutral IMO. And they have an organic richness that the he560 doesn't have without the added warmth. It's like the mids of the he560 tries to sound natural, and the he6 mids just does. The mids of the he560 are pretty well balanced with the rest of the spectrum, but not quiet as seamless as the mids of the he6 given the added warmth.
 
Now to the highs. Now this should really be an unfair fight since the only highs I've heard that can match the highs of the he6 are the ones form the 009. The highs from the he6 can sound harsh, overly bright, and just flat out fatiguing if not amped properly. I'm not just taking about power. Yes they need a few watts to be properly driven, but outside of that, the quality of those watts are just as important and they are just as picky as the hd800 in that requirement. The he6 highs are soooo life like, and pure. They sound extremely natural without a hint of grain or harshness. They are very nuanced as well. They highs of the he560 surprisingly comes very close. But they also sound a little sibilant compared to the he6. There is a slight grain in the lower treble that's just not there with the he6. The highs are not harsh, and are better than most of the cans out there. But just don't sound as realistic as the highs from the he6 sounds.
 
Now on the sound staging. While I think it was a little overblown to say the sound stage was as wide as the hd800 as I've read previously(not even quiet as wide as the he6 sound stage). The sound stage is nice and wide and surpasses all of the audeze's I've listened to by quiet a wide margin. And even though it doesn't match the hd800 or even the he6 in width, it more than makes up for it in depth. And as a result, the sound stage does sound more spacious than the sound stage of the he6 overall. Images are just produced further out in front of you which is very impressive since I do think the he6 have a very holographic sound stage itself, but there's a sense of space with the hd560 that's just not quiet there with the he6. So this is the one area I feel it does surpass the he6 in. The other area where the he560 surpass the he6 in is comfort. And in this regard, it beats it by a mile. These are very comfortable, and I mean very. Not quiet hd800 comfortable, but the comfort is much closer to the hd800 than it is to the he6.
 
 
So overall would I recommend these over the he6? Well that depends on if you have an open mind in regards to the he6. If you're willing to build a setup around the he6 knowing most dedicated headphone amps won't get you all of the way there, then I recommend the he6 without hesitation. But if you are not willing to build a rig around the he6, and comfort is extremely important to you, then I would recommend the he560 over the he6. A properly driven he560 will easily surpass the he6 if it's not properly driven.

 
Great review sir, I agree with your points!

 

[Terja]

Thanks, very informative review. Still haven't had a chance to check out the HE-6 (on my to-do list). Did get a chance to listen to the SR-009 and I thought it was the most streamlined and accurate sound I had heard out of a headphone. I think the HE-560 is definitely pointed in that direction and actually does a superb job of approaching that goal (not Stax SR-009 level, but enough to be mistaken for a member of the family). I guess you are now sporting a modded HE-6. That's one of the qualities I dig about the older Hifimans - that they are modifiable! just a little bit more room for personalization if you want it - which is really cool.

 

[moodyrn]

Thanks guys.

 

[Greggo]

Great post/review Moodyrn!
 
Well, I finally did ship these off to Blitzpirate today, he is the last person in line for the West Coast tour as far as I know.  I feel bad that I have had these so long, but I was waiting and asking for who and which address to ship to for a while now in my defense.
 
First off, I want to say a big THANK YOU to team hifiman for making this happen.  What a great service to all of us and a nice way to engage the community here.  And before I get into my own take on these headphones, I will cut to the chase and say congratulations to hifiman for bringing out such a great product.  I really appreciate Moodryn's take on the price/value here and agree with him.  There should be no controversy here, these headphones perform very well and are fairly priced.  They may not be your cup of tea, but this is a great effort and a fair value.
 
 
Signal Chain & Comparisons
 
All critical listening done primarily with these albums (and other 320 kbps material too numerous to list):
 
Mussorgsky Pictures At An Exhibition 176/24
Bill Joel 52nd Street 96/24
Taylor Swift 1989 44.1/24
 
That is not exactly the top three music albums I would choose for demo or review purposes, but they ended up helping me zero in on the differences between other headphones and components better than anything else I had as most of my general listening is done from Google Play (but soon to be Tidal).
 
For comparison purposes I enlisted my two best headphones, the Sennheiser HD700 and HD600.  The former has the best bass, soundstage, PRAT and detail retrieval of anything I own, and the latter has the best balance and a greater sense of being more truthful to the source than anything I own except for maybe the Focal Spirit Pro, which has equally good balance but just barely not quite the same sense of having no distinct signature.  I have posted a fair amount of times in different threads that I am a very big fan of both the HD700 and HD600, and maybe even a better cheerleader for just the HD600
 
Components:  JRiver Media Center 20 on a MacBook Air, into a NAD D1050, through to a Gustard H10 set on +6 dB gain.  No animals were harmed during these tests
 
 
Are we all full of it?
 
I quick note on posts, comments and reviews.  I think that for the most part, everyone in this community is well intentioned.  There is however, just too much evidence to support the notion that expectation bias and audio memory is such a pervasive problem that we may not really know even half as much as we think we do when it comes to differences between music playback components of any kind.  I am honestly shocked at how easy it is for me to forget I am listening straight out of my MacBook Air, or just a Dragonfly or Meridian Explorer, versus my NAD/Gustard or even other middle to higher end equipment now and then.  The moment I get really serious and try to hear the location of a particular sound or instrument, or zero in on bass depth or punch, or anything else... it turns into a maddening loop of back and forth and I get lost in it fairly quickly.  IMHO, the more you try to focus on exactly what is different, the more we introduce human perception artifacts that distract from our abilities.  Maybe this is what separates professional reviewers from the rest of us, I don't know for sure.
 
But here is a big breakthrough I finally arrived at just a few days ago, at least for me.  I stopped trying to hear specifics around the sonics, and instead just listened to the music and constructed a visual picture in my mind as to where I was, how big the room was, how it was decorated, where I was sitting, who was singing, how big or small they were, what was their expression, where were they standing or sitting, what the musicians or machines looked like,  what type of equipment they might be using or just what it looked like, and what the sound waves looked like or how they swirled through the air in each particular case.  I wasn't trying to hear anything, I was just creating spectacular cave man drawings of how the music presentation made me feel, in my head.  I was creating a visual experience and thus a pictoral memory rather than an auditory one.  The moment I started doing that, I started realizing that there were real differences that seemed much more obvious to me now and that I had a decent process for evaluations that was working for me.  YMMV, but I just thought I would share that in case it helps anyone else relax and just get more enjoyment from this hobby.  I am still a beginner at this in terms of dedicated hours, and I am certainly not without bias at the end of the day, so take all of my comments here with a giant grain of salt.
 
 
Construction & Ergonomics
 
I liked everything about this experience, from the box and packaging, to the connectors (didn't mind them at all) and cables, to the ear cups and headband and ear pads... I am not sure which was on them when I received the HE-560, but I left them in place the entire time.  I thought the whole package looked great, felt nice, exuded quality, and was very comfortable.  High marks across the board.
 
 
Summary of Sound, HE-560 On There Own Terms
 
Smooth, coherent and extended with a nice sense of being there in the room with folks.  A great feeling of singers being very close to you and connecting with you.  Really organic sounding from top to bottom with everything woven together very tightly and consistently.  Nice sense of space, even better sense of layers IMHO, and everything had a fairly round and/or dimensional image to it whenever that seemed real or appropriate to the sound at hand (voice, sax, drums, etc..).  I did not find any harshness up top at all, but then again I am used to HD700.
 
I found that I could play these fairly loudly, more so than all my other headphones, and it seemed like I was just a loud club with a great stage and sound system and not getting tortured in any way like I feel with the vast majority of other headphones I have owned or listened to.  I am very sensitive to this.  Even though I don't listen really loud very often or for very long periods of time, it really bothers me when headphones or speakers start to break down and sound shrill or just lacking in composure when the SPLs start to heat up.  I though the HE-560 stood up extraordinarily well in this regard.
 
Time!  The one thing that really surprised me and at the end of the day is the biggest compliment I can pay to these headphones is that I have never just flat out lost track of time as much as I did when these things were on my head.  Early on in this demo period I thought that was the key, the fact that I just ended up listening to more music more often really does say all the needs to be said at the end of the day.  I was ready to buy my own pair for that reason alone.
 
I feel a little emboldened here from moodyrn's review because I was expecting a wider stage from most other comments, but I didn't get that sense at all.  They imaged well, just not to the degree I was expecting I guess.  I should also note that this is the first time I have really heard planar headphones.  I have not yet heard any Audeze or Oppo headphones for instance, and I was really struck by the different presentation in general.  Mostly for the better, but I will talk more about those differences later
 
Weaknesses (being a bit greedy here) - I can only think of two, and it might not be very fair to call them weaknesses as these performance areas are still excellent in their own right.  The first and most obvious to me was that I wanted more bass articulation and just a smidge more punch.  Again, bass in general on the HE-560 is better than the vast majority of what else I have heard.  The other would be just a touch of midrange transparency and electrostatic like quality to make all the tonal colors in the midrange just a bit more rich and vivid.  This is where I heard things a little bit differently than moodyrn, but it may also be due to relative terms and different points of comparison.  I wanted a little more midrange warmth and lushness as I did not hear much if any to begin with.
 
 
HE-560 vs HD600
 
Well, maybe it is the somewhat polite Sennheiser house sound that I am so used to, along with a little Audio Technica female voice enhancement that leaves me wanting just a little bit more midrange warmth and lushness from the HE-560.  Does the HD600 do a better job in that department?  No, not really.  A different character to be sure, but not enough detail and grace to get any leg up on the HE-560.  I think they both have about the same width of stage, meaning I felt the width of the room just felt fairly consistent between the two.  But the HE-560 seemed to often convey a higher ceiling and a deeper back wall, while at the same time bringing both me and the musicians closer to the center of the room.
 
Forward would not be the right word, because I didn't find anything feeling like it was being shoved in front of me.  More directly connected, more carefully organized, as though each musician and instrument want to be closer to each other but not crowd each other.  There was nothing artificial about it at all, in fact it made me question if my other headphones, HD600 included, were a bit artificial and exaggerating the space between things as they sometimes sounded a bit too polite and loosely connected.  This is a really tricky sensation for me to describe, and I am convinced much of it goes to the different character of dynamic versus planar drivers, but I found much more detail and directness coming from the HE-560, while the relaxed and well balanced qualities were pretty much equal to each other.
 
In other words, the HE-560 is a better HD600 in most every way and yet they seem like they are a bit related, like they have something in common despite how different they are in terms of design and pedigree.  The HE-560 did have clearly better bass, deeper and a bit punchier, about equal resolution down low but as soon as you move from the kick drum to the toms, or from the lowest bass guitar note to a few steps up, the HE-560 starts to run away with better detail and body.  Comfort wise, I would say they are about even, better pads on the HE-560 but overall about equal in terms of total ergonomics.
 
 
HE-560 vs HD700
 
This was a really interesting comparison for me because these two headphones in particular have managed to capture so much about what I like when listening to music and yet pick such different qualities and approach them in such different ways.  When I first started listening to the HE-560, I was convinced the HD700 would eventually have to go, that I was so much better aligned with the HE-560 both in technicalities and in musicality.  But then during some of my frantic back and forth sessions (before I learned to just relax and let it all burn in over the course of a couple of tracks at a minimum...) I was like wait a minute, the HD700 is still bringing it home in a couple of areas, and of course now I have decided that I must have both, so I am in the process of saving up for the HE-560
 
So how are they different.  Well first, let me start of by addressing the love/hate this community has for the HD700.  Yes, they have a treble spike, and yes I don't notice it most of the time and even when I do, for my music at my usual volume it is a complete non-issue.  To me it is much different from the BeyerDynamic or AKG treble balance in their house sound, I find those much more fatiguing.  But HD700 still has a hot zone that can be annoying, and when you are in the mood for "loud", these are not the best choice for sure.  So we will start by saying that in terms of truth, smoothness and overall balance, the HE-560 wipes the floor with the HD700.  I also feel that the sense of detail retrieval is equal here at the upper mids through to the highest treble.  I will also stipulate that the HE-560 is much more coherent overall than the HD700 and things seem especially better blended from mids through treble in that regard as well.  It is simply a much better balanced headphone.  But the HD700 still defends itself well in a few ways.
 
First, the imaging is better in terms of audiophile qualities of width, depth, and air between instruments.  I don't place much value in this quality however as long as the various musicians and instruments are still well delineated and their sense of organization, their natural physical formation, is translated well.  The HE-560 does in fact translate those qualities very well.  The room may feel a bit smaller overall and everyone a bit closer together, but their shape is more evident and I feel like I am allowed to sit closer to them and reach out and touch them easier without intruding.  With the HD700, there is a tad more image space and specificity, and a bit more detail in the lower mids and bass, but I don't feel like there is a benefit for me to enjoy.  It is like a panoramic screen, fascinating at first, but still very much a screen and not a natural window to the world, the HE-560 feels more like a window, a studio control room window that has just been cleaned really well and you are attending the recording session.  Also, the HD700 has better bass IMHO.  This was very close, because the HD700 bass doesn't have quite the warmth and body that the HE-560 brings to the table, but the HD700 is reasonably punchy and insanely articulate.  Also, I kind of hate to say this and it might go against many other opinions, but I find the HD700 bass to be a bit more dynamic than the HE-560.  Again, a very difficult to describe and perhaps a bit of a paradox, but the HE-560 feels stronger and feels like it moves much more air, but it does not demonstrate the same micro-dynamic prowess that the HD700 does.  In fairness, this is the one quality of the HD700 that I have always given high praise.
 
 
Conclusion
 
If you can afford them, buy them, unless you already have a really high end headphone that you are totally in love with.  Yes, I do want to hear the EL-8, and even more so the HE-1000, but chances are the HE-560 are what's next for me, and it is time to part with a few lower end headphones to make room and raise funds.  These things just play music better than anything else I have.  I brought my entire system and collection of headphones into the office a few weeks ago, and other joined in with equipment as well.  We had our own mini can jam and there were about 15 people that checked things out.  Anyone who tried the HE-560 was immediately struck by their "clarity" and how "clean" they were.  Most of these folks are not into this hobby and were listening to a bunch of headphones without any knowledge of reputation or price.  Some were struck by the comfort and detail of the HD700, but most were just blown away by the HE-560, even guys that thought the HE-500 was the end game for them.  Hifiman just knocked this one out of the park.  Well done.

 

[Terja]

Excellent review Greggo. I too thought the 560s were almost, almost there in terms of getting everything right. I completely concur with this sentence, "I wanted a little more midrange warmth and lushness as I did not hear much if any to begin with." The HE-560 are somewhat analytical and sometimes you sort of get the feeling they are trying too hard to get everything right, whereas another phone that doesn't try to get everything right, actually gets it right. In my case it was the HE-500; I compared it extensively with the 560s. At the end of the day though, I felt the 560s were overally more accurate musically, especially with acoustic music. I've had a sort of love/hate thing with the Sennheiser sound (HD650). It wasn't until I stumbled onto a synergistic amp that I finally thought they were on the same competitive ground as the Hifiman HE-500. They offer a different window to sound, definitely lush, detailed, warm, somewhat loose bass but very musical.

 

[Greggo]

Thanks. Yeah, funny you mention the HE-500, which were present at my little office can jam. I thought the HE-560 were clearly the better headphone when I and others were making a contest of it... but a week later a colleague of mine was concerned his HE-500 might have a defect or something causing a little bit of a crackle sound in his driver. He did not participate in the can jam, but he asked if I would spend a little time with his set and see if I heard something a bit off. I didn't find anything except a very rare quick little pop, which I noticed on the HE-560 and on my other headphones every once in a very rare time, hard to know if it is source, wire, or driver as it does not happen nearly often enough to establish any pattern or sound signature.
 
Anyway, his HE-500 sounded very clean to me.  I played a handful songs I was very familiar with and when I was done, my opinion of the HE-500 had changed a bit.  I thought there was plenty of detail, adequate soundstage and highs, but a nice big bass and warm midrange that I found quite enjoyable.  It must be the fact that I like a lot of pop music with a little rock and a little more jazz/fusion thrown in.  I am a big fan of Marcus Miller, Hiromi, and Joe Sample... and all of that stuff sounds great on both Hifiman models under discussion here.  I might get a bit more owner satisfaction out of the HE-560 (If I actually owned them of course) but I just might get a little more listening satisfaction out of the HE-500.  Would love to have the weight and comfort of the HE-560 but the slightly bigger bass and warmer mids of the HE-500, even if I loose a smidge of detail, sound stage, and frequency extension at both ends... something tells me I would do just fine with the HE-500.
 
So what is the lesson learned here for me?  Very simple, sell a kidney and get the HE-1000.  This hobby is awful

 

[money4me247]

  Thanks. Yeah, funny you mention the HE-500, which were present at my little office can jam. I thought the HE-560 were clearly the better headphone when I and others were making a contest of it... but a week later a colleague of mine was concerned his HE-500 might have a defect or something causing a little bit of a crackle sound in his driver. He did not participate in the can jam, but he asked if I would spend a little time with his set and see if I heard something a bit off. I didn't find anything except a very rare quick little pop, which I noticed on the HE-560 and on my other headphones every once in a very rare time, hard to know if it is source, wire, or driver as it does not happen nearly often enough to establish any pattern or sound signature.
 
Anyway, his HE-500 sounded very clean to me.  I played a handful songs I was very familiar with and when I was done, my opinion of the HE-500 had changed a bit.  I thought there was plenty of detail, adequate soundstage and highs, but a nice big bass and warm midrange that I found quite enjoyable.  It must be the fact that I like a lot of pop music with a little rock and a little more jazz/fusion thrown in.  I am a big fan of Marcus Miller, Hiromi, and Joe Sample... and all of that stuff sounds great on both Hifiman models under discussion here.  I might get a bit more owner satisfaction out of the HE-560 (If I actually owned them of course) but I just might get a little more listening satisfaction out of the HE-500.  Would love to have the weight and comfort of the HE-560 but the slightly bigger bass and warmer mids of the HE-500, even if I loose a smidge of detail, sound stage, and frequency extension at both ends... something tells me I would do just fine with the HE-500.
 
So what is the lesson learned here for me?  Very simple, sell a kidney and get the HE-1000.  This hobby is awful

HE-560 + warm tube amp is the solution

 

[Terja]

  > >
 
So what is the lesson learned here for me?  Very simple, sell a kidney and get the HE-1000.  This hobby is awful

 
Lol, my brain is already doing the run around trying to see how I will be able to wiggle myself an HE-1000. It sounds extremely promising, especially when it has wowed the likes of Tyll H. The only other Hifiman phone that TH liked was the HE-500 so I am hoping the HE-1000 is an uber HE-500 upgrade, x 2. Now how am I gonna get that HE-1000 >>>

!?
 
@ money - I always have tubes somewhere in my chain whether at the amp stage or at the preamp stage, too many variables to say why I like it but I do.