[mandrake50]

Will the madness never end?

Only if you chose that it does. Of course that would mean you had the ability to find something that you like and just be satisfied. That ability does not seem common around these parts.

Just ask me.. the wallet says

Of course, if that ability was common, Head-Fi would be pretty boring I would guess.

 

[Jerrod]

I'm a treble sensitive currently using hd650+o2odac. I saw z say the m1060s are the best headphones under 1500$ for only 300$!

I found the hifiman 400i to be too sharp, would the m1060 also be too sharp for me?

What makes planar drivers better than dynamic drivers?

Thanks

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

So you regret getting the he560 because there better?

 

[Jerrod]

So you regret getting the he560 because there better?

Of course not, ive had my hd 650s for many years and love them. Thinking of getting the m1060, just wondering if they'll be too sharp.

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

Of course not, ive had my hd 650s for many years and love them. Thinking of getting the m1060, just wondering if they'll be too sharp.

was trying to quote LCMusicLover.

 

[Jerrod]

was trying to quote LCMusicLover.

Ah lol

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

Actually curious about HE560 vs M1060 with pads because the price isint that far off. (hell i seen the HE560 for $450)

 

[LCMusicLover]

was trying to quote LCMusicLover.

No, really like them. Just sorry for my wallet, and also for my m1060s which have fallen to runner-up status.

 

[mrkingdomhearts]

No, really like them. Just sorry for my wallet, and also for my m1060s which have fallen to runner-up status.

Ah I see.
What areas did the HE560 outdo the M1060 in from you're experience.

 

[DavidA]

Same. I'm hoping they'll iron out some of the small wrinkles I have with these headphones or maybe accept the fact that these aren't for me. *Blows into dice* Come on lucky 7! I'm also thinking of purchasing Garage 1217 's Ember Project II since I just recently purchased HD650s and see how the M1060's pair with the amp.

Did you talk to Jeremy when you ordered the Ember for tube recommendations? He's great at giving info on tubes and has them for really good prices.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Ah I see.
What areas did the HE560 outdo the M1060 in from you're experience.

Not bashing m1060 -- I like them very much.

Keep in mind I'm comparing stock to stock. My HE-560s are the latest version, with 2.5mm connectors. My 1060s are ver.2, also with 2.5 connectors. So I use the same cable for both. Chain is Windows/Foobar --> Oppo Sonic DAC balanced out --> Matrix m-Stage HPA-3B balanced out --> Triton Audio Cables balanced to headphones.

HE-560 more detailed, a little more precision in staging/instrument placement, although m1060 isn't weak in this area. Manages to make m1060 seem a little bit L-shaped. HE-560 definitely more mid-present, with vocals more front and center. Overall, a little brighter, but not unpleasantly so even with my fairly bright source chain. And not at the expense of bass response, which seems very similar to m1060. HE-560 bass might be a hair 'thicker' -- more body in mid-bass, m1060 a hair 'leaner'. But close enough that I might have trouble telling them apart in a blind comparison.

Examples:

Eddie Vedder 'Hard Sun'. Vocal on m1060 seems a bit like he's just a few steps back in a pipe. Drums have more kick/impact on HE-560. Busy passages (choruses and ending) seem a little 'muddy' on m1060 by comparison.

It's a Beautiful Day 'White Bird' same story. For instance, violin doesn't recede during busy parts when it's not the lead on the HE-560.

Jimi 'Born Under a Bad Sign' more body on introductory bass notes.

Joni Mitchell 'Electricity' demonstrates more open stage, 'better' overall balance and resolution. Guitar seems restricted on m1060 loses some of the 'delicate' character I hear from the HE-560.

Beatles 'Day in the Life' significantly more air in sound stage. During Paul's vocal 'Woke up, got out of bed...' he's right next to you on m1060 -- further away on HE-560. Orchestral crescendos are cleaner on HE-560s, muddier on m1060.

Fleet wood Mac 'The Chain' is a great track to highlight all the differences. Intro is sparse-- drums & acoustic guitar. On m1060, guitar is slightly recessed, loses the 'clangy' character it has on HE-560. Percussion has better feel/impact on the 560, although not more forward. And again, the ending is very 'busy' -- more resolved on HE-560. Could be called slightly fatiguing on m1060.

In summary, HE-560 more detailed, better sound stage, more linear. By comparison, m1060 seems slightly veiled. And the sound stage seems both smaller, and yet slightly recessed. Maybe compressed versus more open is what I'm reaching for.

It's not night-and-day, and the two are clearly 'related'. But the HE-560 is just more engaging and resolving/detailed, and switching back to the m1060 feels something has gone missing. Plus, the differences seem pretty consistent across genres. I think the m1060 is an excellent value @ $300. @ $500, I think the HE-560 is as well, and a worthy upgrade.

BTW, HE-560s are slightly less efficient. Controlling volume from my Sonica, 560s are 80/100 vs 70/100 for m1060. But certainly not significantly more so. If you're driving the m1060s well with some headroom, you can probably drive the HE-560s from the same system.

 

[DavidA]

I'm a treble sensitive currently using hd650+o2odac. I saw z say the m1060s are the best headphones under 1500$ for only 300$!

I found the hifiman 400i to be too sharp, would the m1060 also be too sharp for me?

What makes planar drivers better than dynamic drivers?

Thanks

If the M1060 is like the one I tried you should have no problem since it was darker than my HD650 but it would seem that the one I tried was not what others have been describing. The ODAC/O2 is a decent DAC/amp but for me it did not pair well with most of my headphones that I tried it with while I had it.

As for planar being better than dynamic its a preference to the individual more than one technology being better than the other IMO and I have a few of each and don't think of either being better than the other.

 

[Jerrod]

If the M1060 is like the one I tried you should have no problem since it was darker than my HD650 but it would seem that the one I tried was not what others have been describing. The ODAC/O2 is a decent DAC/amp but for me it did not pair well with most of my headphones that I tried it with while I had it.

As for planar being better than dynamic its a preference to the individual more than one technology being better than the other IMO and I have a few of each and don't think of either being better than the other.

Right on thanks. What dac/amps do you recommend? Before the o2odac I tried the audiogd nfb-11 and the schiit magni2/modi2 uber, and i found them both too sharp and ended up returning them. I like the o2odac because it feels clear but soft and nice to me. Though I do prefer a darker and warmer sound and i see a lot of audiophiles like bright highs.

 

[DavidA]

Right on thanks. What dac/amps do you recommend? Before the o2odac I tried the audiogd nfb-11 and the schiit magni2/modi2 uber, and i found them both too sharp and ended up returning them. I like the o2odac because it feels clear but soft and nice to me. Though I do prefer a darker and warmer sound and i see a lot of audiophiles like bright highs.

If you don't want to deal with tubes then the SS amp I would suggest are: Polaris, G-109, HA-501 and Liquid Carbon, all 4 are neutral / slightly warmish IMO and seem to pair well with almost any headphone with the Polaris and HA-501 being the most flexible since you can change the output impedance to better match your headphones. There may be other amps but these are the ones that I've used, hope others can suggest other amps that fit your requirements/preferences.

 

[Phantaminum]

Not bashing m1060 -- I like them very much.

Keep in mind I'm comparing stock to stock. My HE-560s are the latest version, with 2.5mm connectors. My 1060s are ver.2, also with 2.5 connectors. So I use the same cable for both. Chain is Windows/Foobar --> Oppo Sonic DAC balanced out --> Matrix m-Stage HPA-3B balanced out --> Triton Audio Cables balanced to headphones.

HE-560 more detailed, a little more precision in staging/instrument placement, although m1060 isn't weak in this area. Manages to make m1060 seem a little bit L-shaped. HE-560 definitely more mid-present, with vocals more front and center. Overall, a little brighter, but not unpleasantly so even with my fairly bright source chain. And not at the expense of bass response, which seems very similar to m1060. HE-560 bass might be a hair 'thicker' -- more body in mid-bass, m1060 a hair 'leaner'. But close enough that I might have trouble telling them apart in a blind comparison.

Examples:

Eddie Vedder 'Hard Sun'. Vocal on m1060 seems a bit like he's just a few steps back in a pipe. Drums have more kick/impact on HE-560. Busy passages (choruses and ending) seem a little 'muddy' on m1060 by comparison.

It's a Beautiful Day 'White Bird' same story. For instance, violin doesn't recede during busy parts when it's not the lead on the HE-560.

Jimi 'Born Under a Bad Sign' more body on introductory bass notes.

Joni Mitchell 'Electricity' demonstrates more open stage, 'better' overall balance and resolution. Guitar seems restricted on m1060 loses some of the 'delicate' character I hear from the HE-560.

Beatles 'Day in the Life' significantly more air in sound stage. During Paul's vocal 'Woke up, got out of bed...' he's right next to you on m1060 -- further away on HE-560. Orchestral crescendos are cleaner on HE-560s, muddier on m1060.

Fleet wood Mac 'The Chain' is a great track to highlight all the differences. Intro is sparse-- drums & acoustic guitar. On m1060, guitar is slightly recessed, loses the 'clangy' character it has on HE-560. Percussion has better feel/impact on the 560, although not more forward. And again, the ending is very 'busy' -- more resolved on HE-560. Could be called slightly fatiguing on m1060.

In summary, HE-560 more detailed, better sound stage, more linear. By comparison, m1060 seems slightly veiled. And the sound stage seems both smaller, and yet slightly recessed. Maybe compressed versus more open is what I'm reaching for.

It's not night-and-day, and the two are clearly 'related'. But the HE-560 is just more engaging and resolving/detailed, and switching back to the m1060 feels something has gone missing. Plus, the differences seem pretty consistent across genres. I think the m1060 is an excellent value @ $300. @ $500, I think the HE-560 is as well, and a worthy upgrade.

BTW, HE-560s are slightly less efficient. Controlling volume from my Sonica, 560s are 80/100 vs 70/100 for m1060. But certainly not significantly more so. If you're driving the m1060s well with some headroom, you can probably drive the HE-560s from the same system.

I find modded or not that there's something going on at the top end with treble that sounds metallic. It's as if your ear licked a penny after eating ice cream. It makes me rip them off.

I thought it was my chain (Mimby+Jot) and could be that it exacerbates the problems. I find them much more bearable and fun on an Oppo HA-2. The Jot collapses the soundstage too much and with the vegan pads/paper towel mod it collapses it more. On the Oppo HA-2 the sound stage is much wider and now sounds like an open headphone but I can still slightly hear that metallic top end. For an intimate I have the modded TH-X00 with an addicting sub bass rumble and which resolves better. I just can't pin point instruments with the woodies.

To add to that I've been enjoying the HD650s more and thought this was the sound it would produce with better treble. On the Jot the sound stage is wider than the modded m1060s and can pin point sounds easier with the 650s. I don't want you guys to think I'm bashing on the M1060s either. I've been trying out different mods and equipment because I think they offer a lot for the price. Once I purchase the Project Ember and the ZMF Eikon pads i'lI have to ask myself if I should keep them or not.