[Cruelhand Luke]

I doubt anyone has done that yet. However, it looks possible as long as you don't use the cup yokes. Headbands without the yokes just have a metal piece with a hole at the end that you bend out 90 degrees and attach that to the existing cup yokes with a bolt and a washer. It wouldn't look the prettiest but it would work, I think. It might void your warranty, though depending on how much drilling you have to do on the original yokes. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/252027571798

I have it saved somewhere, but I know there is a vendor that sells the Sony headbands with the yokes attached, that's what I was thinking about using. I haven't actually had the need to do one yet, but I have fiddled around with enough headphones that I know how to do it, I just don't know if the dimensions are the same. I was trying to visualize it last night, and I think streamlining the headband would really improve the looks....
we are all going to know one way or another by the end of the day...I'm just sitting here at my desk, looking out the window, waiting for the delivery man to bring me my new toy....

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

They just arrived. Some quick first impressions:
They look better in person, the headband isn't that bad to look at. The cups are really attractive, I don't know what kind of wood they used but it has a nice shimmery undertone when you turn them in the light. Stock pads are comfortable, and it seems like pad rolling is super easy; I tried two different pads from different manufacturers and both of them attach easily enough.
As far as how you look wearing them...uh, do people still use the word redonkulous? Because that's how I look in these things. They might technically be 'portable planars' but not on this guy, I still have a skosh of self esteem, lol.
The sound...I'm not going to comment yet, I've only listened to a few songs for a few seconds each. I can say I don't notice any 'issues' with the sound, the bass is excellent, very 'planar' sounding to my ears. I don't find them to be overly dark as some others have noted...the rest of my judgement I will reserve.
So far they are well worth the $80 I paid, that's for sure.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I had heard about the left/right indicators being very faint, the Zeos review suggested red heat shrink, but I went with something more elegant and simple...gold on the left, brown on the right. It's very subtle and doesn't mar the looks.

 

[Dawnrazor]

They just arrived. Some quick first impressions:
They look better in person, the headband isn't that bad to look at. The cups are really attractive, I don't know what kind of wood they used but it has a nice shimmery undertone when you turn them in the light. Stock pads are comfortable, and it seems like pad rolling is super easy; I tried two different pads from different manufacturers and both of them attach easily enough.
As far as how you look wearing them...uh, do people still use the word redonkulous? Because that's how I look in these things. They might technically be 'portable planars' but not on this guy, I still have a skosh of self esteem, lol.
The sound...I'm not going to comment yet, I've only listened to a few songs for a few seconds each. I can say I don't notice any 'issues' with the sound, the bass is excellent, very 'planar' sounding to my ears. I don't find them to be overly dark as some others have noted...the rest of my judgement I will reserve.
So far they are well worth the $80 I paid, that's for sure.

Come on man. You can't make those Forest Gump inspired cosmetics look good?? Life IS a box of chocolates and you got the Godivas at the snickers bar prices...let EVERYBODY know.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Come on man. You can't make those Forest Gump inspired cosmetics look good?? Life IS a box of chocolates and you got the Godivas at the snickers bar prices...let EVERYBODY know.

I'm not a smart man, but I know what Frankenstein headphones look like.
Seriously, who makes a SQUARE headband? Heads are round-ish...the square headband just screams DORK!

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I have had time this weekend to really give the m565 a fair listen. Some reviews/early impressions that I read claimed these are a dark headphone, with emphasized bass, that they have no treble or that it is rolled off. I guess there is a little bit of truth in those assessments, but they are attributable to the pads for the most part. The stock pads are comfortable enough, I don't hate them, but they are too shallow and a little bit too small. It hems in the soundstage, inhibits the treble and does put the emphasis on the bass. Switching to HM5 hybrids improved things. I know when these first came out one headfier returned them because they had 'no treble'...but he was comparing them to the Fidelio L2 among other headphones. I have the L2 and yeah, comparing the two, there is noticeably more treble with the L2, but for my tastes it's not necessarily 'better' to have all that extra energy on the top end. I eq'd the treble up a little on the 565 and down a little on the L2.
I don't think the treble is rolled off or lacking, it's just not quite as hot as some other headphones.
Bass is excellent for an open backed headphone, as you would expect from a large planar driver. For bass I compared them to my Argons, and the 565s really hold their own. It doesn't have quite the same slam or as much sub-bass , but in exchange for that 'deficiency' they sound much more lively and bright. I won't be getting rid of my Argons, but the 565 are going to muscle into some of their listening time that is for sure.
I used my Grado SR325e to compare mids and again the 565 really held their own. If the mids on the 325e put you front and center, with your elbows leaning on the stage lookling right into the face of the band, then the 565 has you standing 5 or 6 people deep. It's not forward, not recessed....maybe just right? It's in the Goldilocks zone, never recessed sounding and never in your face. Mids sound clear, accurate and inoffensive.
As far as the soundstage goes it's pretty good, instrument separation is nice, it doesn't sound narrow or congested. I would like them to sound a little bit more open, and maybe switching to HM5 hybrid angled pads would help,I'll order a set of them at some point I'm sure. I watched movies with them briefly and they sounded great...they may replace my Argons for movies because they are similar in bass impact and soundstage, but the 565 sounded more lively and fun. By comparison the Argons came of as very laid back and sedate.
That's all I've got or now....I really like the 565 so far, they are definitely a keeper.

 

[theangelboy]

Bass is excellent for an open backed headphone, as you would expect from a large planar driver. For bass I compared them to my Argons, and the 565s really hold their own. It doesn't have quite the same slam or as much sub-bass , but in exchange for that 'deficiency' they sound much more lively and bright. I won't be getting rid of my Argons, but the 565 are going to muscle into some of their listening time that is for sure.

Thanks for the impressions. This review gives me hope since I just happen to have a pair of Brainwavz Hybrids laying around and the fact that I have been considering picking up an Argon at some point. Also, I'm assuming you are comparing to a first gen Argon not the new MKIII Argon? I know they are supposed to sound similar but I wanted to be sure. Also, if I recall the M565 using velcro to mount its pads, correct? So I'm assuming you are just using the velcro adhesion between the speaker/dust filter cloth on the back of the Brainwavz pads and the velcro hooks to hold it on?

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Thanks for the impressions. This review gives me hope since I just happen to have a pair of Brainwavz Hybrids laying around and the fact that I have been considering picking up an Argon at some point. Also, I'm assuming you are comparing to a first gen Argon not the new MKIII Argon? I know they are supposed to sound similar but I wanted to be sure. Also, if I recall the M565 using velcro to mount its pads, correct? So I'm assuming you are just using the velcro adhesion between the speaker/dust filter cloth on the back of the Brainwavz pads and the velcro hooks to hold it on?

I actually have a somewhat unique Argon, it's probably closest in sound to the first version though. My donor headphones were a T20 RP which has the earlier round drivers.
Yes the pads are velcroed on. You just put the Brainwavz against the cup and sort of mush it into place. It holds fairly well, it's not as secure as the original pads, but when the headphones aren't on your head the cups rest together and hold them in place, and when they are on your head, obviously they clamp onto your dome.

 

[hchanrn]

Out of curiosity I pulled the pads off to see what Zeos Patera was talking about with the pads. In his review of the m565 he mentioned that the pads have a thick screen that is barely see through. Basically it is a layer of thick fuzz on the back side so that the velcro can grip the pads. I wondered if that thick later of fuzz was affecting the sound signature so I took at disposable razor to the middle area. I kept the outer edges intact so that the pads still had a good grip. After the shaving seems to have changed the sound a bit. Holding the pads to the light....more light shines through. Mid highs are a little better? Just be careful not to shave too deep and cause a hole in the screen.....which was what happened me.

 

[Dawnrazor]

Out of curiosity I pulled the pads off to see what Zeos Patera was talking about with the pads. In his review of the m565 he mentioned that the pads have a thick screen that is barely see through. Basically it is a layer of thick fuzz on the back side so that the velcro can grip the pads. I wondered if that thick later of fuzz was affecting the sound signature so I took at disposable razor to the middle area. I kept the outer edges intact so that the pads still had a good grip. After the shaving seems to have changed the sound a bit. Holding the pads to the light....more light shines through. Mid highs are a little better? Just be careful not to shave too deep and cause a hole in the screen.....which was what happened me.

Its no wonder he swapped pads immediately and complained about the sound being too in your face.

Seems that most reviewers just run foobar and call it a day. Hard to get the best sound doing that ime. Bright and sterile unless you really tweak the computer which is exacerbated when you swap pads

Fwiw i find adding pads over the stock m565 pads retains the signature and helps with comfort.

 

[theangelboy]

Well, I got my M565s today and have been listening to them for the past hour or so and have some very initial impressions.

I do not care for the sound signature with the stock pads. Bass is good with rolled off treble but the midrange was a mess and rather "honky" for lack of a better word. It was especially noticeable with female vocals and some electric guitars. Stock pad comfort wasn't awful but I dislike pleather as a general rule.

Similar to @Cruelhand Luke I had some Brainwavz oval hybrids in my box of pads so I slapped those on. Definite general improvement. Bass is still there and maybe a little elevated but bleeds more into the midrange. It now has some more treble, although I still think there are some rather large dips in the treble somewhere since they definitely still sound dark. Midrange is less honky with the Brainwavz, with vocals sounding more natural. Soundstage definitely is improved.

However, the hybrid pads aren't perfect. Every headphone I have put them on end up with strange treble and the M565 is no different. It's not very even at all and manages to be sibilant with certain "ess" sounds and still sound dark at the same time on certain songs. Kinslayer by Nightwish is a good example of this. I know it's not recorded that well but it demonstrates my point. The midrange can also sound weird in some songs but some burn in might help that.

I'm tempted to buy some Brainwavz micro suede oval pads while they are on sale. The suede should help even out the frequency while maintaining most of the bass. I also wonder how they would sound with some big angled pads like ZMF ovals. Anyone with access to those want to try the combo? I will also try these on some other amps and see how they pair. So far I have only used them with my IFI iCAN SE. They remind me of T50rp so I wonder if they respond to lots of power in a similar way.

I also plan on doing the headband mod to them that I did for my M1060, hopefully this weekend. And I also want to try making some pad mounting rings for these. All I would need to do would be to cut some ovals out of some stiff material and stick some Velcro on one side. I will take some pictures if I end up doing that.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

Well, I got my M565s today and have been listening to them for the past hour or so and have some very initial impressions.

I do not care for the sound signature with the stock pads. Bass is good with rolled off treble but the midrange was a mess and rather "honky" for lack of a better word. It was especially noticeable with female vocals and some electric guitars. Stock pad comfort wasn't awful but I dislike pleather as a general rule.

Similar to @Cruelhand Luke I had some Brainwavz oval hybrids in my box of pads so I slapped those on. Definite general improvement. Bass is still there and maybe a little elevated but bleeds more into the midrange. It now has some more treble, although I still think there are some rather large dips in the treble somewhere since they definitely still sound dark. Midrange is less honky with the Brainwavz, with vocals sounding more natural. Soundstage definitely is improved.

However, the hybrid pads aren't perfect. Every headphone I have put them on end up with strange treble and the M565 is no different. It's not very even at all and manages to be sibilant with certain "ess" sounds and still sound dark at the same time on certain songs. Kinslayer by Nightwish is a good example of this. I know it's not recorded that well but it demonstrates my point. The midrange can also sound weird in some songs but some burn in might help that.

I'm tempted to buy some Brainwavz micro suede oval pads while they are on sale. The suede should help even out the frequency while maintaining most of the bass. I also wonder how they would sound with some big angled pads like ZMF ovals. Anyone with access to those want to try the combo? I will also try these on some other amps and see how they pair. So far I have only used them with my IFI iCAN SE. They remind me of T50rp so I wonder if they respond to lots of power in a similar way.

I also plan on doing the headband mod to them that I did for my M1060, hopefully this weekend. And I also want to try making some pad mounting rings for these. All I would need to do would be to cut some ovals out of some stiff material and stick some Velcro on one side. I will take some pictures if I end up doing that.

The stock pads...it feels like very little thought went into that choice...or it's another case of de-tuning a cheaper headphone so as to not outshine the more expensive big brother headphone? (m1060)
I think these headphones have a lot of potential. So far the best pads I have for them are the HM5 hybrids...but I have a feeling there is something better out there...maybe the Dekoni Elite Velour?
I really like them, but I want more...I feel like they have potential I haven't accessed yet.

 

[theangelboy]

I really like them, but I want more...I feel like they have potential I haven't accessed yet.

I completely agree. As I'm listening they will have these flashes of amazing sound that blow me away and hint at its true potential. Another way they remind me of the T50rp. Out of curiosity what other pads have you tried? I have some Shure 1840 pads and my T-X0 pads I will try later.

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I will also try these on some other amps and see how they pair. So far I have only used them with my IFI iCAN SE. They remind me of T50rp so I wonder if they respond to lots of power in a similar way.
.

I have some power mad Fostex cans (Argons) and by comparison these are super easy to drive out of a phone (I do have a ZTE with an excellent dac/amp).....having said that, they do sound better out of my Magni 3...they respond well to amping, in my limited experience

 

[Cruelhand Luke]

I completely agree. As I'm listening they will have these flashes of amazing sound that blow me away and hint at its true potential. Another way they remind me of the T50rp. Out of curiosity what other pads have you tried? I have some Shure 1840 pads and my T-X0 pads I will try later.

I have some funky Senitek cloth pads, some generic Chinese HM5 hybrid knock offs that are actually kind of cool and more 'open' than the 'real' HM5s...unfortunately most of my other pads that might work I have cut out the backing that would make the pads cling to the velcro...