[Skooks]

  I hear ya brother. With a headphone system that is just right, the listening experience is pure exploration.

AMEM, brother Jerg, AMEN! It is pure exploration!
 
I should have mentioned before... besides tube rolling with a good tube amp... with the HE's, we have the pad mod guys... like Jerg and others... and other slight mods like removing the outer grill cloth that continues to improve the sound.
 
Go for it!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I have been following the threads on the HE-560 with great interest.  Everything seems to have gone fairly quiet.  Is everyone anticipating changes to the pre-production models and waiting to evaluate the final production versions?

Is the pre-production version a significant jump from the Audeze LCD-2?  I primarily listen through high-end speakers, but I was disappointed with the lack of “Audiophile” room sound that I was expecting from them (and they weighed a ton).  Does the HE-560 give you some of the tactile feel and impact you get from a full range speaker and a bit more resolution through the upper midrange?  I seem to be listening less and less to my home setup (time and kids), and I would like some very nice headphones that do not leave me wanting more.  In addition, I have heard rumors about another HE-6XX series model on the way.  Is this purely speculation, or is it in the near-term pipeline?  I would rather spend a reasonable amount of cash once to get something that I am thrilled with than to be constantly looking for something better.

I do prefer the HE-560 over the LCD-rev2. In the process of getting improved trouble in the rev2 over the slightly dark rev1 they also seems to have acquired a slightly more prominent or forward midrange, which shrinks the soundstage a little. They both have fantastic bass (at least with the amps that I'm using), but I still think the LCD-2 rev2 sounds a little more closed in and less airy and spacious in direct comparison.

On its own, I always said that the the LCD – 2 is a great headphone which I've said is on par with the HE-500, but as per my review I'm finding things that the HE 560 does better. It's not significantly better but it increases my level of enjoyment enough that I would reach for the HE-560 first. I'm really missing the preproduction headphones, thinking that I would have another pair by the end of this week when I mailed the other pair back.

[edited for typos]

 

[CDJ123]

Thank you for your insight.  Based on the many comments, it appears that the HE-560 would be a better choice than the Audeze given my sound preferences.  I think I am struggling with the “headphone sound” after years of live music and a high-end setup that closely reproduces this live sound.  I am not sure how many Head-Fi posters are in a similar position, but my goal is to recreate the live music experience.  Would the production version HE-560 be the closest I could reasonably get, or would you recommend a different product?  Do you know if an HE-6XX is coming and if this may be a step closer to realism? 

 

[conquerator2]

We really need a FAQ... All these things have been answered before...
A new flagship is coming eventually. And so is the new electrostatic headphone.
As for the realism question... I can't answer that, possibly yes but I think it's subjective.

 

[davidsh]

  Thank you for your insight.  Based on the many comments, it appears that the HE-560 would be a better choice than the Audeze given my sound preferences.  I think I am struggling with the “headphone sound” after years of live music and a high-end setup that closely reproduces this live sound.  I am not sure how many Head-Fi posters are in a similar position, but my goal is to recreate the live music experience.  Would the production version HE-560 be the closest I could reasonably get, or would you recommend a different product?  Do you know if an HE-6XX is coming and if this may be a step closer to realism? 

That kind of realism = Stax

 

[Xcalibur255]

  You sound like I was about 5 years ago. I had always been a big 2 channel stereo speaker system audiophile. I had some of the best... like Wilson Watt, Puppies and Whow driven by Audio Research amps and etc. But, we moved to Athens, GA out of a big house with dedicated listening room to an apartment to help raise our granddaughter... and things changed.
 
I have a modest system in conjunction with a 60" LCD... it consists of Epos speakers with a REL sub. driven by the Peachtree Audio Decco 65 and a Oppo 105 do everything player, and that does the trick watching TV and movies... and even some CD listening.
 
But, missing the high end, I started into headphones. I've gone thru a few of those and enjoyed trying different solid state and tube amps to drive them. But, being a tube guy, I came around to Little Dot amps and then I turned to Schiit... pardon the expression... to drive a really good high end headphone... the HE-500.
 
I have used the little Schiit Vali with the HE-500s and they make a very good partnership. It's amazing how that little amp can perform like that... and it's only $119. But, I purchased my 2nd Schiit Lyr recently, primarily if I want to go to the HE-6... I'm always tempted to try it. But, in the meantime, with the right tubes in my Lyr... like Bugle Boys or Voskhod Gray Shields, I am in audiophile heaven... very good sound that will make you forget you were ever in speakers. The HE-500s and Lyr combo... fed by an Oppo 105 that has an excellent DAC... and good cables is a great place to start or even end. The sound stage is wide and enveloping, and you will find that little nuances that could be lost in a speaker system because of room environment, you hear it all in a headphone system like this.
 
Believe me... once you really get into a good headphone system like this, you will sit for hours listening to good music. Hey, go pick up one of those used HE-500s for less than $500... and a used Lyr or a new Vali... and sit back and wait and see what finally comes out in the 560. Fang always improves every headphone he puts out months after the initial production has time to be critiqued.
 
Have fun and enjoy the headphile world.

 
I found this an interesting read.  I myself have actually had the same experience only going in the other direction.  I too turned to headphones because I can't accommodate the speaker system I really want to own in the small apartment I live in these days.  Had to downsize after being laid off some years back.  In the beginning I was really into it, but as time has gone on I have increasingly begun to feel like something is missing.  It became an obsession to keep upgrading the headphone system to try and keep the "wow" factor alive, but no matter what I always keep growing bored with it eventually.  But as soon as I go back to speakers, it can be something as modest as the $99 el-cheapos I use at work, the spark is there again and it just feels right.  There is something, for me, about having the music out in the room, having that sense of space, that is missing and irreplaceable to me with headphones.
 
Still, the living situation is not going to change so I have stayed the course with the headphone setup. 

 

[grizzlybeast]

@HeadphoneAddict 
 
I skipped out on this and pulled the trigger on an he-6 instead because I have some stuff to power them adequately. Should I feel like I missed out? I am mainly concerned about: transparency, mids(not forwardness but timbre), bass punch.
 
I dont care about the comfort etc.
 
Also do the he560 pads fit on the he-6 and are the he-6 pads different from the he500?
 
Thanks a million

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

  @HeadphoneAddict 
 
I skipped out on this and pulled the trigger on an he-6 instead because I have some stuff to power them adequately. Should I feel like I missed out? I am mainly concerned about: transparency, mids(not forwardness but timbre), bass punch.
 
I dont care about the comfort etc.
 
Also do the he560 pads fit on the he-6 and are the he-6 pads different from the he500?
 
Thanks a million

 
If you have the amp to properly drive the HE-6 they are a top tier headphone that you will love, and you may prefer them over the HE-560.  I have been without the HE-560 for almost 3 weeks, and I didn't get to do enough comparisons to the HE-6, but if I recall I though that the HE-6 are slightly above the 560.  
 
But that could change depending on preferences at the time.  I can say this, if you don't have adequate power output for the HE-6 they will be disappointing compared to the HE-560 and that same amp.
 
As for the pads, I don't know if they are interchangeable or not.  Sorry.

 

[conquerator2]

Yes, the pads are interchangeable

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I have received a newer set of HE-560 yesterday and so far they are as good as I remember the first pair being.
 
I am told that these have the modified sealed production baffle. With test tones the bass extends very deep, and 16Hz tones are felt.  I didn't feel the 16Hz tones as well with the first pair, but I could hear 20Hz.  Without the first pair I can't say if the 20Hz is stronger now, but it's pretty strong.
 
These have a 1/4" plug now, but the cable sheath is not the same as with the HE-500 cable, so it's not the same as the old cables.
 
Now I resume doing more comparisons with the HE-6, using the HE-6 via XLR and the HE-560 via 1/4", on Eddie Current ZDT and EF6 amps which have both jacks.

 

[conquerator2]

I have received a newer set of HE-560 yesterday and so far they are as good as I remember the first pair being.

I am told that these have the modified sealed production baffle. With test tones the bass extends very deep, and 16Hz tones are felt.  I didn't feel the 16Hz tones as well with the first pair, but I could hear 20Hz.  Without the first pair I can't say if the 20Hz is stronger now, but it's pretty strong.

These have a 1/4" plug now, but the cable sheath is not the same as with the HE-500 cable, so it's not the same as the old cables.

Now I resume doing more comparisons with the HE-6, using the HE-6 via XLR and the HE-560 via 1/4", on Eddie Current ZDT and EF6 amps which have both jacks.

That's good news!

 

[davidsh]

Great will look forward to that!

 

[Nikonkit]

Did you find the black cable on the 560 very heavy, I am tossed between the 500 and the 560, the latter has an edge but US$290 more here in Hong Kong. The 500 comes with a silver cable, I am wonder if I could up the performance of the 500 through improving the cable

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Did you find the black cable on the 560 very heavy, I am tossed between the 500 and the 560, the latter has an edge but US$290 more here in Hong Kong. The 500 comes with a silver cable, I am wonder if I could up the performance of the 500 through improving the cable

The HE-560 cable is a bit lighter. It feels like two sets of wires inside one slightly lose plastic sheath for protection, and to prevent snagging and micro phonics. Size is about the same overall.

I plan to try a Moon-Audio Silver Dragon Cable soon. But I'm not sure it's needed - I got the cable so that I could have interchangeable adapters at one end, so I can use my HiFiMan headphones with 1/8", 1/4", RSA balanced, or 4-pin XLR balanced jacks.

 

[acantor]

Sounds like I will not be missing out if I stick with my He6 powered by a great speaker amp vs the 560's?
Any recent comparisons with LCD -X closed and open?
Thanks