[Yiks]

Do you guys think this 3.5mm cable will work on HD 560S ?

https://www.amazon.ca/Genuine-Repla...99+cable&qid=1629126136&s=electronics&sr=1-16

It will, I use it with mine. Same seller I bought from.

 

[Yeahnahrighto]

Can anyone share their opinion on whether they think it's worth getting the 6xx if I already have the 560s? I love the 560s but everyone and their nan keeps recommending the 6xx and I'm on the fence on whether 200 USD gives enough difference between the two to justify the purchase.

Cheers.

 

[KryssN]

Can anyone share their opinion on whether they think it's worth getting the 6xx if I already have the 560s? I love the 560s but everyone and their nan keeps recommending the 6xx and I'm on the fence on whether 200 USD gives enough difference between the two to justify the purchase.

Cheers.

I actually got to loan out the HD650, but didn't get to listen to them all that much yet.
I am also an beginner audiophile, with not lot o knowlodge of terminologies or any critical listening exprience.

Anyways listened to the headphones combined with Sound Blaster X G6 (competitor to FiiO K5 Pro) on Spotify Premium.

Comparing 560s and HD650, for long sessions and/or high volume listening definitly prefer HD650.
I like HD650 better for Pop, Rock, Indie-Rock, Trance, anything that has vocals inn them.
The vocals sounds fuller in them, crispier and bass is placed better in those genres (where it should be heard) than in 560s.
Difference in style is noticable, in resolution only little bit.
With 560s in those genres I find myself trying to increase the volume all the time, it feels like I want ro hear more detail, but high volume for long time doesn't suite 560s.
In that regard I find the X3 actually better than 560s in those genres, 560s get sibliant for me before X3 when looking for more detail (increasing the volume).
But then again X3 is still no where near the HD650, the vocals sound thiner and too spacious in pop or indie rock for example.
I was maybe thinking to try increase mid-bass and mid-treble minimally on 560s and that could help with the looking for detail issue.
Since that is what X3 do and they in my subjective opinion sound better in those genres.

After listening to 560s for a while and comparing to X3 and HD650 I like them better for Jazz.
Actually they sound so sublime in Jazz that I may start to listen to the genre.
X3 not so much, vocals can sound shouty with them while on the 560s vocals sound more full bodied, inimate and stop right before they get shouty.
Scene is wider on X3, but the imaging and seperation is on pair and 560s are wide enough.
Oh man Do I love the brass on 560s compared to HD650 and vocals being just shy of shouty helps 560s in Jazz compared to HD650s.
Which makes the music feel static, not exciting, makes it feel flat, like it ends too soon flat.

I think HD650 would supplement HD560s in a nice way for different type of music.
I am keeping mine 560s for esport games and Jazz, will most likely get HD6XX (after listening to HD650) on a sale for long hours music listening at high volume to Pop, Indie-Rock.
For casual gaming, edm, hip-hop got Philips X2HR and Momentum 3XL (basically a portable 58x through USB-C)
Funny thing about Momentum 3, I didnt know until yesterday.
You can make them sound like 58x or inimate 560s through the app and USB cable connection to anything as they got inbuilt DAC.
After trying it out, same resolution and more flexibility compared to 560s and 58x.
But Momentum 3 cost as much or more than 6xx, so it all depends on one's needs.
I will probably keep X3 too, just cause they are build nice, looks nice, are comfy and you never know music taste changes.

 

[SubL0ck]

Can anyone share their opinion on whether they think it's worth getting the 6xx if I already have the 560s? I love the 560s but everyone and their nan keeps recommending the 6xx and I'm on the fence on whether 200 USD gives enough difference between the two to justify the purchase.

Cheers.

I don't own the 650, but i have 660s instead.
560s: wider soundstage, no 3 blob imaging effect, more linear in the upper region (basically has more treble), more bloomy bass.
660s: a lot higher resolution, better controlled bass, better separation.
Is it a worthy upgrade? Not sure, 560s is already a very good headphone and it's not that much far away from 660s. I'd upgrade on smth like LCD2-C.

 

[MotionMadness]

Hello everyone, I just bought a HD 560S and I use Xbox Series X's controller output to get audio while I game. Volume is fine but I think they lack bass while using the controller output. Can anyone confirm? And what is the best way to get most audio quality for my headphone from Xbox Series X ? Console is connected to my Sony 55XH9096 (X900H in USA) which has optical out.

 

[PhazeCrive]

I am a newbie headfier as well but these things come to you.

The 560s lack bass in general. Different amps will more or less yield the same results. Though there is the ifi zen dac which has the Xbass feature.

To get the best audio quality out of that headphone you'll need an amp and a dac. Something cheap in the 200 dollar range like schiit or fiio products. Maybe a topping stack. You take the optical and run it into the optical input of your dac then connect it to the amp. To my ears these sound exactly the same running from my PC, my phone, my dac amp. I never should've bothered wasting 150$ on that K5Pro... but if you need more volume that will definitely do.

 

[MotionMadness]

I am a newbie headfier as well but these things come to you.

The 560s lack bass in general. Different amps will more or less yield the same results. Though there is the ifi zen dac which has the Xbass feature.

To get the best audio quality out of that headphone you'll need an amp and a dac. Something cheap in the 200 dollar range like schiit or fiio products. Maybe a topping stack. You take the optical and run it into the optical input of your dac then connect it to the amp. To my ears these sound exactly the same running from my PC, my phone, my dac amp. I never should've bothered wasting 150$ on that K5Pro... but if you need more volume that will definitely do.

Volume is fine but I read somewhere that controller filters some of the bass frequencies but I don't know if that is a fact. I can't test it too because don't have any dac/amp. So I needed someone who owns XSX to confirm it. And I wonder using the optical on TV would add noticeable latency to the sound because that would suck

 

[Yeahnahrighto]

I don't own the 650, but i have 660s instead.
560s: wider soundstage, no 3 blob imaging effect, more linear in the upper region (basically has more treble), more bloomy bass.
660s: a lot higher resolution, better controlled bass, better separation.
Is it a worthy upgrade? Not sure, 560s is already a very good headphone and it's not that much far away from 660s. I'd upgrade on smth like LCD2-C.

Thanks for the reply, very helpful. What would you think of the sundara as a stepping stone to the lcd2-c?

 

[SubL0ck]

I am a newbie headfier as well but these things come to you.

The 560s lack bass in general. Different amps will more or less yield the same results. Though there is the ifi zen dac which has the Xbass feature.

To get the best audio quality out of that headphone you'll need an amp and a dac. Something cheap in the 200 dollar range like schiit or fiio products. Maybe a topping stack. You take the optical and run it into the optical input of your dac then connect it to the amp. To my ears these sound exactly the same running from my PC, my phone, my dac amp. I never should've bothered wasting 150$ on that K5Pro... but if you need more volume that will definitely do.

560s is lacking bass? You have to be kidding! It’s too much of it, even the LCD-X has less bass. At least on my setup.

 

[SubL0ck]

Thanks for the reply, very helpful. What would you think of the sundara as a stepping stone to the lcd2-c?

Unfortunately i didn't try Sundara. I own 560s, 660s, LCD-X.

 

[Yiks]

Volume is fine but I read somewhere that controller filters some of the bass frequencies but I don't know if that is a fact. I can't test it too because don't have any dac/amp. So I needed someone who owns XSX to confirm it. And I wonder using the optical on TV would add noticeable latency to the sound because that would suck

You could also try the 3.5mm on your tv itself to see if there is a difference. (As I recall the X900H does have a headphone port, unlike my Samsung…)

 

[NOMOS]

I think there is no bass lack at the 560S

 

[theMUKe]

I think there is no bass lack at the 560S

Shouldn't there be a comparison with the Sundara (and not Susvara)?

 

[NOMOS]

It doesn't matter whether the comparison with Susvara or Sundara ,
it's about whether the 560S has too little bass or not, and NO he
doesn't have too little bass .

Best Greetings , Nomos

 

[theMUKe]

Ordered the HD 560S this weekend! One German retailer sold them for EUR 120
N.B: Interestingly, also Amazon followed suit just a day later...

Now I am sharing my impressions here. I guess at least @Sennheiser would be interested in yet another feedback...

I started auditioning these headphones on my Shanling M5s single-ended (balanced cable already ordered, on the way from China).
Initially I was not impressed! Or at least it was a mix of positives and negatives.

On the positive side I could directly hear the detail and precision of these cans. Also the soundstage was decently sized. And the instrument separation was great!
...but with a catch! Nothing would blend into each other. There was little coherence in the reproduction. Immediately I knew: these are highly analytical headphones (and to be fair, that's even written on the box ).
Also the bass was very, very snappy. At bit unnatural even, to the extreme of being of the "knock-on-wood" type, cold and dry.

The bigger issue, though, was the spicy treble. After several years of listening to many different headphones I did get a headache again with the HD 560S (and even some ear ringing ). That's not great. Especially after so many good reviews... could that mentioned treble peak be such a big problem?

Well, so I decided to let the headphones burn-in for a few more hours...
So the next day I tried again. And the treble was more tamed. I could listen to the HD 560S more comfortably. Now I could fully focus on the detail these headphones offer.
And indeed, a lot of subtleties could be heard! Breathing, plucking, articulation, ... all of them very present and graspable.

At this point I will throw in a quick comparison with the Hifiman Sundara:
Just like the HD 560s the Sundara are very detailed headphones. Open-back, too, but with planar-magnetic drivers instead. And with great detail retrieval, too!
Yet, in my opinion the Sundara are less detailed than the 560S and are a (tiny) bit more loose in the bass section. I am running the Sundara on the same player (Shanling M5s) on the balanced out with 300mW@32Ω. However, the Sundara are a lot more enjoyable and more comfortable to listen over long periods. Overall they are less bright than the HD 560S.

And that's actually another weak point of the HD 560S. They can be overly bright... depending on the source, as it turned out.
I gave them another try on another DAP: this time the Shanling M5 (the old one). That's a slightly darker source, yet with pretty good measurements for Shanling's implementation of the single-ended headphone out. Here the treble is barely an issue - hardly any fatigue when listening for a long time. And also the bass seems more natural. Not sure if the M5 provides less control over the bass than the M5s. But certainly the M5 is a better match for the HD 560S. May try them on my Hiby R3 as well, at last when the balanced cable arrives.

So finally I can understand the hype around these cans. Leaving alone the pastic build and uncomfortable pads, the HD 560S are the most detailed headphones I own so far! They provide great insights into the music and enhance the listening experience by a big margin. Just keep in mind to let them burn in a bit, and make sure to find a matching source.

FYI: The source material I used was encoded in DSD and FLAC, and also MQA coming from Tidal.

P.S.: Also thanks to Cyberport for temporarily selling them at an absolute bargain price!