[grwgergergg]

Chillin with my HD560s. For sale if anyone is interested...

return why sell for less lol

 

[astroid]

Got mine in this morning, everyone is painting this as a unicorn phone, is it?

Ok so I have had many 5 series cans, 598, 599 and 569 I believe. This sounds nothing like them, this is more of a studio can, this reminds me most of my cd900st, neutral, great bass, full mids and beautiful painless treble.

I only have around 6 hrs on this, I decided in the first 5 mins that I was keeping them.

So yes very impressed with these, it's an odd release imo as it may signal the end of the consumer oriented 5 series but I welcome these whole heartedly.

 

[the Ortherion]

Got mine in this morning, everyone is painting this as a unicorn phone, is it?

Ok so I have had many 5 series cans, 598, 599 and 569 I believe. This sounds nothing like them, this is more of a studio can, this reminds me most of my cd900st, neutral, great bass, full mids and beautiful painless treble.

I only have around 6 hrs on this, I decided in the first 5 mins that I was keeping them.

So yes very impressed with these, it's an odd release imo as it may signal the end of the consumer oriented 5 series but I welcome these whole heartedly.

Have you tried other cans like the hd600?

 

[rltrane]

Yeah, these are better.

Super close to the 598, as expected. A bit more treble at a certain frequency, and less so across entire treble range. It's something that sounds like it was needed, IMO. Never what I'd call sibilant or harsh, though. The midrange still sounds a bit more natural on the 598, but it's not huge. The bass is a decent improvement over the 598, and nearly as noticeable. Better extension for sure, but suffers the same issue of the 598 that it won't take much boost at all in the subbass before distortion becomes audible.

The 598 still sound damn good. I'm quite surprised that a headphone that's truly 10 years old (Aug 2010) is even able to hang with some recently released darlings. The narrative sometime seems to be that every 6 months, a headphone comes out that's a significant improvement on what came before it, which may lead one to believe that old headphones aren't nearly as good as what available now. So for anyone out there with old but good cans who may read this and has a serious case of FOMO, just relax, lol.

That said, I'm quite enjoying the 560s. They will be staying for the meantime, and the Phoenix are being returned. I just don't see the hype. Bass was a bit better than my 598 (but not nearly as much as I'd been lead to believe) but the tiny earcups/pads (these are on-ear headphones, I don't care what Sivga says) means my glasses break the seal, and I lose bass. Additionally, the sound was muddy and congested, the soundstage was poor, they sounded shouty compared to the others, and the frequency response was very notchy and uneven. Great build quality and accessories, though.

Oof, just got chills listening on the 560s to Sofia by Clairo, when the wide voices come in at 2:30. So good.

So I'm just gonna keep listening to these (LOTR soundtracks currently) and see if they improve any. They're really good, but I'm not totally sure yet if the slight bump in quality is really worth $200. It probably is, but being that one of my uses is music production, I'm not sure how much sense it makes to have an only slightly different variation of what I already have. It may make more sense to have something that gives me a sonic snapshot from a different angle, although one that is also near linear.

Hmm, listening to Lost in Emyn Mull from The Two Towers soundtrack, there's a particularly stressful passage starting at 3:20 till the crescendo at 3:40 where the 560s seem to struggle with distortion in the bass/subbass region, even with the EQ off at a moderate volume. It seems to poke it's head up at times in other songs as well. For anyone curious, I'm using a Focusrite 18i8 ( a digital audio interface that goes for about $400) to drive all headphones. It makes it really nice for comparisons as there two identical headphone outs with their own volume knobs, so I can easily match volume and compare sound signatures as quickly as I can put them on my head.

The Hd-560s probably shouldn't get too comfortable, as I just ordered some Sundaras and they'll be here Saturday. The hunt continues.

I'll be curious too what you think of the Sundara's. I actually think I'm one of probably the 3 people in the known universe who didn't care for them haha. Technically they were great but for me the timbre for acoustic instruments (I mostly listen to instrumental music) sounded kind of off to me. Also it was a much bigger soundstage than I'm used to and everything sounded too far away (like in a hallway). I guess I like a somewhat more intimate stage. Hd560s has perfect stage for me. Enough to give the music a little space but not so much I turn the volume up to get "closer" to the music. I think the frequency response was great on Sundara and it had great detail and clarity but those two things bugged me enough to return. I can see why lots of people would love them but they weren't my cup of tea. I did have the 2020 version btw. Good luck and I'll be curious to see what you think of the differences!

 

[rltrane]

still doesnt change the fact they measure worse than a akg k701 in the midrange rofl

Hey I have a legit question for you. Do you feel you can detect things on a graph other than "frequency response"? Can you detect soundstage, imaging, detail and clarity, timbre, etc.?

I feel like the frequency response, while important, isn't the only factor in determining what makes an excellent headphone, or at least a headphone someone could love specifically for those different characteristics.

Can you detect these things on graphs?

 

[grwgergergg]

Hey I have a legit question for you. Do you feel you can detect things on a graph other than "frequency response"? Can you detect soundstage, imaging, detail and clarity, timbre, etc.?

I feel like the frequency response, while important, isn't the only factor in determining what makes an excellent headphone, or at least a headphone someone could love specifically for those different characteristics.

Can you detect these things on graphs?

you have to define what soundstage actually is and if people who throw that word around actually mean the same thing. typically a soundstage means things sound far away. if its mid forward like a hd 600 then it will lack soundstage. if its v-shaped it will have a massive sound stage since its focused on treble and bass and not mids. clarity comes from a treble boost. detail comes from the quality of the frequencies. how smooth it is. if its just a series of peaks it wont contain much detail as a smooth response. timbre or tone is also defined by the smoothness and shape of the response so yes all these factures are on graphs. however if its a planar or dynamic etc can play a roll.

 

[mvule]

Finally listened to this on a Sunday morning...
HD 560S portraying the soothing voice of Beth Orton.

Time for a coffee.

 

[MixMasterMan]

Also agree with this review. The 560S is better suited as a multimedia work tool, rather than a hp for enjoyment/pleasure..imo

 

[astroid]

For those wondering about drivability, my Fiio M9 is great at high gain 70/120..
My phone is not so good, 80% needed, Sony 1ii.

 

[conquerator2]

Should finally have a pair on Thursday. Excited (and anxious!) to hear them with my own ears.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

After several weeks now, I basically have no complaints about the sound. My only complaint really is with the plastic headband they used. I wish they would have leather wrapped it like the 598/599 or something. The plastic used on the 560s scratches so easily, my headband is already filled with microscratches. I'm very careful with my headphones too, so it almost seems inevitable. The pc37x had the same plastic headband and I experienced the same scratching.

The 58x/6xx headband is painted and seemingly impervious to scratching. They maybe could have at least painted it the same way.

 

[mvule]

Should finally have a pair on Thursday. Excited (and anxious!) to hear them with my own ears.

Well you should have quite a good idea of what to expect by now (as you've been following this thread)

 

[conquerator2]

Well you should have quite a good idea of what to expect by now (as you've been following this thread)

Well, yes but actually no Comments on soundstage, brightness and bass are somewhat split, so we will see where it lands. My gear is on the smoother, more spacious side, so fingers crossed it will actually make these just right (if these lean bright)

 

[mvule]

Well, yes but actually no Comments on soundstage, brightness and bass are somewhat split, so we will see where it lands. My gear is on the smoother, more spacious side, so fingers crossed it will actually make these just right (if these lean bright)

Personally I'd say they are more accurate than forgiving.
If your gear is on the smooth side, hopefully for your sake that's what you'll hear.

 

[astroid]

Ok so just on the back of an eight hour session, Jay Electronica, Suuns new EP Visions and various other Hi Res cuts from Com Truise, Roisin Murphy and Primal Scream. First things first, these disappear quick, so comfy and light. I have in my arsenal right now, MDR-Z7, ATH-ES10, ATH-ES88, Sony MDR-ZX701 and Grado SR325.
Is it worth the hype, abso****inglutely!
These sound right, they get out of the way and let your tunes breathe. The bass is awesome, best I have heard on a Sennheiser ever, its well defined, not too warm, has real impact when needed and it is integrated well with the other ranges.
Mids are great, nothing to complain about at all. Treble is a little hot initially, probably as I am coming from the Z7 but its not sibilant and it is nicely detailed.
This is a can that does almost all right, I cannot really think of anything bad to say about it, it is just really really good,
Worth £169, yep a bargain I reckon.