[SBMonster]

Not a 'physical' (i.e. materials) burn-in believer...btw.

I can absolutely imagine there is a process of “softening” just like with every material at first use. Just think about rubber bands getting more extendable after being used or your earcups soften. All of this happens because of physical impact so i think it can be a real thing usage changes the way the driver sounds.

 

[GearMe]

I can absolutely imagine there is a process of “softening” just like with every material at first use. Just think about rubber bands getting more extendable after being used or your earcups soften. All of this happens because of physical impact so i think it can be a real thing that can change the way the driver sounds.

Sure...physical use of materials will have some impact on the materials through usage. Just haven't noticed the differential impact with my ears on a set of headphones after 2, 20, 200 hours.

Regardless, I'm happy for those that do

Life's too short to argue over this kind of stuff...imo! Hence, my initial comment.

 

[SBMonster]

Sure...physical use of materials will have some impact on the materials through usage. Just haven't noticed the differential impact with my ears on a set of headphones after 2, 20, 200 hours.

Regardless, I'm happy for those that do

Life's too short to argue over this kind of stuff...imo! Hence, my initial comment.

Absolutely! I’m not trying to argue at all, just wanna share my opinion and experience.

The rubber band was a good exaple, it acts like a string on a guitar. The first change in flexibility comes soon and then the material starts to tire slowly after that. It all depends on the material used and how sturdy it is. I believe the same thing happens to the drivers. First they are rough and after some use they soften so the drivers route will extend allowing them to move more air and produce more bass. The thing that some people can’t hear this change it can be due to that this could be a long process depending of the circumstances of usage.
But all of this is what I think, I don’t say these are facts, but if you take physics as a base it’s logical. At least for me

 

[SoundGuru]

Burn in is an accepted phenomenon in speakers isnt it? The headphone drivers are analogous to the speaker drivers. Seems plausible. Sorry we have really took this more into the sound science domain... Anyway they are great headphones, especially with tubes!

 

[SBMonster]

Burn in is an accepted phenomenon in speakers isnt it? The headphone drivers are analogous to the speaker drivers. Seems plausible. Sorry we have really took this more into the sound science domain... Anyway they are great headphones, especially with tubes!

I haven’t had a chance to try them with tubes yet, but i keep hearing from others that it’s a good combination. I also need a portable amp, that’s why i was thinking about to get the Little Bear B4. It’s a portable tube amp for £80. It’s a no brainer for the price, but has some issues which can be solved with mods.

 

[GearMe]

Absolutely! I’m not trying to argue at all, just wanna share my opinion and experience.

The rubber band was a good exaple, it acts like a string on a guitar. The first change in flexibility comes soon and then the material starts to tire slowly after that. It all depends on the material used and how sturdy it is. I believe the same thing happens to the drivers. First they are rough and after some use they soften so the drivers route will extend allowing them to move more air and produce more bass. The thing that some people can’t hear this change it can be due to that this could be a long process depending of the circumstances of usage.
But all of this is what I think, I don’t say these are facts, but if you take physics as a base it’s logical. At least for me

Yep...it definitely makes logical sense from a physical perspective. Additionally, it intuitively makes sense that dynamic drivers would 'benefit' more from burn-in than planar, ribbon, electrostatic, etc. Not sure if the science supports that though.

What I haven't seen (haven't looked for it either) is a well designed, peer-reviewed study that conclusively shows that people can actually consistently hear these differences. That said, I'm imagining it might be tough to properly set up and administer such a test.

Regardless, if people hear a difference (or don't) it's their reality...which is all that matters in their sample size of one!

 

[cel4145]

Burn in is an accepted phenomenon in speakers isnt it? The headphone drivers are analogous to the speaker drivers. Seems plausible. Sorry we have really took this more into the sound science domain... Anyway they are great headphones, especially with tubes!

Same as with headphones. Lots of argument over if there is a perceivable difference or if it's psychological (or both).

 

[SoundGuru]

The brain is a powerful deceiver, just look at the effectiveness of placebos in medical trials. Maybe there is a correlation with burnin and the price of the headphone? It must be improving over time as you rationalize why your wallet is lighter...

 

[mvule]

Dear Santa,
I've been a really good boy this year. Please can I have a graph to listen to my favourite music?
Thanks old chap!

 

[SBMonster]

Dear Santa,
I've been a really good boy this year. Please can I have a graph to listen to my favourite music?
Thanks old chap!

The guy on YT hating on the 560s without trying it and only looking at FR definitely needs one of those graphs.

 

[Evshrug]

That is good news. I hope Amazon.ca is on that list

I mean NA as in North America

We won’t have exact dates because that is the nature of shipping large quantities over the sea... but in all likelihood Sennheiser will be able to keep production going without long wait times. Baring extreme events such as storms, the wait for the launch batch and next batch after that were probably the longest we’ll see, as is normal with new product launches.

@Evshrug and others:

So how would anyone who has tried both say that the sound of these compares to that of the new PC38x headset? I know it seems like a weird question at first since these products have different intended uses... but the measurements I've seen show that the HD560s and the PC38x actually have remarkably similar frequency-responses. But of course, frequency-response isn't everything, and that's why I'm asking my question.
...
I'm a glasses-wearer, and a lot of headphones are non-options for me as a result. Part of the appeal of the X2HR and 560s is that both have bass which measures the same even with the seal broken.

I WOULD ask these questions in the dedicated PC38x thread, buuuut that place is totally dead, I've tried asking stuff in there and nobody responds.

Just for full transparency, technically the PC38X is an EPOS Audio product (after Sennheiser and EPOS ended their partnership early summer 2020), which is why there hasn’t been much from me or Sennheiser about them. They do indeed use Sennheiser drivers developed for the GSP series though, with more mass than the PC37X and HD 599, but for more details it would probably be best to ask in Drop’s PC38X discussion area.

With that said, when testing and describing a headphone’s sound, the frequency response isn’t even the first thing I talk about as defining a headphone. It’s just relative sensitivity, the balance of volume, but as you surmised that gives little information about how tight or boomy the bass is, directional imaging, soundstage size, etc.

I am very grateful to everyone who has left their impressions, reviews, and videos about their experiences!

 

[SBMonster]

I found another guy hating on the 560s. It's on YT, the channel called No theme reviews. Some things he states can be true but you can feel the hate and at some point it is totally different from my experiences. There is a part when he says there is a song from Kazukii called New Light and from 0:11 to 60 seconds you can count footsteps. He says he can only hear 5 of them with the HD 560s while with Focal Elear or Clear he can hear 18 of them. I never heard any of Focals, but as i remember there was a guy in this forum having both and compaing them.

 

[AnotherLevel]

How well would this work as my only pair of headphones meant to do everything without an amp - music, movies, anime, non-fps gaming.
My main concern is whether it will be too technical that it saps out the enjoyment out of daily multimedia.
Or would I be better off getting something from Massdrop?

 

[mvule]

I found another guy hating on the 560s. It's on YT, the channel called No theme reviews. Some things he states can be true but you can feel the hate and at some point it is totally different from my experiences. There is a part when he says there is a song from Kazukii called New Light and from 0:11 to 60 seconds you can count footsteps. He says he can only hear 5 of them with the HD 560s while with Focal Elear or Clear he can hear 18 of them. I never heard any of Focals, but as i remember there was a guy in this forum having both and compaing them.

Shame that this headphone has been dismissed by people not understanding
A) What the headphone is aiming for and
B) How to get the best out of it

 

[SoundGuru]

Counting the number of steps... and comparing a headphone that cost 5x the price. I listen to music with headphones because it improves the experience of the music, but to each their own.

560s is a bit cheaper on the build, but its light and still very comfortable. By focusing more of the cost on the sound it really has good value for money. The cable can be changed for a shorter one as well.

Headphones sound much different based on the source materials too (DAC & amp). With tubes the 560s sound quite a bit different to a revealing harsher SS system. Some recordings are just poorly done and the revealing sound signature of the 560s is going to emphasize that.