[sp3llv3xit]

   
Is there something specific you were interested in?  I have both.. love both of them.. the HD800 is the more technically proficient of the two.. but the 560 is mighty impressive.. and tends to get just about as much time on my head as the HD800.. the 560 has a slightly softer attack and a less expansive soundstage (upstream equipment matters here).. but I don't find it lacking at all.

Thank you, FlySweep.  How does the 560 compare to the 800 in terms of treble presentation?  If the 560 has a softer attack, does it also have lesser or smaller bass output?

 

[sp3llv3xit]

   
The 560 is closer to the HD650 in terms of attack.. both have a softer, 'fluffier' quality compared to the sharper, more deliberate nature of the HD800 (again, upstream gear is very important for the HD800).  What you pair the HD800 with matters almost as much as the HD800 itself.. the HD650/HE-560?  Not as much (but still quite important, IME).  The 560 is a little more laid back like the 650, as well.. more so than HD800.. but I find the HD800 to possess a beguiling degree of silky smoothness.
 
What qualities do you want to preserve in the 650's sound/voicing when moving up to the HD800 or HE-560?

The HD650?  Ugh! I hate it.  I got suspended for likening someone's HD650 as a pair of old Sansui speakers covered with damp towels.  

I guess, I'm going to skip it if the HE560 sounds close to the HD650!

 

[MattTCG]

 


Thank you, FlySweep.  How does the 560 compare to the 800 in terms of treble presentation?  If the 560 has a softer attack, does it also have lesser or smaller bass output?

 
Not to answer for Fly, but I've had these two for a few weeks. The treble extension is much better on the hd800...more natural and better speed. The he560 is peaky in the treble but the presentation is warmer overall than the hd800. FWIW I ended up keeping the hd800. 

 

[sp3llv3xit]

   
Not to answer for Fly, but I've had these two for a few weeks. The treble extension is much better on the hd800...more natural and better speed. The he560 is peaky in the treble but the presentation is warmer overall than the hd800. FWIW I ended up keeping the hd800. 

Thanks, Matt.  I guess the 560 is closer to the HD650 as FlySweep says, huh?  My long time buddy in this hobby told me that the HE560 is like the HD800 of planars.  That got me interested.

 

[MattTCG]

The he560 is a very good headphone for sure. It also responded well to simple mods (grill). I don't get the direct comparison to the hd800 though. 

 

[MickeyVee]

Not a comparative review but I sold off the HE560 after two months. Not close enough to the HD800 nor different enough to really enjoy them.  I put aside the HD800 for the first month and when they went back into my rotation, they were always my first choice. At this point, from memory, the HE560 are about 85-90% of the HD800 with 70% of the soundstage.  Every aspect was just a little less than the HD800.  Not enough to compliment them and not different enough to give another type of sound (though the HE400i may do that for me). If I didn't have and love the HD800, the HE560 would definitely have been keepers. 
 
Edit: agree with the Matt's treble comments and I find bass not as deep or tight
 
 
Quote:

  Can someone who has both the HD800 and the new Hifiman HE560 do a comparative impression or review of these two?  

Thanks.

 

[sp3llv3xit]

 

Thank you, MickeyVee.  I think I'll pass this opportunity to get the HE560 blind.  

That said, does anyone here have an experience in pairing the HD800 with the ALO Reference 16 cable?

 

[MattTCG]

 


Thank you, MickeyVee.  I think I'll pass this opportunity to get the HE560 blind.  

That said, does anyone here have an experience in pairing the HD800 with the ALO Reference 16 cable?

 
Check with Cute. I think that he paired that cable with the hd800...pretty sure. 

 

[sp3llv3xit]

   
Check with Cute. I think that he paired that cable with the hd800...pretty sure. 

Will do. Thanks.

 

[skeptic]

Thank you, MickeyVee.  I think I'll pass this opportunity to get the HE560 blind.  

That said, does anyone here have an experience in pairing the HD800 with the ALO Reference 16 cable?

 
One thing to bear in mind with some of these cables is that the heavy gage may exceed what can actually be attached to the tiny pins inside the hd800's connectors.  Some folks clearly like exotic cables regardless.  Others, and even some MOT's, have called into question whether it makes sense to spend big money on a cable when at least certain of the wires are never physically making the connection with your phones under the heatshrink.  Food for thought and all that.  
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/467620/hd800-connectors-are-you-kidding-me/15#post_6331412
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/650510/the-new-hd800-impressions-thread/4830#post_9716033

 

[MattTCG]

I believe that the hd800 connectors are offered in standard and "jumbo" sizes. FYI

 

[Dopaminer]

  I believe that the hd800 connectors are offered in standard and "jumbo" sizes. FYI

Yeah, there were some `jumbos` for sale here on H-fi a while back, right?  
I`m going to build my own HD800 cable next month.   And I`ve been trying to find these `long` Oyaide HD800 connectors here in Japan, but they seemed have crossed over into the world of myth . . . 
 

 

[sp3llv3xit]

One thing to bear in mind with some of these cables is that the heavy gage may exceed what can actually be attached to the tiny pins inside the hd800's connectors.  Some folks clearly like exotic cables regardless.  Others, and even some MOT's, have called into question whether it makes sense to spend big money on a cable when at least certain of the wires are never physically making the connection with your phones under the heatshrink.  Food for thought and all that.  

http://www.head-fi.org/t/467620/hd800-connectors-are-you-kidding-me/15#post_6331412

http://www.head-fi.org/t/650510/the-new-hd800-impressions-thread/4830#post_9716033

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[sp3llv3xit]

Yeah, there were some `jumbos` for sale here on H-fi a while back, right?  
I`m going to build my own HD800 cable next month.   And I`ve been trying to find these `long` Oyaide HD800 connectors here in Japan, but they seemed have crossed over into the world of myth . . . 

Who made those cables?

 

[Folex]

Does Sennheiser make a stock 3.5mm cable ?