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First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Several months ago I received, as did a handful of headphone-minded audio journalists, a review pair of HiFiMAN’s latest HE-560 headphones. But, less than 24 hours after the headphones arrived, I got a message from the manufacturer that it wanted the review samples back, pending some pre-release design modifications that HiFiMAN had decided to implement. “Most unfortunate,” I thought to myself. “I guess we’ll just have to wait to see how the new model will finally turn out.”

Well, the good news is that the wait is now over, a fresh pair of revised HiFiMAN HE-560s having appeared out of the blue in my office earlier this week. The even better news, judging by the first couple of hours’ worth of listening I’ve been able to do, is that the sheer sound quality of these new headphones makes all the extra development time seem worthwhile.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

 

To review some basics, let’s note that—up to this point—HiFiMAN’s top two models were the HE-500 (favourably reviewed by Editor Alan Sircom in Hi-Fi+ Issue 83 and by Tom Martin in Playback Issue 47 ) and the HE-6 (also favourably reviewed by me in Playback Issue 37). Of those two models, I would say the HE-500 is far and away the more accessible of the two headphones, partly because of its lower price, partly because of its warmer and somewhat darker tonal balance, and especially because it is substantially easier to drive.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

The HE-6, on the other hand, is a truly great headphone, but one that can be difficult to “cozy up” with for three reasons: first, its generally neutral but almost hyper-revealing presentation won’t suit every taste; second, its price is enough higher than that of the HE-500 to make it painful stretch for some budgets; and third, it is stupendously power-hungry and thus is one of the most difficult-to-drive full-size headphones on the planet. (In truth, precious few headphone amps have enough output to do real justice to the HE-6’s, meaning that many who have been disappointed by HE-6’s sound were in fact listening through amps that had nowhere near sufficient power to drive the headphones in the first place.)

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

I provide these bits of background by way of setting a framework for better understanding what HiFiMAN is attempting to do with the HE-560. Specifically, I think HiFiMAN’s aim, whether explicitly stated or not, is to have the HE-560 stand as a model that embodies some of the very best qualities of both the HE-500 and the HE-6, but at a price point that falls at a manageable mid-point between the prices of the earlier models. Thus, the new HE-560 will sell for $899 in the US, or £549 in the UK. While this $899 price certainly makes the HE-560 a premium-priced headphone (as most people would use that term), it neatly falls under the $1000 mark, since that sum represent a cost-of-entry barrier many prospective buyers would prefer not to cross.

 

What is new and different about the HE-560 relative to earlier HiFiMAN headphones? Just about everything including the headphone’s frame, headband system, ear cup and ear pad design, driver design, and even packaging.

Earlier HiFiMAN full-size headphones used a thick, arched, padded top frame at the ends of which were found somewhat “fiddly” sliding metal ear cup yoke assemblies. The trouble with this structure was that it didn’t offer quite enough range of adjustment to accommodate listeners with smaller heads, and that it was also relatively heavy. In the HE-560, however, HiFiMAN introduces an all new design featuring a thin, overarching, leaf-spring-like frame (shaped like an inverted “U”) at the ends of which are attached sturdy, lightweight, swiveling, moulded black thermoplastic ear cup yokes. But the coolest detail of all involves the HE-560’s clever, suspended, sling-like headband pad whose position can be adjusted upward or downward via a pair of ratcheting clips—so that the weight of the headphone is always supported by the headband sling. The result is a system that is lighter and much more comfortable than HiFiMAN’s old headband and that offers a considerably wider range of adjustment, too.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

The HE-560’s ear cup and ear pad designs are also changed for the better. The HE-560’s cylinder-shaped ear cups are made of made of a moulded thermoplastic material wrapped in a very thick (roughly 1mm) oiled teakwood veneer *. They also sport moulded black thermoplastic outer trim rings fitted with black metal mesh grilles (like virtually all of HiFiMAN’s full-size headphones, the HE-560 is an open-back design).

* Actually, this construction detail is one of the changes between the early-release HE-560 and this final production version. In the early-release units, the entire ear cup was made of precision milled oiled teakwood. From the outside, however, the new version looks virtually identical.

The result is a more polished and luxurious-looking ear cup design than those found in earlier HiFiMAN headphones, and one that feels lighter in the hand. Unlike earlier HiFiMAN designs, the HE-560 ear cups are configured so that the signal cable attachment points are angled forward, rather the pointing straight downward toward the wearer’s shoulders. As it turns out, this seemingly small change makes the headphones a lot more comfortable to wear.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

 

Then, on the inward-facing side of the ear cups, the HE-560 provides detachable, user replaceable ear pads that, when viewed on edge, appear almost wedge shaped (much like the pads used on certain Audeze or Abyss headphones). As delivered, the pads are set up so that the thinner edge of the pad points forward, while the thicker edge aims toward the rear. Because the pads are detachable and can to some degree be repositioned, users are free to experiment with pad alignment to find an optimal fit. The pads provide outer covers made of an easy-to-clean leather (or leatherette?) material, while the surfaces that actually contact the wearer’s head and ears are covered in a velour-like fabric that helps wick away perspiration—a very clever touch.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

The actual planar magnetic driver assembly is also new and is described by HiFiMAN as a “single-sided planar magnetic driver (that) provides superior soundstage and spatial imaging”, and that is also said to provide increased efficiency (90dB/mW) to make the headphone easier to drive. By comparison, the efficiency ratings of some other similar headphone models are as follows:

·      HiFiMAN HE-500, 89 dB/mW

·      HiFiMAN HE-6, 83.5dB/mW

·      Oppo PM-1,102 dB/mW

·      Audeze LCD-3, 93 dB/mW

So, the HE-560 claims to be the most efficient of HiFiMAN’s upper-tier headphone models, but is nowhere near the efficiency of the über easy-to-drive Oppo PM-1.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

The term “single-sided”, above, refers to the fact that the HE-560 driver provides a magnet array on only one side (the outboard side) of the driver diaphragm—a design path that has also been explored by some other reputable manufacturers of planar magnetic headphones (e.g., Abyss), ostensibly in the name of achieving superior sonic transparency and openness. The train of thought is that it is best to have as few physical obstructions as possible between the “ear side” of the diaphragm and the user’s ears. Other planar magnetic headphone makers offer double-sided or so-called “push-pull” drivers, arguing that this topology inherently does a better job of balancing the electromagnetic forces acting on the driver diaphragm. Arguments can be made for both approaches. We have heard designs of both types work very well, so that the ultimate proof must—as always—be found in the listening.

 

The HE-560 arrives in an attractive wood-finished case that has a sliding brushed metal top plate, which pulls aside to reveal the contents within. In the heavily padded case one finds the headphones proper, their detachable signal cables, and an instruction pamphlet. All in all, this is far more attractive and sophisticated packaging than that originally used for the HE-6, HE-500, etc.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Naturally, the big question on all our minds is: how do the HE-560’s sound? I’m willing to give first impressions, but with the proviso that you understand clearly that THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. I dramatize this point with capital letters because HiFiMAN reports these headphones require a good 150 hours (!) of run-in before optimal sound will be achieved, while I have only logged about 5-6 hours of listening time with them thus far.

I have done most of my listening through a Lenovo-based music system using jRiver Media Center 19 media management software, an outboard 2TB music storage drive, and through excellent headphone amp/DAC units from Chord (the Hugo) and from AURALiC (the Gemini 2000). Headphones I had on hand for direct comparison included the HiFiMAN HE-500 and HE-6, and the Oppo PM-1.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

First off, I can state with confidence that the HE-560’s voicing is noticeably different from that of the HE-500. Where the HE-500 has a subtly warm and ever-so-slightly dark or even romantic character, the HE-560 is arguably more neutrally balanced, meaning that it has the same taut, powerful bass as the HE-500, but with slightly more prominent mids and highs, with better treble extension. The beauty of things thus far is that, even though the HE-560 is more revealing than the HE-500, it is by no means sterile or analytical sounding.

 

I would also say that, good though the HE-500 is, the HE-560 offers even greater resolution and superior coherency, too. In practice, this means it does a better job than the HE-500 of retrieving low-level textural and transient details, and of capturing small bits and pieces of spatial and reverberant information in recordings. But even though the HE-560 reveals more of the music—and especially of its delicate low-level details—it stops well short of the sort of cold, hard-edged, and generally off-putting presentation that can sometimes give accurate hi-fi components a bad name. On the contrary, the HE-560 retains just the right touch of HiFiMAN’s signature musicality, which is a good thing.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

Is the HE-560 on a par with the very revealing HE-6? Honestly, only time will tell. Straight out of the box and compared with my thoroughly run-in reference pair of HE-6s, the HE-560 was not yet the HE-6s equal (I could not help but notice that—good though the HE-560 is shaping up to be—there was, as the expression goes, more there there when I listened through the HE-6s in comparison to the HE-560s). With that said, however, I should point out that my HE-6s also did not sound as good as they presently do when they were brand new and had accumulated only few hours of running time. If you attempted to place the HE-500, HE-560, and HE-6 on a sonic continuum (picture a graph, if you will), then the HE-560 has already moved a good distance from the point representing the sound of the HE-500 in the direction of the HE-6. My thought is that, with more run-in time, the HE-560 may move further still—possibly to the point of catching up or even surpassing its bigger brother.

Heard alongside the Oppo PM-1 there are a number of observations that might be made, many of which I plan to save for a full review of the PM-1 slated to appear in one of the next issues of Hi-Fi+. However, perhaps the most obvious difference of all is the huge efficiency/sensitivity advantage the Oppo PM-1enjoys over the HE-560. On paper, the advantage lies 9dB in the Oppo’s favour, but subjectively speaking the gulf seems even bigger than that. In simple terms, you can drive the Oppo to optimal listening levels with far, far less power than it takes to achieve comparable results with the HE-560.

, First Listen: HiFiMAN HE-560 Planar Magnetic Headphones

On paper, the HE-560 is theoretically a hair more efficient than the HE-500, but in actual practice I did not find this to be the case. No matter which amp I used, I consistently needed to use gain setting as high if not higher with the HE-560 in order to achieve desired listening levels. It’s possible that this characteristic could change with additional run-in time, but judging by past experience I am guessing it will not. For now, I would simply say that HE-500 owners considering an upgrade to the HE-560 should know that there will be no practical improvement in efficiency, although there will most definitely be a solid step forward in sound quality.

The HE-560 strikes me, even at this early stage, to offer excellent value for money. It really does combine some of the best sonic aspects of the critically acclaimed HE-500 and HE-6, but in a much lighter, more comfortable, and better-finished package. Given these advancements, the price of the HE-560s strikes me as being more than fair.

Stay tuned for our upcoming Hi-Fi+ review of the HE-560 once run-in is complete.

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