Performance

HiFiMAN already pushed the boundaries with the pre-order version of the HE-560 and the release version is even better. The most noticeable improvement is in the lower midrange and in bass. Both are even more cohesive and the precision has gone up noticeably, although not by a night-and-day difference.

The small tweak to the pad's stiffness makes a big difference to the soundstage and how taught the bass is. That coupled with the new baffle design is perhaps the main reason why the new HE-560's midrange and bass performance is noticeably improved.

The relatively small change in bass performance is definitely enough to justify HiFiMAN postponing the product's final release for about a month or so. The dedication to perfection has definitely paid off, and with the release version now available, it is hard to go back to the previous HiFiMAN planar magnetic headphones as the HE-560 ups the performance to a completely new level.

These, to me, surpass the performance of the Sennheiser HD-800 which I have held in high regard ever since it came out. The bass performance and level of detail in the midrange more than makes up for the somewhat smaller soundstage, but your mileage may, again, vary at this point.

The midrange was superb on the HE-560 pre-order version and is just absurd on the final version. That coupled with the minor tweaks in bass performance make this a world-class headphone. Right up there with the HD-800 if not surpassing it on most accounts, the new HE-560 sets the benchmark as far as detail and cohesiveness goes. The HE-6 I once thought hard to topple in terms of midrange precision has now been surpassed on all accounts.