HiFiMAN's dedication to producing what the headophile community wants knows almost no bounds. The release version of the HE-560 improves on all the negatives we commented on except for the price, $899, which we feel is a bit on the steep side. The amplification and source requirements remain unchanged, but the performance has gone up and noticeably so. The new design's only downside is that the aesthetics have been compromised a bit through the reintroduction of plastic cups. While the ebony veneer does make up for some of the loss, it just does not look as great as the pre-order version did. The release version is still a good-looking headphone, but it isn't quite the beauty the pre-order version was. The upgrades in sound performance, however, more than make up for the slight aesthetic set-back.