New version of Sennheiser HD 560S (!)

[Ste_S]

Not long ago I tried another 560 with a short cable, it seemed that the sound differed less in the top and more dirt in the middle. The pressure is also strong, but a little weaker. I also returned it because of the pressure (

I've got a relatively large head, and find things like the Audio Technica ATM-M series intolerable to wear for any length of time. However, I actually find the 560 really nice to wear for long periods.

I brought my pair of HD560S a couple of weeks ago, on the basis of strong internet reviews and a good listen to a demo pair. However, on getting them home, I've found them to dull/muddy to listen to without an EQ treble boost. I wonder if the demo pair I liked was the previous version ? Quite disappointed considering the internet love for them.

I subsequently brought a pair of Hifiman Sundara closed backs as I also wanted a pair of closed backs, and they're fairly cheap at the moment. I've gotta say, I prefer the Sundara closed backs in almost every respect.

Maybe I have weird hearing as most people seem to love the HD560S and dislike the Sundara closed backs?!

 

[Alchemist_]

I've got a relatively large head, and find things like the Audio Technica ATM-M series intolerable to wear for any length of time. However, I actually find the 560 really nice to wear for long periods.

I brought my pair of HD560S a couple of weeks ago, on the basis of strong internet reviews and a good listen to a demo pair. However, on getting them home, I've found them to dull/muddy to listen to without an EQ treble boost. I wonder if the demo pair I liked was the previous version ? Quite disappointed considering the internet love for them.

I subsequently brought a pair of Hifiman Sundara closed backs as I also wanted a pair of closed backs, and they're fairly cheap at the moment. I've gotta say, I prefer the Sundara closed backs in almost every respect.

Maybe I have weird hearing as most people seem to love the HD560S and dislike the Sundara closed backs?!

I believe that there are no ideal headphones and I adjust everything with an equalizer, some of them sound very cool after that. I hope the manufacturer will fix the 560 clamp...without raising the price.
Of the closed ones, I like Shure.

 

[Robbo99999]

I've got a relatively large head, and find things like the Audio Technica ATM-M series intolerable to wear for any length of time. However, I actually find the 560 really nice to wear for long periods.

I brought my pair of HD560S a couple of weeks ago, on the basis of strong internet reviews and a good listen to a demo pair. However, on getting them home, I've found them to dull/muddy to listen to without an EQ treble boost. I wonder if the demo pair I liked was the previous version ? Quite disappointed considering the internet love for them.

I subsequently brought a pair of Hifiman Sundara closed backs as I also wanted a pair of closed backs, and they're fairly cheap at the moment. I've gotta say, I prefer the Sundara closed backs in almost every respect.

Maybe I have weird hearing as most people seem to love the HD560S and dislike the Sundara closed backs?!

If you're gonna be able to use parametric EQ then you could try my EQ which is tailored to New Version HD560s and is based on measurements of the New Version:

New version of Sennheiser HD 560S (!)

The older ones were just a bit brighter sounding, a bit too bright IMO. The newer ones were less bright and needed less correction to sound good to me. That's perfect, I think if there was a subtle change to make, it'd been to make them a little bit less bright so I'd be happy. My 2024 pair...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That should help a little. I find the stock New Version HD560s to be very well balanced though, so this EQ might not help you much, but you could always try it in addition to decreasing the bass boost (Filter#1) if you find that you don't like the bass levels after listening to the EQ.

 

[Robbo99999]

I believe that there are no ideal headphones and I adjust everything with an equalizer, some of them sound very cool after that. I hope the manufacturer will fix the 560 clamp...without raising the price.
Of the closed ones, I like Shure.

I've got a big head and the clamp of the HD560s is fine for me. I don't find it excessive at all and can wear them for hours. So it's varying between people for whatever reasons. Reducing the clamp of the headphones could mean a worse seal and marginally less bass - HD560s is quite seal breach tolerant though according to solderdude's measurements.

 

[Alchemist_]

I've got a big head and the clamp of the HD560s is fine for me. I don't find it excessive at all and can wear them for hours. So it's varying between people for whatever reasons. Reducing the clamp of the headphones could mean a worse seal and marginally less bass - HD560s is quite seal breach tolerant though according to solderdude's measurements.

Maybe this batch came across, both headphones are from the same batch. BUT the clamping force cannot be reduced, this is a myth. What decreases is very small...(

 

[Robbo99999]

Maybe this batch came across, both headphones are from the same batch. BUT the clamping force cannot be reduced, this is a myth. What decreases is very small...(

I've not noticed the clamp to be any different between all of the 4 units I've got. I've got 3 units of the Old Version all bought at different times, and I've got 1 unit of New Version.

 

[Chowchilla]

HD560s have always been ok extended in the bass. New Version HD560s is better extended in the bass though. Following is what my New Version HD560s measures like, converting from miniDSP EARS to GRAS measurement:

The darker line is after EQ, but you can see how well extended in the bass it is from the faint line. I think that reflects the reality of what I perceive when I wear them and they require the least severe bass EQ out of all my open backed headphones. I wouldn't get too hung up on the bass measurements though, as a rule, because you end up EQ'ing that area to personal taste anyway.

Hello,

How would I go about importing this into peace? Just copy the values?

 

[Robbo99999]

Hello,

How would I go about importing this into peace? Just copy the values?

Hi, PK stands for Peak Filter, so they're all peak filters. The Q value is listed as well as the Gain (dB) for each filter, so you just manually type those filters into Peace making sure they all Peak Filters. You'd need a Negative Preamp of -4.1dB for that EQ.

 

[Alchemist_]

Instead of 560, I’m thinking of trying 490 or 58X, what do you think?

The 490 is confused by how the middle is described..
And the 58X says that the space is narrower(

 

[dinodino]

I just recently tried the 490 Pro because I was looking for a 560S with better build quality. But to me personally, its not worth the extra cost of double or more of the price for a refurbished 560S.
Additionally one of the pad pairs for the 490 Pro are totally useless, because they are so uncomfortable, I would never use them. Also while the headband surely is of higher quality on the 490 Pro compared to the 560S, the earcups look kind of outdated to me.

I cannot say much in terms of sound though, but in theory they should sound very similar, I guess.

 

[Petr Srakyn]

I can't see any stickers or any serial numbers on the actual headphones, I've got 3 units of Old Version & 1 unit of New Version. I've found 3 of my boxes that the headphones came in and the serial number is on the outside of the box. The serial number is a 10 figure number. My New Version serial number starts with 0263. One of the Old Version serial numbers starts with 0091, and the other Old Version one starts with 0201. It's possible the serial numbers are increasing with each unit produced, I mean that's what you'd expect and that could be the pattern I'm seeing. I suppose if your headphone starts with 0263 or greater then maybe it's guaranteed to be the New Version, maybe, I don't really know how they number them?? (And the cut off point would be before that point too, just I wouldn't know when).

The second and third number are a week. The fourth number is the year. 0091 - February 2021.

 

[Robbo99999]

The second and third number are a week. The fourth number is the year. 0091 - February 2021.

Very good, thanks, that does make sense! (The first week of January 2021 was a Friday (1st week would be classed as just 3 days), hence how week 9 could still be in February rather than the 8 you might otherwise expect - I'm thinking that's how they work it).

 

[spankjam]

There headphones are very linear except the 10k frequency which I think I'll have to take down by 4 decibels.

The rtings measurement actually perfectly reflects how I hear through the 560s.

 

[Robbo99999]

There headphones are very linear except the 10k frequency which I think I'll have to take down by 4 decibels.

The rtings measurement actually perfectly reflects how I hear through the 560s.

I don't know how you know that? You can't be listening to sine tones to work it out, not unless you've listened to sine tones on proven anechoic flat speakers, because for instance I have a natural quirk in my own anatomical hearing where I have peak from around 8-12kHz, so I shouldn't EQ that down. With New Version HD560s they need a bit of a boost around 7kHz according to measurements (and sounds good to me with EQ as such), so I'm not confident that sits with your claim there's a peak at 10kHz. I've not noticed issues with that.

 

[Phorize]

I just recently tried the 490 Pro because I was looking for a 560S with better build quality. But to me personally, its not worth the extra cost of double or more of the price for a refurbished 560S.
Additionally one of the pad pairs for the 490 Pro are totally useless, because they are so uncomfortable, I would never use them. Also while the headband surely is of higher quality on the 490 Pro compared to the 560S, the earcups look kind of outdated to me.

I cannot say much in terms of sound though, but in theory they should sound very similar, I guess.

The Austrian audio x65 is better value in my view and is available from Amazon UK for a frankly insane £269 at the moment.

 

[AryaStealth]

What are the recommended PEQ settings for 560s 2023 version? (most likely made in January or February)

Austrian Audio x65 has a weird frequency response, so I doubt it is better than 560s without EQ. The same goes for Austrian Audio x60 which somehow got a very high score on Oratory's measurments, but in my experience with x60 it felt like treble rage with boosted subbass, however the resolution of the driver was very impressive for a dynamic one. When I EQed x60 to Harman the bass was anemic and dull, the imaging and soundstage very poor, so I would definetely choose 560s over any Austrian Audio headphones, unless of course you like the default weird frequency response of Austrian Audio of x60/x65.

 

[Robbo99999]

What are the recommended PEQ settings for 560s 2023 version? (most likely made in January or February)

Austrian Audio x65 has a weird frequency response, so I doubt it is better than 560s without EQ. The same goes for Austrian Audio x60 which somehow got a very high score on Oratory's measurments, but in my experience with x60 it felt like treble rage with boosted subbass, however the resolution of the driver was very impressive for a dynamic one. When I EQed x60 to Harman the bass was anemic and dull, the imaging and soundstage very poor, so I would definetely choose 560s over any Austrian Audio headphones, unless of course you like the default weird frequency response of Austrian Audio of x60/x65.

Try this one if you like it's pretty much what I use:

New version of Sennheiser HD 560S (!)

The older ones were just a bit brighter sounding, a bit too bright IMO. The newer ones were less bright and needed less correction to sound good to me. That's perfect, I think if there was a subtle change to make, it'd been to make them a little bit less bright so I'd be happy. My 2024 pair...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Or I could link you a few filters that convert New Version to Old Version & then you'd use an Oratory EQ on top of that, but probably just simpler to use the EQ I've linked you above. Adjust the bass levels to suit (Filter#1). (Don't forget to use a Negative Preamp to cover the largest boost).

 

[solderdude]

in my experience with x60 it felt like treble rage with boosted subbass

'treble rage' is easily explained and fixed (5dB peak in 4-7kHz range). I don't mind the higher sub-bass and prefer this boost over Harman boost. With the treble peak lowered it sounded quite nice really.
Hi-X60 is closed, HD560S is open.
Different comfort, different sensitivity.
So for me it is not about 'better' but rather a choice between open and closed and good reason to keep both.

 

[pandoraking]

Hey guys, i recently bought the hd560s, and i'm by no means an audiophile, but wanting to use the phones to its full potential somehow brought me to this page.
I dont know if you can help me, but heres my problem:

I didn't like the EQ settings from oratory or this post's. I thought it laked power and base, the sound was really low. I tried without any EQ too, and i can definitly feel the quality, but at the same time it's a bit muddy. I wanted the sound a bit more clear and punchy but idk how to work around the EQ, and that's where i needed some help.

Note that, I previously only used a closed back headset(cheap one too), so i think i'm still getting used to this new format... and maybe i don't know like the harman curve that much?

I appreciate your time, have a good day

 

[Robbo99999]

Hey guys, i recently bought the hd560s, and i'm by no means an audiophile, but wanting to use the phones to its full potential somehow brought me to this page.
I dont know if you can help me, but heres my problem:

I didn't like the EQ settings from oratory or this post's. I thought it laked power and base, the sound was really low. I tried without any EQ too, and i can definitly feel the quality, but at the same time it's a bit muddy. I wanted the sound a bit more clear and punchy but idk how to work around the EQ, and that's where i needed some help.

Note that, I previously only used a closed back headset(cheap one too), so i think i'm still getting used to this new format... and maybe i don't know like the harman curve that much?

I appreciate your time, have a good day

Hi, am I right in thinking you've tried this EQ:

New version of Sennheiser HD 560S (!)

The older ones were just a bit brighter sounding, a bit too bright IMO. The newer ones were less bright and needed less correction to sound good to me. That's perfect, I think if there was a subtle change to make, it'd been to make them a little bit less bright so I'd be happy. My 2024 pair...

www.audiosciencereview.com

That would be the one I would recommend for New Version HD560s, which is the version that is being bought nowadays.
You'd need to use a Negative Preamp of about -5dB to use that EQ.