This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below

With basics settled, it was down to shopping for the most copasetic amp and en route discover how much shift potential the HE-560 held. By that I mean the ability to, via particularly amp choices, push the sound in directions particular listeners might fancy. I transitioned into the big rig where my usual quad-core iMac with the latest PureMusic fronted AURALiC's Vega as a much reviewed high-performance DAC for a recognizable piece. For amplifiers I picked Bakoon's ultra-fast super lucid HPA-01; Burson's well-known chunky and dense Soloist; and Simon Lee's Korean Eximus DP-1 to take up the mythical middle. Having pegged the HE-560 as somewhere between Eximus and Bakoon, to what extent would its overall sonics gel, intensify, tone down or conflict with these specific amps? To square this circle with a valve specimen was sadly not in the picture.


First off, the HE-560 responded pertly to front-end improvements. From the transporter iPod to the basic 16/48 USB input of the Aura Vita to finally PureMusic-massaged SSD memory play plus an Aqua-level DAC, this final destination clocked even higher detail regardless of amplifier.

In this context, the Bakoon in current-mode drive—slightly superior to my bedroom AMP-12R which takes a small lead when the HPA-01 switches to voltage mode because the big boy's power supply and volume control are superior—was for my tastes too attack focused. Think whirling knife show at Benihana. In proper hifi terms it was an Avantgarde Acoustic hornspeaker demo with Teutonic techno at high levels. That's far from my ideal which of course wasn't the point. If a quicksilvery incisive high-noon shadowless sound has your vote, the HE-560 will oblige.

Migrating to Burson's evergreen transistors-on-valves aesthetic, the emphasis moved from transients to bloom. This had leading edges register as fleshy fingertips on wood, not nails on glass. Bakoon's wiry bass entered a bigger fighter class to hit with more power. This traded snap for pow; or in that classic Indiana Jones scene, the whip for a large-caliber pistol. The former sense of pressurized time keeping mellowed too. Edge-of-seat posture settled back into the pillow. Everything softened a bit and plumped out. Textures warmed and moistened up. This general flavour was more for the Oppo crowd. The finalist of Eximus split the bill. Attack sharpness fell between Bakoon and Burson, detail obsession and Platinum treble mirrored the other Korean. Then the leaf-themed deck played its unfair advantage of user-selectable analog bass boost.


Like myself, Simon Lee is convinced that one of the key differences between live sound and playback is tonal balance. Playback rarely has proper bass weight especially compared to amplified concerts; and live sound never keeps up with modern hifi treble. If your shingle reads Space is the Place, you already appreciate how low-level infrasonic data are vital to the suggestion of recorded venue. With superior playback bass, primary music data also gets more hung if recorded. But that's in many ways secondary. Key is the enhancement of audible spaciousness and associated scale. With the Eximus and its lower-tier Stello HP100MkII mate—both share the boost option and a very similar-sounding output stage; the Eximus goes luxury on the DAC section, the Stello treats it far more basic—the HE-560 could be converted into a quasi Audeze; albeit with better treble than an actual LCD model. That too was in the cards if one had the right ace. To recap, for the HE-560 a Bakoon/Questyle type amplifier becomes a like+like proposition. The same voicing intensifies. Burson's house sound dovetailed for opposites attract. This mellowed the HE-560 and built out its foundation as counterweight to its superb treble. The Eximus/Stello signature fell in the middle but with bass boost engaged (boost appropriateness and usefulness also depend on the music played) bridged the middle ground with Burson in very interesting ways. None of these combinations tanked or didn't work. Pick your poison.

Happy math. Whilst on purely personal balance the LCD-XC off a current-mode Bakoon—HPA-21 or HAP-01—remains my absolute favourite headfi, that headphone alone costs twice what the HE-560 demands. Add to this sobering fact that the HifiMan is comfier to wear longer; and is overall more illuminated and airy, i.e. superior in the high registers. If I was honest with myself, I had to admit it. My long-held alliance with the house sound of Audeze had finally hit upon a fully viable alternate. Different emphasis, another personality but just as satisfying to listen to. Ultimately more resolved and as such very responsive to voicing with ancillaries. All that at lesser wallet cramps. Whilst Oppo's colossal resources tried hard to mix it up at the very top with their PM-1, to my ears—and omitting Fostex and Abyss which I've not heard—the top models in planar land are the Audeze X models and HifiMan's HE-560. Because vampires are popular (and why wouldn't they be, they're immortal), let's leave it like this. My neck now bears the mark of Bian's fang. I've been made. Now I've got an HD-800 I actually love to listen to. Because it's a planar...
HifiMan website