HiFiMan HE-560 V4 Premium Planar Magnetic Headphones Expired

Mine just arrived. Have only listened to a few songs so far so withholding judgment on SQ (definitely good but not broken in and haven't listened to much variety yet) but wanted to chime in on the amp topic. I've got a Fiio e10k dac/amp and was curious if I'd need to upgrade the amp portion to drive this. From a volume perspective, I think the answer is no. With the high gain setting turned off, they max out at a level slightly above my typical volume. With the high gain enabled, the max volume is bearable but louder than I'd ever use. I listened to several tracks at almost max volume with high gain disabled and detected no distortion.

So in short, I might consider upgrading my amp someday just to see if I can tell a difference, but I wouldn't consider it necessary if you've got an e10k.

Are happy with the sound quality of this headphone when compared to earlier listening experience?

deal [adorama.com]

$199 + free s/h

if I run a Magni Heresy x Modi 3+ setup, could I even drive these?

Thanks. After some more reading, I think I'm learning that loudness isn't a sufficient indicator of whether an amp is providing enough power. I still don't quite understand that (seems like there'd be a direct relationship there) but I also don't understand all the complexities of this.

tl;dr; based on all the advice that these headphones don't reach their potential without a "good" amp, and that even if my e10k can make them loud enough, that doesn't mean they're getting enough power, I ordered a JDS Atom Amp+ (which I'll use the e10k DAC to drive for now).

All that said, after listening some more, I am enjoying them with the e10k. While I wouldn't call the improvement dramatic yet, I'm finding them more detailed, "airy," and deeper than my previous pair (Grado SR-80e). Which is to say that they do feel worth the $200 already, but I'm curious to see the difference the Atom makes. Also they've only been used for a few hours so if break-in is really important for these as people claim, that could be a factor as well.

What your learning is that there is a lot of BS when it comes to the headphone world. If your e10k was working for you, you probably won't notice a big difference with more power. Just be careful, once you get sucked into this hobby it can be hard to get out.

Yeah, I've bought enough audio equipment to know the line between science and pseudoscience in this market is super fuzzy, and the point of diminishing returns is a lot earlier than most claim, especially these days. Still, the consensus does seem to be that the e10k is at best marginal for these cans, and to me $100 is worth finding out if an upgrade makes a significant difference. Unlike DACs, it does seem that amplifier specs/quality can make a fairly noticeable difference, especially for planars. I'll post back if that turns out to be true for me in this case (acknowledging that placebo effect could be at play as well).

Alright, got the Atom Amp+ today and did some A/B tests on my PC (Amazon Music HD in exclusive mode) against my Fiio e10k using the Hifiman HE-560 v4s. The e10k's DAC was used in both cases, so the only difference was the amp. The e10k line out apparently only puts out 1.5v compared to the 2v that most standalone DACs produce, so this is holding the Atom back somewhat. Nevertheless, the Atom still gets louder than the e10k (both in high gain). Both get louder than I'd almost ever listen, but max on the e10k is bearable while it really isn't on the Atom.

To my ears, even at high volumes that push the e10k near its limit, I can't honestly tell a difference between the two when playing the same track back-to-back. I mean, maybe the Atom is a tad punchier, but that could very well be placebo. I'm not convinced I could identify it in a blind test.

I'll probably keep the Atom. It'd be a hassle to return, and the fact that it has more power and room on the volume knob (and even more if I had a 2v DAC) means in theory it does have more headroom for the occasional high-db spike in a super dynamic track, which should mean less likelihood of clipping. But to call the difference dramatic or obvious is a major overstatement, to my ears. Maybe I'm not that discriminating, but IMO if you're considering these cans and already have an e10k, I'd say you'll be fine unless you listen really loud or to very dynamic music where you might occasionally clip. In other words, I wouldn't recommend going out and buying the e10ks for the HE-560s, but I also wouldn't say you're missing out on much at all if that's what you have.

I may eventually get a 2v USB DAC so I can get the full potential out of this Atom, but considering that it's already more powerful than my e10k and I'm hard pressed to hear a difference, I think that upgrade would be more on principle to not "waste" my Atom than a rational expectation of increased sound quality. My setup already gets much louder than I need.

As for the HE-560s themselves, I'm enjoying them more and more. Bass notes are present and authoritative without being remotely flabby, and the detail across the spectrum is incredible to where I'm noticing little details I never caught before (like the sounds of the singer's mouth opening and closing between verses on Starlings by Elbow). Really awesome for $200. Also, while earlier models got criticized for build quality, these v4s seem pretty solid to me. Time will tell.