I bought the 2nd edition (gray housings with orange trim/no wood grain) last Thanksgiving week for $250 during a Black Friday sale. These have metal yokes instead of plastic. I swapped out the factory pads but the headphones have functioned perfectly.
Now, they are still cheaply made versus Audeze, Focal, or Sennheiser. For example, they came with 1/4" and XLR-4 cables that are extremely stiff and hold a curl for days and days.
Focal cables are equally crappy, but at least they look nice.
I actually like the HE-560 cables better than the Focal Elex cables. I am not saying they are good but better than those super stiff Elex cables. And they are definitely better than the HE-4xx cable.
Thatās damning with faint praise if Iāve ever heard it!
I donāt know why everyone doesnāt just make rubberized cables like those for Sennheiserās 6XX line. The cable on my HD58X is pliable, durable, non-microphonic and a good length, and genuine Sennheiser replacement cables donāt cost an arm and a leg. If someone started making custom cables by simply fitting other kinds of connectors to stock Sennheiser cables, theyād become my sole supplier.
Check out Oidio cables. I highly recommend them. They do have options of taking the stock Sennheiser cable and modding it with whatever connector you want and they will even shorten it if you desire.They make very nice, quality custom cables as well.
Looks like a good outfit. Shame theyāre on the wrong side of the pond from me. 
I didnāt have an issue with them shipping to the USA other than it took a few extra days. I am pretty sure they ship worldwide.
I think you have the 5th edition of the HE560:
1st: available only as a preorder and cups are all wood and they came with Focus-A pads
2nd: SMC connectors and back plate, wood veneer, Focus pads
3rd: 2.5mm TRS jacks, wood veneer, Focus pads (problems with breaking yoke started here iirc and they might be some with back plate and some without)
4th: 3.5mm TRS jacks, wood veneer, Focus pads (not as many broken yokes at this point)
5th: 3.5mm TRS jacks, no veneer, metal yokes
Perhaps the 5th design revision but they were sold as āHE-560 V2.ā Hereās a link with the product and its original retail price (actual street price was $250 last year):
I guess HIFIMAN only considers āmajorā changes such as a different cup and headband, LOL. After hearing a few of the 2.5mm wood veneer and a 3.5mm with wood veneer Iād say there was quite a bit of change compared to the SMC version that I have, different sounds but it depends on the person if it was good or bad.
Hi, Prole_2000. Iām sorry to bring an old topic up again but I have to ask you something, it means much to me. Itās about the pairing of the HE 560 with the Little Dot 1+, as I searched for this hybrid amp owners reviews who paired them with planar cans but there arenāt many of them around. I do pair my Little Dot 1+ with my HE 400i and the sound is amazing, but with a sensitivity of 94db it is not a hard task. I was thinking of upgrading to the HE 560 cans, but with a sensitivity of 90db Iām afraid they could be not really well driven. So, Prole_2000, as youāve made that pairing, what can you say about it? Does the Little Dot 1+ drive the HE 560 well? I mean, with loud volumes (100+ db) and that full sound presentation? How do you like them with the Little Dot 1+ and maybe other amps you have tried?
Thanks so much in advance 
it depends on how loud you want it to be, really. what is the relative volume knob position for your normal listening level with the he400i / LD 1+ combo? Does the amp still have more headroom to go?
From experience, the 560 is really harder to drive that what its specs says. For example: HE500 says 38 ohms and 89db while HE560 is 45 ohms and 90db. Yet the 560 is much harder to drive than the 500.
Thank you very much! Greetings from Brazil 
Well, itās volume knob goes from 0 to 100 like 7 oāclock a.m all the way to 5 oāclock p.m, you know? I usually listen to my HE 400i with the knob around 65% of the total volume with my LD 1+, which is like 2 oāclock p.m on the volume knob, and itās freakinā loud! Sometimes I even get the volume a little less turned up for fear of going deaf some timeā¦ But I donāt think itās a good measure, somebody elseās experience would be more accurate, but not all LD1+ owners I read on the internet paired it with planars, and thatās weird, because itās made for headphones with low impedance that need higher currents, thatās why the pure OTL Little Dot MK III didnāt pair well with my 400i AT ALL, but with the 1+ my planar cans SHINE! The sound is loud and full. Iām even wondering the HE 560 would be a good upgrade on themā¦
Actually this is the link I purchased from:
https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/hifiman-he560-open-box-special-edition.html
Thanks!
Below is a review I put together several years ago on the original version of the HE-560. This was when I had significantly more free time and spent more time playing around the headphone world. At the time the HE-560 sold for around $900, although I believe I bought them at some sort of small discount. This version had the screw on cables and a lower quality headband. I believe the HE-560 is now up to a version 3 and sells for maybe 1/3 of what it did originally. I have not heard the new version of the HE-560, but if the sound is equal to or better than v1, it seems like a decent deal for a good headphone (especially at the current price of $209 through the HiFiMAN store). As always, HiFiMAN quality control can be hit or miss.
Background/Setup:
I have only had these for two days now, but I feel I can give some initial impressions. I own both the HD800 and LCD-X and used both of those headphones to compare the HE-560 against. My setup goes as:
Foobar with only lossless files 16/44.1 through DSD fed via USB to my Fiio X3 as an external DAC. This is passed via line out to the RCA inputs on my Bryston BHA-1 amp and then single ended output to my HD800 and HE-560 and balanced 4-pin to my LCD-X.
The tracks I used to compare these headphones include numerous genres: classical (Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saens, Bruckner), Jazz (Magnus Lindgren, John Coltrane, Vince Guaraldi), Rap (Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Eminem), Folk (Fleet Foxes, Alela Diane, Iron & Wine), Ambient/Chill (The Album Leaf, Motohiro Nakashima, Brian Eno), Rock (Muse, Green Day, Coheed & Cambria), Acoustic (Paco De Lucia, Ottmar Liebert, Andy McKee), and many, many more (some specific examples included below).
Unboxing/Physical Impressions:
Upon opening the box the HE-560 were shipped in I found a very nice wooden storage box with the headphones packed neatly inside. I was rather impressed with the improvement of this box over that of the HE-500 (which I previously owned). After taking the headphones out of the box, though, my first impression was that they donāt really feel like $900 headphones. Yes, they are significantly lighter than my LCD-X, but the build quality doesnāt feel the same. I was disappointed to feel that some of the parts (yolk, cups, and headband adjuster) just felt a bit cheap. I have owned the HE-400 and HE-500 and demoād the HE-6 a few times and the build quality of those models was better than that of the HE-560. I already knew this, but Iāll point it out here that HiFiMAN went with the same connectors as used in previous models. I guess this is a minor issue, but I dislike having to screw the connectors in and out as this twists the cable (nit-picky, I know). I noticed that the cable is a bit shorter than Iād like as well (6 1/2 feet from end to end), but I have my amp a bit farther away from my desk chair than most, so this probably is a positive thing for many people. My last gripe with these headphones is inconsistency with the headband adjusters; the adjuster on the right side feels snug and holds its position well whereas the adjuster on the left feels very loose and moves with even a slight tug. Iām wondering if I could tighten up whatever mechanism is inside, but Iād rather not disassemble the headphones after only two days. Putting on the HE-560 for the first time helped relieve some of my initial disappointment. The headphones are very comfortable and a very reasonable clamp force - not too tight to cause unnecessary pressure yet not too loose to let them slide around with excessive head movement. The HE-560 weighs considerably less than the LCD-X and does not leave my neck tired after several hours of listening. The wide headband seems to distribute pressure well (an improvement over the LCD-X). Comfort-wise, Iād place these toward the HD800 side of the spectrum. With slightly larger earcups the HE-560 might compete with the HD800 in comfort.
Sound:
My first impression of the HE-560 is that they would be a very good pair of headphones for someone looking for a one headphone setup as they seem to do everything well. I wouldnāt say they are the best in any given category, but they are very well-rounded. They take the neutral, detailed sound of the HD800, smooth out some of the harshness, add some of the bass characteristics of the LCD-X and end up as a rather fun, balanced headphone.
Bass:
To date, my LCD-X have the best bass Iāve heard out of headphones. The LCD-X have wonderful, enveloping and detailed bass that extends very deep. It is rich and punchy but not overly emphasized in my opinion. The HE-560 do not hit as hard as the LCD-X and donāt give me goosebumps either. The HE-560 does, however, seem to extend just as deep and is just as punchy. The bass of the HE-560 just doesnāt seem to have the power that the LCD-X does. I love listening to large orchestral pieces (1812 overture with canons specifically) or soundtracks with the LCD-X because they portray the bass as I would expect it to sound in real life. The HE-560 match the quickness of the LCD-X, but not quite the power. That being said, they still sound very good and are in no way weak in the bass region.
Mids:
When it comes to mids, I prefer my HD800 as they are very clear and detailed in the midrange. The mids of the HD800 are a bit forward which I tend to prefer because it they tend to separate voices from the accompaniment. Listening to Frank Sinatra on the HD800 I get the feeling that he is right in front of me with the band farther back on stage. The HE-560 are not quite as forward in the mids. They are, however, still clear and detailed and sound very natural. This is surely a matter of preference and I could see people preferring the HE-560 over the HD800 here as the mids are a bit more smooth (and perhaps more natural) on the HE-560. Given that I have only had the HE-560 for two days, I might have to come back to this and see how my preferences change after I get more time on them.
Highs:
The HD800 are rather infamous for being picky with amps. Iāve listened to my HD800 through a few different amps and with a bad pairing the highs can be piercing and fatiguing. I think they pair well with my BHA-1 and have fast highs that extend, well, seemingly indefinitely. The highs of the HE-560 are a bit more smooth and not quite as prominent. They lack the extreme detail and quicness of the HD800, which might be why I donāt have any fatigue with the HE-560 after my long listening sessions so far. After listening to some Paganini caprices, the difference was a bit more apparent to me. With the HD800, it seemed as though the headphones were faster than the musician and hit every note with quickness and ease. With the HE-560, it seemed as though the headphones were trying to keep up with the music.
Soundstage/Imaging:
The HD800 are generally believed to have one of the largest (if not the largest) soundstage of any headphone. Comparing my HD800 to all other headphones Iāve experienced, I agree with this statement. The HE-560 fall short of the HD800 in terms of soundstage (as I expected). Listening to acoustic and classical music I do get a sense of an open soundstage left to right, but I donāt hear a lot of depth to it. Comparing the HE-560 to the LCD-X, the soundstage is pretty large. When I owned the HE-500, I tried some grill mods to open up the soundstage and Iām guessing the same can be done with the HE-560. Iām guessing removing the grills completely would open these up even further, but I havenāt had enough time to try that yet. That all being said, the soundstage is big without feeling unnaturally expansive, but could still benefit from being a bit more open. The imaging of the HE-560 is very good as well. Again, I would say that the HD800 has the edge, though. I used the following CDs to focus on imaging: Audio Stax The Space Sound CD and Dr. Cheskyās Dr. Cheskyās Sensational, Fantastic, and Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show . I could close my eyes and get a very clear sense of the environment. The directional cues were pretty much spot on.
Final Thoughts:
I thought the HE-560 would be a good balance between my favorite qualities of the LCD-X and HD800 and I think they pretty much met my expectations. I love the full, rich sound of LCD-X and the impact of its bass. The LCD-X is a very fun headphone for me and I love getting lost in music while listening to them. The HD800 are the king of open, airy, and detailed sound. I love acoustic and classical music through these because I can feel a great sense of space. The HE-560 fall short of both of these headphones in a head-to-head comparison, but do both aspects well. While the bass is not as ample as compared to the LCD-X, it is still tight and punchy. The mids of the HE-560 are clear, detailed, and natural. The highs are smooth and non-fatiguing. The soundstage is nowhere near as large as that of the HD800 but is still fairly open and could probably be easily improved with a grill mod. The detail again is not as great as that of the HD800 but in no way poor. I forgot to mention this earlier, but the HE-560 are not the most efficient headphones. I found myself switching my Bryston BHA-1 to high gain to match the volume of the HD800 when A/B-ing the two.
These are very good headphones and some people might be satisfied with them as an end-game pair, but Iām not quite sold. I am very happy with both my HD800 and LCD-X as they are extremely good headphones for their particular uses. If I could only have one headphone, though, I might pick the HE-560 as a very well-rounded pair that doesnāt do anything perfectly, but does everything pretty well. From a build quality standpoint, they donāt quite feel like $900 headphones, though. In my opinion, they feel more like $400-$500 headphones, which is a bit disappointing. I know the selling point of these headphones is that theyāre considerably lighter than previous models, but the HD800 are able to use lightweight materials while still maintaining a solid build quality.