whöp. thanks for sharing those measurements, Hans! I just need to ask... mind elaborating on the HE-500 vs HE-560, in regards to the roughness?is it something that can be alleviated with the right DAC/amp setup, or is there something else going on here maybe?I only have LCD-2 and MA900 currently, but I don't know if comparing it to those is going to make sense at all. and my memory of HE-500 is probably too vague currently.
Well, it's primarily just the differences in treble that make or break it for me. The HE-500 wasn't perfectly flat by any means but followed a neutral curve a bit better. The HE-560 according to my ears, and later measurements, just has that large treble emphasis around 4KHz. Maybe rough isn't the best word to use, but that describes how I felt it treated my ears during a brief listen.If you're at all like me, and you might not be, I doubt a DAC/amp will fix it. I tried it from a warm DAC and amp and still wasn't too crazy about what I was hearing. Now, that's not to say headphone mods couldn't help.I haven't heard the LCD-2 or MA900, so I can't say for sure. And while my memory of the HE-500 is starting to get poor for comparisons, I do remember thinking it sounded more on the neutral side (w/ modded pads) than the HE-560 (with Focus A pads). Yeah, 560 has some technical strengths over it, but I couldn't get past the treble on the 560.
Lined the edge of the cup with double sided tape and stuck the pads directly on. I think it's better than using the hifiman rings to attach the pads as hifiman rings can get warped which leaves an air gap causing channel imbalance.