[kothganesh]

More of an improvement than upgrading my dac? I think the 727 is a great receiver but I am also skeptical if its up to par. Maybe I should just buy the emotiva...its my Xmas gift to myself "from my wife"

That's a tricky question for me. I have the Bifrost and the Gungnir so I am not about to chase DACs for now. I am eyeing the NAD M51 but any upgrade will be in 2014 (picture of two hands chained to a post ). From what I read, I understand that the Hifimans love more power for better output and for the Emotiva price, you cannot go wrong. My own 0.02c.

 

[preproman]

  That's a tricky question for me. I have the Bifrost and the Gungnir so I am not about to chase DACs for now. I am eyeing the NAD M51 but any upgrade will be in 2014 (picture of two hands chained to a post ). From what I read, I understand that the Hifimans love more power for better output and for the Emotiva price, you cannot go wrong. My own 0.02c.

 
Yup, for the price it's a good buy.  If you have more money to spend, you can do better thou. 

 

[MattTCG]

  +1. The combination of Preproman, Magicman and Matt (three wise men) has sold more HE4s than Hifiman ! 

 Hemipowered, do what I did...before Matt twists your arms further, go get the Emotiva for $169 (if still available)... I got it a week ago.
 
This is the right protocol

 
haha...I have to agree. Grab the Emotiva. 

 

[MattTCG]

  That's a tricky question for me. I have the Bifrost and the Gungnir so I am not about to chase DACs for now. I am eyeing the NAD M51 but any upgrade will be in 2014 (picture of two hands chained to a post ). From what I read, I understand that the Hifimans love more power for better output and for the Emotiva price, you cannot go wrong. My own 0.02c.

 
If you want to keep the he4 long term and don't have an affinity for vintage receivers, then get the Emotiva. 

 

[preproman]

I think the Vintage Receivers would be a better fit. (haven't heard one yet)  From what I hear, they have sort of a warm tone to them.  However, the up keep may be an issue, not sure.  I do know the power requirement will not be an issue at all.

 

[MattTCG]

^^IMO they are clearly well suited for the He4 and 6. I only heard the Emotiva briefly but it was not able to compete with my Pioneers. But sometimes there is work to be done on the old receivers. It can be anything from a simple deoxit, to needing a full recap. Not everyone wants to deal with that. 

 

[hemipowered007]

i just am honestly astounded with these. Although my pioneer has finally showed its flaws with this hp, with acoustic, slower stuff, it does just fine. Its when i get into bassy, or more complex music, my pioneer obviously needs me to go and replace everything i didnt the first time. Im getting some distortion in the bass, not alot, but enough to where i notice and know its my amp and not the hps. But, i still have all this detail that i just dont remember the 400 quite having. Im listening to songs ive heard a hundred times, mutiple with the magnums and 400s, and the mags are known for their crazy detail, and hearing things i have never heard before. Soft breaths on live acoustic, peoples random noises, and all these nuances that just makes me feel more connected to the recording. I believe i have reached my ( until im 40 or have a better job) endgame hp. I know ive said all this before, but i really need to help get the word out on these, although im not the best speaker.  Anyone have an opinion on a t50rp being this hps partner in crime?  Modded of course!!

 

[MattTCG]

 

[hemipowered007]

I truly owe you fellas. Finally im getting somewhere other than dissapointmentville here. Im done wandering aimlessly, now the fun begins....

 

[Thujone]

  I truly owe you fellas. Finally im getting somewhere other than dissapointmentville here. Im done wandering aimlessly, now the fun begins....

Man, I completely agree. The first headphone that awed me was the HE-400. The HE-4 came months later (after several other headphone purchases, I might add) and blew the HE-400 away. HiFiMan fan boy right here, that's for sure. Maybe once I get my bonus, I will get the HE-6... even though something tells me that I will like the HE-4 better. Either way, I don't know where to go from here.
 
As far as the modded T50RP goes, I think they could be a great companion with the HE-4. I've got a T50RP mod variation with Alpha Pads that is quite pleasing to listen to. Mine are tuned to be quite dark with crisp treble that brings zero fatigue. Between my T50RP and HD580, the HE-500's were obsolete, which is why I couldn't justify holding on to them. I may pick up another T50RP soon just to have another modding project. It's super easy and a lot of fun.

 

[preproman]

I'm telling you.  You have to try the Alpha Dogs out.  Right now I have the HE-6 and the Alpha Dogs.  This is after selling the likes of HD800s, LCD-3s, TH900, T1s and so on.  
 
The Alpha Dogs are a real bargain for sure.  I'm going to go out on a limb and say - they was better than all the other T50RP mods I've owned.  That included the Thunderpants TP-1, The Paradox, the BMFs, and all the other Mad Dog versions. 
 
You will have you open headphone and your closed headphone.  You could be set.  However,  ha ha ha..  Then comes the upgrade from the HE-4 to the HE-6.  A different ball game..

 

 

[hemipowered007]

if i was to buy an alpha dog, itd have to be used. i cant afford 600 on an hp. My main focus for now will be clearing the inventory i have, except my pioneer and he4 obviously, then upping my dac and getting the emotiva. I always loved tinkering with the grado/mags, so i think ill just switch to the t50 for tinkering since im obviously a planar fanboy. On a side note, but directly related to this thread, im listening to some T.R.A.M. right now. If anyone here is into jazzy "metal" do yourself a favor and check them out. Its an all star cast of amazing musicians, and the album lingua franca is just a phenomenal listen. Especially on these here he-4s....i think we all need to gang up and convert all these he400 users, they just do not know what theyre missing. Such a wonderful wonderful difference!!! Go get em matt thujone and preproman...theyre in need of advice and guidance!!!

 

[Thujone]

  if i was to buy an alpha dog, itd have to be used. i cant afford 600 on an hp. My main focus for now will be clearing the inventory i have, except my pioneer and he4 obviously, then upping my dac and getting the emotiva. I always loved tinkering with the grado/mags, so i think ill just switch to the t50 for tinkering since im obviously a planar fanboy. On a side note, but directly related to this thread, im listening to some T.R.A.M. right now. If anyone here is into jazzy "metal" do yourself a favor and check them out. Its an all star cast of amazing musicians, and the album lingua franca is just a phenomenal listen. Especially on these here he-4s....i think we all need to gang up and convert all these he400 users, they just do not know what theyre missing. Such a wonderful wonderful difference!!! Go get em matt thujone and preproman...theyre in need of advice and guidance!!!

I get my Emotiva tomorrow. I also got my Switchcraft adapter so that I can hook it up as soon as I open her up (and I got another jack that I'll install on the face plate this weekend).
 
T.R.A.M. sounds very intriguing, I just read up on them a bit. I'll have to check them out tomorrow as well.
 
As far as converting HE-400 users... it's a tough crowd. Any more pestering about the HE-4 and I feel like they'll write it off as something similar to an annoying EQ rant 

 

[hemipowered007]

HAHA eq rant, ya, tried eq everyway i could, they sound NOTHING like those folks say after eq. You cant eq out that tizz, and you cant eq IN vocals. But ya checkout tram, and if ya like what ya hear, checkout animals as leaders, theyre heavier, but the guitarist tosin abasi is honestly a God among men. 

 

[Hellbishop]

Just got these over the weekend and been playing them almost non-stop since last night minus a seven hour break to let things settle a bit. So far they are sounding fabulously fantastic with a very warm sound when played out of my Onkyo TX-8555 stereo receiver.
 
The source really changes the sound on them. When playing them on my brother's Android they weren't as warm and the bass was much less omni-present yet the treble is more pronounced. It was a much more balanced sound compared to the warmer bass focused sound off the Onkyo. Playing it straight from the back of my pc using onboard Realtek sound it was very bright and the bass was totally non-existent. Plugging them back to the Onkyo definitely made me notice how warm the Hifiman HE-400 are. Am also impressed at how detailed they are with musical notes fading away to the smallest tone like a warm summer breeze passing through the streets upon a golden sunset.
 
They definitely need volume on my Onkyo for the full sound to come forth and flourish across the audio landscape. With the Android and pc motherboard the sound was full and strong at normal volume. Guess it might have something to do  with the Onkyo being able to push the bass into the forefront so its needs more power. Still an enjoyable sound at lower levels though depending on what am listening too.
 
Have not done much gaming on them yet but with GRIM DAWN and FALLOUT 3 the voices are more noticeable with a heavy sultry sound on women characters. Also I hear a lot of little details in the environment with a warm quality. Its kind of funny hearing this level of detail with a warm sound compared to what am used to hearing with crystal clear treble. First warm headphones that have shown me it doesn't have to be empty room open door clear to hear the smallest details.
 
Noticed right away when my brother was giving them a try they leak or should I say "project" sound big time. I have never heard so much sound leakage in a headphone. Thank goodness its not a problem in my living situation.
 
The leather padding is very comfortable and am able to get lost in whatever am listening to with no distractions from wearing them.
 
Am really happy with my purchase and it will be interesting to see how they sound as I burn them in the full 150 recommended hours.
 
Thanks to Head-fi for bringing the Hifiman HE-400 to everyone's attention. Looks like this will be my end game headphone.