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twinqy said:

I have an E10 at home to try them with (well, until my O2 comes back), would they sound better? There was a E10/E17 next to them, but they guy was closing up for the day, so I didn't get to try them out.
 
And I REALLY like the cables that they come with. Solid, seems like they'd last for a while. The braided silver HE-500 seemed paltry and downright puny next to them, it'd seem like they'd snap in seconds

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I never heard them with E17 so can't comment But I heard HE-500 with O2 and compared to my D7000 and I prefer D7000 over HE-500

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tmraven said:

Velour doesn't change the bass of them at all.  Decreasing bass in EQ won't tighten the bass up any, the HE-400's bass is already very tight and controlled as it is.

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I just thought the pads would make the mids stand out a bit more compared to the bass, at least that's the impression I got from reading the thread. And it was probably the pairing that made the bass seem so flabby. 
 
I know that the EQ wouldn't affect quality, it's just that I'd tone down the mid-upper bass to make them less distracting, but this might not even be a problem if I had paired them proper. No problems with the warmth though.

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twinqy said:

So I got the chance to hear the HE-400 today, overall impressed. I think I get what people mean when they say they are dark but with sparkle in other areas. It seems a bit too bassy for casual listening, but I did only hear it at a store, and it was only with an E11 that the owner let me demo. I'll probably get it, but experiment with EQ and different pairings to see if the bass can be tightened up.
 
And oh god those mids, they're probably comparable to the HE-500 (which was next to the HE-400's display, but I couldn't find a 1/4" adapter for it to try) from what I remember. Less detailed and transparent though. 
 
The only real problem I see at this moment is the bass overpowering the lovely mids at this moment, perhaps velvet pads help with this? (Tried pleather in store)

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Believe it or not, but there are members here who feel that the level of bass that the HE-400 has, is where the bass should *start* with on all headphones.  And, I'm not going to name any names.  

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wje said:

 
Believe it or not, but there are members here who feel that the level of bass that the HE-400 has, is where the bass should *start* with on all headphones.  And, I'm not going to name any names.  

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Hah! I endorse that idea!
 
Maybe I'm too young to appreciate lower quantities of bass. Heck at least this ain't a typical +10dB bass hump that all Grados have, and those guys probably think that level of bass should be the standard.

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wje said:

 
Believe it or not, but there are members here who feel that the level of bass that the HE-400 has, is where the bass should *start* with on all headphones.  And, I'm not going to name any names.  

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I'm weird in that sense as well. I find the K701 to be my standard for bass quantity. Living with them for 4 years might be a factor however.
 
Don't get me wrong, the HE-400 had BRILLANT bass, some the best I've heard in a while. 
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jerg said:

Hah! I endorse that idea!
 
Maybe I'm too young to appreciate lower quantities of bass. Heck at least this ain't a typical +10dB bass hump that all Grados have, and those guys probably think that level of bass should be the standard.

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It's mostly personal preferences that have to do with it. I know many older people that play around with car audio, the most excessive source of unnatural bass you can find, and many younger people in their teens who rock out to classical.
 
Often Grados sound unnatural to me, apart from my friend's Magnums.
And here come the flames any second now...

I personally feel like the 650's bass is just the right amount for me...I'm somewhat glad I didn't buy the HE-400 from what everyone is saying.... I can't really imagine more bass than this and I certainly don't wanna feel how a "bassy headphone" feels like.

Head implodes from the thumping?

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stevenlongs said:

I personally feel like the 650's bass is just the right amount for me...I'm somewhat glad I didn't buy the HE-400 from what everyone is saying...

. I can't really imagine more bass than this and I certainly don't wanna feel how a "bassy headphone" feels like.
Head implodes from the thumping?

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Shame, you're missing out on the best, bar none, bass under $500.
 
FYI HE400s don't have "overwhelming bass", it has a flat bass frequency response all the way down to 25 Hz or so. You and many others are just used to bass rolloff that starts at ~50 Hz and goes into nothingness before 30 Hz, and that which is overshadowed by bass humps around 100 or 200 Hz (ALL dynamic ring-coil drivers do this, to different degrees, heck even HD800s have a slight hump).
 
Planar sound might be a bit overwhelming at first but it's addictive and a new experience.

Objectively, it shouldn't be considered bassy by any means; they're just a bit bassier from what I usually listen to. And I'm not really someone with normal listening preferences, so not the best judge or reference. Really sorry if what I said gave anyone the wrong impressions. It's just a slightly warm, dark, and overall fantastic headphone. I'll probably place in an order next week, and stop being out of place in this thread.

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stevenlongs said:

I personally feel like the 650's bass is just the right amount for me...I'm somewhat glad I didn't buy the HE-400 from what everyone is saying...

. I can't really imagine more bass than this and I certainly don't wanna feel how a "bassy headphone" feels like.
Head implodes from the thumping?

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Thumping?  Thumping is what high-amped, low-quality subwoofers that are placed in cars sound like.  When one is able to listen to their favorite music on the HE-400s that have a warm*, enveloping bass, it's far from thumping.  It just makes the music more enjoyable - then again, it might depend on which genres of music you prefer.
 
 
 
* = I noted the bass on the HE-400 was "warm" and not "dark" as they have, at times been referred to as.

jerg said:

Hah! I endorse that idea!

Maybe I'm too young to appreciate lower quantities of bass. Heck at least this ain't a typical +10dB bass hump that all Grados have, and those guys probably think that level of bass should be the standard.

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You're not too young to appreciate lower quantities of bass...you're just not old and high frequency hearing loss prone enough yet to appreciate treble boosted headphones like HD700, HD800, HE-6 , and the like and think they sound "natural" When you're 70 or so, you'll think Grados are dark, but Beyer lacks detail, or so a trip on this forum would make it seem

stevenlongs said:

I personally feel like the 650's bass is just the right amount for me...I'm somewhat glad I didn't buy the HE-400 from what everyone is saying.... I can't really imagine more bass than this and I certainly don't wanna feel how a "bassy headphone" feels like.
Head implodes from the thumping?

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HD650's have a surprisingly natural sounding bass for acoustic types of music, however HD650 severely lacks sub-bass extensio below 40Hz or so. That is it's only TRUE limitation aside from preference based qualities people often cite as limitations. For acoustic forms of music it sounds just right. For electronic forms of music they can seem like they're missing somethin. But HD650 is aided by the psychoacoustics of a huge mid-bass hump. HE-400 actually has LESS mid-bass hump, but extends flat down to 20Hz, with the entire sub-bass up to the lower mids boosted on a slight plateau. So the difference isn't "more bass" than HD650, so much as deeper extension, boosted evenly with the midbass, just a hair SHY of the peak of the midbass on HD650. So less mid-bass, deeper extension, yeilding either the same bass quantity but with lower reach or more bss quantity with lower mid-bass.

So it won't really come acrss bassier than HD650. For some genres I prefer the HD650's warm midbass. For anything electronic or featuring pipe organ or distorted guitas, low reach of HE-400 may prove preferable.

Personally I'm fond of both. HD650 is usually my preference, but HE-400 competes for headtime very well.

People often confusing boombox like overpowering bass you need for rap and hip hop with deep high quality sub-bass you want for classical or jazz so when people hear more bass they assume that boomy bass while author means deeper tighter punchier better controlled sub-bass HE-400, D5000/7000 for example have

Just catching up..
 
HE400 and FiiO E10.. no go. it does not have the kahunans to drive the HE400 properly.  Set it for hi gain or turn on the bass boost it's fat a bloated.  I've basically retired my E10.
HE400 and FiiO E17.. not bad for low level listening. I often user this combo with my MacBook Air around the house when I'm away from my main system.
HE400 and Audioengine D1.. About the same as the FiiO E17 but more open and airy.  Like this combo better.  I'll end up retiring the E17 and use the D1 or try the new AQ DragonFly.
HE400 and Arcam rPAC.. somewhere between the E17 and D1.  it's going back when my rDAC comes in (need to get my DLIII back into my main system).  
HE400and DLIII/Lyr.. now we have some dynamics and the HE400 really shine. Sweeeeet!!!
 
As far as bass goes, the HE400 is where bass should start.  Nice, tight, present and plentiful without being overpowering.  That also the reason I like the HD700's and M80's. Just one guy's opinion.
 
When I first got the HE400, I was thrilled that I could drive it directly from an iPod, iPhone or from the E17. I guess that I've been spoiled by the DLIII/Lyr combo.  I'm not blown away with any of the straight USB (USB powered) solutions.  They just don't have the gusts to drive the HE400 to its potential.  As a low cost solution, the E17 and D1 are not bad.

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mickeyvee said:

Just catching up..
 
HE400 and FiiO E10.. no go. it does not have the kahunans to drive the HE400 properly.  Set it for hi gain or turn on the bass boost it's fat a bloated.  I've basically retired my E10.
HE400 and FiiO E17.. not bad for low level listening. I often user this combo with my MacBook Air around the house when I'm away from my main system.
HE400 and Audioengine D1.. About the same as the FiiO E17 but more open and airy.  Like this combo better.  I'll end up retiring the E17 and use the D1 or try the new AQ DragonFly.
HE400 and Arcam rPAC.. somewhere between the E17 and D1.  it's going back when my rDAC comes in (need to get my DLIII back into my main system).  
HE400and DLIII/Lyr.. now we have some dynamics and the HE400 really shine. Sweeeeet!!!
 
As far as bass goes, the HE400 is where bass should start.  Nice, tight, present and plentiful without being overpowering.  That also the reason I like the HD700's and M80's. Just one guy's opinion.
 
When I first got the HE400, I was thrilled that I could drive it directly from an iPod, iPhone or from the E17. I guess that I've been spoiled by the DLIII/Lyr combo.  I'm not blown away with any of the straight USB (USB powered) solutions.  They just don't have the gusts to drive the HE400 to its potential.  As a low cost solution, the E17 and D1 are not bad.

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The E10 has 150mW @ 32 Ohms.
 
The E17 has 250mW @ 16 Ohms.  Based on that information, the E17 @ 32 Ohms, or 35 Ohms like the HE-400 has, should put both amps *within* a small shout of each other.  Have you tried the E10 with Foobar, the Wasapi plug-in?  Keep the bass boost on the E10 off since you indicated it has some bloat to it.  Instead, use the EQ that comes with Foobar to tweak some of the frequencies.  I think doing so, might make the E10 an able amp to cut the mustard.  Granted, it might be barely just enough to get by - but, I think it might worth trying some adjustments as I suggested to see what the results are.
 
Enjoy!

*sigh*
 
Still not sure what amp/DAC combo to go for.  I came in here ready to say I was going to get the Bifrost and O2, but then I saw people talking about tubes again.  Sould I go for the Bifrost + LD III instead?  How do they sound with a full tube setup instead of hybrid like the LD 1+?

For me, the he400 is warm enough without tubes. I have had several rigs set up as solid state that have worked very well. The best setup so far has been the Asgard plus Bifrost. But this headphone also only looses about 10% going all the way down to the e17. I just can't hear any more difference than that. Possibly because the he400 is an efficient hp and amps so easy. 
 
Now, I can certainly hear a nice difference. The sound stage and instrument separation becomes instantly clearer. The bass goes from slightly muddy to wonderfully textured with impact. So, maybe after thinking about it more, I'll call it a 15% improvement.