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New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out - Page 3

post #31 of 6019
12/25/11 at 12:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oderi View Post

Got my new M-Stage here. Was planning on buying denon DX000's to go with it as a step up from M50's. Would the SQ when using planars such as the new HE-400 with the M-Stage be completely inadequate seeing what planars generally are capable of? Because if not, this will make the choice between say D5000 and the HE-400 pretty hard.


Well D5000 is a closed design (although one that leaks a fair bit) and the HE-400 is very open so not necesarily comparable depending on what you need
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post #32 of 6019
12/25/11 at 4:37am

Looks like it's gonna clip pretty hard being driven from an ipod to me.

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post #33 of 6019
12/25/11 at 5:04am

A new more affordable planar from Hifiman?!eek.gif  Nice!  If it sounds similar to the HE-500, it should be a winner.  Is it a great(expensive) time to be an audio junkie or what?biggrin.gif


Edited by Digital-Pride - 12/25/11 at 5:09am
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post #34 of 6019
12/25/11 at 6:32am
Thread Starter 

Well...first thing first. here is a picture of the HE-400

 

HE-400_20111224__MG_9587.jpg

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post #35 of 6019
12/25/11 at 7:16am

I realize some have expressed disapproval on the color, but I personally like the slightly darker blue color.  It still has that understated, elegance that Hifiman's headphones typically have(in my opinion of course).


Edited by Digital-Pride - 12/25/11 at 7:22am
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post #36 of 6019
12/25/11 at 7:21am

It doesn't look all that bad honestly. It wouldn't matter since if I bought these cans they wouldn't leave the house except for meets. If it's anything close to the HE-4 or HE-500 I may have another Hifiman can in my possession soon :) Of course I'm also considering buying the HE-4 again..

 

As for the specs it doesn't seem like it will be driven by an ipod well but seems like it can be driven from one better than the other orthos from Hifiman.

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post #37 of 6019
12/25/11 at 7:30am
Thread Starter 

i have been listening to HE-400 since yesterday. let me answer a few questions

 

1. In terms of the build quality, it's exactly the same as HE-500 and HE-6. Personally I can't tell the difference at all. 

 

2. The blue color actually looks pretty refreshing. I thought i wouldn't like it, but i kind of do. 

 

3. The first thing people will notice about this headphone is the bass. I have heard almost every single Hifiman Planar headphone, and they always stay just a little bit light on the amount of bass (although they do hit pretty deep). HE-400 is different. It's the first Hifiman headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance. It's definitely tuned for Rock, Electric or R&B music. I can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance. I am not going to comment on the actual performance yet until I listen to it for at least one week or two. 

 

4. I have been driving it directly out of my iPhone4, and getting surprisingly good sound. The volume is at 80%, and everything you expect from a planar headphone is all there. Yes, it definitely performs better with an amp, and I am always against not using an amp especially with an Ortho. HE-400 is changing my mind. It gives you an option to drive it directly out of i-devices, and not making you feel that you are missing something. It's quite awesome actually. 

 

5. How does it compare against HE-500? well...HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity, but HE-400 offers better bass impact and is much easier to drive. After the recent price drop on HE-500, it is considered as the best value on the headphone market right now, and i think that HE-400 just took over the crown in terms of value.

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post #38 of 6019
12/25/11 at 8:32am

looking forward to a more in depth review. you certainly have some interesting hps to compare to. subscribed. lucky you to be on an early distribution list, how did that happen?


Edited by ri_toast - 12/25/11 at 8:58am
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post #39 of 6019
12/25/11 at 8:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by blankdisc View Post

i have been listening to HE-400 since yesterday. let me answer a few questions

 

1. In terms of the build quality, it's exactly the same as HE-500 and HE-6. Personally I can't tell the difference at all. 

 

2. The blue color actually looks pretty refreshing. I thought i wouldn't like it, but i kind of do. 

 

3. The first thing people will notice about this headphone is the bass. I have heard almost every single Hifiman Planar headphone, and they always stay just a little bit light on the amount of bass (although they do hit pretty deep). HE-400 is different. It's the first Hifiman headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance. It's definitely tuned for Rock, Electric or R&B music. I can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance. I am not going to comment on the actual performance yet until I listen to it for at least one week or two. 

 

4. I have been driving it directly out of my iPhone4, and getting surprisingly good sound. The volume is at 80%, and everything you expect from a planar headphone is all there. Yes, it definitely performs better with an amp, and I am always against not using an amp especially with an Ortho. HE-400 is changing my mind. It gives you an option to drive it directly out of i-devices, and not making you feel that you are missing something. It's quite awesome actually. 

 

5. How does it compare against HE-500? well...HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity, but HE-400 offers better bass impact and is much easier to drive. After the recent price drop on HE-500, it is considered as the best value on the headphone market right now, and i think that HE-400 just took over the crown in terms of value.

How about their mid? Do they still follow the footstep of their predecessors?  I acually hoped some there would be some change in terms of mid range.

Thanks for the impression btw.
 

 

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post #40 of 6019
12/25/11 at 11:11am

Thanks for the preliminary impressions. :) So, let's see:

 

a) HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity

b) but HE-400 offers better bass impact 

c) headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance

d) can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance

 

Reading litera a) to c); I interpret the HE-400 to be a bass monster and an ortho variant of the DT770 (?). But, litera d) destroys that impression (fortunately). I'm a but insure if "impact" = impact or detail. 

 

An elaboration on the bass "impact" would be nice, blankdisc.

 

regular_smile%20.gif

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post #41 of 6019
12/25/11 at 11:37am
Thread Starter 

i wouldn't call it a bass monster like Beats or D7K. It's just when you listen to a headphone from Hifiman, you normally wouldn't expect a lot of bass. Their house sound is always sweet warm mids, excellent treble with airy and spacious sound. 

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post #42 of 6019
12/25/11 at 11:47am

SUB-FREAKIN-SCRIBED!

 

Pretty awesome that you already have your hands on a pair, blankdisc. And thanks for your impressions so far. Really looking forward to more info!

 

I already have the HE-4 but I'm interested in this new model. 

 

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post #43 of 6019
12/25/11 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Head Injury View Post



That's not actually very efficient at all confused.gif

what?! got to be out of your mind if you think 92db is not efficient. that's like ear piercing levels for me. no wonder lot people have ringing issues all the time in their ears.
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post #44 of 6019
12/25/11 at 12:08pm

This looks incredible!  I'll buy a Hifiman as soon as they stop wiring their own drivers backwards tongue.gif

I've always been a fan of how Hifiman's headphones perform, but this just kills me:

HE500IR.png

They wire most of their drivers backwards.  I know it doesn't make much of a difference, but it sets my OCD off like you wouldn't believe! 


Edited by PelPix - 12/25/11 at 12:15pm
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post #45 of 6019
12/25/11 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PelPix View Post

This looks incredible!  I'll buy a Hifiman as soon as they stop wiring their own drivers backwards tongue.gif


Lol

 

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