New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out - Page 291

OTL tube, SS, or unamped- I never really liked the HD650's sound as much as I'd want.  Maybe I need an amp with a phatter bass.

Stating the obvious, but I just think it comes down to subjective opinion.

I've pretty much tried every headphone from SR-60's all the way up to HD-800's (never got up to SR-009's lol), and in the end, I ended up coming back to my HD-600's and 650s. I just love their sound. Not for everyone.

I did love the **** out of the LCD-2. But at the time I had them, it was when the Rev 2's first came out, and kept having cracking problems. I went through 3 pairs of cracking before I gave up and sold off my fixed one. They later came out with Rev 3's that fixed the connector part so it would stop cracking. 

So for me, I'm looking at either getting a really nice amp/dac to bring my 650's to their peak, or go back to the LCD-2's and also invest in a really nice amp to back those. 

I got a very brief audition with the lcd2r2 when I had the Asgard and I did like them but I actually preferred the he400 at the time. I remember that they were somewhat heavy and just didn't have the same energy as the he400. I wonder if they Asgard was enough to make them really shine?? 

I sometimes wonder if the lcd3 would sound sublime, but it doesn't matter tbh. They will always be too heavy for me and out of my price range.  

Purrin considers the Bamboo LCD2s 'very close' to the LCD3s.  It seems as though Audeze has finally nailed down the performance and reliability of the LCD2s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattTCG 

I wonder if they Asgard was enough to make them really shine?? 

I really do as well. Guess you'll find out with your combo at least.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattTCG 

I think that may be the biggest difference between the two hp's is scaleability with amps. The he400 doesn't require a powerhouse amp and sound pretty damn good all the way down to the e17. The hd650 scales incredibly well but doesn't sound good at all with something like the e17.  They are similar in price, but if you don't plan to at least get into a mid-fi amp then the he400 is the way to go. 

 

But with the lyr and bifrost the hd650 is truly special. It will be interesting to see how much better the he400 will be with the same combo. 

Wait...you have the HE400s and the combo all this time and haven't tried em together yet?

HE-400 + Asgard/Lyr (I tend to lump the two together, as I like SS better, that plays a role) = Pretty much one of the best end game rig for the HiFiMANs. Doesn't lose against my Benchmarks at all. Can't see the HD650s winning from there, although I like them a lot.

The he400 I loaned out to a member last week. I just got the lyr and bifrost (for the second time) this weekend. I have not owned the he400, lyr and bifrost at the same time till now.

Has anyone heard an AD2k and compared it to these? I'm slowly switching my system to balanced and think a HE400 could replace the AD2k since it's easier to balance the HE400 than an AD2k.  Buying a cable is certainly easier than sending a headphone to someone I don't know to recable. Also good to know the headphone is lighter than the HE500 since I had some issues with weight on that headphone. 

I can make an impulse decision on an amp or source much more expensive than these but can't make up my mind about a headphone lol. Maybe I need to go to a meet with Hifiman in attendance to impulse buy another Hifiman headphone

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawrster 

Has anyone heard an AD2k and compared it to these? I'm slowly switching my system to balanced and think a HE400 could replace the AD2k since it's easier to balance the HE400 than an AD2k.  Buying a cable is certainly easier than sending a headphone to someone I don't know to recable. Also good to know the headphone is lighter than the HE500 since I had some issues with weight on that headphone. 

 

I can make an impulse decision on an amp or source much more expensive than these but can't make up my mind about a headphone lol. Maybe I need to go to a meet with Hifiman in attendance to impulse buy another Hifiman headphone

I used the 5ks in my video review, but I think it's a more fair comparison. I think they are a clear upgrade in audio quality, but won't give you everything the 5ks or 2ks have to offer. Coming from a 2K, yeah big upgrade.

I meant the Audio Technica AD2k. It's a bit confusing to have two models with such similar model names. I wasn't a fan when Denon came out with that but that's another story.

Doesn't someone in this thread have a really, really, really long comparison thread between the two? Best you PM them.

Edit: Whoops, didn't see you meant Audio-Technica there. Actually, I got to compare the two during a meet a few weeks ago. The ATs are different. The HE-400s are better technical performers, extend more. But the sound sigs are way too different to get a sense of either phone without having to try both.

Edit2: Actually, no, the ones I've heard were the wooden cups variant (W1000x). Damn I'm slow today. Sorry about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattTCG 

I think that may be the biggest difference between the two hp's is scaleability with amps. The he400 doesn't require a powerhouse amp and sound pretty damn good all the way down to the e17. The hd650 scales incredibly well but doesn't sound good at all with something like the e17.  They are similar in price, but if you don't plan to at least get into a mid-fi amp then the he400 is the way to go. 

 

But with the lyr and bifrost the hd650 is truly special. It will be interesting to see how much better the he400 will be with the same combo. 

The problem with HD650 isn't mid or high priced amp it's find perfect match or senergy such as Maverick Audio TubeMagic D1. I heard them with a lot of different setup,unfortunately never heard Lyr, and they lacking sub-bass even with expensive ones like Burson 160D or 2pcs Woo Audio but sound decent with DragonFly/Asgard

The hd650 has great "synergy" if that's what you'd like to call it with the lyr. Comparative review upcoming...

RushNerd's video review is quite good. Check it out as it features the he400 which ends up doing quite well. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMRaven 

OTL tube, SS, or unamped- I never really liked the HD650's sound as much as I'd want.  Maybe I need an amp with a phatter bass.

HD650 and Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 are made in haven for each other