New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out - Page 305

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokken 

Plugged my ODAC into a powered USB hub (from the original Rock Band), listening to some stuff... the highs are actually a bit fatiguing, sibilant at times. The DT880s have crisp highs but aren't piercing. I'm already feeling a bit apprehensive... I'll be burning these in tomorrow when I'm at work but I'm afraid I might not like their sound. They have good detail retrieval -- in fact, I think I've heard some stuff with these already that I haven't heard even with my DT880s, which I find hard to believe, but maybe they really are that good. I just wish I didn't feel like I have to EQ down the treble to make these enjoyable to listen to for longer than 30 minutes. I might have to stretch out the headband just a tad as well, as I feel they are a little tight. Not nearly as bad as my HD280s though.

Hmm looks like I'm having the same experience with you. I can't listen to the HE-400 for more than 30 minutes at a time too. Starts to hurt my ears if I go past the half hour mark. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerg 

@ evowei and yokken,

 

Please report the treble issue over to the Hifiman customer service thread, we need this recognized so they do something about it.

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/629253/head-direct-hifiman-customer-service-team/60#post_8747549

Alright, will do. Now I'm in a dilemma: which one to return? :/

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokken 

Alright, I made a post. I'm starting to warm up to the sound signature of these now, either they're getting better or I'm just acclimating to their sound. Treble is still a bit hot compared to my DT880s but Infected Mushroom really shines on these.

Thanks. Yeah these still sound fantastic, barring the piercing upper treble issue.

Hifiman has always been quite responsive to customers, so if we voice this concern enough we might be able to push another driver revision change and just send in our current pairs for replacement. I'm also writing a cumulative email containing all the complaints to someone from their customer service I've been in touch with for the past year, to help push this along further.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerg 

 

Thanks. Yeah these still sound fantastic, barring the piercing upper treble issue.

 

Hifiman has always been quite responsive to customers, so if we voice this concern enough we might be able to push another driver revision change and just send in our current pairs for replacement. I'm also writing a cumulative email containing all the complaints to someone from their customer service I've been in touch with for the past year, to help push this along further.

Damn. Would be awesome if they fixed the treble. I wonder what was so wrong with the v2...

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuna47 

I have the rev3 and find no problems with the treble sounds great
I like a little sparkle I would not hesitate to by these cans

Different people have different treble fatigue sensitivities; if you have heard or compared the older revision HE400s against these, you'd immediately notice the big difference in smoothness / levels.

Edit:

I just emailed someone from hifiman customer service who i have been in touch for a while now, basically a cumulative summary about the treble and relating it to how older revision HE400s sounded. Let's hope they sort it out.

I like sparkly treble too, in fact I love it, but not to the point where it hurts my ears.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokken 

I like sparkly treble too, in fact I love it, but not to the point where it hurts my ears.

If I understand it correctly, the reason why this is fatiguing / hurtful almost is because there is a very narrow-band ringing or peak in the upper treble, rather than just all clean smooth elevated upper treble (which was what the older HE400s had). It makes sense, as the treble seems fine with most music, but with particular instruments or voices it "flairs" up.

Would you recommend I wait for a Rev4 to happen before I try to buy another HE-400?

As cool as these sound for some songs, I think I much prefer my DT880. These haven't made me smile with excitement, or wow me at any point. The ONLY thing they are clearly better at is imaging -- I can easily hear the sound going from left to right to left to right in songs that feature it. It's insanely cool. I've also heard some things that I feel I haven't heard before, maybe because they weren't brought out as much by other headphones, but it's kinda cool too. Unfortunately it's not enough to win me over. A lot of songs that I've been impressed by with the DT880s are sometimes lifeless with the HE400s... not lifeless, but they just don't make me jam out. They're not as fun. Some people call the DT880s analytical, and they definitely are, but with all that detail comes some serious rocking.

For example, Enter Sandman sounds seriously amazing on the Beyers, but it was just kinda flat on the HE400s. Somebody That I Used To Know was kinda boring on the HE400s but I remember the first time I heard it with my Beyers -- I was all over my room dancing. Yeah the HE400s sound great with electronic music, which is what the majority of my collection is, but for some reason it's just not enough... for the music that isn't electronic, the HE400s fall short. I'll keep listening tonight and burn them in tomorrow and hopefully have better things to say. But I'm getting my HD600s tomorrow......... damnit. This is going to be hard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokken 

For example, Enter Sandman sounds seriously amazing on the Beyers, 

Oh my god why that one 

If you don't like them out of the Lyr (which I'm trying to buy) I don't think you ever will, hopefully it's still a good combo though. I'm guessing the mid range on the 400's isn't quite as forward as the 880's, the 400s are certainly laid back.

I don't have my Lyr yet, I should on Saturday though. I'm just going through the ODAC+E17 right now. And hey man, I don't really like Metallica but Enter Sandman is a sweet song. It's mastered perfectly, too. The only reason I mentioned it is because it DOES sound amazing on the DT880s. Every instrument has its own life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by yokken 

I don't have my Lyr yet, I should on Saturday though. I'm just going through the ODAC+E17 right now. And hey man, I don't really like Metallica but Enter Sandman is a sweet song. It's mastered perfectly, too. The only reason I mentioned it is because it DOES sound amazing on the DT880s. Every instrument has its own life.

I've heard the album 100's of times. Oddly enough even on my tapes in high school, I still prefer ride the lightning and justice for all and I'm sure a person or two would have a few words to say about their mastering lol! Pretty unique though, some albums sounds just don't happen again.

Well, the mastering sounds pretty decent compared to a lot of recent releases. Currently I'm listening to the new Pretty Lights single, So Bright. These headphones still haven't amazed me yet, but maybe I expected too much of them. They certainly sound good, but I think my DT880s provide a sound that's almost just as good in some areas, better in others, for $120 less. I do like the bass texture, but there's just something missing. Not sure what it is. I think I'll just listen to the HD600s tomorrow to get a feel for how they sound, and Saturday I'll do a bit more objective comparison.

--

Just put my DT880s back on. Damn, these are comfy.

--

I feel bad for saying this, but just based upon the past few minutes of having the DT880s on, I think I'm leaning toward returning the HE400s. I have a full month to do it, so I'm definitely going to wait for the Lyr and see how that changes things... but unless I can really improve their clamping and the sound loosens up a bit to sound more fun, they're no match for the DT880's comfort and non-fatiguing treble. Seriously, the DT880s just sound so good. I can't imagine how much better they'll sound with the Lyr.

I had the same feeling about my HE400 for a while.  The trick is to NOT switch headphones in one session.  Just stay with one HP, your ears will adjust and you should really start to hear and enjoy them. I pretty much went through the same thing when I got my HD700.  Switching back and forth, I was ready to sell the HE400 on the spot.  Just sticking to one HP for a session or even a few days lets you really appreciate them for what they are.  Give it a try. YMMV.

I had them on for about 4 hours. I acclimated to them, and they sound nice and all, but the DT880s just win overall. Nothing like something you don't quite like as much as you thought you would to make you really appreciate something else. Just switching to the DT880s, I think the HE400s might actually have more treble, which blows my mind... they're definitely hot in that area. I think I'm going to like the HD600s better, purely because I know they aren't going to be as bright as the DT880s, and I got them for just that reason.