New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out - Page 367

I can't answer all your questions, but the HE-400 comes with pleather pads, so you have to order the velours yourself. 

I read earlier in the thread people were able to email the company that makes them and ask for velour instead? Or does that not work any longer?

You could just get them from moon-audio, they sell them by themselves.

$20 total (includes reg. price, shipping, and tax), at least, in new york.

I emailed them, and the velours were added as the spare pads, no extra charge.

My question is would I have to order them through their websites? Can I do it through amazon? Should I E-Mail them before I order the headphones?

Etc.. How do I do this properly? If I can save the time and trouble I will ^_^

I ordered through amazon, and told them the order number, etc. You should contact them first though

I'm pretty new to the high end audio scene and have my eyes on a pair of these headphones. I was first looking into a pair of ATH-ES10's, but they were priced way too high in the UK for what they are worth. For the same price I could get a pair of HE-400's instead.

 

I know that open back headphone shouldn't really be compared to IEM's, but I was wondering how the sound quality in these compare with something like the Phonak Audeo PFE 232's? Can someone with knowledge on both of these devices advise on which I should expect the better quality sound from? I'm into my lows, so bass impact and speed is very important to me as I do tend to listen to D&B and dubstep, while I still need quality across the range for the rest of my collection of music. Which of the two would offer me better bass, and overall sound quality? Could someone describe the sounds I should expect from both?

 

The thing is, I am not too fussed with portability, as long as it is made up for with better sound quality for the same price (the Hifiman's and Phonak's are priced similarly where I live). If the sound quality is comparable, then I would naturally lean towards the IEM's so that they are accessible wherever I go.

 

Cheers.

 

They're sort of similar. I'd equate the W4 with the HD650, and the PFE232 with the HE-400. The HE-400s have a flatter bass, with more of a tactile response and depth (though the PFE232s are no slouch in terms of speed), and markedly less upper-mids/lower treble (changes tonality quite a bit, though you can still hear the resemblance). Mids are clear and lean on both, which is what reminded me of the two being similar. Blacker background on the PFE though. Treble levels are on the sparkly side on both as well. Obviously the soundstage and imaging is better on the HiFiMAN. I'd give the win to the HE-400 for overall performance though, even when considering the IEM-full-size discrepancy. 

 

For more in-depth impressions, ask planx. He has both. 

Edited by TwinQY - 11/23/12 at 8:37pm

I just got the HE-400 two weeks ago after deciding between it and the HD 650. The sound from the phones were amazing, but I can't really get over the discomfort around my jaw area after wearing them for a while. (maybe I'm just not used to headphones? coming from a jh-16 set-up)

 

Is this normal? Is there any way to fix it?

 

Thanks

Adjustment axis at the Y-yoke joint. 20% new HE400 owners don't know about that (a scientific fact).

 

If that still doesn't fix the discomfort then the obvious thing to do is to loosen the headband by some flexing and elbow grease. Jaw pressure = simple clamp force, decrease the clamp and you decrease the pressure.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Right now I'm considering refunding it (since it's only 2 weeks old), selling my jh-16 and using the money to buy a better pair of headphones.

 

Do you have any suggestions for upgrades? I'm thinking clear upgrades would be another orthodynamic headphone like the lcd-2. 

 

Thanks

You're on the fence with HE-400's comfort and considering getting an LCD-2 instead? 

Yeah, aren't they virtually the same comfort wise?

LOL.

 

If HE400s are slightly uncomfortable, then LCD2s are a crown of thorns. Much heavier, less cup adjustment freedom, more jaw pressure. Easily the most uncomfortable current-production high-end headphones. DairyProduce must be a masochist 

I was thinking the pads might be thicker -> more comfortable. 

 

Last time I tried them was last summer though, so obviously my memory about them is pretty fuzzy