**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread**
Oct 22, 2014 at 10:11 AM Post #18,316 of 22,116
Mad Dog and HE400 are very different flavors. Love them both, prefer the HE400.

Seems like nowadays, everyone is trashing the HE400s. I hate it when people turn on things once they find new toys to play with. Nothing has changed to make the HE400 trash. It has always been a headphone some will love, some will not.


I wouldn't trash the HE-400s - just the other day I was again enjoying the fact that they simply provide a slightly higher resolution and better speed than my speakers, even if they aren't quite as neutral in the midrange. I probably do value them a lot less today than I used to, if only because so many excellent headphones are showing up at lower prices (and seemingly with better designs). But even given that, there is a reason these were some of the top headphones in their price range when they came out. They upped the ante.
 
Just for kicks I'll probably break out the old modded pleathers for awhile.
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Oct 22, 2014 at 10:50 AM Post #18,317 of 22,116
Sorry to change the subject.I have had the HE 400 for about a year now. I just changed the cable by bestinverse cables. The improvement and separation is subtle but nice.I find it may a clear change. There is not much info about cables except expensive ones. I paid about $85 delivered. I run them with a Schiitt Lyr and Nexus 7 tablet. The Lyr with GE tubes tones down the sibilance. I tried different tubes but GE sounds the best to my ears.
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 11:05 AM Post #18,318 of 22,116
Mad Dog and HE400 are very different flavors. Love them both, prefer the HE400.

Seems like nowadays, everyone is trashing the HE400s. I hate it when people turn on things once they find new toys to play with. Nothing has changed to make the HE400 trash. It has always been a headphone some will love, some will not.

 
Definitely - but i only plan on having one set of opened backs, and itll be the new 400i (whenever USPS decides to deliver them).  I have a set of closed i use for work, the UE6000s which i will eventually upgrade.
 
Wondering if the HE-400 and Mad Dogs are an "even trade" - was hoping for something like HE-400is in a closed back form factor, but i guess theyre more different than the same. 
 
Mad Dogs seem to be pretty neutral, but maybe half a notch under the 400s in terms of price class. 
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 11:15 AM Post #18,319 of 22,116
  Dont know if this helps, but a guy I met that owned the MadDogs (didnt had the,with him) and listened to my HE400. He wasn't impressed at all, and preferred the Mad Dogs by far. He said it's also more musical, and everything else he prefers(from highs to lows, soundstage and so on).. I'm not sure what to think about his opinion tough, since he trashes all stuff that isn't his :) And then he sold them and bought LCD2 rev2, now he trashes the MadDogs :wink:

As others have said, the Mad Dogs are a different can of worms entirely. I have listened to the LCD2-2 and the HE400 balanced off the same system, and while I think the LCDs were of higher quality - as they should be because it is an entirely different price point - the "feel" if you will, of the Hifimans I greatly preferred though. That's what motivated me to go up the Hifiman food chain to the 500s which I think are much better than the LCD2-2
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 4:10 PM Post #18,320 of 22,116
Just got a pair of HE400, comparing to Fidelio X-1 and Sennheiser HD650 for about 45 minutes.  The HE400 sound like they are scooped out in the middle, vocals are very much different, much more recessed. Can hear it in strings listening to classical, pretty much everything in the middle is more recessed than either of the other 2 headphones.
 
Good or bad?  Can't say, but quite different.
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 5:17 PM Post #18,321 of 22,116
Is there any way you can extend the HE-400 so that it sits lower on your ears? I recently bought both the headphones and a replacement headband from Amazon. After putting the replacement headband on the HE-400, the pads begin to clip the bottom of my ear lobe (I have a big head). Is there any way to solve this while still keeping the comfort of the replacement headband?
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 11:50 AM Post #18,322 of 22,116
Just got a pair of HE400, comparing to Fidelio X-1 and Sennheiser HD650 for about 45 minutes.  The HE400 sound like they are scooped out in the middle, vocals are very much different, much more recessed. Can hear it in strings listening to classical, pretty much everything in the middle is more recessed than either of the other 2 headphones.

Good or bad?  Can't say, but quite different.
Yes, they are scooped in the middle and a direct comparison with such mid forward cans as the hd650 will highlight that. However, you will get used to that with a more extended listening session as I feel the he400 don't lose detail in the mids despite that recession. Also, they respond brilliantly to EQ. I know, I was against it at first, until I realised that using it intelligently really does give me my money's worth from these cans. It's not a sacred thing. No headphones (or recordings for that matter) are flat, tonally speaking. Strive for what you can get out of them :) Happy listening!
 
Oct 23, 2014 at 5:07 PM Post #18,323 of 22,116
I find it amusing that some people here at Head-Fi says the HD800, K701 and DT880 are neutral, while the he-400 is "very v-shaped and should be avoided". All three are bright. Thats not neutral. But when a bright headphone which also has a lot of bass, now that's "V shaped" and should be avoided! How is the he-400 v shaped and the dt880's is neutral? The K701 has a whole lot of upper mids and treble, but for some reason they are neutral and recommended, but the he-400 which has an upper treble tilt is to be avoided?
 
In what universe is the HD800 neutral? On some recordings it's even worse that the he-400. People say the hd800 is not forgiving of bad recordings, its the same exact thing with the he-400. Makes you wonder if the hd800 was priced similar to the k701, would people praise it so much? Price is a huge placebo enabler imo.
 
Regarding recessed mids on the he-400, on some recordings yes, but the majority of the time I feel the hd650 and the he400 with velour pads are similar in midrange and vocals presence, the he-400 having more upper treble which makes it more fatiguing on tracks with a lot of treble.
 
Moral of the story is try the headphones out and don't trust peoples description of headphones. Hell, don't trust mine, try them out yourself.
 
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Oct 23, 2014 at 7:49 PM Post #18,325 of 22,116
  I find it amusing that some people here at Head-Fi says the HD800, K701 and DT880 are neutral, while the he-400 is "very v-shaped and should be avoided". All three are bright. Thats not neutral. But when a bright headphone which also has a lot of bass, now that's "V shaped" and should be avoided! How is the he-400 v shaped and the dt880's is neutral? The K701 has a whole lot of upper mids and treble, but for some reason they are neutral and recommended, but the he-400 which has an upper treble tilt is to be avoided?
 
In what universe is the HD800 neutral? On some recordings it's even worse that the he-400. People say the hd800 is not forgiving of bad recordings, its the same exact thing with the he-400. Makes you wonder if the hd800 was priced similar to the k701, would people praise it so much? Price is a huge placebo enabler imo.
 
Regarding recessed mids on the he-400, on some recordings yes, but the majority of the time I feel the hd650 and the he400 with velour pads are similar in midrange and vocals presence, the he-400 having more upper treble which makes it more fatiguing on tracks with a lot of treble.
 
Moral of the story is try the headphones out and don't trust peoples description of headphones. Hell, don't trust mine, try them out yourself.
 
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 Clever remarks!
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Oct 30, 2014 at 4:42 PM Post #18,326 of 22,116
Hi everyone, I'm not new to head-fi but certainly new to full-size can. Earlier in my days I prefer a set of IEM and speaker as my listening device. But since I'm moving to US to study MBA in the next 2 years, prob rent a house from a friend, I don't think I can have a decent speaker setup without everyone else bashing at me :frowning2:. I'm gonna keep my dunu dn2000 for travel but for desktop listening while at room, I need something more comfortable than IEM. Is HE-400 a good choice? I will be using it with asus xonar stx. Do I need additional amping or the sound card is already sufficient? I usually listen to female vocals, classical, jazz and blues. Sometimes I listen to pop and current gen but nothing too offensive like EDM or rock. I prefer detail, balanced sound and a touch of warm can be nice sometimes. 
 
Hope someone can suggest me if this combo: Xonar STX + HE-400 works and how good it is for my preference. 
 
Oct 30, 2014 at 4:49 PM Post #18,327 of 22,116
I've used that combo right up until I got my HRT Microstreamer and the STX has no issues driving the HE400.
 
Oct 30, 2014 at 4:58 PM Post #18,328 of 22,116
You think the microstreamer is better than the STX? I'm having musictreamer II but thinking about swapping for the STX when i get to the state cause with Music streamer II it's only dac and I'm too lazy for additional amping, lol. 
 
Oct 30, 2014 at 5:09 PM Post #18,329 of 22,116
  Hi everyone, I'm not new to head-fi but certainly new to full-size can. Earlier in my days I prefer a set of IEM and speaker as my listening device. But since I'm moving to US to study MBA in the next 2 years, prob rent a house from a friend, I don't think I can have a decent speaker setup without everyone else bashing at me :frowning2:. I'm gonna keep my dunu dn2000 for travel but for desktop listening while at room, I need something more comfortable than IEM. Is HE-400 a good choice? I will be using it with asus xonar stx. Do I need additional amping or the sound card is already sufficient? I usually listen to female vocals, classical, jazz and blues. Sometimes I listen to pop and current gen but nothing too offensive like EDM or rock. I prefer detail, balanced sound and a touch of warm can be nice sometimes. 
 
Hope someone can suggest me if this combo: Xonar STX + HE-400 works and how good it is for my preference. 

 
Note the HE-400 are OPEN headphones, so it does NOT noise-isolate. Sound can leak in and out. If you have your own room, it probably will not be a problem if your house is not noisy. However, you will still be able to hear outside noise with these headphones on and people in the same room as you can hear your music.
 
Oct 30, 2014 at 5:14 PM Post #18,330 of 22,116
   
Note the HE-400 are OPEN headphones, so it does NOT noise-isolate. Sound can leak in and out. If you have your own room, it probably will not be a problem if your house is not noisy. However, you will still be able to hear outside noise with these headphones on and people in the same room as you can hear your music.

Yeah, I have my own room so prob don't need to care about a bit sound leak from headphone. Just don't want to overdo it and go for a speaker. 
 

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