**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 169

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerg 

You'll love it, mark my words. 

grill mod, grill mod, grill mod!

Looking to scoop up a pair of these, what are the chances that I will end up ordering a 3.0 rev. are those still floating around? also did 3.5 get rid of the issues or should I be looking for a 2.0? Head direct's amazon storefront said they have no US stock and I am not waiting for shipping from China haha, any buying tips or information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!

Cool that is reassuring haha, I know many state you cant really trust FR Graphs for the HE-400 and I am all for what sounds good over what looks good on paper, I know this has been touched upon a little in this thread (quite humorously I might add) after skimming through it a little bit, but I am sure we all like to have a look at a graph before we throw down 400$ on a pair of phones.

I have a pair of DT 880's that I am liking but I find on some recordings that are not the best they can be harsh on your ears and slightly hissy, I am really interested in trying a pair of planar magnetics but the FR Graphs have me hesitant about the HE-400 when comparing it to the HE-500, I understand there is a $300 gap but there is just so much upper mid drop off on the 400's!

Can anyone come with at least a slightly comparable headphone in terms of sound signature? 

Ill be using them through a O2+ODAC

Sorry for being pesky =P

 

The upper mids and lower treble are all there and fully represented, so you need to worry little about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TunneLVisioN42 

Cool that is reassuring haha, I know many state you cant really trust FR Graphs for the HE-400 and I am all for what sounds good over what looks good on paper, I know this has been touched upon a little in this thread (quite humorously I might add) after skimming through it a little bit, but I am sure we all like to have a look at a graph before we throw down 400$ on a pair of phones.

I have a pair of DT 880's that I am liking but I find on some recordings that are not the best they can be harsh on your ears and slightly hissy, I am really interested in trying a pair of planar magnetics but the FR Graphs have me hesitant about the HE-400 when comparing it to the HE-500, I understand there is a $300 gap but there is just so much upper mid drop off on the 400's!

Can anyone come with at least a slightly comparable headphone in terms of sound signature? 

Ill be using them through a O2+ODAC

Sorry for being pesky =P

 

I might be receiving a pair of HE500s in the next week or two, will definitely compare them and my HE400s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 


In my opinion, the HE-400 is an excellent product for the price. I've owned the HE-500, as well as the HE-5LE, too. The HE-5LE was slightly more hungry for power, but was a headphone that really sounded great. Also, consider the HE-5LE started out at $899, and was reduced in price to compete. The HE-500 has always been at $699, as far as I know. I've only had the HE-400 and the HE-500 at the same time, so I could compare them. There are some differences with regards to purity, or possibly a slight nod towards additional clarity in the HE-500. But, that was just with my own ears and we all know, everyone can hear things differently. But, since I could not use both pair at the same time, I ended up keeping the HE-400 and they still continue to impress me each time I use them.

You got the two backwards I think; HE500s were once $899, they were codenamed HE6p (so basically they were intended as "easy to drive HE6-equivalent") before being renamed HE500 at release. HE5LEs on the other hand was always $699.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TunneLVisioN42 

Can anyone come with at least a slightly comparable headphone in terms of sound signature? 

Ill be using them through a O2+ODAC

Sorry for being pesky =P

 

I really can't, since all my previous phones were Sennheisers. They remind me a little of my IEM Sony EX85s, in terms of being more "aggressive", though I have come to accept Fang's description of the phones as like "American JBL" as opposed to say, European speakers. My JBLs are very airy, balanced, and handle rock and classical with quite a bit of grace. Then again my JBLS don't have the sort of bass reach that these phones do.

I too looked at the frequency and said, tons of bass, no mid-range, and hot treble. Uh-oh. Then I thought, nah, its pretty "V-Shaped", should be fun!

It may sound crazy but, these things come across as pretty darn "flat" - there are no obvious peaks, and they are extremely smooth. At the same time, they are not laid-back, so I find them very enjoyable across all my music formats. Just a really airy, transparent, and smooth presentation with awesome texture and bass extension. The sound awesome with rock/pop/electronic/classical. They'll work great with your amp/DAC also.

I guess I sound like a huge fan. More like a "planar" convert - I just don't think this sort of sound is easily accomplished by dynamic drivers - even really good ones like your beyers.

I did the grill mod yesterday, and all I could say was in post #2522, I mean jerg wasn't joking... It's like a whole layer of muddiness disappeared, the sound became more alive and more detailed. So the grill mod is staying, hopefully the dust won't be a problem!

Okay fellow HE-400 owners. I've always been stubborn about EQ, but the longer I'm in this hobby the more I realize I need to not be.

This is my second go-around with the HE-400. It is simply awesome on every front, for me, except for its sound signature... I returned it last time for the same reason (although in part because I had a rev3 at the time). Namely, I love forward mids and these do not have that. Also, I would like the treble peak at 10k to be tamed quite a bit.

Seeing as I listen to headphones solely at my computer, I am now interested in a quality, easy-to-use EQ program. Using iTunes really basic, poorly tweakable EQ, I bumped up the 2K and 4K frequencies a bit and dropped the 8K and 16K a bit, and it is much more to the sound I crave! Using this basic EQ, I am getting nearly exactly what I'm looking for in a headphone. So I'm ready for a quality EQ program. Help me out here!

Seriously, I've been stubborn about EQ for no good reason, for too long. I love everything about the HE-400 except for the presentation of the mids and that high treble peak, and this tiny experiment with iTunes EQ opened my eyes, or ears rather. I want to tinker with an EQ program, and if that gets me even closer to the sound I'm craving, then I think I will be sold on the HE-400.

Just received the amazon/ebay headband padding strip finally; after some fidgeting around it finally gave a good fit, and indeed it does work quite well.

Look what finally came in the mail today 

Will post impressions after lunch, im starving.