**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 285

I think you misunderstood my usage of the word "source", I was just referring to the DAC & amplifier, not the sound files. I agree with that poorly recorded/mastered tracks are exposed.

I’ll offer a brief comparison of the he400 vs he-4 for those who might be considering the he-4.

First and foremost, if you don’t have a good midgrade amp I don’t feel that there is any reason to even give the he-4 a try. Why, you say? Because while the lyr does not struggle with the he4, in my estimation it was just enough to drive the he4 properly.  I’ve driven the following from the lyr/bifrost combo over the past year:

*he400 *hd650 *Maddogs *LCD2r2 *he500

And now the he4. The he4 requires notably more of the volume pot to give me a nice full enjoyable level than any of the others. And not by a small margin.  I’m not exactly sure why. I speculated that the he4 and he500 would have similar amping requirements or possibly the he500 needing a little more juice. Most of the headphones that I’ve driven need about 9:00-10:30 on the clock to reach enjoyable levels for me. The he4, starts at 10:30 and needs 12:00 to get it really cranking or if you are listening to less dynamic music. This really surprised me. I’ve never needed this much volume on the lyr with any other hp.  Enough about that for now.

The first thing that you notice when you slide on the he4, is that it is noticeably lighter than the he400. For me, the reduced weight simply made the he4 a more comfortable hp. There is not as much pressure across the top of my head and the long term effect was that I could wear them longer. Now, how do they sound?

It takes some adjustment coming from the he400 to get a handle on the sound signature of the he4 and to really appreciate them. When I first put them on I was somewhat disappointed. I knew that they’d have less bass, so if you like the bass of the he400 you won’t get it here. The he4 is more balanced and refined. After listening for a few hours, I had a better appreciation for the he4. What you have is a wonderful sound signature. The mids are more lush and accurate than the he400. They seem more “gifted” for lack of a better descriptor and don’t have any of the “tizzy” issues or flaws that you’ll hear from the he400 mids. The vocals sound more natural and are ultimately more enjoyable.

I was really worried about the treble and brightness. This is the very reason I decided to audition them before purchasing. I’m sensitive to bright hp’s and just can’t enjoy them. While this might be considered a “brighter” hp than those I mentioned in the beginning, it’s not what I’d call overly bright and I found that I could listen to it for hours without fatigue. The treble is very good. It extends wonderfully and naturally without ever sounding sibilant or harsh.

The bass is tighter and more in balance than with the he400. I missed the less polite bass on the he400 tbh. The he400 bass what makes it “fun” to listen to and gives it that American sound that is often referred to. The he4 bass goes as low, it just has less visceral impact. It’s refined and accurate. For me it seems to work best with jazz and classical music.

The he4 is an impressive hp. It will please you with it’s mids and treble and overall wonderfully balanced signature. With the right amp it will be spacious and airy in the very best way. The reduced weight is compelling and would be an attractive factor for those who find the he500 and he400 somewhat heavy. I think that it’s priced about $50 too high. If it were the same price as the he400, there would be more people tempted to try it. Understandably it’s a discontinued product and stock is limited. If you want to take the comparison of the hd600 vs hd650 and apply it here, it might help you decide if you’d like the he4 over the he400. If you are in the hd600 camp then you probably be happy with the he4. Hd650 fans would likely favor the he400. This is a somewhat general comparison, so take it for what it’s worth and don’t throw rotten tomatoes at me. 

That is what I wrote a few posts before, he400 sounded like perfectly driven hd650 (soundstage layering, separation of plans, imaging, bass) but with extraordinary bass control and much better clarity, vocals (although a bit laid back IMHO) with no hint of sibilance and a bit dark signature compare to some airy phones with upper harmonics (like hd600 which still have more details and are better balanced throughout the spectrum)

After listening to he400 I know I would never buy hd650 again but hd600 are still better with texturing and details, airness and something I could call "acoustic plankton" which is magical depending on CD album (and of course all your rig which has to be pretty good to make hd600 justice)

That's why I decided to go with he5le - this is something like hd600 on steroids to me, they do everything better (speed, texturing, transients, realism, impact, neutrality, soundstage - oh god, depth especially) - but these are my tastes, you have yours and that's completely fine, use your ears to pick your best phones and enjoy

PEACE

Man, I really hope to audition HE5LE in detail some day; have you heard the HE500 extensively at any point? How would you contrast the two? To my ears the HE500s are almost perfect-sounding, and have the added advantage of being (almost) as easily driveable as HE400, unlike Hifiman's other offerings.

The two are soooo close in resemblance it's really hard to tell.  For me.  The HE-5LEs scales higher than the 500s, Only when I put them on different amps I can hear a slight difference in favor of the HE-5LEs.

On any lesser amps (other than speaker amps) the HE-500s would be the perfect choice..

I have a small speaker amp.  Emotiva a-100 mini X.  The HE-5LE sound better on this amp when compared to the HE-500s.  

On my balanced M^3 the HE-500 when compared to the HE-5LEs on the same amp sounds better.

I may be crazy - and I think I am.  But it just seems like the more current HE-5LE, HE-4, and the HE-6 gets the better they sound.

I may be crazy - and I think I am.  But it just seems like the more current HE-5LE, HE-4, and the HE-6 gets the better they sound.

Where did you purchase them from? I would look at the magni/modi combo from Schitt. I'll give that song a listen for you. 

Are you sure the differences are not just largely accounted for by difference in tonality?

Looking at the InnerFidelity measurements of the two headphones, they are voiced quite pretty differently, HE5LE's FR just looks like a slightly less polished HE6, while HE500's FR is radically different.