**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 356

Use a small flathead screwdriver to installing and uninstalling the pads. It's harder to do without any flat tools.

 

If you don't have a small tool like that, then cut a small rectangle out of a card you can waste, or use a guitar pick; anything small, dull, flat will suffice for popping the earpad mounting tabs in/out of the inner slits of the cup.

 

I use my credit card, works well :)

I think I'll wait for the fiancee' to get off work. She's a bit more dainty and precise, you see. That being said, she gets nervous just picking my headphones up given how much I love them :]

Just funny how you all flipped the script with pleather/velours. No way in many hells that I'd go back to pleather, and that doesn't include my distaste for it. I actually LIKE the pleathers on the HE400, in that they aren't as disgusting to wear as others.

However, the sound is clearly a step above with velours. Noticeably so. The pleathers were smothering the soundstage, mids were noticeably pushed back, the airiness was stuffy, and due to an even warmer tone, the change towards bright treble was more jarring.

Dunno what people are talking about the bass, as they are basically the exact same, pleather or not.
Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 1/16/13 at 12:49pm

If you're looking for some terrific jazz, I can't recommend Matthew Halsall enough.  His albums are brilliant.. very soothing, intricate, and meditative.. but wholly engaging, too.  "On the Go" was one of my favorite albums from 2011.. and Fletcher Moss park was one of my faves, from 2012.  As usual, the HE-400 delivers his music with the elegance it deserves.

Assuming you are talking about the stock velours without those nasty foam inserts, I'd say the stock pleathers and velours are just two distinct flavours, rather than two levels of fidelity.

 

The pleathers give a more intimate, chocolaty, wet "lounge" sound.

 

The velours are more of an airy, detailed, neutral "open" sound.

 

Of course those can be described with more technical lingos (e.g. velours have slightly better decay, less harmonics, smoother FR and all that) but the end result is those sound signatures I described. And different people will prefer different things.

 

For instance, no matter how hard I try, I just can't justify the HE500s without the stock pleathers, the colourations the pleathers impart on those headphones just has such a perfect synergy that vocals become eerily close to perfect for my tastes. No other earpads (I have 3 other options: stock velours, older version velours, J$ beyers) have that synergy with HE500, even if they are better from a technical sense.

I get that. I cant say the HE400 with pleathers was anything less amazing. They really are special, either way. Just that personally, velours really improved the calrity, space, and detail. It brought them to life, for me.

Trust me, I love the lounge sound. That's what makes the HD650 special. However, I feel the HE400 is a better can when it's paired with velours.

 

I'm surprised you're having any trouble at all. It really only took me a few seconds on my first try. The first 3 clips go in easily and then I kind of sort of bent the whole pad back by pushing on the edge with my thumb and the 4th clip popped into place.

About a week ago I was complaining that my new HE-400's were muffled/tinny/thin/disjointed.

 

Since then I've given these guys probably around 80-90 hours of burn in, playing pink noise in between listenings. I also removed the padded rings that were wedged into the pleather earcups. 

 

With burn-in, the HE-400 has really come into its own. I'm getting a really engaging and enveloping sound that absolutely excels with electronic music but with rock as well. I would say the changes are 35% brain burn-in and 65% actual burn-in. I didn't believe in burn-in until I got these things - but after all, even the official manual recommends 150 hours of burn in. Did anyone else notice a big difference with burn-in?

 

Anyway, I'm really enjoying them. I haven't even gotten a proper amp yet, but that's soon to come. Gonna get the Magni and use it with the xonar dx unless anyone thinks the Asgard would be a huge step up, or thinks the modi would be a huge step up over the xonar dx.

 

Agreed.  They are like two totally different headphones with the pleather and velour.  I think Fang could have released a HE-450 in Red color and the only difference could have been the can color and the velour pads.

My headband arrived! easy enough to install, and already it feels great!

 

It takes me ~10-15s to remove a pad and put another one, without any tools. You guys are freaking out for nothing:

- Put the first 2 tabs

- Rotate 90° then put the 3rd tab.

- Rotate another 90° then push the whole plastic towards the tabs that are already inserted and bend the whole thing until the 4th goes in.

 

As long as you don't bend the tabs but the whole plastic ring, there will not be any problem ;) 

yeah i'd be too afraid to use a screwdriver and accidentally slip up and jab the driver or nick the housing.

 

my thumbs have always worked fine.

Easier said than done for a lot of people; I'd rather use a dull flat tool and no have to stress the whole mounting ring by bending it to insert the tabs each time. Of course bending the whole ring won't ever break it, but it will warp the shape over time and cause the pads not to sit flush on the cups.

 

I'm a huge EDM fan and love the detailed base the HE-400 provide. It's the most clear and non distorted bass in it's class for headphones under $900. 

Maybe you're looking for these. These actually rattle your head  http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/11/skullcandys-100-crusher-headphones-promise-to-rattle-your-head-actually-do/