**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 465

Quote:

Originally Posted by disaster8tio 

Just put the original Velour pads on mine.. and I can not get them to stay on. I managed to get 2 flips to get correct but not all four. Should I use violence or is there an easier way?

Physical violence is mostly not necessary. Just show the pads who's the boss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidsh 

Physical violence is mostly not necessary. Just show the pads who's the boss.

Alright. I thought i did that, will try later on then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by disaster8tio 

Alright. I thought i did that, will try later on then.

You should kinda push where the tab to be fitted is supposed to be fit. Then push it down at the same time while trying to be careful

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninjames 

Personal insults usually work for me.

Do you direct those insults to yourself?  Or, to the headphones and pads? 
 

I was just trying to seek a bit of clarity in the event I encounter this same situation. 

Thank you,

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidsh 

Physical violence is mostly not necessary. Just show the pads who's the boss.

Great point.  Usually, physical violence should not be taken out on the headphones, or you'll have to use your backups, while HifiMAN takes a month to replace your damaged HE-400s.

Quote:

Originally Posted by beaver316 

 

Can't place an order just yet, need to re-arrange some funds first. But that's why I posted here, maybe someone who's willing could give it a go. Maybe next week I can order. Im anticipating good results!

Why not just purchase some velour locally from a fabric store?  Then, cut the circular pieces to size and use a small amount of rubber cement to adhere the velour to the pads?  I believe in doing this, the modification should be reveresible, as the rubber cement would be quite easily removed from the surface.  It's kind of hard to tell what kind of adhesive is supplied on the velour with the adhesive backing - and, hopefully over time, it wouldn't rip up the pads if you were to remove the velour.

Just a thought ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

 

Do you direct those insults to yourself?  Or, to the headphones and pads? 
 

I was just trying to seek a bit of clarity in the event I encounter this same situation. 

 

Thank you,

I experience the same. Assaults for all of us if they are very stubborn (me, 'phones and pads)

Quote:

Originally Posted by disaster8tio 

Just put the original Velour pads on mine.. and I can not get them to stay on. I managed to get 2 flips to get correct but not all four. Should I use violence or is there an easier way?

Yea. Get 2 in then while keeping those locked in (pressing down and out on them gently) rotate the pad until you find the next gap/tab and it's at a place where you can easily manipulate it. You kind of have to push down and in to get it in place. Then rotate to the next tab. I find it a little harder to finagle the other tabs into place if you don't rotate the pad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

 

Why not just purchase some velour locally from a fabric store?  Then, cut the circular pieces to size and use a small amount of rubber cement to adhere the velour to the pads?  I believe in doing this, the modification should be reveresible, as the rubber cement would be quite easily removed from the surface.  It's kind of hard to tell what kind of adhesive is supplied on the velour with the adhesive backing - and, hopefully over time, it wouldn't rip up the pads if you were to remove the velour.

 

Just a thought ...

I was actually considering taking the pads to my grandmother's place, it's like a mini fabric store there. She's also really handy with sewing (who's grandmother isn't?), maybe the pads would look more professional if I had the velour sewed onto the pleather. Watch this space..

Mad Lust Envy -

You already know the outcome, why bother with the review.

All the Sonic irritants will disappear with that mod, and no new irritants will emerge. The Night and Day difference will be presented to Hifi-Man, who will reward the modder with $1 million dollars, and apologize to all customers for having "cut corners" when designing the world's best $400 dollar headphone.

That being said, I am going to put my pleathers back on to see if anything changes.

You people are making me nutty!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

Mad Lust Envy -

 

You already know the outcome, why bother with the review.

 

All the Sonic irritants will disappear with that mod, and no new irritants will emerge. The Night and Day difference will be presented to Hifi-Man, who will reward the modder with $1 million dollars, and apologize to all customers for having "cut corners" when designing the world's best $400 dollar headphone.

Well it's a material he likes now rather than pleather/leather, so of course he wants to hear positive reviews of its sound quality changes now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

That being said, I am going to put my pleathers back on to see if anything changes.

 

 

You people are making me nutty!

I wouldn't recommend it, stock pleather pads sound like poop. Voices sound really wonky with them. 

*****Update

Deliberately went to bass heavy recordings and known clipped recordings. Listened at High Volumes.

You can see, obviously, that there is a thinner mesh on the Velours vs. Pleather.

Definitely pleather seems more damped - perhaps even less "efficient" than the velours. I find that I cannot hear the "static" in Florence and the Machine as clearly with the pleathers. Instead, the vocal energy is a bit more intense in the upper registers and the treble peak does seem a bit narrower on some tracks. I would say that the bass is a bit warmer, but with less decay, while the treble seems a little brighter or just peakier.

If I had to take a shot in the dark, I would say the velours manage a somewhat more consistent response than the pleathers do. Certainly the treble detail is more revealing of bad recordings in the mid-range. At the same time, the Treble actually seems a bit more tame to my ears (and I am even EQing). Also, the bass was a little different - on soundtracks and the like the layering of sound was a bit more obvious and the decay longer. I would say a bit more fatiguing at volume overall.

Then again I could be making this all up and really just thinking I hear something different.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

*****Update

 

Deliberately went to bass heavy recordings and known clipped recordings. Listened at High Volumes.

 

You can see, obviously, that there is a thinner mesh on the Velours vs. Pleather.

 

Definitely pleather seems more damped - perhaps even less "efficient" than the velours. I find that I cannot hear the "static" in Florence and the Machine as clearly with the pleathers. Instead, the vocal energy is a bit more intense in the upper registers and the treble peak does seem a bit narrower on some tracks. I would say that the bass is a bit warmer, but with less decay, while the treble seems a little brighter or just peakier.

 

If I had to take a shot in the dark, I would say the velours manage a somewhat more consistent response than the pleathers do. Certainly the treble detail is more revealing of bad recordings in the mid-range. At the same time, the Treble actually seems a bit more tame to my ears (and I am even EQing). Also, the bass was a little different - on soundtracks and the like the layering of sound was a bit more obvious and the decay longer.

 

Then again I could be making this all up and really just thinking I hear something different.

The pleathers are way less damped IMO...that's the whole point behind me modding them, is to introduce damping to the pleathers so their midrange clears up.