**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 486

Quote:

Originally Posted by catspaw 

Im getting the Beyer pads asap (3 weeks till next delivery, and so far its not certain they even have them) and after that i have this starnge idea i want to use some very soft fabric over the pads. Like... Rabbit fur? Well not real fur, i dont like animals gettin hurt, but something like that...

You mean the J$ beyer pads? Because regular Beyer pads already have really soft velour.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marleybob217 

 

Good job man, looks really comfortable!

Thanks man, it is. The headphones clamp less as well because the pads aren't as thick as the velour pads.

Nah, regular beyer. They seem to be from the image, so we will see :D.

Just got my HE-400 from Justin. He worked with me on a great price and got the headphone to me super fast.

After a quick listen, it isn't the leap in sound I thought it was going to be and bass quantity is a little disappointing.  It's still a very good sounding headphone, it just wasn't what I had envisioned.

I'll let it burn for the recommend 150 hours before concluding on the sound. It'll give me some time to look for a good amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by catspaw 

Nah, regular beyer. They seem to be from the image, so we will see :D.

You mean these?:

http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-EDT990VB-Headphone-Pads-Black/dp/B008XEYT6G/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360683673&sr=8-3&keywords=beyerdynamic+pads

I tried those. I don't know if they're a different kind of velour from the silver pads that come on the DT990s but they didn't seem as soft on the HE-400s. They're also a little thinner than the HE-400 velours and made the headphones a little too loose for me. It was a fight to get them onto the HE-400 adapter but completely doable and without messing up the pads.

No, not those. There is a post in this Thread about some old 770 DT pro pads i think (not sure if i remmber them right), and i wanted those since they look a lot softer than the 990s.

RoMee, you mean you found them not that great with an amp or without it?

FOr me with no amp, they sound OKish. With the Fiio E17 as an amp FROM MY LAPTOP USB (from the jack 3,5 mm there is less power) they sound great.

Finally from the Asgard, they sound great (not freakin awsome, but great).

They sound so good that watching a movie is really nice, but only in music they really Shine.

Ofc since this is subjective, i recommend you take your HE-400 and test them in a store with a good amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joong 

This is my second visit.

I had chance to attend Magnetics13 conference in Orlando, and learned that Neo magnet of planar magnetic driver (?) is dominated by China 97%. The issues at the conference were how to overcome this barrier in terms of technological and geopolitical solution... kind of things.

 

By this simple reason of abundant Neo magnet availability allows Hifiman's planar driver based headphone price is almost 50% of that of USA made.

 

I am listening "the rite of spring" of Stravinsky and some Wagner's Siegfried, through Matrix mini->Little dot mkvii+ at 11 oclock position on balanced cable.

The sound is amazing (especially for Stravinsky), which is far contrast to HD650 in balance cable that produced to rough or grainy and too high frequency dominated sound. This experience made me to sell Hd650.

Is this due to my set-up of machines or He-400 is toleranct to recording?

I should mention that when I changed from SE to balanced cable for HE 400, tonal balance has been greatly improved almost as good as HD 650. Prior to the change my HE400 seems there is so weak high that I returned always back to HE-5LE or HD 650.

 

Another thing is that my HE-5LE at 1 oclock has good sounding with same set-up, and I do not feel some upgrade for amplifier output.

This is some contradicting fact to what I have read in this thread.

Neo considered a "rare earth" material. China has also bought up places in Africa where rare earths are found. They are vital to a lot of electronics and more importantly power generators (like wind turbines, thin-film solar PV), and other high-tech stuff. Without a doubt access to raw materials is always an issue for manufacturers, and those that do not 'control' access will always be at a disadvantage. Thank you for sharing that little anecdote as I find that sort of stuff fascinating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

As I sell off some surplus gear and mentally prepare myself for less time here on the forums, I wanted to share a little "send-off" of my HE-400s before they get all packed up for their trip to the new owner.  I made up a new, snazzy cable of Mogami Quad Neglex with Techflex and a Neutrik 1/4" connector.

 

I don't think I'm leaving the HifiMAN entirely.  I may go back to where it all started for me - the HE-5LE.  It takes a bit more juice, but I'm not afraid, and that's not a real issue for me.

 

 

 

 

Did you use the W2534 you can buy bulk from guitar center?  I'm planning on building my own cable soon and I recall you mentioning it before...looks really good!

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoMee 

Just got my HE-400 from Justin. He worked with me on a great price and got the headphone to me super fast.

 

After a quick listen, it isn't the leap in sound I thought it was going to be and bass quantity is a little disappointing.  It's still a very good sounding headphone, it just wasn't what I had envisioned.

I'll let it burn for the recommend 150 hours before concluding on the sound. It'll give me some time to look for a good amp.

Just keep listening, and listening, and listening.

The HE-400 were not that revelatory to me at first either. But boy, after a few days my ears just started to "get it", and there was no turning back. Also, amping these phones was well worth it - it provided me a sound quality improvement (I was laptop based at first).

They are definitely not a bass-quantity phone, but the bass quality is tough to beat. Once you really hear and experience the extension and texture, the lumpy thumping bass of other cans will start to sound, uh, lumpy and thumpy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

Just keep listening, and listening, and listening.

 

The HE-400 were not that revelatory to me at first either. But boy, after a few days my ears just started to "get it", and there was no turning back. Also, amping these phones was well worth it - it provided me a sound quality improvement (I was laptop based at first).

 

They are definitely not a bass-quantity phone, but the bass quality is tough to beat. Once you really hear and experience the extension and texture, the lumpy thumping bass of other cans will start to sound, uh, lumpy and thumpy.

 

Pretty much all of this - the bass on these extend very low and is well textured (like a really nice subwoofer) but you won't find much of a mid-bass hump associated with impact.  These can move a good bit of air, though - the impact is present when a track calls for it, which is one aspect that makes these perform well for many different genres. I feel the first thing you may notice in the lower region is the quality, but for me after a month straight of listening I'd say the quantity is excellent and well-suited.  I can go from bass heavy electronica to acoustic folk without a hitch, albeit some minor EQ here and there.  I typically leave my EQ settings the same for everything, though.  I have noticed there are some tracks that just aren't going to perform well with these to my ears, but I understand that is likely due to the recording itself and not a fault of the headphones.  A decent amp will do wonders, too.

hi, a couple of questions (I know they must be answered somewhere on this thread but is too long lol)

where can I get a custom cable made for the he400? I like the cable they come with but it's a little too long to use comfortably on my bed I want to get a shorter cable. And what would be a good replacement for the velour pads? they sound good and are not horribly uncomfortable but i think they're too firm lol I mean something similar but softer (links will be appreciated)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMateoHead 

Just keep listening, and listening, and listening.

 

The HE-400 were not that revelatory to me at first either. But boy, after a few days my ears just started to "get it", and there was no turning back. Also, amping these phones was well worth it - it provided me a sound quality improvement (I was laptop based at first).

 

They are definitely not a bass-quantity phone, but the bass quality is tough to beat. Once you really hear and experience the extension and texture, the lumpy thumping bass of other cans will start to sound, uh, lumpy and thumpy.

 

I'm currently using Usone Pro 900s. Any thoughts on how these might compare?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr H 

hi, a couple of questions (I know they must be answered somewhere on this thread but is too long lol)

where can I get a custom cable made for the he400? I like the cable they come with but it's a little too long to use comfortably on my bed I want to get a shorter cable. And what would be a good replacement for the velour pads? they sound good and are not horribly uncomfortable but i think they're too firm lol I mean something similar but softer (links will be appreciated)

This for me too. Doesn't anyone sell a pre made aftermarket cable that doesn't have to be custom made? Are the connectors that Hi-Fi Man uses that odd? 

You can soften the velour pads by working them a bit in warm soapy water (dish soap works well).  Then, rinse and dry!  As far as aftermarket cables go, there are a few individuals and companies that will make them for you, but they can be pretty expensive ($100 - $200).  Check out Norse Audio, Toxic Cables, Moon Audio, Beat Audio, Q-Audio to name a few.  If you can solder well, you could probably make your own for about $50 - that's what I plan on attempting soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattTCG 
 

There is also a Beyer replacement pad that can easily be fitted to the he400

I've looked at a couple of posts regarding the replacement headband you can get for the HE-400, and I was wondering if there is a difference between these two headbands in terms of quality and comfort:

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/kopfpolster.html

http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Leatherette-Universal-Sennheiser-Beyerdynamic/dp/B00862522A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358166204&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+headband+replacement