**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 499

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 


Don't think so. I went back to the M50, CAL AND DT990 after the HE-400 and HD650, and I still very much loved them. While balance has shifted, I still love v-shaped headphones and the D7000 is the best I've heard. The mids are really not that recessed on them, and the treble isn't anywhere near as fatiguing as the HE-400s. That sound is still fresh on my mind...

Also worth noting that I owned my first pair of HE-400 and D7000 at the same time, and the D7000 was very much still on top. I gave it up yet again, due to the pad discomfort.

I sold my M50's after getting the HE-400's.  The HE-400 mids aren't empathized by I never get the feeling I'm missing something.  With the M50's, I was.  The M50 bass was bloated and drowned out too much of the other frequencies. (At least for me)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlxx 

With all this lcd2 talk.. I A/B the he400 against the lcd2/lcd3.

I found the he400 was very similar to the lcd2.
When I listened to songs with no vocals, it was hard to tell the difference.
To me, it was mainly in the vocals the LCD2 was better.
It was a little bit more natural sounding overall too.

I find a little eq'ing makes the he400 basically as good as the lcd2.
Give the settings below a go. If you get clipping, just turn the volume on the rhs down to -4db.
Sounds great for me on my NFB 15.1 with velours/grill mod (still need to try those jergpads).
I can really hear a big improvement in the vocals with this and the treble is just right for me now as well.

 

I wish there was a better EQ built in to the iPod Nano. I hate the Presets they give you. Why didn't they just put a darn EQ in there! The only EQ I have available is the Bass/Treble of my E17. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by bareyb 

I wish there was a better EQ built in to the iPod Nano. I hate the Presets they give you. Why didn't they just put a darn EQ in there! The only EQ I have available is the Bass/Treble of my E17. 

Toss rockbox on that iPod and you'll have full EQ.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlxx 

With all this lcd2 talk.. I A/B the he400 against the lcd2/lcd3.

I found the he400 was very similar to the lcd2.
When I listened to songs with no vocals, it was hard to tell the difference.
To me, it was mainly in the vocals the LCD2 was better.
It was a little bit more natural sounding overall too.

I find a little eq'ing makes the he400 basically as good as the lcd2.
Give the settings below a go. If you get clipping, just turn the volume on the rhs down to -4db.
Sounds great for me on my NFB 15.1 with velours/grill mod (still need to try those jergpads).
I can really hear a big improvement in the vocals with this and the treble is just right for me now as well.

 

 

Jergpads will reduce the need for eq-ing greatly. The jergpads carry a very romantic and balanced sound. I think it will bring the HE-400 even closer to the lcd2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bareyb 

I wish there was a better EQ built in to the iPod Nano. I hate the Presets they give you. Why didn't they just put a darn EQ in there! The only EQ I have available is the Bass/Treble of my E17. 

You can also EQ your songs on iTunes, then save those EQ settings to the songs.  Re-sync the music to your iPod Nano and you're good to go.

However, just ensure you have a copy of your songs in another location before you permanently set the EQ adjustments.  Also, you might want to test the process on a couple of songs first to see what you think.

Finally, Rockbox is also a valid option as Beaver316 has pointed out.

If one looks at the felt damping implementation on the HifiMAN HE-6, I wonder how this might work to an advantage on the HE-400?  Here is one picture of the implementation on the HE-6 (ear side of driver.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by wje 

If one looks at the felt damping implementation on the HifiMAN HE-6, I wonder how this might work to an advantage on the HE-400?  Here is one picture of the implementation on the HE-6 (ear side of driver.)

 

 

That's a prototype HE6 though, production models have none of that. A possible risk of felt is that it might make the sound "cupped".

What was the documented benefit of the felt Wayne?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marleybob217 

What was the documented benefit of the felt Wayne?

I'm not sure.  However, now that others have indicated that the HE-6 felt was a pre-production version. However, here is how the HE-5LE was implemented. As to benefits, changes - improvements, or not, it is about a $1.00 cost, for materials.  The only thing lost is time.

Also, while I did sell my pair of HE-400s, I didn't leave the HifiMAN family.  The HE-4 model was purchased yesterday and the HE-5LE was paid for today.  The HE-4 headphones are in my home now.  The HE-5LE will arrive later this week.  I'm reluctant to share too many observations between the HE-400 and the others as this process will take a bit of time to start to document these variations.  Also, while my HE-400 was sold, I do have access to a pair of HE-400s for all side-by-side comparisons. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

I can say that after having spent some good hours with the LCD2 that is has the best bass AND mids I have heard to date. HE-400-like bass but better, and HD650-like mids but better. Yup. Treble is it's weak point, but treble is the least important part of sound for me now. More treble would take away from either the bass or mids, so I'm perfectly happy as is.

A shame about it's aesthetics, price, and comfort (not too bothersome, assuming vegan pads noticeably help). It's definitely a headphone I would be happy with alone if it was the only one I owned. The Annie feels like heaven after using the LCD2 though. They STILL continue impress me even after using the LCD2. I'm sure the HE-400 does to (I prefer the HE-400 over the Annie for music).

Vegan pads are similar to velour no? So im guessing that would help a lot. Im like you in that I can't stand leather anymore, velour/vegan is the way to go.