**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread** - Page 66

Okay yeah, fairly certain I have the rev3. I'll check again tomorrow just to make sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMRaven 

 

Nah the first photo wasn't taken by me.

@Yokken, the rev3 drivers are only yellow-ish, that photo is too yellow because of the lighting

It should look more like this:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RushNerd 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/629060/what-should-i-hear-out-for-with-the-he-400-to-understand-how-awesome-they-are/15#post_8746057 I posted a quick few tracks for someone who asked what goes good with the HE-400s (one word: Dynamics) you might try them out with your new setup!

That makes me wonder how does The Start Of Something Beautiful (Porcupine Tree) sounds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 

That's the thing, for the price, the E17 is probably as good as it gets as far as DAC+AMPs go. The DAC portion is fine. I just feel the amp doesn't match up well with the HE400 in the default configuration (no bass and treble adjustments). Perhaps I just really love the warmth and slight smoothness that the NFB5's amp gives the HE400. The E17 made the treble too thin and prickly for my taste. However, the good thing was that the E17 has the treble balance controls, so all I did was use -2 treble, and the HE400 was just fine. The E17 and HE400 sounds absolutely fantastic at +2 (or+4) bass and -2 treble. My complaint was with the E17 at no-EQ tweaks.
Get the E17, it's fine. You just have to ditch using it at flat EQ, IMHO.

I was using it on +6 bass.... 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guess? 

 

That makes me wonder how does The Start Of Something Beautiful (Porcupine Tree) sounds.

 

I forgot that Wilson is some kind of Live DVD production god, heard his 5.1 mixes are some of the best too. Sounds very good on the 400's and sounds like it should. P.T. drums always excel on the 400's all the spatial high-frequencies are pretty pronounced and feel natural. Wilson's voice and the chorus soundwall both are reproduced very well.

The whole Incident album is astoundingly well recorded (as expected from him) and incredible to take in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy 


Exactly!
That is pretty much all I'd ever want out of a headphone, in terms of bass and overall tone. I just didn't wanna have to rely on the E17 to make the HE400 sound that way. I can basically make the DT990/32 sound to my preference (albeit with the lack planar magic) with just a -2 treble hit, though I don't even bother as the treble doesn't bother me un-EQ'd the way it did on the HE400.
In other news:
Just boxed up the HE400 to send it out tomorrow to the new owner. I didn't wanna listen to them anymore. I haven't listened to them in a few days (work days tend to not give me time to sit back and use my cans), and I think that was a smart move. I KNOW I'd regret it if I did. Rip it off like a band aid, I say. XD
That HE400 sound was intoxicating, but I feel it best to downgrade to something more fun overall, even if I lose out on that lovely warmth, natural, full bodied sound. Didn't wanna constantly have to bass boost the HE400 to give it the fun bass presence I wanted for gaming and music. I know the DT990/32 will serve me well, and the KSC35 is right there when I want some warmth and richer mids.
I see the KSC35 as a budget HE-400 with a mid bass boost, and better treble balance. I love them so much.

Can I ask how much you sold them for? I have been interested in purchasing a pair for a while.

Do Orthodynamic headphones benefit from burn-in? Until now, I haven't put much stock in that notion, but I have to say, my  HE400s sound better and better every day. I'm probably just acclimating to all their particular sonic attributes, but I wouldn't stake my life on that. Whatever the case may be, I'm of the opinion that these are the best headphones I've owned, or auditioned for that matter, in the sub $600 dollar price range. And saying that gives me a warm and fuzzing feeling, especially after my disastrous flirtations with the Denon d600. In many ways my He400s outperform even my hd650s, if only marginally. Simply amazing.    

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madmollusk 

Do Orthodynamic headphones benefit from burn-in? Until now, I haven't put much stock in that notion, but I have to say, my  HE400s sound better and better every day. I'm probably just acclimating to all their particular sonic attributes, but I wouldn't stake my life on that. Whatever the case may be, I'm of the opinion that these are the best headphones I've owned, or auditioned for that matter, in the sub $600 dollar price range. And saying that gives me a warm and fuzzing feeling, especially after my disastrous flirtations with the Denon d600. In many ways my He400s outperform even my hd650s, if only marginally. Simply amazing.    

I'm not sure whether they benefit from burn-in, but I swear mine got better the more I listened to them as well. It could have been the $450 Lyr I bought too... but even after that, I feel like they got even better.