Sennheiesr HD 650 Vs Hifiman He-400 - Page 5

Also, at least without the grill mod, they will sound a bit more closed in with the pleathers. I like to take off the grills on my HE-500 and changing to pleather pads for longer listening sessions.

I have been reading those high-end review threads, and not be honest im not sure if its right to compare planar vs non-planar. They will both be different, and it would not necessarily be about sound quality per-se, but signature and the way it is delivered. Of course like others mentionned before me the HE400 will be the one with the "wow factor" but I think the 650 could evolve with time, as everyone know the burn-in effect on drivers. Just trying to put some perspective here.

 

I don't see why not.  Any and everything can be compared.  Both are headphones and both produce music.  Heck, two dynamic headphones will have different sound signatures and deliver the music in different ways.  

 

It's not uncommon to compare tube amps and Solid State amps.  Or OTL amps and Transformer Coupled amps.  Anything in this hobby can and will get compared.

Thread Bump. Any new thoughts on these two from folks who own or have owned both? 

 

I have a set of HE400s coming tomorrow (Yay!) and I'll be comparing them to Ultrasone Pro 900s. I like the 900s a lot, but I have to admit, some of what MalVeaux was saying is starting to get through to me... I'm not as happy with the sound as I was....   

Edited by bareyb - 2/12/13 at 1:51pm

Looking forward to impressions :P

Don't be surprised if the bass on the HE-400 sounds anemic next to the Pro900 for the first hour or so.

 

 

 

Ultrasone Pro900 vs. HiFi Man HE400

 

Well the verdict is in...The HE400 has fantastic Bass but yeah, the quantity is not as much as the Pro900s. The Pro900s have the best Bass PUNCH I've heard in ANY headphone. Unfortunately, it's a tad too much, even for me... The high end can be a tad bright and sibilant. In other words, it was fun at first blush, but I it didn't take too long to notice the shortcomings. It was great on Dubstep, but on Vocals a bit harsh and congested at times. 

 

The HE400s can be made to sound just as Bassy as a Pro900 if you have an EQ. +4 Bass on the H17 and there you go. Just as much thump and better overall definition of the Bass. The HE400 also roll off deeper than the Pro900s and are a little more musical overall. On the upper end... with the right song, they are nothing short of a Spiritual experience. 

 

Besides having the the best Bass of any low impedance Open Back Headphone (according to this site), they also have the Mids and highs that only an Ortho can provide. The Midrange on the HE400 is more forward than the 900s and the Mids and Highs are simply going to make you smile from ear to ear on a regular basis.Combine that with outstanding Bass and you've got a real winner here.  

 

There's not much negative to say about the HE400, especially at this price. The only negative is that they were a tad bright for me at first, but that quickly went away after only about 20 hours of break-in. Now they have just the right amount of sizzle at the high end for me. Not so much that it's hard on the ears, but not so little that you lose some of the dynamics at upper end. It's a good trade off and is similarly voiced to how I would probably set them up myself. I love well defined, punchy and DEEP Bass combined with smooth, detailed, highs. 

 

Bottom line: If you are looking for the best "bang for the buck" in a Portable system, you could do a lot worse than the combo I'm using. FiiO E17 Amp (Bass +2 and Treble +0) and the HE400s (after about 20 hours of burn-in). Portable Audiophile sound with plenty of punch for a little over $500.00. Pretty tough to beat the price performance ratio. 

Edited by bareyb - 2/19/13 at 1:31am

^ Funny that you consider PRO900 bass too much at times. I sometimes end up EQing it to get out some more.

 

Is my head broken?

No, you just like a coloured sound with emphasized bass; it is a combination of your genre taste and general preference in that particular headphone tonal balance.

As you can see from my Avatar I'm a bit of a Basshead myself. If I'd never heard the HE400s I'm not so sure I'd have gotten rid of my Pro 900s. I liked them that much and I auditioned them against 5 other "Bass Friendly" headphones. It was the clear winner. So if you are THAT into Bass you got the right rig for you. The HE doesn't have as much Bass impact, but as I said, it's got fantastic textured Bass as well as being an all around good performer. 

Definitely a thread I'm interested in. Been thinking about both for a while now. I'm pretty sure I'm going for the hd650's though because I can get them for a bit over $300. The Senns will be a welcome contrast to my Grado sr225i's. Also got an Asgard 2 coming to me soon.

Nice you like 'em. Personally I dislike the treble of the HE-400.

 

I would say that the correct statement would be " they have NO bass below 40hz"

The HE-400 drops rapidly around 30 Hz

Pretty much every headphone drops off at 30hz though.... The HD650 drops off at more like 50hz... I read the HE400 have good sub bass?