AKG K702 65th Anniv VS Hifiman HE400
Jul 21, 2013 at 1:48 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 52
Mani ATH 87

Mani ATH 87

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Greetings all,

Birthday is coming up soon and I've been considering my yearly headphone purchase. 

I've narrowed it down to these two sets, and would like some opinions on which set people prefer. 

Both of these headphones have gotten solid reviews from what I have read, many people seem to love both.

Both sets will cost me about the same amount to get my hands on.

I listen to a wide variety of genres from hip hop to blues, to classic rock to reggae. So mainly looking for something that performs decently across the board.

AMP's/DAC's are not an issue for me as I have what I need to power both of these headphones.

Anyone have any suggestions or preferences?

The HE400's I have heard only once and thought they sounded good, but it was from a sub par source. 

The AKG's I have also heard, from a better source, and thought they sounded excellent, but at the time I didn't like the price.

I personally think I would be happy with either of these headphones, but some opinions would be awesome 
smily_headphones1.gif


Thanks in advance!
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 4:37 PM Post #2 of 52
bump
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 5:43 PM Post #5 of 52
Objectively, and subjectively in most cases, it has a tighter, cleaner bass.  A lot of people say it hits slightly harder too.  I guess comfort too if you consider that it's a full 100g lighter.
 
If you enjoyed the sound of the 702AE more than the HE-400 when you demo'd them (even if the 400 was hooked up to lesser sources) then I'd get the HE-500 the nod.
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 5:47 PM Post #6 of 52
Quote:
cheuh said:
 
Now that you have a desktop amp/dac with your HE-500s, do you think the HE-400 is even in the same league as the HE-500? Does the 400 do anything better than the 500 when amped properly?
Click to expand...

Even with ample power HE500 is a relatively slower-sounding headphone I feel, HE400s sound much faster, snappier, and more open-air beside its big brother. Still the setup upgrade made HE500s a much more well-rounded headphone and that's always been my goal.
 
If you want to find someone that improves upon HE400 completely, it's probably the Abyss. They have almost identical sound signatures and tuning (as evident by measurements).
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 5:54 PM Post #7 of 52
Quote:
jerg said:
Even with ample power HE500 is a relatively slower-sounding headphone I feel, HE400s sound much faster, snappier, and more open-air beside its big brother. Still the setup upgrade made HE500s a much more well-rounded headphone and that's always been my goal.
 
If you want to find someone that improves upon HE400 completely, it's probably the Abyss. They have almost identical sound signatures and tuning (as evident by measurements).
Click to expand...

Are there differences in clarity, imaging, and soundstaging? Also, would you consider the He-500s to deliver more bass impact than the Dt880s (to help determine if it gives enough bass for me or not)?
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 7:24 PM Post #8 of 52
I'd rather keep the opinions to the K702 anniv vs the HE400.

HE500's are not really an option for me right now. Coming across a refurbished or used HE500 for a decent price would just be dumb luck, not something I'd really be counting on.

Living in Canada makes finding anything for a fair price challenging to be honest...

I'd also really prefer not to go over the HE400 price range. You can always spend more for something a little better in almost every situation, but this is kind of my price ceiling, even a bit above what I'd like to spend.
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 10:36 PM Post #12 of 52
Quote:
limniscate said:
The Annies are more neutral than the HE400 imho.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard the HE-400. If the Annies are more neutral though, I don't think I'd like them. Thanks for clarifying! 
 
Was it me or did the Annies bass sound remarkably like the HD650? Of course, there are other technical differences, but the bass just seemed as thick as the HD650. 
 
Jul 21, 2013 at 10:59 PM Post #13 of 52
Quote:
imackler said:
I haven't heard the HE-400. If the Annies are more neutral though, I don't think I'd like them. Thanks for clarifying! 
 
Was it me or did the Annies bass sound remarkably like the HD650? Of course, there are other technical differences, but the bass just seemed as thick as the HD650. 
Click to expand...

Annies' bass isn't nearly as good as the HD650 from my experience.  The Annies have very little bass punch.  I think the DT880 and the HD650 have much more bass punch.
 
Jul 22, 2013 at 12:05 AM Post #14 of 52
Quote:
limniscate said:
It just depends if you want a neutral sounding headphone versus a colored one.  It's apples-to-oranges.
Click to expand...


I didn't think either headphone sounded neutral either in my brief experience with them.

Do you have a preference between the two? Which would you consider to be a better rounded headphone?

I'm kind of leaning a bit more towards the HE-400 at this point. 

I have a bit of a preference towards a neutral sound with a slight bass emphasis. I get the impression that the HE400 leans more in this direction then the AKG's.

Still, I like AKG's, and I definitely liked what I heard from the 702 anniv's.
 
Jul 22, 2013 at 12:21 AM Post #15 of 52
Quote:
mani ath 87 said:
I didn't think either headphone sounded neutral either in my brief experience with them.

Do you have a preference between the two? Which would you consider to be a better rounded headphone?

I'm kind of leaning a bit more towards the HE-400 at this point. 

I have a bit of a preference towards a neutral sound with a slight bass emphasis. I get the impression that the HE400 leans more in this direction then the AKG's.

Still, I like AKG's, and I definitely liked what I heard from the 702 anniv's.
Click to expand...

I prefer the HE400.  The Annies don't really have a bass emphasis.
 
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