[Can Junkie]

Please consider buying an amp first if you do not already use one. Try it with the M50's and see what you think.  Both the botttom and the top open up considerably with an amp and it does not have to be a high dollar amp with the M50's.  Yes they sound ok stock but hook up an amp and let your ears drink of this very fine wine. As far as drums goes, I swear sometimes I can see the dude banging the drums right above me with the amp on. It's that good. Also, I have heard some rumors  about female vocals being weak on the M50's. Well, when  Amy Lee stops wispering in my ears, I'll respond to that. You can always use the amp on the new phones if you feel you need them. Well, that's it for my rookie two cents worth. Back to reading and learning more.

 

[Zoom25]

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for the 400 dollar price range the he-400 is the best open can for rock and electronic music I can get?

 
FOR OPEN, yes I would say HE-400 is the best one for those two genres
 
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If you're willing to try the s-logic, I would say Ultrasone is your best bet.
 
The PRO-750 and 900 are excellent headphones, but positioning on the head is very important due to the S-logic.

 
Ultrasones are really good with their S-Logic, but an open headphone is an open headphone at the end of the day. No matter how good or what tech the phone uses, you can't replicate an open sound, its pure physics. Although for closed purposes, both of them are really good for electronica, but the mids are just bad.
 
 

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

Please consider buying an amp first if you do not already use one. Try it with the M50's and see what you think.  Both the botttom and the top open up considerably with an amp and it does not have to be a high dollar amp with the M50's.  Yes they sound ok stock but hook up an amp and let your ears drink of this very fine wine. As far as drums goes, I swear sometimes I can see the dude banging the drums right above me with the amp on. It's that good. Also, I have heard some rumors  about female vocals being weak on the M50's. Well, when  Amy Lee stops wispering in my ears, I'll respond to that. You can always use the amp on the new phones if you feel you need them. Well, that's it for my rookie two cents worth. Back to reading and learning more.

I own a fiio e11 amp

 

[Can Junkie]

Quote:

I own a fiio e11 amp

Ok good deal. Just wanted to make sure you were getting the most out of the ole M50's. Mine is a kit I built and while it has it's design issues, when you activate the loudness button, it really makes a difference.

 

[steve2151]

If the HE-400 is 80% of the HE-6, I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I've love to pick one up someday and do a comparison.
 
Another option in your price range would a Grado of some sort. I picked up an HF2 from the sale forums three weeks ago and it is excellent for fast paced rock music. You can basically get a $600 PS500 for less than $400. It's one of the more balanced Grados, so it is also good for most modern music. The E11 would also suffice for amping, no need to spend more. What dac are you using?

 

[daniel521]

Quote:

If the HE-400 is 80% of the HE-6, I would recommend it wholeheartedly. I've love to pick one up someday and do a comparison.
 
Another option in your price range would a Grado of some sort. I picked up an HF2 from the sale forums three weeks ago and it is excellent for fast paced rock music. You can basically get a $600 PS500 for less than $400. It's one of the more balanced Grados, so it is also good for most modern music. The E11 would also suffice for amping, no need to spend more. What dac are you using?

Some people say the he-400 is not as spacious and airy as other open headphones and its soundstage is limited compared to other open cans, is that true? Do you really notice it/does it leave much to be desired. Also, I listen to both rock and electronic music and the grados seem to be good for rock and not for electronic music while the he-400 seems to be great for both... Do you think the grados are a LOT better than the he-400 for rock or is it a small difference? As for the DAC, I haven't been a music lover for a long time, purchased some equipment, and started using head-fi a very short time ago so I dont have a DAC yet, Im planning on getting one soon though. Which one would you recommend for the he-400 or ps500 (Im leaning towards the he-400 though)? Also, I want to get the full experience and potential of them; I want them to sound their best so do you recommend a desktop amp or is the e11 fine?

 

[steve2151]

I don't have a HE-400 to compare, but I will say the HE-6 is better than the HF2. The biggest improvement is an improvement in transparency - there's almost no grain in the sound. It also has a bit more air (puts you in the 5th row or so versus the 1st row for the Grados). Frequency response is fairly similar, with the Grados having a bit more bass. Both can keep up a faster pace than the M50 and have a good amount of bass slam for rock. Note that there is an $500+ price difference between an HF2 and a used HE-6.
 
I'm running the HF2 using a Practical Devices XM6, which is a rather beefy portable dac/amp. With the BUF634 output buffer, the amp outputs 1 watt into 25 ohms and I don't need to go past 10 o'clock on the dial to get a good listening volume. Keep in mind though, Grado's own amplifier, the RA1 is basically a CMOY in a wooden box and all Grados only have 32 ohm impedance, so it should be easy to amp.
 
You should probably get a more definitive opinion from someone who owns both the HF2/PS500 and the HE-400.