[Makiah S]

  I am finding that the sound you get from the HE-4 is dependent on the recording. For example, my Bob Marley album sounds great, but Led Zeppelin sounds the same as they did on my 1984 stereo boombox. 

well ofc garbage in there for garbage out, no offense to Zeppalin, but those old fellows used to master those Reaggae alumbs knew what they where doing. Saw a documentary, forget the name but it was a nice documentary! And today we can hear the results of there skill!
 
Still lol don't worry I've got the music and recording to showcase the HE4. I've got at least half of terbyte or so of it
 
Raxx how did you wind up with the HE 4? I saw you where looking at the HE 400 and 500 a while ago when you joined 

 

[raxx]

  well ofc garbage in there for garbage out, no offense to Zeppalin, but those old fellows used to master those Reaggae alumbs knew what they where doing. Saw a documentary, forget the name but it was a nice documentary! And today we can hear the results of there skill!
 
Still lol don't worry I've got the music and recording to showcase the HE4. I've got at least half of terbyte or so of it
 
Raxx how did you wind up with the HE 4? I saw you where looking at the HE 400 and 500 a while ago when you joined 

I almost went for a DT880 or DT990 but then I read about the ortho sound and looked in that direction. Then I read Thujone's comparison of the He-4, He-400, and He-500 and I felt that the He-4 was right for me. Even some other members said that the He-4 was the best for rock music. What I am finding is that they are good for everything. They seem to really handle dubstep and any music that is "fast". I must confess that I like to play music with bass just to hear the bass lol. 

 

[Makiah S]

  I almost went for a DT880 or DT990 but then I read about the ortho sound and looked in that direction. Then I read Thujone's comparison of the He-4, He-400, and He-500 and I felt that the He-4 was right for me. Even some other members said that the He-4 was the best for rock music. What I am finding is that they are good for everything. They seem to really handle dubstep and any music that is "fast". I must confess that I like to play music with bass just to hear the bass lol. 

Yea I really enjoyed ym DT 880 for Dub Step... and I'm confident the HE 4 will meet my expectations, some of the more respected members of head fi and fellows I enjoy personally, fellows who know the sound I like, HIGHLY recommend the HE 4... for a LONG time
 
I just wonder how it compares to the T90 at this point 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Are these your first orthos? Because if they

Yea I really enjoyed ym DT 880 for Dub Step... and I'm confident the HE 4 will meet my expectations, some of the more respected members of head fi and fellows I enjoy personally, fellows who know the sound I like, HIGHLY recommend the HE 4... for a LONG time

I just wonder how it compares to the T90 at this point 

are, get ready for something magical. Specially edm... I had the dt880 and well I can't imagine enjoying edm out of em... not after the ortho presentation.

 

[Makiah S]

Are these your first orthos? Because if they
are, get ready for something magical. Specially edm... I had the dt880 and well I can't imagine enjoying edm out of em... not after the ortho presentation.

I owned the HE 400, prior...

 

[Makiah S]

The HE 4... with a Hifiman Balanced Canare Cable... sounds as I expected. Good... I are pleased, listening to my Vocal tracks and I are pleased. I'll be ever more pleased when I get a lovely Balanced Cable from Brian at BTG in march, as this stock balanced cable looks like crap 

 

[raxx]

  The HE 4... with a Hifiman Balanced Canare Cable... sounds as I expected. Good... I are pleased, listening to my Vocal tracks and I are pleased. I'll be ever more pleased when I get a lovely Balanced Cable from Brian at BTG in march, as this stock balanced cable looks like crap 

I thought cables don't have any impact on the sound, unless the cable is crap to begin with.

 

[Makiah S]

  I thought cables don't have any impact on the sound, unless the cable is crap to begin with.

I think cables make a differance, I'm a cable buy. My balanced Toxic Hybrid to my ears smoothed out the HE 400 treble and gave the bass a touch more body. 
 
And The HE 4 does not have the treble of my DT 880, which had a OCC copper cable.  Yes the HE 4 is a touch brighter than my DT 880 in this intial impression, but until I get a copper cable for this bad boi I won't pass any judgments 
 
and I though we all agree'd the Stock Hifiman Cables aren't anything worth while... they are pretty cheap are they not 
 
how ever the bass and sound stage are better... me Gusta mids are as I remember on my DT 880, only the Treble is brighter. Not nearly as bad as the HE 400, 
 
still slap a copper cable on it and it'll b fine 

 

[cute]

 

  I thought cables don't have any impact on the sound, unless the cable is crap to begin with.

I think cables make a differance, I'm a cable buy. My balanced Toxic Hybrid to my ears smoothed out the HE 400 treble and gave the bass a touch more body. 
 
And The HE 4 does not have the treble of my DT 880, which had a OCC copper cable.  Yes the HE 4 is a touch brighter than my DT 880 in this intial impression, but until I get a copper cable for this bad boi I won't pass any judgments 
 
and I though we all agree'd the Stock Hifiman Cables aren't anything worth while... they are pretty cheap are they not 
 
how ever the bass and sound stage are better... me Gusta mids are as I remember on my DT 880, only the Treble is brighter. Not nearly as bad as the HE 400, 
 
still slap a copper cable on it and it'll b fine 

 
That headphone needs VOLTAGE, try a speaker amp!

 

[Makiah S]

   
That headphone needs VOLTAGE, try a speaker amp!

I got plenty o Volts in my Balanced NFBES2 bass and mids are fine, more power isn't going to do jack for that treble these are brand new ePads, took a month for the DT 880 to mellow out. And it was from the Pads, I swapped stiff new for my old worn ones, small differance to treble I noticed 
 
It's not bad though, I think it's the recording tbh... listening to some Dub Step atm... you know how... TREBELY that is... and it sounds fine... some of those old Reaggae albums of mine... wheren't the best of Vinyl rips xD

 

[raxx]

  I think cables make a differance, I'm a cable buy. My balanced Toxic Hybrid to my ears smoothed out the HE 400 treble and gave the bass a touch more body. 
 
And The HE 4 does not have the treble of my DT 880, which had a OCC copper cable.  Yes the HE 4 is a touch brighter than my DT 880 in this intial impression, but until I get a copper cable for this bad boi I won't pass any judgments 
 
and I though we all agree'd the Stock Hifiman Cables aren't anything worth while... they are pretty cheap are they not 
 
how ever the bass and sound stage are better... me Gusta mids are as I remember on my DT 880, only the Treble is brighter. Not nearly as bad as the HE 400, 
 
still slap a copper cable on it and it'll b fine 

The stock cable seems ok to me. I wouldn't know if it is coloring the sound. I have been listening to some albums and groups for 30 years now and the HE-4 seems to make everything sound like it always has. If the HE-4 is lacking something I just wouldn't know. But if it did, I would solve it with an eq before I buy cables.

 

[Voohoo]

I used to be against EQ'ing for some reason. Something to do with being a "purist."
 
But I currently EQ using Electri-Q to tame the treble and emphasize the bass a bit and am now enjoying the HE-4 that much more.

 

[Makiah S]

  The stock cable seems ok to me. I wouldn't know if it is coloring the sound. I have been listening to some albums and groups for 30 years now and the HE-4 seems to make everything sound like it always has. If the HE-4 is lacking something I just wouldn't know. But if it did, I would solve it with an eq before I buy cables.

No your absouletly right, it's more transparent than my DT 880, yes even the OMG BRIGHT Dt 880 didn't catch some of those artifacts in my Flacs... 
 
I noticed it's only the older Albums that I have an issue with, and a lot of my Vinyl Rips.
 
Glad I got the HE 4, listening to some Liquid Stranger music I loved on my XB 700... and it's really well like a new album all together! 
 
Not sure if Cables color, but at the end of the day Custom Cables look good, there where 6 DT 880s on head fi, all of them cheaper than mine... mine how ever was recabled and cost $50 more than the others... so there is the allure of better sound quality and the sheer visual impact of a custom cable... that adds value to a headphone! So I think getting a Hifiman Cable is a smart investment, it'll help sell the HE 4 at cost for me later
 
But at the end of the day though... I  am a cable guy I do think they make a differance, I noticed a differance in my Hifiman Stock SE cable, and my Toxic Cable. I used both cables with the HE 400 and out of my NFBES2 SE out [I used an adapter on the balanced Toxic Cable]
 
was the difference huge... nope was it real... I got no way to prove it. But it's mah story and I be stickin to it
 
that said... the HE 4 was the right decision on my part , 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

You should still try that grill and felt mod even if you're content with the HE4 as is, just to see what the HE4 would sound like open. It takes on enough of a change that the difference is apparent, how much you enjoy the change is another story but it's like a refreshing take on the HE4... To me it removes treble that poorly mastered tracks makes unbearable and makes instrument separation more pronounced.

 

[Makiah S]

  You should still try that grill and felt mod even if you're content with the HE4 as is, just to see what the HE4 would sound like open. It takes on enough of a change that the difference is apparent, how much you enjoy the change is another story but it's like a refreshing take on the HE4... To me it removes treble that poorly mastered tracks makes unbearable and makes instrument separation more pronounced.

MORE  time to be spend, I am content with em as they are