[zenek73]

Hello!
I have HE-400 and Audinst HUD MX-1.
It works OK for me but I'm going to buy better amp - Valhalla2, maybe Lyr2.
No , wait! Lyr 2 is too expensive for me (now).
The power of Audinst seems to be sufficient for me - max 50% of full power  
But recently I've found MF X-CAN V3 - I always was dreaming about this amp - it's so classic and sexy
 
Anyway I wasn't able to find an output impedance of this amp (Audinst ~5 ohm) - now I know it should be sufficiently low for HE-400.
The output power is about 1W - should be ok I think.
Audinst is great - I enjoy my music, but I'm looking for something more adult.
 
Best regards,
Zenek

 

[MermaidMan]

Maybe look for a used Lyr 1 in the classifieds? But that will probably lead to tube rolling, which could get expensive. If I were you, I'd get a vintage receiver to get plenty of power and beautiful looks. I'm getting a 1981 Yamaha stack soon for my HE400's and I can't wait!

 

[DavidA]

  Hello!
I have HE-400 and Audinst HUD MX-1.
It works OK for me but I'm going to buy better amp - Valhalla2, maybe Lyr2.
No , wait! Lyr 2 is too expensive for me (now).
The power of Audinst seems to be sufficient for me - max 50% of full power  
But recently I've found MF X-CAN V3 - I always was dreaming about this amp - it's so classic and sexy
 
Anyway I wasn't able to find an output impedance of this amp (Audinst ~5 ohm) - now I know it should be sufficiently low for HE-400.
The output power is about 1W - should be ok I think.
Audinst is great - I enjoy my music, but I'm looking for something more adult.
 
Best regards,
Zenek

Look into Garage 1217 amps like Ember, its one of the better amps with the HE-400 IMO.

 

[richard51]

 
Look into Garage 1217 amps like Ember, its one of the better amps with the HE-400 IMO.

i think the same

 

[Oregonian]

  Maybe look for a used Lyr 1 in the classifieds? But that will probably lead to tube rolling, which could get expensive. If I were you, I'd get a vintage receiver to get plenty of power and beautiful looks. I'm getting a 1981 Yamaha stack soon for my HE400's and I can't wait!

A thought for you to consider - I run my HE-400's out of the speaker taps on vintage amps and it takes the sound and bass to another level.  Had this setup for my HE-6 and thought why not try the HE-400.  Glad I did!
 
Also for everyone to consider pad-wise - I have a pair of Audeze Vegan pads on my HE-400 (had the leather ones that I sold with my HE-6) and feel they are the best option out there.  Cost is high - $80 - but tried both stock pads, Denon pads, Lawton angles, Stax 007 pads as well as both Focus pads.  Just another option to consider.

 

[richard51]

 
A thought for you to consider - I run my HE-400's out of the speaker taps on vintage amps and it takes the sound and bass to another level.  Had this setup for my HE-6 and thought why not try the HE-400.  Glad I did!
 
Also for everyone to consider pad-wise - I have a pair of Audeze Vegan pads on my HE-400 (had the leather ones that I sold with my HE-6) and feel they are the best option out there.  Cost is high - $80 - but tried both stock pads, Denon pads, Lawton angles, Stax 007 pads as well as both Focus pads.  Just another option to consider.

i am very interested in your experience with he 400 and speakers amp....i wish i had one to try....BUT  with sorbothane mod  the he 400 were transfigured, and after the 7193 tubes on the Ember amp, passed by another transfiguration,  ( no more so recessed mids and a greater soundstaging so good that you enjoy any kind of music, hence not only better bass and better higher frequencies but better all across the board) so i am now in no hurry to buy a speakers amp for that.... I hope i will try someday though to test the difference if there is one that surpass my least costly upgrade ( tube+adapter+sorb= 100 hundred dollars)

 
 
p.s. i hate tube rolling, i wish someone had said to me in the beginning , forget any other tubes than 7193 tubes... this money spare advise would have been received with recognition

 

 

[htr2d2]

 
Focus pads are pretty good IMO, I did change the mounting ring to the metal one from the HE-400i/560 and installed a gasket so the bass is extended and never muddy.  The velour's are not bad either and they tame the highs a little.

DavidA, you got a reference I can read on the mounting ring? Not even sure what it is much less where to get one to replace on the HE-400. I'll need to take a peek at my HE-500 cans, too.

 

[jackharm]

HM5 angled velours (I guess they are a budget vegans) also work well with the HE-400's.
 
Although overall they are a tad smaller in size (but thicker in cushion) than focus pads, but they were like $30CAD with shipping+taxes from Amazon.

 

[MrMateoHead]

 
A thought for you to consider - I run my HE-400's out of the speaker taps on vintage amps and it takes the sound and bass to another level.  Had this setup for my HE-6 and thought why not try the HE-400.  Glad I did!

I ran mine off my Yamaha and while at first liked the sound, realized it was pretty "gauzy" compared to the O2. Also all the extra "punch" from the tone controls was nice but, flat for flat the O2 was fine.
 
Can't WAIT to update my receiver to something modern and hopefully twice as powerful.

 

[Oregonian]

  I ran mine off my Yamaha and while at first liked the sound, realized it was pretty "gauzy" compared to the O2. Also all the extra "punch" from the tone controls was nice but, flat for flat the O2 was fine.
 
Can't WAIT to update my receiver to something modern and hopefully twice as powerful.

 
Actually, a late '70's vintage monster receiver (Pioneer SX-1050 @ 120wpc) would do wonders and sound better than a modern unit.  I paid $400 for my 1050 and the sound is amazing. 

 

[BrettMatthews]

It is the better way to go, but if your amp is really at the low-end then feel free to experiment. It all stems from the fact that digital volume control reduces resolution with 16-bit files. Then again amps don't always sound their best at minimal volumes. The purist would say otherwise, but listen with your ears and decide - you might like the sound better with a little more amplifier drive.

Thanks for the response, that's how I have been running it (output into the amp max, and use the amp to set the volume) and I haven't had any issues. I was just curious to see if there was a better way to run things.

On a separate note, has anyone tried a ModMic on their HE-400?

 

[BrettMatthews]

Hey all - missing the bass on the 400 and thinking about buying them yet again. Only listen to EDM on them - how do the focus/focus-a pads affect the sound on the 400? Cheers 

While I can't comment much on the change in sound (coming from velours), I find the increased comfort of the focus pads to be the greatest benefit. Compared to the velours they are much softer and much more plush.

 

[Jackson9696]

Actually, a late '70's vintage monster receiver (Pioneer SX-1050 @ 120wpc) would do wonders and sound better than a modern unit.  I paid $400 for my 1050 and the sound is amazing. 

I can vouch for vintage receivers sounding fantastic with the he400's! I have an old pioneer sx750 that I got for 20$ and a Harmon kardon pm650 speaker amp, and they both do wonders sonically to the he400 bringing out the mids for a better overall sound. I can play them with any genre now!

 

[richard51]

I can vouch for vintage receivers sounding fantastic with the he400's! I have an old pioneer sx750 that I got for 20$ and a Harmon kardon pm650 speaker amp, and they both do wonders sonically to the he400 bringing out the mids for a better overall sound. I can play them with any genre now!

 Is the adjunction of a speakers amp will transform  the soundstage of the he 400 more in a 3 dimensional way with a less recessed mids ( v-shape signature towards a U shaped one) if so i am very curious to try it  ?

 

[MrMateoHead]

   
Actually, a late '70's vintage monster receiver (Pioneer SX-1050 @ 120wpc) would do wonders and sound better than a modern unit.  I paid $400 for my 1050 and the sound is amazing. 

Yes those vintage amps are awesome but, I need a receiver for modern home theater - yup, I am hankering for a thunderous 5.2 setup. Really interested in the Class D amps from Pioneer, Harmon, etc. as they pack a wallop (120 wpc doable at about $1,000). But some of the pricier Onkyos (a lil bright) and Yamahas (a little nasty when pushed) are real beasts around $600/$700.