[nicholars]

  Yes EqualizerAPO can work with foobar so long as you disable WASAPI / AISO if you have it on. Think of it like a new audio driver for you sound card. So you'd set it up and it would work completely system wide; games, internet and any other music app you use. 

 
Nice... although I do use WASAPI I could do without it because the difference it makes it probably not a lot.

 

[nicks9]

Hi guys,
I just purchased these, but after reading some of the posts here I'm starting to regret it. Is modding/EQ really necessary for these to sound great? I thought that for the price I was getting something that's impressive out of the box.

 

[Thujone]

  Hi guys,
I just purchased these, but after reading some of the posts here I'm starting to regret it. Is modding/EQ really necessary for these to sound great? I thought that for the price I was getting something that's impressive out of the box.

You won't regret it. The treble is quite ear piercing to some (including myself) but these headphones perform way above their price point IMO. With a little EQ, you can fix the treble issue. Modding the pads adds additional benefit.

 

[nixkid]

I currently have the DT990 pro 250 ohm and I found the sibilance to be a bit much.  However, with a little burn in and EQ, I think they are quite good.  But for some reason...the HE400 keeps calling me.  Please convince me that I didn't just make a big (and expensive) mistake.  I have the Modi/Magni stack and I don't think the 990 pairs all that well with them.  I've read that the HE400 does.  What you do you guys think?  

 

[Jien23]

Hey everyone! first post here

 
I got the HE-400 about two weeks ago, finally came round to posting in this thread! Some impressions after getting it: (my previous headphone was a CAL!, for reference):
 
First impressions: I was honestly underwhelmed the first time i put it on and listened to my favourite tracks. Could possibly be due to inflated expectations, but the leap in sound quality was not what i expected.
 
Gave it some more time, and slowly started to take in some of the good (and bad! more on that later) of this headphone. For one thing, the detail of the low notes through this thing is amazing.. This headphone really brings out the bass lines in music. The mids are what I expected: somewhat pushed-back vocals which i prefer.
 
However, after spending time with it, one thing also became glaringly obvious: the treble on this thing is far too forward. It doesn't "grate" or "tizz" much - it's just that it is way too pronounced or "hot". Voices have a sharp "sss" at the end of every sung consonant, which is distracting and takes away from the realism of vocals through this thing. Makes vocals sound more like recordings rather than real to me - you don't hear that much treble when listening to someone sing in real life, but it is something that is present through recorded vocals.
 
Obviously the first thing i did was to equalise in foobar (just a treble fix), which helped tremendously. However, I listen to a lot of stuff outside foobar too, and after seeing beaver316's initial post, finally decided to look for a universal eq as a better solution. After some searching i stumbled upon the same eq beaver316 was using: equaliserAPO. Learned how to set it up and it's working great for me now. This wiki was very helpful:
 
http://sourceforge.net/p/equalizerapo/wiki/Documentation/#configuration-tutorial
 
You may need to figure out some stuff on your own (mainly the interface on the REW, which is quite intimidating).
Feel free to ask if you hit a dead end or something; I will try to help, though I only just set it up and am still learning.
 
Now, to improve on the comfort of these things...
 
Sorry for the wall of text, heh.

 

[beaver316]

Huh wattayaknow, there's already a guide available, and it seems to be quite comprehensive so no need for mine then.

 

[Mdraluck23]

Been reading around doin some research.

Really looking at the HE-400's. I've had my DT990's for a while now though and haven't kept up on research. I've read lots of HD600 comparison threads but what would opinions be in direct comparison to the 990? Also any other similar phones you guys would throw into my mix? HD600, 650, HE400 is what I've got so far. Also looking at some of the woodie Audio Technicas.

 

[MrMateoHead]

  However, after spending time with it, one thing also became glaringly obvious: the treble on this thing is far too forward. It doesn't "grate" or "tizz" much - it's just that it is way too pronounced or "hot". Voices have a sharp "sss" at the end of every sung consonant, which is distracting and takes away from the realism of vocals through this thing. Makes vocals sound more like recordings rather than real to me - you don't hear that much treble when listening to someone sing in real life, but it is something that is present through recorded vocals.
 
Obviously the first thing i did was to equalise in foobar (just a treble fix), which helped tremendously. However, I listen to a lot of stuff outside foobar too, and after seeing beaver316's initial post, finally decided to look for a universal eq as a better solution. After some searching i stumbled upon the same eq beaver316 was using: equaliserAPO. Learned how to set it up and it's working great for me now. This wiki was very helpful:
 
http://sourceforge.net/p/equalizerapo/wiki/Documentation/#configuration-tutorial

What volume do you like to listen at, and what song(s) in particular are you referencing for your treble issues? It is true that, over time, EQ and Earpad mods have become dominant in the discussion of the phones. But a lot of it is overblown - tweaks (for me) are quite mild, and I've never had an actual "problem" with the treble, aside from a few demos from which things like cymbals were more pronounced than I preferred.
 
I only detect a lot of sibilance as a regular artifact of the sound when I blast these things at high volume with certain (but not all) recordings. I suppose I am defending these phones as I have genuinely lower-fi highly sibilant audio gear that I am also exposed to on a daily basis.
 
It has been awhile since I listened to them with stock pleather pads, however. If you haven't, I would order and then switch to the $10 Velours. I find them more comfortable anyway, and they have a thinner mesh and (I believe), more even tonality. Still lots of treble, sure, but not as much contrast as with the pleathers. 1,000 pages ago, the 'velour vs pleather' discussion was raging.

 

[spittis]

Been reading around doin some research.

Really looking at the HE-400's. I've had my DT990's for a while now though and haven't kept up on research. I've read lots of HD600 comparison threads but what would opinions be in direct comparison to the 990? Also any other similar phones you guys would throw into my mix? HD600, 650, HE400 is what I've got so far. Also looking at some of the woodie Audio Technicas.

 
Regarding how they sound, the HE-400 is better than the DT-990 in every way IMO (I had the DT-990 Premium at one point). The HE-400 is still a "fun" sounding headphone, but technically it does everything much better, especially the bass is brilliant. The soundstage is smaller though, HE-400 is very small in that department for an open headphone. You could also consider the AKG K712, it's a much more balanced headphone and does many things better than the HE-400. I did a short comparison in my review of the K712.

 

[Jien23]

  What volume do you like to listen at, and what song(s) in particular are you referencing for your treble issues? It is true that, over time, EQ and Earpad mods have become dominant in the discussion of the phones. But a lot of it is overblown - tweaks (for me) are quite mild, and I've never had an actual "problem" with the treble, aside from a few demos from which things like cymbals were more pronounced than I preferred.
 
I only detect a lot of sibilance as a regular artifact of the sound when I blast these things at high volume with certain (but not all) recordings. I suppose I am defending these phones as I have genuinely lower-fi highly sibilant audio gear that I am also exposed to on a daily basis.
 
It has been awhile since I listened to them with stock pleather pads, however. If you haven't, I would order and then switch to the $10 Velours. I find them more comfortable anyway, and they have a thinner mesh and (I believe), more even tonality. Still lots of treble, sure, but not as much contrast as with the pleathers. 1,000 pages ago, the 'velour vs pleather' discussion was raging.

Hmm, I don't really have a set of songs i use to demo/test for sibilance. Its more of something i notice from time to time during my usual listening. An example would be something i'm listening to right now: "Ghosts" by Laura Marling. the "sss" sounds are too pronounced, imho.
Something else would be this performance by Daughters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-OoG1aGYO0 . I know some people might have issues seeing as how its a youtube vid (its not high quality, etc.), but it does show the problem.
I listen at very moderate volumes. I set my Fiio E10 at low gain and it gets as loud as i ever want it to. And yes, i am using the velour pads as i find them to be more even sounding after some quick A/B-ing.
 
That being said, perhaps my initial description overstated the magnitude of the problem, which is why you found the need to ask me. My treble EQ-ing that i mentioned earlier has a max peak of around -5db, which is not really a drastic adjustment  but it definitely makes a very meaningful improvement in real-world listening.

 

[nicholars]

Basically if you want some high end planars which sound good stock then you need to spend £700 on some HE500 + an amplifier to run them...
 
The HE400 are the best compromise at £400 + no amp needed really....
 
The compromise being that they do not sound great out of the box and literally NEED to be EQ and modded, once you have done this they are probably the best headphones available for the money.
 
Regarding the HD650 vs HE400, the HD650 would win for vocals, but the mids are very slow and bloated compared to the HE400.... Overall the HE400 is the better headphone unless you listen to only vocals, classical, relaxing music etc.

 

[Halonoonan]

Looking to buy these either used or new. Which revision is considered the best, number 2? This has the clear or white covering over the driver correct? If I buy them new on Amazon which revision is it? Thanks.

 

[Thujone]

Looking to buy these either used or new. Which revision is considered the best, number 2? This has the clear or white covering over the driver correct? If I buy them new on Amazon which revision is it? Thanks.

Rev2=Rev4=good=current rev.

 

[manbear]

 

Been reading around doin some research.

Really looking at the HE-400's. I've had my DT990's for a while now though and haven't kept up on research. I've read lots of HD600 comparison threads but what would opinions be in direct comparison to the 990? Also any other similar phones you guys would throw into my mix? HD600, 650, HE400 is what I've got so far. Also looking at some of the woodie Audio Technicas.

 
Regarding how they sound, the HE-400 is better than the DT-990 in every way IMO (I had the DT-990 Premium at one point). The HE-400 is still a "fun" sounding headphone, but technically it does everything much better, especially the bass is brilliant. The soundstage is smaller though, HE-400 is very small in that department for an open headphone. You could also consider the AKG K712, it's a much more balanced headphone and does many things better than the HE-400. I did a short comparison in my review of the K712.

I had the DT-990 Pros and I agree that the HE-400 is similar but just better in every way in terms of technicalities. It's funny though, I had the Q701 also, and found the HE-400 to be better in every aspect except for soundstage and midrange. Obviously the Q701 and K712 are different, but still. 

 

[spittis]

 
I had the DT-990 Pros and I agree that the HE-400 is similar but just better in every way in terms of technicalities. It's funny though, I had the Q701 also, and found the HE-400 to be better in every aspect except for soundstage and midrange. Obviously the Q701 and K712 are different, but still. 

 
Well I haven't heard the Q701, but going by what others say who have compared them the K712 does much better in the bass department. I personally also think the K712 has a bit smoother treble than the HE-400. But I can still see some people preferring the HE-400 over K712, the sound is very intimate and lush and the bass representation is awesome.