[HolyCheese]

Hello Head-fi,
 
This is my first post (I think) so correct me if I do anything wrong.
 
I'm planning to make an upgrade to an higher end headphone and my eye caught the HE-400. I've read very good think about these headphones but also some bad things, especially about the bass and the soundstage. 
The only equipment i currently have is a Sennheiser HD-518 and the RE-Zero's.
 
I'm worried that I might not like the sound of the HE-400 because of what's said about the bass. The HD-518's weak point is also the bass and I don't really like it alot. Is there anyone who owns both the headphones and can make an comparisson for me? I'd really appreciate it since it'd be a shame if I would spend ALOT of money on a headphone i won't like.
 
Some things I have read:
-They are great for electronic music, but I listen mainly to blues, pink floyd, dire straits or johnny cash.
-The bass is dark and not very fast. I don't know exactly what this means but it looks like the sound my Sennheisers might have.
-buying this won't be a regret at all, especially if you upgrade from something low end.
 
So my question is: 
Will this be the right choice? Or is there any better?
Many thanks for the help!
 
Edit:
I've listened to Beats studio's and i found them better then my sennheisers, the bass was more "clear and real". If the bass on the HE-400 sound better I will be a happy man. (If i think about it in this way they MUST be alot better)

 

[extrabigmehdi]

I'd try to get a denon d5000 at good price. Reputation for bass & comfort.
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
First, I would just say, buy something that interests you from a place that allows returns. Audition them for a few weeks. Return them if you're not gushing all over them. And then move on to the next interview.
 
That said, based on what you've said, I gather you would probably take interest in:
 
Beyer DT990 / DT770
Denon D2000 / D5000
Ultrasone HFI 2400 / PRO 2500
AKG Q701 / K550
AudioTechnica AD900 / A900X / A900
Sennheiser HD600
 
Very best,

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Hello Head-fi,
 
This is my first post (I think) so correct me if I do anything wrong.
 
I'm planning to make an upgrade to an higher end headphone and my eye caught the HE-400. I've read very good think about these headphones but also some bad things, especially about the bass and the soundstage. 
The only equipment i currently have is a Sennheiser HD-518 and the RE-Zero's.
 
I'm worried that I might not like the sound of the HE-400 because of what's said about the bass. The HD-518's weak point is also the bass and I don't really like it alot. Is there anyone who owns both the headphones and can make an comparisson for me? I'd really appreciate it since it'd be a shame if I would spend ALOT of money on a headphone i won't like.
 
Some things I have read:
-They are great for electronic music, but I listen mainly to blues, pink floyd, dire straits or johnny cash.
-The bass is dark and not very fast. I don't know exactly what this means but it looks like the sound my Sennheisers might have.
-buying this won't be a regret at all, especially if you upgrade from something low end.
 
So my question is: 
Will this be the right choice? Or is there any better?
Many thanks for the help!
 
Edit:
I've listened to Beats studio's and i found them better then my sennheisers, the bass was more "clear and real". If the bass on the HE-400 sound better I will be a happy man. (If i think about it in this way they MUST be alot better)

I got the HE400s last Friday and honestly, the bass is stellar, it's probably one of the best if not the best bass in headphones under $500. The whole sound signature is actually quite neutral, and treble is not nearly as dark as some early impressions reviewers make it to be (it's a bit harsh even when you just get the cans, but after about 20~30 hours of burn-in that harshness goes away a lot without any detail loss). The bass is really fast (much more so than the M50's I had), extends much deeper, has a very nice "growl" textured feel, and is physically hard-hitting and most importantly very neutral and realistic, it's amazing how powerful the bass is without bleeding into the mids at all or having any kind of "boombox" effect.
 
Which makes them fantastic for jazz music / acoustic music, there's a very real weight behind all instruments played. Actually they perform exceptionally well for all my music so far, the only exception being low bit-rate / poorly mastered female vocals, and others with the HE400s seem to have similar experience in that regard; this is likely because they are quite tranparent. It absolutely sings with lossless well-recorded female vocals though.
 
For $400 they are an absolute steal, as long as you don't receive a faulty pair...it's supposed to have been completely resolved now, but still one user who received his pair today reports that one side has no sound.
 
 
 
Edit:
 
As for soundstage, the projected "size" is adequate but nothing to write home about, however the imaging is. These cans dissect music down effortlessly and all the different sources of sounds/vocals are very distinct and not muddled together at all.

 

[TMRaven]

Any comparisons of the bass from the HE-400 to the HD650 or DT990?

 

[HolyCheese]

@JERG 
 
Thank you very much.
I'm convinced now.
 
I prefer a neutral headphone (the HE-400 has a slight warm touch to it wich is good I guess) and now I know the bass is fine and i'm absolutely convinced.
I'm really looking forward to buying them now.
 
One last question:
How do you burn them in? I prefer to just listen to music at an average volume or should I run them in with pink noise/ sine waves?
 
Thank you for your help

 

[jerg]

Quote:

@JERG 
 
Thank you very much.
I'm convinced now.
 
I prefer a neutral headphone (the HE-400 has a slight warm touch to it wich is good I guess) and now I know the bass is fine and i'm absolutely convinced.
I'm really looking forward to buying them now.
 
One last question:
How do you burn them in? I prefer to just listen to music at an average volume or should I run them in with pink noise/ sine waves?
 
Thank you for your help

Np. Trust me, you'll fall in love the bass from these if anything lol.
 
I just have it play pink noise in loop mode at a bit louder than my usual music listening volume, and put it in a drawer with some towels to hide the sound at night. I got the 10 minute pink noise loop from here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TenMinutesOfWhiteNoisePinkNoiseAndBrownianNoise
 

 

[olegausany]

I'd try to get a denon d5000 at good price. Reputation for bass & comfort.

Totally agree. Got d5000 yesterday just to try what they are capable of and found that they beating my beloved hd650 and he-400 like nothing straight out of the box no burn-in needed but he-400 still have great bass
Edit : I wish he-400 would be neutral and balanced but they not
HE-400 bass beats hd650 and dt990 plus dt990 are bright

 

[HolyCheese]

The D5000 are a bit too pricy for me. I really want to buy my headphones new too.
 
Is there anyone here close to holland or in holland who owns te D2000/D5000 or HE-400's?
I'd really really appreciate it if i could come by to listen to them (especially the HE-400's)
 
Edit: I just found the D5000 for 400 dollars. A price I'm willing to pay.

 

[liamstrain]

Quote:

 
One last question:
How do you burn them in? I prefer to just listen to music at an average volume or should I run them in with pink noise/ sine waves?
 

 
Just listen to music. No specific "burn in" regimen is required. 

 

[eskimoo]

what? HE400 $400 vs HD518 $120 ?
HE400 much better on SQ, different class! They compared HE400 planar to HD650 & Denon D5000!

 

[cyberdynet800]

I read the Denons had poor build quality, although I cant speak as ive never tried them, but I was going to get the HE400 but im saving up for the HE6 instead, but I would guess the HE400 would be much better than the sennheiser hd518.

 

[Fearless1]

Quote:

I read the Denons had poor build quality, although I cant speak as ive never tried them, but I was going to get the HE400 but im saving up for the HE6 instead, but I would guess the HE400 would be much better than the sennheiser hd518.

You better save for one heck of an amp as well.

 

[eskimoo]

As I knew between Hifimans, it depends on what sound characteristic you would like. I prefer HE400, but people pursuit detail & more balanced approach will like HE500 better. HE6 is for details lover. 
Denons Dx000 quite sturdy as I recalled.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

As I knew between Hifimans, it depends on what sound characteristic you would like. I prefer HE400, but people pursuit detail & more balanced approach will like HE500 better. HE6 is for details lover. 
Denons Dx000 quite sturdy as I recalled.

 
Yeah, HE400's strong-point is definitely its bass, but at the same time it does not slouch in the rest of the frequency range and so nothing stands out as bad or flawed. It lacks the refinement of higher models (very evident in objective measurements like FR / CSD / THD graphs) however it does not detract from its sound, unless you are A/Bing it against the big brothers. 
 
For me the bass level with them is perfect, any more and it'll really bug me, any less and I will probably not enjoy my music as much. Ditto with the infamous "dark but sparkly" treble (measurement-wise, basically caused by 3000~6000 Hz valley, then 8000~14000 Hz hill), I dig that a lot. It seems as though the voicing and tuned colouration with these is a flawless win.