[LaPierre]

  Nope 

 But both certainly have their place 

I'd be happier with the 560, but I'm perfectly happy with the 400i. I prefer its looks, too. 

 

[conquerator2]

  I'd be happier with the 560, but I'm perfectly happy with the 400i. I prefer its looks, too. 

Certainly. Looks is a personal choice. I think I like them both looks-wise. Though I think tonality-wise it is pretty clear - slight warm tilt vs neutral.

 

[money4me247]

Nope 

 But both certainly have their place 

 
 
hahaah... wowww. it's weird but I feel like HE-560 owners prefer HE-560, and HE-400i owners prefer the HE-400i. wonder why that is? =P
 
but yeaa man, I really personally think that the HE-400i looks more beautiful!!! dude, wood on random things is kinda tacky. I guess there is a tradition of flagships with wood. mehh. not impressed. ...tho the th-900 pulls off that look very stunningly! hahah

 

[swspiers]

   
 
hahaah... wowww. it's weird but I feel like HE-560 owners prefer HE-560, and HE-400i owners prefer the HE-400i. wonder why that is? =P
 
but yeaa man, I really personally think that the HE-400i looks more beautiful!!! dude, wood on random things is kinda tacky. I guess there is a tradition of flagships with wood. mehh. not impressed. ...tho the th-900 pulls off that look very stunningly! hahah

HA!
Actually, I've had both, though not at the same time and the 560 only briefly on the HFM tour.  I can definitly say that I prefer the looks and the price of the 400i.
The thing that I prefer about the 400i is that most of my collection that I actually listen to, which is low-fi stoner doom, drone, and other forms of metal, actually don't sound so crappy on them, whereas the 560 really made crappy recordings seem even crappier. The rest of my time is with modern Prog.
 
I just briefly played with both graphic and parametric EQ in JRiver, and I'm  pleased with the results of just screwing around.  I might have some time next week to start some serious PEQing.  I know conquerator2 disagrees that it can put them on par with the 560, but I'm looking for 80%, not 99%.
 
That being the case, the headstage is more in my head than the 560's were, and not nearly as deep, according to my notes.  Good thing I love that effect!

 

[Tactic11]

Just ordered the 400i through razordogaudio! I shall let everyone know how they standup!
 
Edit: Also does anyone know exactly what kind of connector(s) I should buy if I were to make new cables for the hifiman? I am having a hard time figuring out if they are completely proprietary. I was looking through mouser, redco and others and didn't really say anything that matched what I needed.

 

[money4me247]

  HA!
Actually, I've had both, though not at the same time and the 560 only briefly on the HFM tour.  I can definitly say that I prefer the looks and the price of the 400i.
The thing that I prefer about the 400i is that most of my collection that I actually listen to, which is low-fi stoner doom, drone, and other forms of metal, actually don't sound so crappy on them, whereas the 560 really made crappy recordings seem even crappier. The rest of my time is with modern Prog.
 
I just briefly played with both graphic and parametric EQ in JRiver, and I'm  pleased with the results of just screwing around.  I might have some time next week to start some serious PEQing.  I know conquerator2 disagrees that it can put them on par with the 560, but I'm looking for 80%, not 99%.
 
That being the case, the headstage is more in my head than the 560's were, and not nearly as deep, according to my notes.  Good thing I love that effect!

 
It is actually really amazing to see how different headphones fit different people better! We all are on our quest to find that perfect sound
 
Always love reading comparisons the best! heh. Nothing gets my heart racing like seeing headphones brawl it out =P

 

[reddog]

Certainly. Looks is a personal choice. I think I like them both looks-wise. Though I think tonality-wise it is pretty clear - slight warm tilt vs neutral.

I agree, I found the HE-400i to be slightly warm not neutral. However I found the HE-400i extremely fun to listen to, and it's so comfortable to wear. I would purchase my demo set, but do to a recent layoff, I can not justify such a great luxury at this time. However the irrational audiophile in me, would have me purchase these amazing cans. But I am human and will overrule such impulses.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

^ Reddog, sorry to read about your layoff, sucks Man. How is your Dad doing?

 

[reddog]

^ Reddog, sorry to read about your layoff, sucks Man. How is your Dad doing?

The doctor thinks he is stabilized, no more bleeding, need to get the infection under control, and he will be out of the woods. He has lost 35 pounds, but thanks to God and your prayers he seems to be doing much better. Thanks for your positive prayers and feedback.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Reddog, you and your Family have had a tough run, I am sorry to hear about the challenges you all are facing, God bless!

 

[swspiers]

Yeah Reddog. Hang in there, man!

 

[ethan7000]

I got mine from Razordog. 10 minutes after I ordered, they shipped.

Me too. Bought my 500 from them too, love Razordog 

 

[reddog]

Hi all, I have been reburning my fantastic demo HE-400i's, for the last week, with my Schiit Audio Lyr 2, powered by my platinum grade, Gold Lions, and wow I can not believe the difference I n the overall sound signature. I am listening to Frank Zappa's album You Are What You Is and I was shocked how well the the overall sound was to my ears. I had chills shooting down my back, when I listened to such tracks as "Teenage Wind, Doreen, goblin girl, theme from the third movement of sinister footwear, or the meek shall inherit nothing or Led Zepplin's Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp or They Be Giants floors " Istanbul" or Vangelis's "Heaven and Hell" sound bloody fantastic. The soundstage to Tomita's Planets seems to.open up. The veil.seems to be lifted from th e HE-400i's, by the gold lion, lyr 2 combo. I will let you know h o w the Telefunken tubes affect the sound of the amazing HE-400i and fantastic MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs. The HE-400I are a amazing set of cans, for the
money. I would like to compare the over all the warm sound signature e of these amazing, open backed phones to MrSpeakers Mad DOG Pros. From what I have heard both set of cans's sound signatures a bit warm, compared to the more neutral Alpha Dogs and from, what the reviews have indicated, the more neutral HE-560's.. If I were on a,budget for a fun sounding pair od, great sounding, open backed, planar magnetic, headphones, I would go for the HE-400i's. Please have a great time listening to the music. Since I have discovered t his wonderful hobby, my blood pressure has dropped so low, the doc has stopped my blood pressure meds.

Sorry the thread was in bold, using my kindle to write.
.

 

[marhol]

Hi all, I have been reburning my fantastic demo HE-400i's, for the last week, with my Schiit Audio Lyr 2, powered by my platinum grade, Gold Lions, and wow I can not believe the difference I n the overall sound signature. I am listening to Frank Zappa's album You Are What You Is and I was shocked how well the the overall sound was to my ears. I had chills shooting down my back, when I listened to such tracks as "Teenage Wind, Doreen, goblin girl, theme from the third movement of sinister footwear, or the meek shall inherit nothing or Led Zepplin's Bron-Y-Aur-Stomp or They Be Giants floors " Istanbul" or Vangelis's "Heaven and Hell" sound bloody fantastic. The soundstage to Tomita's Planets seems to.open up. The veil.seems to be lifted from th e HE-400i's, by the gold lion, lyr 2 combo. I will let you know h o w the Telefunken tubes affect the sound of the amazing HE-400i and fantastic MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs. The HE-400I are a amazing set of cans, for the
money. I would like to compare the over all the warm sound signature e of these amazing, open backed phones to MrSpeakers Mad DOG Pros. From what I have heard both set of cans's sound signatures a bit warm, compared to the more neutral Alpha Dogs and from, what the reviews have indicated, the more neutral HE-560's.. If I were on a,budget for a fun sounding pair od, great sounding, open backed, planar magnetic, headphones, I would go for the HE-400i's. Please have a great time listening to the music. Spence I have discovered t his wonderful hobby, my blood pressure has dropped so low, the doc has stopped my blood pressure meds.

Sorry the thread was in bold, using my kindle to write.
.







 

"Spence I have discovered t his wonderful hobby, my blood pressure has dropped so low, the doc has stopped my blood pressure meds."
 
Great to hear that, music has unique power to make us happy. All the best to you and to your father !

I wish everybody had enough money to afford high quality gear to hear and perceive what richness is left in the music...

 

[marhol]

I´m following this thread with great interest. Thanks to all for your impressions and reviews on He-400i !  I currently own Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, and although I appreciate its detailness and openness i find the overall sound signature ( because of mildly recessed midrange and accentuated treble) too bright and a bit cold. I´m looking for a headphone that has darker and warmer sound signature. 
I realised I am not a  "treblehead" at all and probably something with similar sound signature as Sennheiser HD 650  or maybe He-400i would be more to my likings. I would like to ask two questions:
 
1) Which headphone has darker and warmer sound signature, Sennheiser HD650 or Hifiman HE-400i ?
2) Which of these two headphones is easier to drive ?
( I do not have much experience with headphones, I understand that when headphone has low impendance and high efficiency its easier to drive, but Sennheiser HD 650 is at 300 ohms and  97.8 db SPL and Hifiman HE- 400i is at 35 ohm and 93.0 db SPL according to http://www.audiobot9000.com/ and I´m not sure how it all translates to "overall efficiency" )
 
 I would also be grateful for further comparisions between HD 650 and Hifiman HE-400i, as one of these headphones will probably/hopefully  be my next purchase.

( Wondering which one is going to be a better deal:  HD 650 for 300 euros or Hifiman HE-400i for 500 euros...) 
 
Thanks a lot !