[chowmein83]

I have the 400i for 4 days now and been using it exclusively at home. So far I don't notice the sound changing. It sound the same now as the first time I put it on my head. Other headphones I got has changed in the overall sound after several hours of listening when they were new. I don't know if it will change after a few more days. I like it already even if it does not.

I will wait for a full week before making any comparisons to my T1.

 
I'm looking forward to your comparison with the T1 - would really like to know how these stack up against even higher-end cans.

 

[headwhacker]

   
I'm looking forward to your comparison with the T1 - would really like to know how these stack up against even higher-end cans.

 
Will do. I'm still letting 400i to settle in on my head. Also waiting for the new pads I ordered for T1 which is a bit worn out after a full year of abuse 

 

[howdy]

I have the 400i for 4 days now and been using it exclusively at home. So far I don't notice the sound changing. It sound the same now as the first time I put it on my head. Other headphones I got has changed in the overall sound after several hours of listening when they were new. I don't know if it will change after a few more days. I like it already even if it does not.

I will wait for a full week before making any comparisons to my T1.

It will be a little while before thy break in. I've had mine for about 2 months with minimal use and they are finally breaking in, they probably have 100/150 hours of use now.

 

[headwhacker]

It will be a little while before thy break in. I've had mine for about 2 months with minimal use and they are finally breaking in, they probably have 100/150 hours of use now.

 
I have logged at least 30 hrs now. So far I don't perceive any change yet. 

 

[swspiers]

The only change I've noticed is that I like them even more than when I wrote my review a month ago.  Even though the Primes literally mop the floor with them in just about every technical aspect.  The 400i genius, and I do think it's genius, is they offer most of the benefits of TOTL without harshness, glare, or over-analysis.  Think HD-650 without the perceived veil.
 
I know......     

 
For the record, the only burn-in I have ever experienced is with the Alpha Primes, and that was at about 8 hours.

 

[llcook51]

It will be a little while before thy break in. I've had mine for about 2 months with minimal use and they are finally breaking in, they probably have 100/150 hours of use now.

Agreed. My 400i's are about 4 months old. They took 100-150 to burn in. Even afterwards, there were minor changes (or maybe that was just me).

 

[Nosgis]

I have a pair of 400i arriving tomorrow. Is it safe to attach a modmic to the grills? Could the magnet create some kind of disturbance? 

 

[Semont]

Usually when a manufacturer acknowledges burn in, I just see it as an excuse for them to encourage the customer to give the headphones more of a try.

 

[q2klepto]

Has anyone compared the Schiit Magni/Vali to something like the Project Sunrise/Ember with these cans? With the new Magni 2 Uber, im wondering if i should try and upgrade my Aune T1 (just sold my emotiva) to that - or skip it and go with the Vali or a Garage1217 amp. 

 

[skyline315]

  Has anyone compared the Schiit Magni/Vali to something like the Project Sunrise/Ember with these cans? With the new Magni 2 Uber, im wondering if i should try and upgrade my Aune T1 (just sold my emotiva) to that - or skip it and go with the Vali or a Garage1217 amp. 

 
I'm afraid I can't offer comparisons to the Project amps.
 
All I can say is that the 400i/Vali combo is outstanding.  Compared to the Asgard 1, it was a big step up.  At this point, I don't see any reason to go up the amp chain unless I were to buy far more difficult to drive headphones.

 

[Semont]

Tempted to buy a dedicated desktop amp but it doesn't seem like the he400i scales very well because its so easy to drive.

 

[marhol]

Finally got my Hifiman HE-400i. As I have mentioned before, these cans are just superb for their price. Comfort is about on par with my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro. Impressive work indeed. I haven´t tested it properly with various music styles yet but to me they sound fairly neutral across the spectrum with a touch of a very pleasant warmth. Initially, I found them warmer sounding (but that was when comparing to the cans like HE-560, HD 800 or HE-6), now when I am listening more carefully they still sound significantly warmer than my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro but against my IEM Yamaha EPH-100 (which are even warmer/darker), they sound quite neutral with just a hint of warmth. I like their sound signature a lot. Everything sounds very naturally: vocals, piano, violins, bass guitar, drums etc, electric guitars sound fantastic (to me better than on HE-560).  Nothing is recessed, nothing is exaggerated. The sound is full bodied and smooth. Beyerdynamic DT 990 sounds a bit artificial in comparison to these, especially in upper mids and treble. DT 990 Pro is still pretty decent headphone though. What I like the most on Hifiman HE-400i is that it really sounds very transparent/clear but still wonderfully musical (something what jerg has pointed out).  
As for  bass impact, it might be a problem when HE-400i is connected straight into a laptop without a proper amplification.(Its kind of abusive to use  these headphones straight into the phone or notebook, although they still sound reasonably well)  When used with Audioengine D1 as a DAC/head amp its much better. Even better  when the source of the sound is DVD and Audioengine D1 works as a DAC/head amp. As reported HE-400i sounds excellent with iBasso DX90, I can confirm that mid gain on DX90 is more than enough to " give them justice ". Bass weight as well as its texture and depth is finely portrayed in iBasso DX90. 
As for "issues with the soundstage"- just use some high resolution files (flac, waw, ape, aiff, dsd) and some thing that contains ESS Sabre 9018 and then lemme know if the soundstage is small or claustrophobic...

 

[headwhacker]

  Finally got my Hifiman HE-400i. As I have mentioned before, these cans are just superb for their price. Comfort is about on par with my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro. Impressive work indeed. I haven´t tested it properly with various music styles yet but to me they sound fairly neutral across the spectrum with a touch of a very pleasant warmth. Initially, I found them warmer sounding (but that was when comparing to the cans like HE-560, HD 800 or HE-6), now when I am listening more carefully they still sound significantly warmer than my Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro but against my IEM Yamaha EPH-100 (which are even warmer/darker), they sound quite neutral with just a hint of warmth. I like their sound signature a lot. Everything sounds very naturally: vocals, piano, violins, bass guitar, drums etc, electric guitars sound fantastic (to me better than on HE-560).  Nothing is recessed, nothing is exaggerated. The sound is full bodied and smooth. Beyerdynamic DT 990 sounds a bit artificial in comparison to these, especially in upper mids and treble. DT 990 Pro is still pretty decent headphone though. What I like the most on Hifiman HE-400i is that it really sounds very transparent/clear but still wonderfully musical (something what jerg has pointed out).  
As for  bass impact, it might be a problem when HE-400i is connected straight into a laptop without a proper amplification.(Its kind of abusive to use  these headphones straight into the phone or notebook, although they still sound reasonably well)  When used with Audioengine D1 as a DAC/head amp its much better. Even better  when the source of the sound is DVD and Audioengine D1 works as a DAC/head amp. As reported HE-400i sounds excellent with iBasso DX90, I can confirm that mid gain on DX90 is more than enough to " give them justice ". Bass weight as well as its texture and depth is finely portrayed in iBasso DX90. 
As for "issues with the soundstage"- just use some high resolution files (flac, waw, ape, aiff, dsd) and some thing that contains ESS Sabre 9018 and then lemme know if the soundstage is small or claustrophobic...

 
My initial impressions so far that stands out the most is guitars (acoustic) really sound natural and stunning. HE-400i is so easy to drive, on my O2+ODAC @ unity gain I could not crank the volume past 3 o'clock. Hot recordings only allow me to turn the volume no further than 1 o'clock.
 
Yes DX90 can drive 400i in the same way as my O2+ODAC. So far I can't distinguish any difference. On mid gain I find myself setting the volume at 240 to 245 range (-6 to -4 dB in Rockbox). DX90 has indeed plenty of juice and enough spare to power HE-400i. 

 

 

[Semont]

Compared to the previous He400i, they don't sound as sparkly but a little darker instead.
 
I guess it's just variances in manufacturing and the fact that it's difficult to replicate the tuning for high frequencies even in the same driver.

 

[Brando1]

Hi, new to the site and want a little advice. Just purchased a pair of 400i's and next on the list is a decent amplifier. I'm currently running them straight through an iPad Air. I also have a set of sennheiser 650's and momentums. Never had an amplifier and don't want to rush into this. Looking to spend 500 or so. Doesn't have to be portable either. I've been looking at the lyr 2's along with a few others and simply want to get your thoughts before making a mistake. Do I need an elite amp for these headphones or will a FILO 12 for instance be good enough?
Appreciate any advice.