[nc8000]

Got my new M-Stage here. Was planning on buying denon DX000's to go with it as a step up from M50's. Would the SQ when using planars such as the new HE-400 with the M-Stage be completely inadequate seeing what planars generally are capable of? Because if not, this will make the choice between say D5000 and the HE-400 pretty hard.

Well D5000 is a closed design (although one that leaks a fair bit) and the HE-400 is very open so not necesarily comparable depending on what you need

 

[tranhieu]

Looks like it's gonna clip pretty hard being driven from an ipod to me.

 

[Digital-Pride]

A new more affordable planar from Hifiman?!

  Nice!  If it sounds similar to the HE-500, it should be a winner.  Is it a great(expensive) time to be an audio junkie or what?

 

[blankdisc]

Well...first thing first. here is a picture of the HE-400
 

 

[Digital-Pride]

I realize some have expressed disapproval on the color, but I personally like the slightly darker blue color.  It still has that understated, elegance that Hifiman's headphones typically have(in my opinion of course).

 

[rawrster]

It doesn't look all that bad honestly. It wouldn't matter since if I bought these cans they wouldn't leave the house except for meets. If it's anything close to the HE-4 or HE-500 I may have another Hifiman can in my possession soon Of course I'm also considering buying the HE-4 again..
 
As for the specs it doesn't seem like it will be driven by an ipod well but seems like it can be driven from one better than the other orthos from Hifiman.

 

[blankdisc]

i have been listening to HE-400 since yesterday. let me answer a few questions
 
1. In terms of the build quality, it's exactly the same as HE-500 and HE-6. Personally I can't tell the difference at all. 
 
2. The blue color actually looks pretty refreshing. I thought i wouldn't like it, but i kind of do. 
 
3. The first thing people will notice about this headphone is the bass. I have heard almost every single Hifiman Planar headphone, and they always stay just a little bit light on the amount of bass (although they do hit pretty deep). HE-400 is different. It's the first Hifiman headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance. It's definitely tuned for Rock, Electric or R&B music. I can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance. I am not going to comment on the actual performance yet until I listen to it for at least one week or two. 
 
4. I have been driving it directly out of my iPhone4, and getting surprisingly good sound. The volume is at 80%, and everything you expect from a planar headphone is all there. Yes, it definitely performs better with an amp, and I am always against not using an amp especially with an Ortho. HE-400 is changing my mind. It gives you an option to drive it directly out of i-devices, and not making you feel that you are missing something. It's quite awesome actually. 
 
5. How does it compare against HE-500? well...HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity, but HE-400 offers better bass impact and is much easier to drive. After the recent price drop on HE-500, it is considered as the best value on the headphone market right now, and i think that HE-400 just took over the crown in terms of value.

 

[ri_toast]

looking forward to a more in depth review. you certainly have some interesting hps to compare to. subscribed. lucky you to be on an early distribution list, how did that happen?

 

[tranhieu]

Quote:

i have been listening to HE-400 since yesterday. let me answer a few questions
 
1. In terms of the build quality, it's exactly the same as HE-500 and HE-6. Personally I can't tell the difference at all. 
 
2. The blue color actually looks pretty refreshing. I thought i wouldn't like it, but i kind of do. 
 
3. The first thing people will notice about this headphone is the bass. I have heard almost every single Hifiman Planar headphone, and they always stay just a little bit light on the amount of bass (although they do hit pretty deep). HE-400 is different. It's the first Hifiman headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance. It's definitely tuned for Rock, Electric or R&B music. I can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance. I am not going to comment on the actual performance yet until I listen to it for at least one week or two. 
 
4. I have been driving it directly out of my iPhone4, and getting surprisingly good sound. The volume is at 80%, and everything you expect from a planar headphone is all there. Yes, it definitely performs better with an amp, and I am always against not using an amp especially with an Ortho. HE-400 is changing my mind. It gives you an option to drive it directly out of i-devices, and not making you feel that you are missing something. It's quite awesome actually. 
 
5. How does it compare against HE-500? well...HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity, but HE-400 offers better bass impact and is much easier to drive. After the recent price drop on HE-500, it is considered as the best value on the headphone market right now, and i think that HE-400 just took over the crown in terms of value.

How about their mid? Do they still follow the footstep of their predecessors?  I acually hoped some there would be some change in terms of mid range.
Thanks for the impression btw.
 
 

 

[Loevhagen]

Thanks for the preliminary impressions. So, let's see:
 
a) HE-500 is still superior when it comes to transparency and clarity
b) but HE-400 offers better bass impact 
c) headphone which will grab you first with its bass performance
d) can't help myself to compare it against LCD2 which has fantastic bass performance
 
Reading litera a) to c); I interpret the HE-400 to be a bass monster and an ortho variant of the DT770 (?). But, litera d) destroys that impression (fortunately). I'm a but insure if "impact" = impact or detail. 
 
An elaboration on the bass "impact" would be nice, blankdisc.
 

 

[blankdisc]

i wouldn't call it a bass monster like Beats or D7K. It's just when you listen to a headphone from Hifiman, you normally wouldn't expect a lot of bass. Their house sound is always sweet warm mids, excellent treble with airy and spacious sound. 

 

[Voohoo]

SUB-FREAKIN-SCRIBED!
 
Pretty awesome that you already have your hands on a pair, blankdisc. And thanks for your impressions so far. Really looking forward to more info!
 
I already have the HE-4 but I'm interested in this new model. 
 

 

[RexAeterna]

That's not actually very efficient at all 

what?! got to be out of your mind if you think 92db is not efficient. that's like ear piercing levels for me. no wonder lot people have ringing issues all the time in their ears.

 

[PelPix]

This looks incredible!  I'll buy a Hifiman as soon as they stop wiring their own drivers backwards 

I've always been a fan of how Hifiman's headphones perform, but this just kills me:

They wire most of their drivers backwards.  I know it doesn't make much of a difference, but it sets my OCD off like you wouldn't believe! 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

This looks incredible!  I'll buy a Hifiman as soon as they stop wiring their own drivers backwards 

Lol