New Hifiman Headphone HE-400 is out
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:30 PM Post #5,686 of 6,017
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Just got mine shipped....
But they came in a pretty messed up box with little rips all over, and they DEIFNTLEY don't look new to me.
Just got these from crutchfield for $389. Should I be worried?
Edit: Hmm... after coming form the Pro 550's and Pro 900's these feel so "empty" with music playing. This has to do with the fact I went from open to closed right?
If so I think I might prefer closed headphones....
Edit #2: And when I move the back of the headphones closer to my ear instead of keeping them in the middle it seems to sound better? Don't know if that's normal..
Edit #3: Basically it feels like I'm in a cave or some hollow empty room with music playing.... not sure why.

 
The problem I see here is that people tend to think the more open sound, the better... I do not see it this way. I have owned and heard pretty both pretty open or closed cans and do also prefer rather closed kind of sound. For spatial interpretation, I have TB Isone to do that for me... It works much better than just having emphasised soundstage.
 
Also, you need to understand that people here are going to tell you that headphones X are completely destroyed in their performance by headphones Y. But in reality, the difference between 100USD and 1000USD is nowhere near exaggerated opinions of the majority of head-fiers here.
 
You should definitely not try to expect OUT OF THIS WORLD experience with any pair of headphones... Try to give the HE-400 a bit of time but if you are not going to like them after two days or so, look at the FR graph of all the headphones you have and compare them to find out what exactly do not like about them. It's not difficult to understand it... You can find the ideal pair for you then :)
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:32 PM Post #5,687 of 6,017
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The only headphones I ever used were closed... so this felt really awkward for the 1st 20 minutes.
redface.gif

Wasn't going to switch in half an hour xD
It seems it is me adjusting though, they are starting to sound reallly amazing. The box looking old and ripped had me worried, but I think they are working fine and am starting to prefer them over the Ultrasones.

Going from exclusively closed headphones to an open headphone is like being in darkness for all your life and then suddenly stepping out into sunlight, your eyes will hurt for a while but then everything becomes clear.
 
 
 
 
 

 
The problem I see here is that people tend to think the more open sound, the better... I do not see it this way. I have owned and heard pretty both pretty open or closed cans and do also prefer rather closed kind of sound. For spatial interpretation, I have TB Isone to do that for me... It works much better than just having emphasised soundstage.
 
Also, you need to understand that people here are going to tell you that headphones X are completely destroyed in their performance by headphones Y. But in reality, the difference between 100USD and 1000USD is nowhere near exaggerated opinions of the majority of head-fiers here.
 
You should definitely not try to expect OUT OF THIS WORLD experience with any pair of headphones... Try to give the HE-400 a bit of time but if you are not going to like them after two days or so, look at the FR graph of all the headphones you have and compare them to find out what exactly do not like about them. It's not difficult to understand it... You can find the ideal pair for you then :)
 


Dude, go make your own thread about FR interpretation, don't come taint this thread with this. You've already been warned by 3 Head-Fi admins about it.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:36 PM Post #5,688 of 6,017
Trying to fix my dead left driver. Upon opening it up, this is what I find:




The cables appear to be connected properly, but there is black electrical tape on the wire??? Is this normal?

EDIT: The mylar is punctured. Looks like the previous owner broke them and returned them, then they were resold to me as "like new"...
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:38 PM Post #5,689 of 6,017
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Dude, go make your own thread about FR interpretation, don't come taint this thread with this. You've already been warned by 3 Head-Fi admins about it.

 
LOL, I have only advised him what to do if he finds something wrong about the sound of his headphones... Don't you want to tell me then if HD600 measure significantly worse in terms of bass FR in comparison to D5000 that the bass amount is going to be the same in reality, do you?
 
You are free to report my post to admins...
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:41 PM Post #5,690 of 6,017
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LOL, I have only advised him what to do if he finds something wrong about the sound of his headphones... Don't you want to tell me then if HD600 measure significantly worse in terms of bass FR in comparison to D5000 that the bass amount is going to be the same in reality, do you?
 
You are free to report my post to admins...

 
It just seems everywhere you post, you leave behind a trail of misguidance. For instance, everyone in this thread has HE400 except you, guess who has a better idea of how they sound?
 
Sure there is fanboyism everywhere and that is just as bad, I understand HE400 is not perfect. But it also excels in aspects that you will NEVER, EVER be able to extract from simple measurements.
 
As for report action, if you go to every "xxx headphone discussion thread" and praise / desecrate those headphones based on your simplistic interpretation of IF graphs, there will be plenty of flags on your head. That is why the admins in the Flagship thread are telling you to make your own thread to centralize what it is you are so desperately trying to tell others about. If you aren't brave enough to do that, then there is no cure.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:44 PM Post #5,691 of 6,017
Quote:
 
LOL, I have only advised him what to do if he finds something wrong about the sound of his headphones... Don't you want to tell me then if HD600 measure significantly worse in terms of bass FR in comparison to D5000 that the bass amount is going to be the same in reality, do you?
 
You are free to report my post to admins...

 
Come on though. As Jerg said, coming from a closed can, it really isnt easy to adjust.
But when you adjust, everything just gets better.
 
Its like drinking grape juice after coca cola. You will adjust to it after a while.
 
Hmm that is a good interpretation :)
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:47 PM Post #5,692 of 6,017
Quote:
 
Come on though. As Jerg said, coming from a closed can, it really isnt easy to adjust.
But when you adjust, everything just gets better.
 
Its like drinking grape juice after coca cola. You will adjust to it after a while.
 
Hmm that is a good interpretation :)

 
I haven't said anything against HE-400... Just that if he finds anything wrong with them, he should try to figure out what's wrong in fact in order to avoid disappointment in the future.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 5:54 PM Post #5,693 of 6,017
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I haven't said anything against HE-400... Just that if he finds anything wrong with them, he should try to figure out what's wrong in fact in order to avoid disappointment in the future.

 
Well neither did I in reference to your post :)
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 6:46 PM Post #5,695 of 6,017
hi all, I'm new to this forum, I've spent many years at AK.  I just got some HE400's and they remind me of some vintage speakers I have, my Infinity Kappa 8's.  The highs are what I call liquid, the detail is there but they aren't hurt my teeth highs like metal tweeters tend to do.  I am still not sure what to think of these but I can clearly hear the refinement over the ath-m50's.  I'm a bass player and am into prog rock and music with intense drums and bass so that's what I'll be checking for most.  I don't have a hp amp at the moment, I am playing through a Fisher 500c, sansui au-9500 or sansui au-d11ii.  I think the bass is a tad mushy with the fisher amp, these seem to draw the same amount of current as house speakers.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 6:48 PM Post #5,696 of 6,017
Comparing the Pro 900 to the HE400... lol. I owned both at the same time, and the Pro 900s went back in a mad hurry. The HE400 absolutely slayed the Pro 900. The ONLY thing the Pro 900 does better is mid bass impact... because, well, it's an Ultrasone. Everything else sounded way artificial and closed in. That treble on the Pro 900 was probably even worse on the ears than the DT990s, which never really bothered me. The mids were super recessed, and S-Logic was a dud. The only thing that impressed me about the Pro 900s was when gaming. It had good PRAT and energy.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 6:51 PM Post #5,698 of 6,017
Seriously, I expected the treble to be fine after having been a fan of the 990s for so long (which I thought people regarded as having the most notorious treble of all). Then I was like... O_O

It was so metallic and artificial... I was not happy.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 6:51 PM Post #5,699 of 6,017
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The cables appear to be connected properly, but there is black electrical tape on the wire??? Is this normal?
 

Yes, just for reference in the future, you should look at the pictures up on Amazon, the tape is on there too.
 
And speaking of this cable, has anyone attempted to switch it with a better cable? I've seen some of the LCD-2/3 guys doing that kind of thing with those two wires.
 
Nov 30, 2012 at 7:00 PM Post #5,700 of 6,017
Ok listened to some movies and music now, loving these headphones. Don't see anything the Pro 900's did better atm, I even prefer this Bass.

Final thing I need to try is gaming. Should I use my Xonar DG for that? or stick with my Fiio E10?

Loving these headphones though!

Seriously, I expected the treble to be fine after having been a fan of the 990s for so long (which I thought people regarded as having the most notorious treble of all). Then I was like... O_O
It was so metallic and artificial... I was not happy.


The sibiliance was what drove me away from the Ultrasone Pro 900's. I couldn't take it. I'm glad I got to experience those though, they lead me to these things :)
 

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