[KitWasHere]

So i'm totally new to the HiFi world and would appreciate a little guidance. Went to a buddies last week who had a really good set up and really opened my ears to what I was missing with the crappy no-name headphones I have now.
 
I ordered components for an O2 + ODAC build because it gets incredibly good reviews for the price range. A few things are on backorder so I tried to take my time researching to find a good pair of headphones to fit my needs, read way too much and now I think I need some things put in perspective. 
 
My budget is ~$200/300. Not stuck to it but I really don't want to overspend which I have a habit of doing. These would be just for at the house (I'll keep my in-ears for traveling) so open headphones will be fine. Music taste is kind of all over the place. I'd say hip hop mostly but I am NOT a bass head, find it annoying when it overpowers everything else. I'm not afraid to buy used but I am sort of a germaphobe, so they would have to have new sets of earpads available. 
 
AKG x70x are what I'm leaning towards now, and HE-400 seem to be well regarded so they would be an option as well. Any suggestions or insight is appreciated.

 

[xkonfuzed]

Sennheiser HD600 and Beyerdynamic DT880. I'd stay away from the AKG x701 as they lacked bass and sounded thin for anything aside from classical/jazz.

He-400 and Fidelio x1 are also great options. It all comes down to what sound signature you want (bassy, neutral, Mid-centered, bright etc)

 

[jackwess]

The HE400 deliver some good bass, they will work nicely with your O2 combo. 

 

[KitWasHere]

Thank you both. Since you both recommended the HE-400's I'm gonna go with those. I need to bite the bullet on something, and every review I've read on those agrees with you two that I won't regret the purchase.
 
Thanks again!

 

[money4me247]

my vote goes to the he-400!!! they are my favorite in this price range.

 

[jackwess]

  Thank you both. Since you both recommended the HE-400's I'm gonna go with those. I need to bite the bullet on something, and every review I've read on those agrees with you two that I won't regret the purchase.
 
Thanks again!

 
Even better than the newest version of it (the 400i) in my opinion. You're good to go.

 

[money4me247]

only note is that the he-400 is a bit heavy compared to other headphones. may be a bit disconcerting at first but you will adjust after a few days.
 
other note is that may have slight silibance with poorly mastered tracks. can EQ the treble to fix. even though I don't believe in burn-in, the silibance went away for me after a few days. lol. it's sound signature is a bit different with the recessed upper mids & slight treble spike, but omg the bass on these are amazing. works fine for most genres of music. amazing edm/hip hop headphones though. the bass on the he-400 is better than the newer hifiman headphones too which is sadnesss.

 

[KitWasHere]

Good to know! Weird that they would even be comparable at a 60% price increase, wonder if it's just mostly the looks that are different. 

 

[KitWasHere]

I need to start quoting, people post fast here
 
One saving grace for me is that I don't really have much to compare to. Used the headphones that came with my iPod long after the iPod died, and then "splurged" on a $15 pair at BestBuy when I lost them haha. 
 
That was the main thing that made them a contender for me, that they're decent all around. I'll play a game or watch a movie with my headphones here and there and I'm not into this hobby enough (yet) to warrant more than one pair.
 
Only thing I don't like is the looks, maybe a paint job if it bugs me too much.

 

[money4me247]

  Good to know! Weird that they would even be comparable at a 60% price increase, wonder if it's just mostly the looks that are different. 

Mmm... I haven't tried the he-400i personally, so my comments may not be that accurate. however, the general consensus of the thread is that the he-400 has more bass than the he-400i. the quality of the bass appears to be in the old he-400 favor. the he-400 has a interesting sound signature that contains really linear bass with a recessed upper mid range and a small treble spike. The he-400i fixes the coloration of the old he-400's sound signature and appears to be a more neutral audiophile pair of headphones. technically, the he-400i does hypothetically out-perform the old he-400 in terms of sound quality with detail retrieval, imaging, sound stage, and clarity and stuff like that... but damn, at $300 or less, I think the old he-400 definitely is the best performance per dollar out there if you like it's sound signature.
 
i have the he-560 which are a even more baller version of the he-400i, but man, the old he-400 still are fun to listen to with their amazing visceral bass.

 

[KitWasHere]

  Mmm... I haven't tried the he-400i personally, so my comments may not be that accurate. however, the general consensus of the thread is that the he-400 has more bass than the he-400i. the quality of the bass appears to be in the old he-400 favor. the he-400 has a interesting sound signature that contains really linear bass with a recessed upper mid range and a small treble spike. The he-400i fixes the coloration of the old he-400's sound signature and appears to be a more neutral audiophile pair of headphones. technically, the he-400i does hypothetically out-perform the old he-400 in terms of sound quality with detail retrieval, imaging, sound stage, and clarity and stuff like that... but damn, at $300 or less, I think the old he-400 definitely is the best performance per dollar out there if you like it's sound signature.
 
i have the he-560 which are a even more baller version of the he-400i, but man, the old he-400 still are fun to listen to with their amazing visceral bass.

 
From the ads they seem to boast about the comfort and weight improvements the most. I'm sure there are differences electrically but I wonder how much seeing as they kept the number scheme on this model. 
 
Do you hear big improvements from the 400 to the 560?

 

[money4me247]

 
From the ads they seem to boast about the comfort and weight improvements the most. I'm sure there are differences electrically but I wonder how much seeing as they kept the number scheme on this model. 
 
Do you hear big improvements from the 400 to the 560?

 
I think they misnamed the he-400i. should have been called the he-450 as it sounds more similar to the he-500 than the old he-400. It was named that way because it uses an upgraded version of the he-400 drivers, so naming more based on tech than sound. hifiman did state the he-400i was trying for the he-500 sound signature.
 
Mmm... honestly, there are severe diminishing returns as you go up the chain. The he-560 definitely technically out-performs the he-400 and the he-560 sound signature is amazingly perfectly balanced & neutral compared to anything else I have ever tried. It is an upgrade for sure, obviously not double-to-triple as good.
 
honestlyyyyyy though... the sonic upgrades are pretty subtle. I personally probably wouldn't have spent that much money on headphones, but I got these as a gift. The value for performance isn't as amazing the headphones in the $300 range. when you start moving up from mid-fi into 'hi-fi,' you end up spending double or triple the money for maybe 10-25% sonic improvements. that is the way it works for amps and dacs too. The prices jump really quickly, but the actual sonic improvements are pretty subtle especially when you direct A-B compare without any bias (aka get someone who doesn't know anything about either headphones & ask for their opinion).
 
These forums make it seem like all these little things make such a giant difference and it really makes you want to upgrade like crazy, but honestly from my experiences, I would say $300 pair of headphones is a the sweet spot for priceerformance with about $200ish or less for an amp/dac combo and you are all set. after that you are going to get hit extremely hard with crazy diminishing sonic returns for your dollar. after getting the he-560, I don't feel any further need to upgrade really because I can't really imagine what kind of further improvements can be made to the sound at this point and these $900 headphones are definitely not three times as good as the $300 he-400. The he-560's balanced neutral presentation & sonic prowess is quite amazing (don't get me wrong, I am a headphone enthusiast), but I don't think that normal people who are not super-passionate or super-over-analyzing every detail of each note would really even notice that much of a difference between them. lol!!

 

[Uncle AL]

I would agree with recommendations for the he 400. You are doing well to fully research options, and this should pay dividends with
your final choice. Keep in mind, your tastes will likely refine over time, and that this may, as money4me247 indicated, result in desire to
acquire new equipment to match your growing appreciation of audio. Like the rest of us, I trust you will enjoy the ride--