[DavidA]

Thank you. But I'm primarily interested to know how much of power in mW/W I need to provide at ~32ohm for those planners to bloom in full.

25-35mW is really all you need unless you are listening at really high hearing damaging levels.

udsd and myzic

udsd = micro iDSD? the amp section of the micro idsd is pretty good from the few times I've heard one and IIRC it will drive the HE400i quite well.

I've never heard of the myzic amp and its the first time I've seen it mentioned on any thread

 

[Vartan]

Can iDSD run 400i on ECO mode while listening old records with hight dynamic range?

 

[phthora]

Thank you. But I'm primarily interested to know how much of power in mW/W I need to provide at ~32ohm for those planners to bloom in full.

What you'll need to know is how well the amp drives headphones at the 400i's impedance of 45 ohm. Measured specs here: https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE4002014.pdf

I think what @DavidA was suggesting is that the power output of an amp is far from the only relevant aspect to its quality. Coloration, SNR, noise floor, THD+N, output impedance, quality of components, and several other aspects besides all influence the sound for better or worse. For what it's worth, I think the 400i sounds great with the Fiio A5, which is about as inexpensive you can get for an acceptable pairing. I use mine with the iBasso P5 or the iFi Black Label and love the results.

 

[pbarach]

^^
Hifiman rates the current version of the 400i headphones as having a 35-ohm impedance.

 

[pbarach]

The headfi measurements are for the older version (with the backplate and screw-in connectors).

 

[DavidA]

^^
Hifiman rates the current version of the 400i headphones as having a 35-ohm impedance.

The headfi measurements are for the older version (with the backplate and screw-in connectors).

Which should make them easier to drive but might sound better with an amp that has a very low output impedance.

 

[Trunks159]

Just got a pair in the mail. Holy molly these sound great. Comparing them to DT880 and MDR MA MA900 out of Fiio E10k > Magni 2 and E10k > Little Dot i+ with GE Jan tubes.

First time in a long while I've been pleasantly surprised with how a headphone sounds out of the box.

 

[393699]

My HE400i will be delivered directly from Hifiman on Friday. I am also a DT880 250 Ohm Premium owner. I currently use a Creative ZXR for my DAC. I ended up upgrading all 4 of the stock opamps to the LME49710HA Metal Can opamps on the card as well. The card sounds amazing with the PCM1794 DAC it has on it paired with those metal can opamp upgrades. I don't use the headphone amp on the card. I use the RCA outs straight into my M-Stage HPA-2 headphone amp which I upgraded to the LME49990. This should give me a very impressive experience with the HE400i. I am excited to compare it with my DT880. I have a feeling that the HE400i is going to end up sounding like a DT880, but will be one full tier higher in refinement, sound quality, and bass extension.

 

[Trunks159]

Well, don't expect more bass extension from the HE400i.

 

[Little Bear]

The bass is well extended, just not prodigious. I find the 400i to sound rather neutral. Mine were built recently.

 

[phthora]

The bass is well extended, just not prodigious. I find the 400i to sound rather neutral.

Totally agree.

 

[393699]

The fact that the headphone is neutral, but is also planar magnetic, is the reason I bought it. I have never been into a "fun, or bass heavy sound". However, improved extension, and less bass roll off below 60hz will be welcome. I will be sure to toss up my impressions and comparisons with my DT880 after the HE400i arrives in the mail.

 

[Brahmsian]

Lots of possibilities, the headphone, the amp, the DAC, or you might just be sensitive to the frequency.

The ATH-M50 is not as extended in the highs like the HE400i so that might be one reason you didn't notice the sibilance before. I've never heard the ma900 so I don't know how it sounds. What DAC/amp are you using?

No it's the phones. I just got mine in the mail on Friday directly from Hifiman. Already logged in a few hours with them and the sibilance is off the charts. S and th are so harsh and sharp that they sound like they could cut something. If they soften over time, I will believe in the "breaking headphones in" phenomenon. Otherwise, they're going back.

Apart from the s and th problem, the sound isn't bad. But I have to say that these headphones just look, feel, and sound toylike compared to the Monolith 1060s that I bought a couple weeks ago. Everything on the 400i sounds small and shrunken in comparison. Just plain tiny. Some people might prefer the 400i for specific reasons (for certain applications, taste in sound signature, etc.), but all in all it's not even in the same league with the M1060.

What I like about the 400i is that they are lighter, hence easier to use with my phone. But my phone can't drive the 400i to acceptable volume levels, particularly with symphonic music. If I keep 'em, I'll have to buy a portable amp, and am thinking about the Oppo HA-2SE.

By the way, M1060 also has a much better cable, which so far has never twisted. My 400i cable loves to twist and loop in on itself, especially when I try to walk around with them listening off my phone. Can the cable be swapped for a thinner one?

 

[Slim1970]

No it's the phones. I just got mine in the mail on Friday directly from Hifiman. Already logged in a few hours with them and the sibilance is off the charts. S and th are so harsh and sharp that they sound like they could cut something. If they soften over time, I will believe in the "breaking headphones in" phenomenon. Otherwise, they're going back.

Apart from the s and th problem, the sound isn't bad. But I have to say that these headphones just look, feel, and sound toylike compared to the Monolith 1060s that I bought a couple weeks ago. Everything on the 400i sounds small and shrunken in comparison. Just plain tiny. Some people might prefer the 400i for specific reasons (for certain applications, taste in sound signature, etc.), but all in all it's not even in the same league with the M1060.

What I like about the 400i is that they are lighter, hence easier to use with my phone. But my phone can't drive the 400i to acceptable volume levels, particularly with symphonic music. If I keep 'em, I'll have to buy a portable amp, and am thinking about the Oppo HA-2SE.

By the way, M1060 also has a much better cable, which so far has never twisted. My 400i cable loves to twist and loop in on itself, especially when I try to walk around with them listening off my phone. Can the cable be swapped for a thinner one?

Never heard the M1060 but I have the HE-400i's being delivered tomorrow. From what I've been reading about them you definitely need an amp to get the most out of them. You would think with a 93dB sensitivity rating that they would be easy to drive. But a lot of reviewers are using amps to push them. I have the Oppo HA-2SE and the Chord Mojo. They are different enough to keep both. The Mojo is a detail monster with clarity in spades, which is exactly how people are describing the HE-400i's. So using the Mojo could be to much of a good thing. But with brighter headphones I prefer the HA-2SE. Having the option to turn on the bass boost balances out the sound on brighter headphones to me. From what you are describing I think the HA-2SE will be a good fit for the HE-400i's. Especially if the upper frequencies are as sibilant as you're describing.

 

[Brahmsian]

If anything the DragonFly Red amp/dac I'm using makes the sibilance worse, and then it seems to get worse still when I stream Tidal on Audirvana as compared to Tidal alone. The DragonFly Red also doesn't help with how small everything sounds compared to the M1060.

Ss are still very sharp but they seem to have softened just a tad after more hours of use. It's hard to say since the sharpness is still there. One song where it's very pronounced: PHILOSOPHY! by Baio. It isn't noticeable on every song, but I've already encountered it on several, and when you do it's like whoa.

Anyhow, let us know if you have the same problem on your pair and whether or not it gets better over time. This is something people considering buying these headphones should know about.