I am selling my A2 + E12 so if anyone is looking for a great pairing, check out my sig. I can sell separate though.   They sound awesome of course, but with my left ear condition where I overproduce wax, IEMs can cause blockages.

  Not sure how good the amp section on that is. I think a warm amp is best suited for the HE-400i, like the one im using, the M-Stage. It gives the lower end a little bit more life, just a little.

  I don't think it will be a significant upgrade. IMO the DAC has least influence in the sound chain, with the amp and headphone influencing the sound the most. Don't get me wrong, it has an effect, but not as pronounced as an amplifier can be. What you want from a DAC is for it to be as...

  I know the HE-400i, and all previous HiFiman cans get a bad rep for their screw on cables, but I have never had a problem not once with both the HE-400 and the HE-400i in the 3+ years of owning both of them. The key is to pre-twist the cable before screwing it, so when it is finally screwed...

  No doubt the music will sound better with time, whether it be actual hardware burn-in or brain burn-in. I'm quite eager for some comparisons between the two headphones. I was looking at Audeze recently, I'm really curious if the LCD2 is a worthwhile upgrade over the 400i.

  I don't have the XBA-A3, but I have the A2. Not sure how similar they are, but I can say in comparison with the HE-400i, the A2 is a bass monster. I really like it's signature overall, nice deep and hard hitting bass, the mids are a little recessed compared to the HE-400i, and treble is...

This thread blew up! Welcome new HE-400i owners and enjoy.   I was one of very first to receive the HE-400i right before it released through Hifiman's HE-400i tour. Loved them then, and still love them today.

  Thanks for the heads up on the new Phutureprimitve stuff. I loved some of their older tracks.

  Yeah they should, however the company appears to have another similar, yet more up to date site where they have more information. Why they have numerous sites however, I don't know.

I have a much clearer image of how they compare now, thanks!

Ok after a little more digging it appears as though the low prices from their site are for used pairs. The new ones are regular price 1570EUR.

  Thanks for your impressions. From how you describe the differences, it sounds as though I'd prefer the EL-8O's sound signature more. I'm a big EDM fan, as a big chunk of my recent music is made up of that. I also enjoy hip hop, basically anything with a nice deep bass line. The HE-400i has...

:( We'll that's disappointing. The sound sig of the pre-fazor LCD sounds more appealing to me. Can we deduce from the serial number if it's pre fazor or fazor?

Hadn't noticed that thanks. I'm actually more interested in the LCD2 so I was actually going to ask them if they could order a pair from Audeze for me and how much they would charge. Does audeze actually sell pre-fazor units as that's what I'm more interested in?

Hmm well these prices are listed on their website. They don't list the serial numbers. I'll try contact them and see if they can provide that info.