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.

I have found the open EL-8 online brand new for 490 EUR. I was thinking of replacing my HE-400i with these. Would this be considered an upgrade and how good of a deal is this?

  That's quite unlikely seeing as these are official distributors of Audeze in my country.

I found these headphones online brand new for 1031 EUR. How good of a deal is this? Seems really good to me.

    My next audiophile purchase will be an air conditioner 

Man these headphones sound great. I was listening to them over the summer with the windows open and the fan running two feet next to me, and they were less than impressive. But now that it's colder, and there's no fan and the windows are closed, they sound like heaven.   Open headphones really...

  Ah. Yeah perhaps your iems are very sensitive then. A good USB dac should solve that then.

    Hmm I don't experience that. Have you tested it with another IEM?

  I use my S6 with a Sony XBA-A2 and get no hiss at all. The GS6 has a really good built in dac and amp, I shouldn't have hiss. What app do you use?

Can someone recommend a pair of full size over ear headphones that has a similar sound signature to the XBA-A2? Preferably something in mid-fi level, perhaps around $400 or so.

  It's very close to the Electri-Q version, not 100% but close enough to not hear any differences when switching back and forth. I'll probably be playing with it some more, maybe reducing the amount of bass, but for now it sounds great. Gives the low end some much needed rumble, and a little...