[fortitude]

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Based on the fact that almost every single person who has bought 400's mentioned that they switched to the velour pads...I will follow suit. 
 
@fortitude - you mentions the E17 is a good match. That's good to hear. What do you think about the E9 being used as the amplifier and the E17 as the DAC?
 
Edit: Also, when stationary and NOT using my mac, which between the E9 and the E17 is a better stand alone amp?

 
When I had the HE400s, I used them off the E17 as-is and they did a great job.  I've never heard the E9 by itself or compared to the E17 so I cannot make an accurate judgement, but some people have said they actually preferred the sound of the E17 overall. 
 
Maybe something to think about, for a mere $200 of having a magni/modi combo as your stationary setup and the E17 as your portable.  The magni would pump out between 1-1.2 watts for those, which is perfect for orthos or other hard to drive cans.

 

[ToInfinity]

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You also might want to consider the Mad Dog modded t50-rps. Closed, isolating, and sound excellent. Though about as heavy as the He-400's, the comfort strap that comes with it distributes the weight well to the point that I'm using them as portables just fine, and the new pads they come with make them really really comfortable. They're exactly as you like your sound prescribed; neutral, balanced but absolutely musical, and go well with a broad array of genres. They're orthodynamics and so they have the quick transient response for those complex passages, excellent and transparent mids and smooth but detailed treble; very versatile cans. Several have compared them to higher end cans just as the he-400s have been, to the point that some have said the only real difference is that one is open and one is closed. I can't attest to how well the e17s would drive them, but if you'd like, feel free to come visit and peruse the review thread (they've gone through a recent pad upgrade, and you can find information on measurements and all that on mr speakers website.) sorry about the short reply, I'd elaborate but I'm on my phone (wearing the mad dogs on the bus, no less!)
 
also should mention they have a 15-day no questions asked return policy; Dan from MrSpeakers is an absolute pleasure to deal with.

I did do a little looking into them...from what I gathered they are a kind of headphone that benefits most from self-modding and EQ, and correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, with that said I don't feel comfortable modding any headphones yet (especially an expensive pair pushing my budget), and even the thought of switching the padding on the HE-400's makes me nervous. 

 

[vaed]

They've been modded by Mr. Speakers already; they require no further modding unless an update like new pads come out (but the new ones come with the new on pads already) 
 
EDIT: Here's his website in case you're still interested: http://www.mrspeakers.com/

 

[ToInfinity]

@fortitude - Thanks once again for your input, you seem to have experience in my exact (or pretty close) situation. Since you have had them...do you really think walking around outside with them will cause problem? People keep saying how "not portable" they are...but I will put that to the test if I get them! Hypothetically speaking, lets say you wore them outside as you ran some errands...how would they fair? 

 

[ToInfinity]

Quote:

They've been modded by Mr. Speakers already; they require no further modding unless an update like new pads come out (but the new ones come with the new on pads already) 

Cool man, thanks for the recommendation. I'll do some research right now 

 

[ToInfinity]

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I think the e17 is better from what I have read but the fiio e12 will be released on march in think.

March is far too long to wait...considering I'll have my E17 tonight...and the new cans tomorrow 

 

[fortitude]

Quote:

@fortitude - Thanks once again for your input, you seem to have experience in my exact (or pretty close) situation. Since you have had them...do you really think walking around outside with them will cause problem? People keep saying how "not portable" they are...but I will put that to the test if I get them! Hypothetically speaking, lets say you wore them outside as you ran some errands...how would they fair? 

 
I personally would never use them outside or moving at all, the cables are quite rigid and not very fun to try and control.  They are pretty large, it's not like they feel like they would fall off your head but I even feel awkward using sennheiser HD25-IIs out and about which are pretty small.  This goes back to my IEM comment back in my original post, I generally leave my cans stationary and use IEMs when moving but that's just me.  BTW, people will be able to clearly hear what you are listening to even at a moderate level.  I could leave my pair on my desk playing and hear them across the room.
 
Not only that, but with open cans I try to keep mine in very clean and controlled environments.  Maybe a bit to do with an OCD of keeping my gear spotless and immaculate. 

 

[gelocks]

HE-400s for a portable set-up, I'm not sure that would work well...
 
Maybe you should look into something like the Sony MDR-1R and/or V-Moda M100s. I also have the Mad Dogs but I wouldn't use them as my portable setup either (they're big and weigh a bit...). All of these 3 mentioned should do a good to great job on the genres/artists you listed and provide a good upgrade to your M50s.
 
 
Good luck!

 

[ToInfinity]

Quote:

HE-400s for a portable set-up, I'm not sure that would work well...
 
Maybe you should look into something like the Sony MDR-1R and/or V-Moda M100s. I also have the Mad Dogs but I wouldn't use them as my portable setup either (they're big and weigh a bit...). All of these 3 mentioned should do a good to great job on the genres/artists you listed and provide a good upgrade to your M50s.
 
 
Good luck!

Thanks man! Yeah, I almost returned my 50's in anticipation for the upgrade (and to get back about 130 bucks), but figured it would nice as the portable option just in case I end up not digging the 400's. Thanks for the comment. 

 

[mochill]

I still recommend the s500 for portable use

 

[autoexec]

HE-400 ftw on extreme metal music! However, you may want more mids than HE-400 can provide on groove metal like RATM, Chimaira or on anything that you would want to hear the throatiness of the guitars (if you know what I mean), They do excel though in advanced metal music due to their transient drivers. Fast transitions and very fast bass drum notes are clearly defined. Soundstage too is pretty accurate on HE-400. Of all my headphones only two I consider good in Soundstaging, Sennheiser MX 980 and the HE-400.

 

[DrikTheTroll]

My own experience with the HE-400s is that I found them to be quite rapidly fatiguing - could not listen to them for more than 30 mins without my ears hurting slightly. Admittedly, I was underamping them at the time.
 
Of course, a key determinant here is personal taste on how shiny you like your treble.
 
As a point of reference, I don't find the M50s to be harsh, bright, or fatiguing.
 
Something to consider if you plan on listening for extended periods of time (hours).

 

[Muzika]

I just recently upgraded from a pair of M50s to HE-400s. My impressions of the HE-400s keep changing (and I'm also a noob in this game), so I'm a bit tentative to say too much. You could read my recent post history (and contributions from others in those threads) if you're particularly interested in my experience. Otherwise I would warn against becoming too excited and 'set' on the HE-400s, as you may move into confirmation bias territory and begin ignoring the potential flaws some people are pointing out (I overloooked some of these).
 
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HE-400s for a portable set-up, I'm not sure that would work well...

 
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I personally would never use them outside or moving at all, the cables are quite rigid and not very fun to try and control.  They are pretty large...  BTW, people will be able to clearly hear what you are listening to even at a moderate level.

 
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The HE-400's would be an excellent choice, but not if it's going to be a portable system.  Same goes for the HD600/650's.  But personally, I'd end up with the HE-400's and then a set of IEMs for portable use

 
Quote:

My own experience with the HE-400s is that I found them to be quite rapidly fatiguing - could not listen to them for more than 30 mins without my ears hurting slightly. Admittedly, I was underamping them at the time.
 
Of course, a key determinant here is personal taste on how shiny you like your treble.
 
As a point of reference, I don't find the M50s to be harsh, bright, or fatiguing.
 
Something to consider if you plan on listening for extended periods of time (hours).

 
So, at least two things here:

1. Portability - no
2. Treble - pretty hot (i.e. can be harsh / fatiguing)

 
Personally, I'd feel like a goose wearing these things in public, but that's just me. They are pretty big. Here's a picture of the two cans compared:
 

 
See the width on them? They really stick out. Also, while the M50 are pretty well balanced with weight distribution, the HE-400s are quite heavy around the speaker bit. While fortitude said he didn't feel they'd fall off - I'd have the feeling they would (even if they didn't actually feel off - I'd have the feeling). Actually, nah they don't quite feel like they'd fall off - just tested them - but they feel big / awkward to me.
 
So that's the size issue, there's also the sound... Open headphones obviously leak in/out noise; if you're in a noisy place, your music will be somewhat interrupted. And if not for yourself, then for others, don't use these as portable headphones in public places. [rant] When I'm in public spaces I typically don't like listening to other people's noise - yes I avoid public spaces - I'd be a bit annoyed if someone was using open headphones on the train or in a study-space or something like that (though open cans would be a step-up if you're the type that just play music out of the ****ty speakers of your phone (I don't mean that as an accusation, just saying).[/rant]
 
Another thing to note is the high end. I believe I'm a bit sensitive to hf but I find it a bit much at times on the HE-400. I notice sibilance a lot more with them than I do with the M50. Turning them up loud can also become quite fatiguing with the aggressive highs.
 
Finally, these are open headphones and will have quite a different sound to closed headphones. The extra soundstage is very nice but the bass is quite different. It doesn't seem like you're too concerned about bass though so I'm sure the HE-400 would be quite satisfying in that department.
 
But don't get me wrong - I am actually quite enjoying my HE-400s. They're obviously very decent headphones and many people praise them highly. I just wanted to highlight a couple of factors you may want to take into account. It doesn't feel too good making a hefty purchase and regretting it.
 
Good luck