[K.T.]

My plan was to get the Sennheiser HD598's and the PSB M4U1's, but the thought occurred to me that one pair of HiFi Man HE-400's would be less expensive overall.
 
Please note that the PSB M4U1's are $300 and the Sennheiser HD598's are currently on sale for $150 at Fry's. That's $450 for both. I believe the HE-400's run around $400. So I could go either way and be within the price limit of what can spend.
 
I'm currently using HD600's as my main phones and I love the way they sound. I hear the HD598's are as equally satisfying but different, and I'm intrigued by the PSB M4U1 - I've heard a tremendous amount of good things about them and would love to try them out.
 
So I'm wondering, given my liking of the HD600, whether the HiFiMan HE-400's would represent a big enough jump in sound quality to justify just getting them. I hear they are very resolving, but probably not as warm as the HD600. Maybe the HE-400's are more satisfying in a hi-rez, see-through kind of way, but maybe the HD600's are warmer, more supple, and more forgiving? That's what I glean from reading the reviews.
 
Now, I have had a chance to hear the HE-400's once for about two minutes. It was when I was purchasing a used FiiO E0k9 amp. The fellow selling it let me hear the pairing to demonstrate the amp. He played some FLAC files off of his mac laptop through the rig, and for whatever reason, I thought the pairing of HE-400 and E09k was WAY to bright and harsh sounding. I wasn't impressed at all. But there's a lot of talk on the forum that indicates the HE-400 can be exceptional if put in the right system.
 
Incidentally, the Sennheiser HD600's sound phenomenal with the FiiO E09k. I was not expecting the pairing to sound nearly as good as it does.
 
So what do you think? Should I go with HiFiMan, or get one pair each of the HD598's and M4U1's? I do love the sound of my HD600's!
 
Thanks!

 

[tehsprayer]

I think PSBs are a bit overpriced. If I were you get the HE-400 or just the HD 598 and save some money for Fiio e10 (598 don't need a ton of power)

 

[K.T.]

Yes, I have the FiiO E10! I've got it running a line-level output to the the input of my E09k. Great combo!
 
Any thoughts on the HE-400's? The memory of my very brief experience of the HiFiMan HE-400 paired with the E09k was not a good one, but there are many positive reviews of the HE-400's that make me very interested. Maybe it's not the right combo, or maybe there was something else in the chain that was mucking it up.
 
I actually have put in an order for the HD598's. Just trying to figure out if I should stay the course or not.

 

[tehsprayer]

  Yes, I have the FiiO E10! I've got it running a line-level output to the the input of my E09k. Great combo!
 
Any thoughts on the HE-400's? The memory of my very brief experience of the HiFiMan HE-400 paired with the E09k was not a good one, but there are many positive reviews of the HE-400's that make me very interested. Maybe it's not the right combo, or maybe there was something else in the chain that was mucking it up.
 
I actually have put in an order for the HD598's. Just trying to figure out if I should stay the course or not.

I can't say much about the HE-400 as I don't have them. But reviews are saying they are a great bang for buck! I have the DT 990 Pros which may be worth checking out, very comfortable and good sound with a low price.
 
 
The HD598s for $150 is a steal, if you feel you would like another pair you could resell on here easily without losing money (or very little).

 

[Lorspeaker]

curious about your rationale for new cans..
check out new NAD HP-50....u want another closed can to hit the streets with? 
 
the hd600 is superb...i wont bother with another 598 next to it longterm. 

 

[K-Otar]

The HD600 and HE-400 would be a perfect pair, IMO. 

 

[SunshineReggae]

Dunno why you would want a 598 next to a hd600. The 598 is a pretty nice headphone but the 600 is pretty much superior, in a word. I never use my 598 anymore and when I do decide to give it a shot, the sound always seems bland and uninteresting to me, being used to the 600. YMMV ofcourse, but I find the DT770 a much more interesting complement as it obviously does a lot of things quite differently than the hd600 - the 598 in comparison is just another open, dynamic sennheiser headphone.
 
Also don't know why the HE400 wouldn't rock with the Fiio e9. It should work great. Maybe he had some EQ settings going on in that shop or maybe the situation was just warped in some way.

 

[K-Otar]

  Dunno why you would want a 598 next to a hd600. The 598 is a pretty nice headphone but the 600 is pretty much superior, in a word. I never use my 598 anymore and when I do decide to give it a shot, the sound always seems bland and uninteresting to me, being used to the 600. YMMV ofcourse, but I find the DT770 a much more interesting complement as it obviously does a lot of things quite differently than the hd600 - the 598 in comparison is just another open, dynamic sennheiser headphone.
 
Also don't know why the HE400 wouldn't rock with the Fiio e9. It should work great. Maybe he had some EQ settings going on in that shop or maybe the situation was just warped in some way.

 
+1, I agree 100%