I think it's a good intro to planar headphone, but not the best introduction of planar bass. It introduces the imaging and clarity side of planars. I usually find Hifimans to have more or less good vocal timbre (I guess better female than male).
We hope for stronger bass with the new Hifimans, correct? I hope to hear more bass impact with newer stuff they will release.
Problem with the Hifimans is they're very open, they don't have much dampening, if at all, sound changes come form the pads which don't always completely seal. Those with big ol' heads tend to get more perceived bass response from Hifimans. Audeze headphones have a sealed front volume, have dampening, pretty much a semi open headphone so they're able to have a more linear bass response but lack the mid bass hump of truly open headphones. Hifimans operate in the opposite. I would love to have a Hiifman with a stronger low end but it would mean sacrificing some of what makes them sound so good in other areas. I wouldn't mind Hifiman bringing back the sound of their older headphones like the HE-500 which sounded less open but more bottom heavy than the current models so I for sure agree it's something I'd like to see next.
Problem with the Hifimans is they're very open, they don't have much dampening, if at all, sound changes come form the pads which don't always completely seal. Those with big ol' heads tend to get more perceived bass response from Hifimans. Audeze headphones have a sealed front volume, have dampening, pretty much a semi open headphone so they're able to have a more linear bass response but lack the mid bass hump of truly open headphones. Hifimans operate in the opposite. I would love to have a Hiifman with a stronger low end but it would mean sacrificing some of what makes them sound so good in other areas. I wouldn't mind Hifiman bringing back the sound of their older headphones like the HE-500 which sounded less open but more bottom heavy than the current models so I for sure agree it's something I'd like to see next.
I agree that compared to Hifimans, Audeze comes off more closed sounding, and I believe that's part of the reason I'm not much into Audeze or even DCA. Hifiman distinguishes their headphones by bring truely an open design, and this open design causes the better imaging.
Classic Hifimans were still open sounding and not as semi-open like the other brands, yet had good bass impact. That's what I'm hoping Hifiman can bring forth again.
Hifimans pads have improved. Audeze and DCA were ahead of the game in terms of pads, and Hifiman skimps on accessories like that, which has effect on the sound like the pads. They do provide better fitting pads with new stuff even imcluding the HE6SE these days.
But, I do recall unsatisfied pad feeling with the old HE6, 500, Sundara, and HE560. I had to swap for better pads for HE6 and 500. With proper pads, they are top performers for price points.
Audeze opens do feel closed for me, one side of my ears feel pressure and causes a suction.
Even with the new HE6SE, I notice not the same level of bass impact as the classics. With the classics, you just need the correct angled pads and you got bass impact and imaging.
i found HE500 best sounding with focus pads, i tried some leather ones but the sound was too warm and they lost a lot of energy in the treble and upper mids
i found HE500 best sounding with focus pads, i tried some leather ones but the sound was too warm and they lost a lot of energy in the treble and upper mids
I guess we all have preferred pads. Focus pads weren't for me. The dynamics felt compressed and imaging not so separated with a warm less clarity to the sound. Velour material has always been thd righ one for me. I didn't like leather pads as much and alzo didn't like when fhe opening of the pads do nog have the same circle shape as stock. ZMF Ori with oval shape sounded odd to me like a tunnel, and bass not as large of an area as stock.
I think with the new HE6SEV2, Hifiman tweaked the Palipads for better upper mids. It sounded like simolar case with the silent revision of Sundara.
You heard the new revision? That was the main problem with Sundara, the pad seal and the 2k mids slightly dipped with a contrast in the upper mids rise. HE6SE was like that with the OG Palipads. You knlw it was the pads causing such tonality.
I saw that somebody posted that on this thread which drew my interest. Somebody said the silent revision improves it, but didn'f care until I saw that measurement. Is Sundara closer to the classics or the new drivers?
Classic Hifimans were still open sounding and not as semi-open like the other brands, yet had good bass impact. That's what I'm hoping Hifiman can bring forth again.
Equalizer APO with Peace GUI is super clean. And you don't even have to take the headphones apart
Seriously, they do respond very well to EQ. So not sure I see the benefit in modding them. Although I realize that doesn't help anyone who wants to use them with a turntable.
I modded it with blutack, and to be honest, I couldn't tell the difference from non-mod. Hifimans measure linear bass in general, but doesn't mean they hit hard.
5XX came in today. I don't know what it is but intiial impressions are: so much flatter in every single thing I've tried it, compared to the 400i 2020's I've had for the past 2 weeks.
The 400i sounds lively and full. The 5XX is incredibly dull and flat. Not sure what's up with it. I didn't need to "break in" the 400i's or get used to the sound - they immediately sounded much fuller than the AKG 701 before it. Now the 5XX came in and it's such a downgrade. I'm going to try burning it in with variable white/pink noise for 24 hours but I don't really have hopes.
The cable and headphones themselves also feel a lot cheaper than the 400i 2020s. Not to mention the 5XX costs ~$50 more than the 400i's.
Totally lacking bass compared to the 400i's, and the higher treble-like notes almost sound like shrills - much harsher and less pleasant/rounded vs the 400i.
Nothing good to say about this headset when put against the 400i 2020. Completely overshadowed =/ maybe the 5XX are more analytical? Maybe that's how to explain the flatness I'm describing. But I expected them to be more dynamic and fun if anything vs the 400i's.
Not sure what else to say. Will burn them in and compare again, but I feel like these will be going back and I'll be keeping the 400i 2020's and being super happy with those!
Update on this: I changed my Sound Blaster X3 dac/amp with a Magni/Modi.
The SBX3 was not enough to properly drive the HE-5XX, but was very good for the 400i 2020.
Now that I have the modi/magni, I still think the 400i 2020 is the better buy, because now they sound identical almost. The 400i sounds maybe a big fuller, and the HE-5XX is better with treble-like notes such as voices and strings being a bit crisper maybe, but I prefer the build quality, feel, and audio of the 400i 2020, plus it is $50-60 cheaper than the HE-5XX.
Bass is still better on the 400i, although I will say, after swapping the dac/amp, I no longer have anywhere near the bass I had with the Sound Blaster 3X on Super-XFI mode (not adjusting any EQs bass-wise manually). The audio presentation on the SB3X is overall more interesting and lively than the sterile/accurate/crisp of the magni/modi. Music is more neutered now, but being a purist, I think this suits me better anyway, and I definitely pick up on notes and tones I've missed on in music before. The resolution and instrument separation with a different DAC/amp certainly unfolds music more.
Very odd how with a more proper dac/amp they're just about equal, while with a less good amp/dac, the 400i blows the HE-5XX out of the water. Must be a lot easier to drive for some reason. But both are now pretty much equal sounding to my newbie-ears. I like the HE-5XX upper ends more, and the lower ends of the 400i 2020. Both extremely comfortable.
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