[AV3Nguyen]

Hello, I've been looking into getting a Mid-Fi/Hi-Fi pair of headphones. Currently, I have narrowed down to two pairs: the HE-400i and HD 650. So far, based on other people's comparisons:
The HD 650's have better mids than the HE-400i's, however the HE-400i's have better bass response. A post on reddit describes the mids of the HE-400i's as having "a sense of a slight suck-out/dip in the mids...and this makes certain vocals and instruments sound a tad darker than usual." The HE-400i's are planar-magnetic and I've heard that this type of headphone driver is better in the lows than dynamic drivers.
 
Which pair would be better for pop/alternative rock music such as My Chemical Romance, We the Kings, and Jimmy Eat World? Alternatively, is there any other headphones that are at most 400 USD (willing to wait for sales though) for these genres? I'm running the flac files (personal CD collection) off a schiit modi 2/magni 2 (May be able to get an Aune T1 from my brother). I want a pair of headphones with a decent soundstage and prefer, I think, a (pardon the small number of technical terms, I'm still relatively new) sound signature with strong lows (especially the sub-bass), forward mids, and neutral highs.
 
I have a pair of ath-m50x's for public use and I enjoy their bass, but the lack of soundstage leaves me wanting. I also have a pair of dt-880 pro's from my brother, however I might have to return them. I love their open nature, but dislike their bass in comparison to the m50x. Is their a way to mimic, through EQ (God this sounds terrible) on either pair of cans I own, the response curves of the HE-400i and HD 650 to get a rough ballpark of how they sound? Thanks for the help!

 

[Music Alchemist]

I owned both and prefer the HE400i, but either one is very good for the price, especially if you buy used.

 

[SSSN]

If you expect bass to be like the M50x, both HD650 and HE-400i will disappoint you.
I recommend the Philips Fidelio X2 if you want a bassy open headphone.
 
As far as HD650 vs HE-400i are concerned, here's the gist
 
- HE-400i has more treble energy, better subbass extension and slightly wider soundstage
- HD650 has more present mids and a bigger midbass punch
- HD650's build is better
- Both need an amplifier to shine
 
Little PSA: be careful when you read reviews and opinions of the HD650. Many people still have the "old" HD650 which sounds very laid-back and dark. The newer revisions however are not dark at all, but flat. It's tonality is very similar to the HD600 nowadays.

 

[harpo1]

  If you expect bass to be like the M50x, both HD650 and HE-400i will disappoint you.
I recommend the Philips Fidelio X2 if you want a bassy open headphone.
 
As far as HD650 vs HE-400i are concerned, here's the gist
 
- HE-400i has more treble energy, better subbass extension and slightly wider soundstage
- HD650 has more present mids and a bigger midbass punch
- HD650's build is better
- Both need an amplifier to shine
 
Little PSA: be careful when you read reviews and opinions of the HD650. Many people still have the "old" HD650 which sounds very laid-back and dark. The newer revisions however are not dark at all, but flat. It's tonality is very similar to the HD600 nowadays.

I have all three and I concur with everything you wrote.  Had the X2s at one point as well.

 

[Solduios]

He-400i are my favorite so far they are not dark but are warmer sounding then some. As a musician I enjoy there sound signature a lot.

 

[AV3Nguyen]

  If you expect bass to be like the M50x, both HD650 and HE-400i will disappoint you.
I recommend the Philips Fidelio X2 if you want a bassy open headphone.
 
As far as HD650 vs HE-400i are concerned, here's the gist
 
- HE-400i has more treble energy, better subbass extension and slightly wider soundstage
- HD650 has more present mids and a bigger midbass punch
- HD650's build is better
- Both need an amplifier to shine
 
Little PSA: be careful when you read reviews and opinions of the HD650. Many people still have the "old" HD650 which sounds very laid-back and dark. The newer revisions however are not dark at all, but flat. It's tonality is very similar to the HD600 nowadays.

I think I'm going to go for the HE-400i's. Is my Magni 2 capable of powering them? If not, then can they power the HD 650's?

 

[Solduios]

  I think I'm going to go for the HE-400i's. Is my Magni 2 capable of powering them? If not, then can they power the HD 650's?

Should be fine for these headphones I am using a Aune X1s and about 12 oclock on the dial is more then loud enough for me.

 

[dughoff]

I just purchased a new pair of 650's. I'm new to mid tier cans but have also been interested in comparing them to the 400i's. I also just purchased a fiio x7 and schitt magni amp. I'm not quote happy with the 650's but would appreciate any guidance I could get. My issue with the 650's is that I don't get the instrument separation or a sense of any real depth in the soundstage unless I'm listening to jazz or some female soul singers with well mixed tunes. And the vocals almost seem to bright and in my face on some rock or pop tunes with strong vocals. From reading the forum's it seems like a good tube amp might create more instrument separation and soften or mellow the overall sound and improve the soundstage. I would appreciate any feedback on whether the tube amp makes sense for the 650's. I believe tubes wouldn't be a good fit for the 400i's. Might it make sense to buy a lyr 2 so I could go either analog or digital if I sell the 650's in favor of a 400i or similar planar set of cans. One last question. Is it still beneficial to add a DAC even though the FIIO X7 has one built in. Having said the issues I have with the 650's I love listening to jazz flac files. And with a little bass boost on the x7 equalizer the low end is fantastic. I've just read a number of folks on the forum say that the 400i's solved all issues they had with the 650's. And I'm thinking I might have the perfect setup by picking up the right amp and possibly a dedicated DAC. I've read through forums and reviews for hours and don't feel comfortable laying out more cash without some feedback from some serious and experienced headphone enthusiast s.

 

[Solduios]

I just purchased a new pair of 650's. I'm new to mid tier cans but have also been interested in comparing them to the 400i's. I also just purchased a fiio x7 and schitt magni amp. I'm not quote happy with the 650's but would appreciate any guidance I could get. My issue with the 650's is that I don't get the instrument separation or a sense of any real depth in the soundstage unless I'm listening to jazz or some female soul singers with well mixed tunes. And the vocals almost seem to bright and in my face on some rock or pop tunes with strong vocals. From reading the forum's it seems like a good tube amp might create more instrument separation and soften or mellow the overall sound and improve the soundstage. I would appreciate any feedback on whether the tube amp makes sense for the 650's. I believe tubes wouldn't be a good fit for the 400i's. Might it make sense to buy a lyr 2 so I could go either analog or digital if I sell the 650's in favor of a 400i or similar planar set of cans. One last question. Is it still beneficial to add a DAC even though the FIIO X7 has one built in. Having said the issues I have with the 650's I love listening to jazz flac files. And with a little bass boost on the x7 equalizer the low end is fantastic. I've just read a number of folks on the forum say that the 400i's solved all issues they had with the 650's. And I'm thinking I might have the perfect setup by picking up the right amp and possibly a dedicated DAC. I've read through forums and reviews for hours and don't feel comfortable laying out more cash without some feedback from some serious and experienced headphone enthusiast s.

With the 400i's I would go with digital as the headphones are already warm and it will cool them down some and pull out more detail. I can not comment on the hd650 but any bright headphones can be tamed with a tube amp.

 

[Soundizer]

Wow i found this post and have a similar dilema.
For me it is between the He 400i, HD650 and Beyer DT1770Pro.

I own the HD 650 and am prepared to sell it if the alternative headphones are an upgrade for me. I one day hope to buy the Senn HD800s as an end game, but for now the Senn HD650 does not have the lower end base extension and EQ does not help.

I previously also had the X2, but had a bad experience with very sharp sibilance. I am not risking buying them again as it was just too painful for me.
Having said that the Sub Base and Sound stage were phenomenal.
The other reason I would not buy the X2 is that I have seen that the ear pads do wear out after about a year and since they are not replaceable in the UK this then means the lifetime of the headphones are too short. (They are not replaceable as there is no where to buy them and they tend to be glued in thanks to Gibson awful manufacturing process.)

I hope either the HE 400i and/or the BEYER DT1770pro can deliver bettter low end base and base slam then the HD650, and i also Soundstage?

In the UK PRICES on Amazon are typically:
Senn HD650 = £233.
X2 = £195.
HE 400i = £369.
Beyer DT1770pro = £369.

Based on above one could argue that the Senn and X2 are excellent value. I know the prices for the HE400i are much more competitive in the USA.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

If you expect bass to be like the M50x, both HD650 and HE-400i will disappoint you.
I recommend the Philips Fidelio X2 if you want a bassy open headphone.

As far as HD650 vs HE-400i are concerned, here's the gist

- HE-400i has more treble energy, better subbass extension and slightly wider soundstage
- HD650 has more present mids and a bigger midbass punch
- HD650's build is better
- Both need an amplifier to shine

Little PSA: be careful when you read reviews and opinions of the HD650. Many people still have the "old" HD650 which sounds very laid-back and dark. The newer revisions however are not dark at all, but flat. It's tonality is very similar to the HD600 nowadays.

How diffent is the new hd650 from the old one? I have a pair of new hd600s but i would like a bit more fullness, more punch than on the 600s and i was hopping for the hd650 to provise me with that..

I mostly listen to pop, metal and edm. The momentum over ear ismy favourite so far and since they are oftenly called little hd650s i was hopping to get the same sound but better on the 650.

Thw newer hd650 and 600 sound very similar?

Cheers

 

[Arif Shakhawat]

guys ....help me i mostly listen to rap such as eminem...tupac...biggie ...and pop such as Michael Jackson .....which can should i buy??? hd 650 or he 400i???

 

[Music Alchemist]

I mostly listen to pop, metal and edm. The momentum over ear ismy favourite so far and since they are oftenly called little hd650s i was hopping to get the same sound but better on the 650.

 
The HD 650 sounds way better than the MOMENTUM. I don't think it's "the same sound but better"; more like a more accurate sound signature, but with subtle lushness. The MOMENTUM is more like an audiophile-oriented consumer headphone whereas the HD 650 is a straight-up audiophile headphone.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

The HD 650 sounds way better than the MOMENTUM. I don't think it's "the same sound but better"; more like a more accurate sound signature, but with subtle lushness. The MOMENTUM is more like an audiophile-oriented consumer headphone whereas the HD 650 is a straight-up audiophile headphone.

But is it more fun and more powerfull sounding than the hd600 to the genres i mentioned?

 

[Music Alchemist]

But is it more fun and more powerfull sounding than the hd600 to the genres i mentioned?

 
I haven't heard the HD 600, so I dunno. haha. The Yamaha HPH-MT220 would be my pick for a fun, powerful sound. I enjoy it more overall than the HD 650 and HE400i.