[riz009]

Hello everyone, I've been stalking this forum for about 5 years but just decided to join, please be nice to me

The title says it all tbh. I am in the market for a new headphone to upgrade from the original M50 as I have some money coming in, and after some research, I've initially narrowed it down to the 400S. But then I saw that somebody is selling an HE 4XX for the same price of the 400S (my country doesn't have a strong currency yet have draconian import policies, so they ended up costing around the same).

My question is should I buy the S or the XX? My three main genres are Metal, Hip-hop, and Electronic, with some Classical on the sides. I have an Ordnance.22 amp but have been eyeing the Topping NX5 or the Q1 Mk.2. So considering all that, which one should I buy? Or should I consider something else entirely? (advice for amps are also welcome)

Thanks!

 

[squee116]

I think 400s sounds better and is more efficient.

 

[riz009]

I think 400s sounds better and is more efficient.

I see. Thanks for the reply. Oh and what about amps? Is there any particular amps that you would recommend for the S?

 

[squee116]

Anything with enough power is good. They're already warm, so you can make them dark with a warm amps or even them out with neutral ones. Really up to you. I use them Lake People G103, Chord Mojo, and V200 with no issues. You don't have to spend a ton. Anything like the Magni, O2, x7s, Vali 2 etc. will do just fine. If you don't have a DAC, you could even do a Fulla 2, or some other integrated unit like the ifi nano bl.

 

[riz009]

Anything with enough power is good. They're already warm, so you can make them dark with a warm amps or even them out with neutral ones. Really up to you. I use them Lake People G103, Chord Mojo, and V200 with no issues. You don't have to spend a ton. Anything like the Magni, O2, x7s, Vali 2 etc. will do just fine. If you don't have a DAC, you could even do a Fulla 2, or some other integrated unit like the ifi nano bl.

Hmm, I saw Magni and Fulla for sale near me the other day, and my friend has a Modi he's been looking to offload. Should I go for a Fulla or the Magni Modi combo? They'll cost about the same when I look at it

 

[squee116]

The Fulla takes up less desk space, and is all in one, so less cable clutter as well.
The Magni offers more power, so it can be used with more variety of headphones, and I love my modi 2u. Depending on version of Modi, you might have more options for inputs. I also think, unless using VERY efficient headphones, this combo will generally sound the best. Personal opinion though.

 

[riz009]

The Fulla takes up less desk space, and is all in one, so less cable clutter as well.
The Magni offers more power, so it can be used with more variety of headphones, and I love my modi 2u. Depending on version of Modi, you might have more options for inputs. I also think, unless using VERY efficient headphones, this combo will generally sound the best. Personal opinion though.

Assuming my buddy's Modi 2 is still available when I get my paycheck, I could get the Modi 2 Magni 2 combo for the same price of the Fulla 2

 

[riz009]

Oh, there's also a Magni 3 for sale

 

[riz009]

The Fulla takes up less desk space, and is all in one, so less cable clutter as well.
The Magni offers more power, so it can be used with more variety of headphones, and I love my modi 2u. Depending on version of Modi, you might have more options for inputs. I also think, unless using VERY efficient headphones, this combo will generally sound the best. Personal opinion though.

Hmm, I'm having second thoughts about the 400S after considering their (in)famous build quality. Do you have any other cans recommendation for me?

 

[squee116]

Within the price point?
If you get a beefier amp, maybe the Fostex TH50rp or HD6xx
Fidelio x2, Meze 99, M40x, one of the Monoprice planars (560, 565, 1060)
For a bit more, maybe the Fostex Thx00 Mahogany or if IEMs are okay massdrop x noble X or 1more quad

 

[riz009]

Within the price point?
If you get a beefier amp, maybe the Fostex TH50rp or HD6xx
Fidelio x2, Meze 99, M40x, one of the Monoprice planars (560, 565, 1060)
For a bit more, maybe the Fostex Thx00 Mahogany or if IEMs are okay massdrop x noble X or 1more quad

I already have the 1more quad actually

I can't find anyone that sells Monoprice here sadly, the 560 is actually my first choice. I'm more drawn to HD569, cheaper, and some reviews say that it is *slightly* better than the 50x (and I'm assuming the 40x as well).
Can't buy anything that needs a beefier amp yet since I need to save up until the end of the year at most to buy the Schiit stack. That, or I could just bite the bullet for a used iSine 10

What are your thoughts?

EDIT: Just seen the Massdrop x Noble, it's almost 450$ here, so probably not.

 

[squee116]

I already have the 1more quad actually

I can't find anyone that sells Monoprice here sadly, the 560 is actually my first choice. I'm more drawn to HD569, cheaper, and some reviews say that it is *slightly* better than the 50x (and I'm assuming the 40x as well).
Can't buy anything that needs a beefier amp yet since I need to save up until the end of the year at most to buy the Schiit stack. That, or I could just bite the bullet for a used iSine 10

What are your thoughts?

EDIT: Just seen the Massdrop x Noble, it's almost 450$ here, so probably not.

i like the idea of the isine 10, but the isine LX is just around the corner, so that's up to you.
There's a group of maligned reviewers that like the m40x a good bit more than the m50x (DMS3tv, ZReviews, JoshValour), so it's up to you if you take their word for it. I wouldn't ignore it just because of the source, but I wouldn't buy on their rec, either. Just a place to start.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

The title says it all tbh. I am in the market for a new headphone to upgrade from the original M50 as I have some money coming in, and after some research, I've initially narrowed it down to the 400S. But then I saw that somebody is selling an HE 4XX for the same price of the 400S (my country doesn't have a strong currency yet have draconian import policies, so they ended up costing around the same).

My question is should I buy the S or the XX? My three main genres are Metal, Hip-hop, and Electronic, with some Classical on the sides. I have an Ordnance.22 amp but have been eyeing the Topping NX5 or the Q1 Mk.2. So considering all that, which one should I buy? Or should I consider something else entirely? (advice for amps are also welcome)

HE400i has a response that is objectively better but subjectively people tend to not like it. It also needs more amplification, and those amps you can get your hands on won't really cut it.

HE400S response is technically inferior but subjectively has broader appeal, if not the HE400S by itself include popular headphones that have a similar response curve (HD600, K702, etc). Basically it sounds more like an older planar or a dynamic headphone driver, albeit with less driver distortion than a dynamic driver. It's also got a much higher efficiency - Q1 Mk2 will be more than enough to power it fully. Past that if you go higher up the chain on amps you're just going for lower distortion and noise, not for want of more power. HE400i will need rouhgly 4x the power to play at the same output level as the HE400S.

 

[riz009]

i like the idea of the isine 10, but the isine LX is just around the corner, so that's up to you.
There's a group of maligned reviewers that like the m40x a good bit more than the m50x (DMS3tv, ZReviews, JoshValour), so it's up to you if you take their word for it. I wouldn't ignore it just because of the source, but I wouldn't buy on their rec, either. Just a place to start.

Yeah, I've seen the Zeos bashing 50x and praising the 40x. Having heard both myself though, I quite liked the 50x more. About the LX, the page said only available in the US, so with my luck, it'll be sold here for two times the MSRP...

What about the 569 though? I've seen that on Tyll's wall of fame, and I often found mine and his taste intertwined.

 

[squee116]

Haven't heard the 569, so I couldn't say. I've only heard the 558, 598, 6xx, and 800.