HifiMan HE-300 or HE-400
Dec 3, 2012 at 11:12 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16
Jason36

Jason36

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I am looking to buy a pair of HifiMan Headphones and not sure whether to go for the HE-300 or the HE400?
 
Does anybody have experience of these and can anybody provide any information with regards to sound signatures or advice on which they would recommend?
 
My musical tastes are eclectic and varied and cover pretty much everything other than Classical or Opera, but predominantly I listen to a lot of female vocalists and accoustic type stuff, as well as rock and indie type music. These will be used predominantly with mu modded iPod and ALO The National portable amp.
 
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Dec 3, 2012 at 12:32 PM Post #2 of 16
Quote:
jason36 said:
I am looking to buy a pair of HifiMan Headphones and not sure whether to go for the HE-300 or the HE400?
 
Does anybody have experience of these and can anybody provide any information with regards to sound signatures or advice on which they would recommend?
 
My musical tastes are eclectic and varied and cover pretty much everything other than Classical or Opera, but predominantly I listen to a lot of female vocalists and accoustic type stuff, as well as rock and indie type music. These will be used predominantly with mu modded iPod and ALO The National portable amp.
 
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If you are choosing between the two go with the he-400s. The 300s are not even orthos. For a lot of female vocalist and accoustic type stuff I would maybe also suggest the HD650. They he-400 has a smoothed out treble with a great bass response. Love these headphones. HE-500 might be even better. Not the same bass response but amped well sound better overall then the he-400 for some people. 
 
Dec 3, 2012 at 12:43 PM Post #3 of 16
HE400s are a league (or two) above HE300 in terms of fidelity, no comparison there.
 
They are very different in sound signature though, HE300 is a bit warmer and more forward with a brighter treble, while HE400 is more laid-back with a more sparkly treble.
 
Dec 3, 2012 at 4:05 PM Post #4 of 16
Quote:
jerg said:
HE400s are a league (or two) above HE300 in terms of fidelity, no comparison there.
 
They are very different in sound signature though, HE300 is a bit warmer and more forward with a brighter treble, while HE400 is more laid-back with a more sparkly treble.
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Yes.  Two different sonic approaches.  Yet, I had the HE-300, and couldn't hold onto them for more than a few days as my HE-400s and HE-500s (at the time) started to toss insults to me.  So, I sold them off.  For me, the HE-400 is the "keeper."
 
Dec 4, 2012 at 5:53 AM Post #5 of 16
Cheers guys,

Thanks for the advice, I would prefer the HE-400 to be honest, possibly the HE-500 if funds will stretch that far. Will both of these models be driven ok by the National amplifier, which is what I intend to use them with predominantly in the first instance. I understand that both of these headphones prefer amplification to get the best out of them.

Also can anyone comment on how these are likely to sound compared to my Beyerdynamic T70p? I find that that the Beyers have a solid bass production when it's in the music but are probably geared more to the High Frequencies. I never find the T70p bright but they definately produce a nice top end.

Would the 400's be an improvement over the T70p in other peoples opinion?

Cheers
Jason
 
Dec 4, 2012 at 7:32 AM Post #6 of 16
Quote:
jerg said:
HE400s are a league (or two) above HE300 in terms of fidelity, no comparison there.
 
They are very different in sound signature though, HE300 is a bit warmer and more forward with a brighter treble, while HE400 is more laid-back with a more sparkly treble.
Click to expand...

 
+1
 
Oct 4, 2013 at 11:54 AM Post #7 of 16
People taking about fidelity might be exaggerating a bit  ..... the latest revision of the he300's is something different very different .... I have started to prefer them over my 650's in certain situation as well (saying something) 
I will edit this post linking it to my review on YouTube soon .... its a enchanting  can in disguise which is very underrated :frowning2:
HiFiMAN did it right for the final revision ....... their first dynamic is worth owning :)
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 11:28 AM Post #8 of 16
mrtechagent said:
People taking about fidelity might be exaggerating a bit  ..... the latest revision of the he300's is something different very different .... I have started to prefer them over my 650's in certain situation as well (saying something) 
I will edit this post linking it to my review on YouTube soon .... its a enchanting  can in disguise which is very underrated :frowning2:
HiFiMAN did it right for the final revision ....... their first dynamic is worth owning :)
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I'm looking forward to your review. I only bought a HE-400 last week and am considering a HE-300 now. I mean at USD249? C'mon.
 
Oct 10, 2013 at 11:44 AM Post #9 of 16
georgelai57 said:
I'm looking forward to your review. I only bought a HE-400 last week and am considering a HE-300 now. I mean at USD249? C'mon.
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Thanks ,the review will be up in a week and a half , stuck with exams at the moment , I recently contacted HiFMAN to get my hands on the he400s , heard from them yesterday so probably I will get that too :)
 
Oct 22, 2013 at 11:44 AM Post #11 of 16
jason36 said:
  I am looking to buy a pair of HifiMan Headphones and not sure whether to go for the HE-300 or the HE400?
 
Does anybody have experience of these and can anybody provide any information with regards to sound signatures or advice on which they would recommend?
 
My musical tastes are eclectic and varied and cover pretty much everything other than Classical or Opera, but predominantly I listen to a lot of female vocalists and accoustic type stuff, as well as rock and indie type music. These will be used predominantly with mu modded iPod and ALO The National portable amp.
 
beerchug.gif
Click to expand...

 
Heya,
 
The latest revision of the HE300 is a great headphone, stands up with the other mid-tier headphones, but for a great price (they cut it again too, it can be found for nearly $200 US here and there). Great overall balance, warm headphone, a touch of sparkle because all of hifiman has a touch of sparkle at the very least. If you're on a budget, start with this one.
 
The HE-400 is superior to me, but preferences rein here. Someone might prefer the HE300 to the HE400. That's entirely possible and exists. The HE400 has better control of low frequencies if given a good power source to drive. The mids are a touch more natural to me. It's a faster headphone to my ears, again, on a decent power source. Overall a tighter, faster, higher resolution listen. Give it a good source and some power and it will do serious work. But it's twice the price. Worth it? To me yes. But again, budget and preference are key here.
 
Very best,
 
Oct 21, 2014 at 11:52 PM Post #13 of 16
daniel4iem said:
  HE-400 for $239(?!?!) on Razordogaudio. Anyone have an opinion on this seller?
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razordogaudio.com is great. friendly customer service & they will take care of you if there are any issues.
 
Oct 22, 2014 at 12:02 AM Post #15 of 16
daniel4iem said:
  Thanks for the quick reply. I haven't been tracking prices but this seems like a good deal. What kind of amp is required to drive these?
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for the he-400, most any amp will work fine. i personally used the cheapo bravo v3 & it sounded great. popular budget amp recommendations around here would be the schiit magni & the jds o2 amp.
 
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