mrscotchguy
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Hifiman HE-4 Impressions Thread
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UGH
So you guys might know I like my Th X00 or LA D5k for metal, every now an again the HE 4 shows them both up. I'm giving Metallica's ...And Justice For All, a listen an HOLY freaking crap, this mix/master is freaking amazing sounding on the HE 4! lighting Quick, bass is Bumped rather nicely, guitars are... tactile edgy, ROUGH an crystal clear, an the high hats are top notch to!
Point being, the HE 4 is still king in my home lol
So you guys might know I like my Th X00 or LA D5k for metal, every now an again the HE 4 shows them both up. I'm giving Metallica's ...And Justice For All, a listen an HOLY freaking crap, this mix/master is freaking amazing sounding on the HE 4! lighting Quick, bass is Bumped rather nicely, guitars are... tactile edgy, ROUGH an crystal clear, an the high hats are top notch to!
Point being, the HE 4 is still king in my home lol
mrscotchguy
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It's funny, Justice for All is my absolute favorite Metallica album. Unfortunately, with my configuration, the HE-4 seems almost life-less. Vocals are recessed/distant. Bass, treble, and instrument separation is just fine... but vocals just feel like I'm in the nose-bleeds. I find that album sound more "correct" to my ears with my HD800 or my TH600.
Ironically, I can only listen at low volumes with the HD800, so it pretty much defeats the purpose!!!
Truth be told, I am always floored by just how well the HE-4 does everything. I can really only ever nit-pick. I'm having a blast with my HE-5LE... but it's such a different flavor that it's impossible to compare for me. The HE-5LE pretty much just sounds like what everyone always describes the HE-500 as without all the negatives I actually experience with them on each demo...
One of my favorite albums with the HE-4 is Goyte's Making Mirrors... I can always listen to that... never said I had good taste!
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It's funny, Justice for All is my absolute favorite Metallica album. Unfortunately, with my configuration, the HE-4 seems almost life-less. Vocals are recessed/distant. Bass, treble, and instrument separation is just fine... but vocals just feel like I'm in the nose-bleeds. I find that album sound more "correct" to my ears with my HD800 or my TH600.
Ironically, I can only listen at low volumes with the HD800, so it pretty much defeats the purpose!!!
Truth be told, I am always floored by just how well the HE-4 does everything. I can really only ever nit-pick. I'm having a blast with my HE-5LE... but it's such a different flavor that it's impossible to compare for me. The HE-5LE pretty much just sounds like what everyone always describes the HE-500 as without all the negatives I actually experience with them on each demo...
One of my favorite albums with the HE-4 is Goyte's Making Mirrors... I can always listen to that... never said I had good taste!
I do admit the vocals are a bit drawn back, but honestly I've never liked Hetfeilds voice all that much so I kinda enjoy having his voice a little back behind the Guitars, though the HE 4 does a nice job keeping the Guitars front an center, while keeping Hetfeilds voice nice an clear!
mrscotchguy
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Akemi Homura
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I belive its been about 29900 years since I ordered the amp and now... finally here it is. One thing that I'm really quite surprised is that man this thing is SMALL!. Unfortunately my 220v iec320power cord hasn't been delivered yet so basically, I'm dieing beacause I couldn't listen to my he4 with this amp even though its right in front of me. Can't wait to write a proper review after listening to the he4. Hopefully it will be soon.
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I belive its been about 29900 years since I ordered the amp and now... finally here it is. One thing that I'm really quite surprised is that man this thing is SMALL!. Unfortunately my 220v iec320power cord hasn't been delivered yet so basically, I'm dieing beacause I couldn't listen to my he4 with this amp even though its right in front of me. Can't wait to write a proper review after listening to the he4. Hopefully it will be soon.
Oh I forgot to mention, I'm getting a Project Starlight to listen to! Sadly it's not as powerful as the Ember is but I'll b able to get a nice taste of the 1217 style! Just looking over the manual, I feel a little silly for my previous criticisms. These things are CRAZY customizable
Soundsgoodtome
Headphoneus Supremus
Those should go great with the THX00, not sure about them being able to power the he4 properly though.
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Yea, I think I'll test it with my W1000X [really sounds breath taking on a clean tube] an the TH X00
Akemi Homura
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Finally.... the power cable arrived and I've been able to listen to these headphones properly after two months of wait. Here are some quick impressions written by me.
As I mentioned in this thread a few months ago, I do live in South Korea and was starting to buy some good headphones for me to listen to. However I at first I was NOT searching for some audiophile grade equipment beacause I didn't wanted to spend a few grands of money for some headphone equipment and got some iem. Still wasn't satisfied with the result though. Them I went to Seoul at a headphone shop (man these things are VERY VERY hard to find here) and listened to some HD650, K712 and some HD800 with a sony PHA amp/dac and man.... boy I was surprised how these reference grade headphones could change your listening experience and I was especially surprised how the HD800 sounded. How could a headphone possibly produce a sound that is just so close to reality? And then as I was trying to leave a store I spotted a Hifiman. They said that they were out of stock but I listened to them anyway just for curiousity. I realized that it was written he4 which I never heard of. I did think about getting the 400i and heard about the 400 500 6 and 5 but not the '4'. And..... I just wet my pants. I was shocked at how many details were lost when you're listening to music normally. Then I searched EVERYWHERE in Korea that I could find a pair of the headphones and foumd that that there was only one left in the official supplier in Korea which was a very slightly used first production model and bought it immediately for about 370 US $. And after more than 2 months later, here is my full setup including the Project Ember.
1. Looks: Yeah baby.... this is one hell of an old school looking pair of headphones which you guess is probably looks German or English........ until you know is from.. China?? Well.. I like it though. Nice touch how the headband tortures you after an hour of listening session. Lovely looking pair.
2. Amplification: Well.... what should you expect? Haha... the thing is though when you amp it properly, it really does shine and does sound quite different before you do it. The 'ear-scratching' treble just runs away and the soundstage does open up pretty wide which I should explain it later. It truly is a different world after you amp this thing.
3. Sound: Now... the sound. You buy a headphone because of the sound. And for that, the he4 just excels which I think is one of the main reasons I bought it. The overall sound just feels rather pleasant than anything too funky to be honest. Rather than just analyzing it by highs mids and bass, I just felt that the headphones itself felt very friendly to me. The thing that is very unique in particular is that it 'shifts' its personality from a song or a genre to another. Silky smooth and soft from smooth jazz or house music and instantly changes when you listen to rock or live music. Another thing to mention is.... probably the biggest advantage of this headphone - detail. You hear EVERYTHING. Even the things I was unable to hear on the lcd3 can be heard on these. You know the people who say 'I hear things I've never heard before!' Yes, that does happen in a price point that is just ridiculous. Starts me to wonder the real reason why they discontinued the he4. The overall sound presentation is very transparent with a emphasized high range. Siblance is not a problem when you properly amp these as it does sound quite natural when properly amped. The highs are extended up to the sky as it could be just a tad bit fatiguing, but very natural and very clear. Vocals and the mids may be a bit laid back but has that nice body to the mids as planar magnetics overall have a nice body to the mids and vocals, separating it well from bass hits and violins. And.... the bass. The bass is just remarkable. It is by far the most extending bass I've ever heard on a headphone and is very well textured. It is very hard for an headphone to reproduce bass as it was recorded and not having that muddiness or only having that 'bang bang' on your head. Another thing that I must talk about is the soundstage/imaging of these headphone. Guitar sound like it is supposed to. Vocals sound as it is supposed to. Piano sounds as it is supposed to. Everything sounds as it is supposed to have those instrumemts combined all together in one recording they all have excellent, excellent seperation to them and is very airy. Soundstage really is a thing to note to as it is pretty damn wide open, but not as much as say a HD800 or a k712 though but with more accuracy and reality. A nice, open sound to a large body to it overall. Damn I am dying to try out other Hifiman models which would actually be almost impossible here in Korea.
Boy... never thought that my journey for spending a nice pair of headphones would end up this far. But in the end, it does turn out to be very fun
Also I'd give a big thanks to you guys for helping me though all this!
Yeah it was kinda long... but I do want to thank you for guys reading through all of this. Cheers and happy listening and... Happy Christmas!
As I mentioned in this thread a few months ago, I do live in South Korea and was starting to buy some good headphones for me to listen to. However I at first I was NOT searching for some audiophile grade equipment beacause I didn't wanted to spend a few grands of money for some headphone equipment and got some iem. Still wasn't satisfied with the result though. Them I went to Seoul at a headphone shop (man these things are VERY VERY hard to find here) and listened to some HD650, K712 and some HD800 with a sony PHA amp/dac and man.... boy I was surprised how these reference grade headphones could change your listening experience and I was especially surprised how the HD800 sounded. How could a headphone possibly produce a sound that is just so close to reality? And then as I was trying to leave a store I spotted a Hifiman. They said that they were out of stock but I listened to them anyway just for curiousity. I realized that it was written he4 which I never heard of. I did think about getting the 400i and heard about the 400 500 6 and 5 but not the '4'. And..... I just wet my pants. I was shocked at how many details were lost when you're listening to music normally. Then I searched EVERYWHERE in Korea that I could find a pair of the headphones and foumd that that there was only one left in the official supplier in Korea which was a very slightly used first production model and bought it immediately for about 370 US $. And after more than 2 months later, here is my full setup including the Project Ember.
1. Looks: Yeah baby.... this is one hell of an old school looking pair of headphones which you guess is probably looks German or English........ until you know is from.. China?? Well.. I like it though. Nice touch how the headband tortures you after an hour of listening session. Lovely looking pair.
2. Amplification: Well.... what should you expect? Haha... the thing is though when you amp it properly, it really does shine and does sound quite different before you do it. The 'ear-scratching' treble just runs away and the soundstage does open up pretty wide which I should explain it later. It truly is a different world after you amp this thing.
3. Sound: Now... the sound. You buy a headphone because of the sound. And for that, the he4 just excels which I think is one of the main reasons I bought it. The overall sound just feels rather pleasant than anything too funky to be honest. Rather than just analyzing it by highs mids and bass, I just felt that the headphones itself felt very friendly to me. The thing that is very unique in particular is that it 'shifts' its personality from a song or a genre to another. Silky smooth and soft from smooth jazz or house music and instantly changes when you listen to rock or live music. Another thing to mention is.... probably the biggest advantage of this headphone - detail. You hear EVERYTHING. Even the things I was unable to hear on the lcd3 can be heard on these. You know the people who say 'I hear things I've never heard before!' Yes, that does happen in a price point that is just ridiculous. Starts me to wonder the real reason why they discontinued the he4. The overall sound presentation is very transparent with a emphasized high range. Siblance is not a problem when you properly amp these as it does sound quite natural when properly amped. The highs are extended up to the sky as it could be just a tad bit fatiguing, but very natural and very clear. Vocals and the mids may be a bit laid back but has that nice body to the mids as planar magnetics overall have a nice body to the mids and vocals, separating it well from bass hits and violins. And.... the bass. The bass is just remarkable. It is by far the most extending bass I've ever heard on a headphone and is very well textured. It is very hard for an headphone to reproduce bass as it was recorded and not having that muddiness or only having that 'bang bang' on your head. Another thing that I must talk about is the soundstage/imaging of these headphone. Guitar sound like it is supposed to. Vocals sound as it is supposed to. Piano sounds as it is supposed to. Everything sounds as it is supposed to have those instrumemts combined all together in one recording they all have excellent, excellent seperation to them and is very airy. Soundstage really is a thing to note to as it is pretty damn wide open, but not as much as say a HD800 or a k712 though but with more accuracy and reality. A nice, open sound to a large body to it overall. Damn I am dying to try out other Hifiman models which would actually be almost impossible here in Korea.
Boy... never thought that my journey for spending a nice pair of headphones would end up this far. But in the end, it does turn out to be very fun
Also I'd give a big thanks to you guys for helping me though all this! Yeah it was kinda long... but I do want to thank you for guys reading through all of this. Cheers and happy listening and... Happy Christmas!
Soundsgoodtome
Headphoneus Supremus
Glad you like em! It's one thing to find them here, as many people who have been around headphones are quite unfamiliar with the he4, it's a miracle you found one in a store in Korea.
The ember and he4 are a great pairing, the he4 has excellent value and still holds its own against newer headphones.
The ember and he4 are a great pairing, the he4 has excellent value and still holds its own against newer headphones.
@Akemi Homura
Congrats. Finally you can enjoy those headphones.
Now you make me wanting a tube amp for them.
Yup, HE-4 albeit old still holds out against other headphones. I still use them occasionally because with Alpha Pads, I could feel the bass vibrates more on my ears than HD800 and I like that sensation. Although tbh I kinda want to sell it to buy HE-6, out of curiosity, but let's not rush
Congrats. Finally you can enjoy those headphones.
Now you make me wanting a tube amp for them.
Yup, HE-4 albeit old still holds out against other headphones. I still use them occasionally because with Alpha Pads, I could feel the bass vibrates more on my ears than HD800 and I like that sensation. Although tbh I kinda want to sell it to buy HE-6, out of curiosity, but let's not rush
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@Akemi Homura
Congrats. Finally you can enjoy those headphones.
Now you make me wanting a tube amp for them.
Yup, HE-4 albeit old still holds out against other headphones. I still use them occasionally because with Alpha Pads, I could feel the bass vibrates more on my ears than HD800 and I like that sensation. Although tbh I kinda want to sell it to buy HE-6, out of curiosity, but let's not rush
Yea I'm like RIGHT there at the "SELL IT an UPGRADE phase" my self
an grats to our new comer
may he breathe life into our thread once more! Yea I'm like RIGHT there at the "SELL IT an UPGRADE phase" my self
an grats to our new comer
Used HE-6 doesn't show up so often in EU so I still have time to decide and if I'm gonna have enough money for that or not.
But again, I don't think I'll hear much improvement, it's always like this recently. Nothing wows me, but I just want it
Seeing him using tube amp makes me want to buy one too, a beautiful one if possible next year. What tube amps do you people have here?
Thujone
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The HE-6 is by no means a giant leap from the performance of the HE-4.
HE-4: More bass, more air/bigger soundstage, hit or miss treble, better comfort/weight, better price, fun and aggressive.
HE-6: Blacker background, controlled, less distortion, more reliable treble, very immersive, neutral and polite.
I really like both of these headphones, and I doubt I'll get rid of either one.
HE-4: More bass, more air/bigger soundstage, hit or miss treble, better comfort/weight, better price, fun and aggressive.
HE-6: Blacker background, controlled, less distortion, more reliable treble, very immersive, neutral and polite.
I really like both of these headphones, and I doubt I'll get rid of either one.
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