[JoetheArachnid]

I think +2.5dB works out to about twice as loud with the same power. Bloody logarithmic scales...

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Quote:

I think +2.5dB works out to about twice as loud with the same power. Bloody logarithmic scales...

Almost twice as much sonic energy, but only a small increase in perceived volume.  The ears work on a bloody logarithmic scale as well!

 

[BebopMcJiggy]

While it is 2.5db more sensitive it is also lower impedance, so it is still a fairly current hungry headphone judging from the specs...  Maybe not quite as demanding but demanding nonetheless.

 

[BlackbeardBen]

For anyone who has tried to add these (or anything else) to the cart at head-direct.com and had trouble, be aware that Firefox doesn't play nice with their site (I didn't get any response at all).  IE works fine, however.

 

[Philimon]

Quote:

5 days from 15-20 Dec.
 
If you order these, get the speaker lead adapter as well, save the inevitable. The HiFiMan business model of making us buy a pigtail for something that needs different amping than all but one (k1k) headphone out there is squeezing their customer in my opinion. It should be part of the package or an option for the customer instead of the 1/4 pigtail standard.

 
Sorry for the noob question, but what do I need to properly connect my HE4 to the speaker outs of my receiver? 
 
EDIT:
 
Did more reading through the HE6 thread and it seems Head-Direct was perhaps going to release their own adapter box, but I didn't see any update on this or any such product on their webpage. Anyone know a Head-Fier who would make one for a reasonable price? Plus I would need to order the proper connection on the headphone cable end... 

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Hey, a question for those with the EF5 amplifier: What kind of packaging does it come in?  Is it very reusable/durable?  I travel a lot and if I got one I would plan on transporting it rather often (not every day, but often enough) for trips by train/bus/plane.
 
Or is that totally out of the question for this?  I don't plan on using it on the go of course; it just needs to be transportable.  It's a pity the Schiit amplifiers are only a fixed voltage and not switchable...

 

[Epoch]

I would say that regardless of the build quality of the original box, if you want a durable transport vessel for it, get a Pelican case with pick and pluck foam.  They aren't too bad for price, and its cheaper than constantly breaking gear.
The whole waterproof/floating/pressure equalizing thing is a plus too.
 
Now back to the topic of the HE-4, this impressions thread seems to be pretty bare when it comes to impressions.  Hopefully there are more on the way, these drivers interest me as I really don't want to shell out for the HE-6 or a LCD-2 at this point in time.

 

[alakalaka99]

 
Quote:

Hey, a question for those with the EF5 amplifier: What kind of packaging does it come in?  Is it very reusable/durable?  I travel a lot and if I got one I would plan on transporting it rather often (not every day, but often enough) for trips by train/bus/plane.
 
Or is that totally out of the question for this?  I don't plan on using it on the go of course; it just needs to be transportable.  It's a pity the Schiit amplifiers are only a fixed voltage and not switchable...

The EF5 ships in just styrofoam, but a lot of styrofoam. There is no fancy packaging like that of the actual HE-4, so if you were to be moving it a lot I would recommend finding something to carry it in. Though it is very well built and sturdy, so you shouldn't need to worry too much about protecting it. Just remove the tube and you're good to go.

 

[BlackbeardBen]

Quote:

I would say that regardless of the build quality of the original box, if you want a durable transport vessel for it, get a Pelican case with pick and pluck foam.  They aren't too bad for price, and its cheaper than constantly breaking gear.
The whole waterproof/floating/pressure equalizing thing is a plus too.
 
Now back to the topic of the HE-4, this impressions thread seems to be pretty bare when it comes to impressions.  Hopefully there are more on the way, these drivers interest me as I really don't want to shell out for the HE-6 or a LCD-2 at this point in time.

Well, the price for pelican cases isn't so nice over in Europe...  I agree on the idea, however.  I ended up getting a Schiit Asgard today after Jason quickly answered some e-mails about voltage compatibility (it has a soldered jumper to change the input voltage).  I'm going to see if I can hold off on the headphone upgrade for now with a good amp (and one that should be able to power pretty much everything).
 
It's true, there ought to be more first impressions...  I see a couple of problems with these headphones, however.  The first is how they were announced at the same time as the HE-6 and thus were almost completely out-shadowed at the time.  That seems to still be a problem today - there aren't any professional reviews as far as I'm aware, nor any by regular reviewers here.  All we have is two reviews here.
 
The second problem (I think) is that they're so hard to drive.  At the price they're at, that means spending a whole lot just to get them running at all.  The HE-4 & EF5 combo is a pretty good deal though, especially since they raised the price of the EF5 by $100 with the CE certification...  Now the headphones are only $200 more than just getting the amp...  That's less than half off...  Or, the amp is half off when you get it with the headphones.
 
But it's still a $700 investment to get them running, and you're pretty much tethered to the amp.  Considering that the same amp is the one intended for the three-times-more-expensive HE-6, people may get the impression that they shouldn't need as much amp, or that as a result it makes more sense to move up the product line.  I don't know, really.
 
Granted, it doesn't have so many competitors in its price range (and it ought to perform at least as well as any of them).  I think the primary factor is the lack of reviews - whether that is Hifiman's fault for not sending out review samples or what, I don't know.
 
Anyway, it'd be nice to see a review by trex998, since he has the combo of course.
 


Quote:

 
Quote:

Hey, a question for those with the EF5 amplifier: What kind of packaging does it come in?  Is it very reusable/durable?  I travel a lot and if I got one I would plan on transporting it rather often (not every day, but often enough) for trips by train/bus/plane.
 
Or is that totally out of the question for this?  I don't plan on using it on the go of course; it just needs to be transportable.  It's a pity the Schiit amplifiers are only a fixed voltage and not switchable...

The EF5 ships in just styrofoam, but a lot of styrofoam. There is no fancy packaging like that of the actual HE-4, so if you were to be moving it a lot I would recommend finding something to carry it in. Though it is very well built and sturdy, so you shouldn't need to worry too much about protecting it. Just remove the tube and you're good to go.

Okay, thanks!  I was a little worried about the acrylic-or-whatever-they-are clear plastic pieces getting scratched though.  It doesn't really matter to me anymore since I've ordered a Schiit Asgard now though - its form factor suits me a bit more.  I also might end up going with the HE-5LE/LCD-2/HD 800/T1 if and when I finally upgrade from my HD 600.

 

[blankdisc]

All right. I have finally received my HE-4 on Friday. Oh, MAN it's huge.  It only took several days for DHL to delivery it to me from Hong Kong. Thank Hifiman for being so kind to ship it to me first, so my order is not holding up by the EF5. They probably lost $50 for just doing that.
 
I have never written a headphone review before and i don't know that many technical words to well describe the sound, so I will just try to tell you guys how i feel against my HD650. Please take it easy. As i said before I am still waiting for the EF5 amp to arrive. Now i am just running it with my Headroom Micro AMP/DAC.
 
OK. I knew that the HE-4 would be a upgrade to HD650, but i was totally stunt by the improvements. Fang wasn't lying when he told me that HE-4 beats HD650 in all aspects. The first thing i noticed immediately is how good the bass was from the HE-4. Punchy, detailed, fast and deep, very very deep. Totally agree with Fansworth on this. I actually really enjoyed HD650's bass response before, but HE-4 is just on a totally different level.
 
About mids, personally I wouldn't say that it's recessed, or maybe the famous HD650 veil does exist after all . I listen to a lot of vocal, and i don't feel that anything is missing or hidden. In fact, it's so clean and natural that i was actually able to hear a lot more details which was not present in HD650. My wife was wondering why I kept smiling today.
 
About highs, it can go places HD650 can only dream of. I think that I will try to get into classical music just to enjoy the highs. Yes, HE-4 can get a little bit sibilant from time to time, but it is never so hot that hurts my ears. EF5 was designed specifically to cure the brightness of the HE-4 and bring a little mellow into the picture., so i will let you know if that's true when i have it next week.
 
At last, the sound stage of the HE-4 is what amazed me the most. I feel that i was listening to speakers rather than a headphone. With HD650 i always tried to picture myself sitting in a bar or live concert, but HE-4 actually makes me believe that i was. Some headphones can do one or two things good, such as the silk smooth mids on the HD650, but HE-4 does almost everything very well across the whole frequency. Now I understand why Orthos are so popular these days. 
 
About build quality, it feel very solid at hand, and does feel like a $450 headphone. Although some detail design is probably not as quite polished as HD650, I definitely have nothing to complaint at all. Plus you get some extra accessories and a very nice box. 
 
About comfort, I would say that it's on the same level as HD650. Initially i thought that it is going to be an issue since the headband looks similar to Grado and the cans are just so big, but it actually fits pretty secure on my head without being too tight. i can wear it for couple hours without feeling any discomfort.
 
i know it's early, but i have a feeling that it's going to be extremely difficult if not impossible to find anything on the market right now that beats the HE-4 for $450, not to mention the crazy HE-4/EF5 combo for just $700. I want my EF5 now!

 

[Farnsworth]

Thats great to hear blankdisk, im glad you like them.
 
I cant wait for some more impressions.

 

[JoetheArachnid]

Argh! My wallet is itching....
I'm hopefully going to be able to hear these at a meet in April, but I'm not sure if I can hold out that long. I want a pair so bad.
 
Thanks to blankdisc for further impressions.

 

[trex998]

I really enjoyed everything this headphone deliever. However does anyone here feel the lack of focus in the vocals? I feel that the main vocal have a presence/bias to the right of the stage.

 

[blankdisc]

Glad you are enjoying it. this is the only reason why i am going to work everyday now (have my HE-4 setup in the office). LOL...at least on my HE-4 i don't feel the vocal has any kind of bias at all. 
 
Quote:

I really enjoyed everything this headphone deliever. However does anyone here feel the lack of focus in the vocals? I feel that the main vocal have a presence/bias to the right of the stage.

 

 

[Farnsworth]

Quote:

I really enjoyed everything this headphone deliever. However does anyone here feel the lack of focus in the vocals? I feel that the main vocal have a presence/bias to the right of the stage.

 
Yep, I hear the same thing with the vocals. They are a little more recessed than i would like them to be which is the reason i have kept my K702's.