[Kursah]

  kursah noted extra bass but i am not.  maybe it's because his is stock and mine is modded leaving an opening of stuffing (not seen) to dampen some of the resonance
Edit* nevermind just played tyga rack city for sub bass and this thing rattles like a dynamic driver while not being intrusive at all

Ya I had to play a few songs I knew very well with the stock pads before I could believe it bass-wise, and having more of it without being intrusive...I don't know how that works but I like it! It sounds amazing! I did find a place on ebay selling D2000 pads for around $40...how much to Jerg Pads run?
 
I'm happy I finally tried the D2000 pads on my HE-400's I almost didn't but as it stands it takes these phones to a level of comfort and a slight tune of sound that makes them oh so much sweeter to me and my ears. 
 
For anyone interested in trying and doesn't want to spend the $60-100+ on the bigger angle pads might be interested in buying some D2000 pads or imitations. When I get some cash I'll see if I can justify buying a pair...I do need some for my D2000 now afterall!
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261349307920?lpid=82

 

[ben_r_]

Okay guys, so Ive got these things on my head right now, brand new straight out of the box and Ive been listening to them for a good hour or so and I must say, fit/comfort issues aside, Im having trouble understanding why between my ASUS Essence One and Denon AH-D5000's and Crack w/ Speedball and Sennheiser HD-650's setups I need then cans. So far for dance/trance/bassy music they dont sound as good to me as my Denon AH-D5000's do and for vocal/jazz/instrumental/etc they dont sound better then my Senn HD-650's setup. I will say they do sound better than the Sennheiser HD-598's they replaced, but has anyone got any suggestions on some tracks I should give a listen to or am I just expecting too much from these cans?

 

[nicholars]

  Okay guys, so Ive got these things on my head right now, brand new straight out of the box and Ive been listening to them for a good hour or so and I must say, fit/comfort issues aside, Im having trouble understanding why between my ASUS Essence One and Denon AH-D5000's and Crack w/ Speedball and Sennheiser HD-650's setups I need then cans. So far for dance/trance/bassy music they dont sound as good to me as my Denon AH-D5000's do and for vocal/jazz/instrumental/etc they dont sound better then my Senn HD-650's setup. I will say they do sound better than the Sennheiser HD-598's they replaced, but has anyone got any suggestions on some tracks I should give a listen to or am I just expecting too much from these cans?

 
You are probably right tbh... I would swap the HE400 for some D5000 and HD650 as well.... They are my 2 favorite headphones... But as I can only afford one pair currently its the HE400.

 

[jerg]

  Okay guys, so Ive got these things on my head right now, brand new straight out of the box and Ive been listening to them for a good hour or so and I must say, fit/comfort issues aside, Im having trouble understanding why between my ASUS Essence One and Denon AH-D5000's and Crack w/ Speedball and Sennheiser HD-650's setups I need then cans. So far for dance/trance/bassy music they dont sound as good to me as my Denon AH-D5000's do and for vocal/jazz/instrumental/etc they dont sound better then my Senn HD-650's setup. I will say they do sound better than the Sennheiser HD-598's they replaced, but has anyone got any suggestions on some tracks I should give a listen to or am I just expecting too much from these cans?

You're expecting too much. These have a place in the 300-400$ category, for those seeking supremely tight bass and open, detail-heavy sound signature. That's what they are good at, and even with extensive modding you shouldn't expect them to suddenly trump the bass-heavy cans in terms of bass quantity / fun, or neutral cans in terms of neutrality. That's just unreasonable.

 

[MattTCG]

  Okay guys, so Ive got these things on my head right now, brand new straight out of the box and Ive been listening to them for a good hour or so and I must say, fit/comfort issues aside, Im having trouble understanding why between my ASUS Essence One and Denon AH-D5000's and Crack w/ Speedball and Sennheiser HD-650's setups I need then cans. So far for dance/trance/bassy music they dont sound as good to me as my Denon AH-D5000's do and for vocal/jazz/instrumental/etc they dont sound better then my Senn HD-650's setup. I will say they do sound better than the Sennheiser HD-598's they replaced, but has anyone got any suggestions on some tracks I should give a listen to or am I just expecting too much from these cans?

 
Well, you'll have a hard time finding much of anything to beat the 650 and crack for vocals. At least not without spending crazy money.  The d5k does EDM very well and has some of the best dynamic driver bass ever made IMO. The he400 doesn't really knock them off that pedestal. Lot's of people like the he400 for EDM because of it's outstanding bass and for many is good or better than the d5k. The he400 bass will be more textured and have better decay. The d5k bass will be a touch slower but have a little more rumble. Just depends on what you are looking for. 
 
The he400 will give you great instrument separation and a very nice sound stage. And it has that "ortho dyanamic" signature sound that many of us crave. It may not have a place for you given your other list of cans. 

 

[DoctaCosmos]

these pads have allowed me to listen to the headphone without them hurting my ears as bad as they use to.  I figure i'd better mention before people go spending $40 on new pads that the bass has become more prominent but also bleeding quite heavily into the mids.  I think i will be able to cure this by opening the diameter of the plastic in the new pads but i have to wait till i am sure i can keep these pads

 

[nixkid]

  these pads have allowed me to listen to the headphone without them hurting my ears as bad as they use to.  I figure i'd better mention before people go spending $40 on new pads that the bass has become more prominent but also bleeding quite heavily into the mids.  I think i will be able to cure this by opening the diameter of the plastic in the new pads but i have to wait till i am sure i can keep these pads

 
What makes these pads good for the HE400 and the lawtons bad?
 
Also, are the pads on ebay legit or are they knockoffs?

 

[ben_r_]

   
You are probably right tbh... I would swap the HE400 for some D5000 and HD650 as well.... They are my 2 favorite headphones... But as I can only afford one pair currently its the HE400.

 
 

  You're expecting too much. These have a place in the 300-400$ category, for those seeking supremely tight bass and open, detail-heavy sound signature. That's what they are good at, and even with extensive modding you shouldn't expect them to suddenly trump the bass-heavy cans in terms of bass quantity / fun, or neutral cans in terms of neutrality. That's just unreasonable.

 
 

   
Well, you'll have a hard time finding much of anything to beat the 650 and crack for vocals. At least not without spending crazy money.  The d5k does EDM very well and has some of the best dynamic driver bass ever made IMO. The he400 doesn't really knock them off that pedestal. Lot's of people like the he400 for EDM because of it's outstanding bass and for many is good or better than the d5k. The he400 bass will be more textured and have better decay. The d5k bass will be a touch slower but have a little more rumble. Just depends on what you are looking for. 
 
The he400 will give you great instrument separation and a very nice sound stage. And it has that "ortho dyanamic" signature sound that many of us crave. It may not have a place for you given your other list of cans. 

Thanks guys. I truly appreciate your honest opinions on this matter. Most threads around HeadFi are just "these cans are the best" depending on what headphone thread youre in it seems and its nice to read some comments I can believe. Not sure what Ill do now as I cant return these, so I guess Ill hang on to them for a bit to give them a more deserving chance and then decide whether or not to keep them. I just hope I dont have to lose too much money on this little learning experience. I have already done that too many times in this hobby.

 

[money4me247]

  You're expecting too much. These have a place in the 300-400$ category, for those seeking supremely tight bass and open, detail-heavy sound signature. That's what they are good at, and even with extensive modding you shouldn't expect them to suddenly trump the bass-heavy cans in terms of bass quantity / fun, or neutral cans in terms of neutrality. That's just unreasonable.

Is it really true that the HD650 are more neutral than the HE400? I thought they were even darker than the HE-400, and that the HE-400's sound sig sits in between the HD600 & HD650. I would imagine the HD650 vs the HE-400 to be alternative picks rather than complementary picks.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

i modded my pads similar to the lawton pads by removing them and stuffing them with material.  I it allows more room between ear and driver.  I must have missed something. i don't think anyone said the ebay pads are good and the lawtons bad.   no biggy though.  the jerg pads keep a closer to original sound but clean things up a bit.  However I am not a fan of the headphone and everytime i listen to it even at moderate levels my ears ring like crazy and my head hurts and I can't get into the music because of how unnatural it is.  The denon pads calmed the headphone down a bit and i feel more comfortable listening to it now.  however it has slightly altered the sound signature.  The headphone sounds slightly congested now and the bass bleeds into the mids slightly.  I think i might be able to fix this though once i know i am allowed to keep the pads

 

[ben_r_]

 
Is it really true that the HD650 are more neutral than the HE400? I thought they were even darker than the HE-400, and that the HE-400's sound sig sits in between the HD600 & HD650. I would imagine the HD650 vs the HE-400 to be alternative picks rather than complementary picks.

The sound of the HD-650's and getting rid of what many have called the "veiled" sound of them, depends greatly on the amplifier used. Try a pair of HD-650's with a good tube amp, say an OTL, and listen to some vocal jazz and youll see the HE-400's are definitely below that. Now, to be fair I had read that the HE-500's are supposedly the ones that would beat the tube amp/HD-650 combo. I didnt buy the HE-400's to replace or even compete with my HD-650 setup, but just specifically hoping that it would outshine my Denon AH-D5000's for EDM music and they would be my dedicated cans for that genre.

 

[nicholars]

The HD650 are really good with some genres and quite poor with others, the Denon D5000 are the same, so as a pair they would be difficult to beat, the HE400 are decent with most genres so make a better all rounder than those 2, but are not as good as either at what they are good at. I would have the HD650 + D5000 combo over the HE400 every time... But the HE400 cost about £300 whereas the D5000 + HD650 are going to be at least £500, and you need a good amp for the HD650 as well. Although I am not sure which is better at EDM out of the D5000 and HE400...

 

[nixkid]

  i modded my pads similar to the lawton pads by removing them and stuffing them with material.  I it allows more room between ear and driver.  I must have missed something. i don't think anyone said the ebay pads are good and the lawtons bad.   no biggy though.  the jerg pads keep a closer to original sound but clean things up a bit.  However I am not a fan of the headphone and everytime i listen to it even at moderate levels my ears ring like crazy and my head hurts and I can't get into the music because of how unnatural it is.  The denon pads calmed the headphone down a bit and i feel more comfortable listening to it now.  however it has slightly altered the sound signature.  The headphone sounds slightly congested now and the bass bleeds into the mids slightly.  I think i might be able to fix this though once i know i am allowed to keep the pads

 
There was a thread dedicated to replacement pads for the HE500/400 and I believe the consensus there was that the lawtons weren't very good on Hifiman headphones.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

ha need to not write while i listen. i jump to conclusions too quick.  jumped on an old hip-hop playlist and thought it was the headphone. it was definitely the songs.  Listening to newer electronic music and the elevated weightier bass is absolutely superb.  I said slightly congested and i believe that as a headphone in general it could be airier but honestly sometimes i think music that is closer in a sense of space is more palpable to the brain as long as there's clear separation

 

[ben_r_]

  The HD650 are really good with some genres and quite poor with others, the Denon D5000 are the same, so as a pair they would be difficult to beat, the HE400 are decent with most genres so make a better all rounder than those 2, but are not as good as either at what they are good at. I would have the HD650 + D5000 combo over the HE400 every time... But the HE400 cost about £300 whereas the D5000 + HD650 are going to be at least £500, and you need a good amp for the HD650 as well. Although I am not sure which is better at EDM out of the D5000 and HE400...

During my continued listening thus far I think I would agree with this statement. If I had to pick just one the HE-400 for the price is a nice in between the two. I guess I was just hoping the Duo would become a trio with the AH-D5000 + HD-650 + HE-400 combo knock out! Instead as you sorta mentioned the HE-400's are very much in between the two which doesnt really leave them a place in my collection.