[MrMateoHead]

  Pleather, haven't had a chance try the velour yet.  
 
Also, is a good seal important for getting the best SQ?  These ear cups are very big and a small part of the pad behind my ear is not touching my skin.

Actually, a broken seal might actually sound better in some ways. Try it out for awhile and see what you think. Otherwise, yes, I would try getting a good seal. You may have better luck with the velours, which are a bit bigger and thicker and so might hit your head right. Remember that you can also twist the cups (pinch the hifiman logo and headband tightly with one hand, the connection is weak there). You may want to try adjusting the reach of the cups to - the headband might help keep things firmly in place.

 

[manbear]

The goal of the Jergpad spacers is to break the seal, so it's not necessarily a bad thing. It gives you a hump in the bass (I think the Jergpad thread said at around 50 hz? I don't remember exactly), but then bass is rolled off more below that hump. But I imagine the frequency of the hump depends on how big the gap in the seal is. Probably where it is too -- the Jergpad spacers don't create a gap against your skin. 

In any case, fear not. Try adjusting the headphones to get a better fit, and check to see what kind of difference you hear. 

 

[gidgiddonihah]

I think I like the headphones overall with the velours on. More comfortable and it sounds a bit better in my opinion.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[ben_r_]

Did your guys' HE-400's come with both the Velour and Pleather ear pads?!

 

[Zuckfun]

Did your guys' HE-400's come with both the Velour and Pleather ear pads?!

My pair shipped with pleather, I ordered the velour pads separately. As far as I know, when ordering from Hifiman, the HE500's ship with both, the 400's ship with only pleather.

 

[mattering]

  Did your guys' HE-400's come with both the Velour and Pleather ear pads?!

If you ordered from Justin from headamp, chances are your velour pads are gonna arrive later. I just got my HE-400s and just got a notification about the velour pads being shipped. Loving the HE-400s, from all the different types of headphones I've listened to (HD650, LCD-2, etc. etc.), the HE-400 is a really great contender for those looking for open back headphones. The bass isnt lacking and isn't overpowering, the trebles aren't piercingly sharp and is pleasant, and the mids are really smooth.

 

[Za Warudo]

Switched from pleather to velour.  Initial impressions is that it seemed to tame the treble slightly.  'Kangaroo' by Big Star sounds slightly less harsh and piercing.  Similarly the fuzz and noise in 'Before We Begin' by Broadcast doesn't irritate my ears as much.  I might have to do the Jergpad mod to reduce the harshness further.  
 
Btw the plastic tabs on the pads look really flimsy.  I can't imagine them lasting if I swap them a few more times.

 

[gidgiddonihah]

Anyone do any comparisons with the HE-500 cables?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[ben_r_]

Huh, Ill order the Velour pads when I order the connectors to make a new cable. If they tame the highs a bit that might make these cans less fatiguing depending on what Im listening to through them.

 

[MrMateoHead]

  Switched from pleather to velour.  Initial impressions is that it seemed to tame the treble slightly.  'Kangaroo' by Big Star sounds slightly less harsh and piercing.  Similarly the fuzz and noise in 'Before We Begin' by Broadcast doesn't irritate my ears as much.  I might have to do the Jergpad mod to reduce the harshness further.  
 
Btw the plastic tabs on the pads look really flimsy.  I can't imagine them lasting if I swap them a few more times.

I wouldn't worry too much about the tabs. I have swapped pads about 4 times already and not broken anything. But then again, it always pays to be careful. Worst case scenario, you lose $10-$20 bucks depending on which pad you break.
 
The major difference in velour, to me, is that it is more comfortable, doesn't sweat in the summer or "stick" in the winter. Resonance seems to be the main issue with the pleathers, probably a result of the less porous fabric and denser memory foam. I too find the velours to be, probably, smoother overall and less fatiguing. But the modded pleathers have a slight warmth and richness which is hard to ignore.

 

[VGoghs earfrmsc]

Hi folks. my SE 400 has just shipped from your side of the pond.  Although i've read many reviews, details of sound stage and imaging is lacking for me, so i'd like to know,
what to expect from these phones, soundstage and imaging wise compared to AKG k702 or Senns 650.  Can I also ask you for your interpretation of sound stage, as i  tend to hear vocals in above phones as coming from just behind and above my head,  which i don't thing is the norm from what i've read. Anyway I'd be interested in peoples experiences with these phones with regard soundstage and imaging
Happy new year to all of you
.

 

[beaver316]

My pair of modulor jergpads finally came in today. If anyone's interested in my initial impressions you can take a look in the main jergpad thread here.

 

[manbear]

  Hi folks. my SE 400 has just shipped from your side of the pond.  Although i've read many reviews, details of sound stage and imaging is lacking for me, so i'd like to know,
what to expect from these phones, soundstage and imaging wise compared to AKG k702 or Senns 650.  Can I also ask you for your interpretation of sound stage, as i  tend to hear vocals in above phones as coming from just behind and above my head,  which i don't thing is the norm from what i've read. Anyway I'd be interested in peoples experiences with these phones with regard soundstage and imaging
Happy new year to all of you
.

IMO and compared to the Q701:

First, my interpretation of the term is that soundstage refers to the location of sounds in space. This includes how far away they seem to be from the listener and from each other, and their relative positions up, down, left, right, front and back. Front and back meaning in front of me and behind me -- some people use these terms to refer to the front or rear of an imaginary stage that is in front of the listener. To me, these are different distances in the front direction. To me, imaging is a component of soundstage that refers to how clear and specific the location of sounds appears to be. 

Anyway...

I think the HE-400 soundstage is smaller than the Q701 soundstage. The HE-400 almost makes the music sound like it's inside my head, whereas the Q701 gave me the impression of listening to music through speakers that are a few feet away from me. However, I find the imaging of the HE-400 to be much more precise. The depth dimension in particular is more defined, and the HE-400 separates different layers of sounds more clearly. The HE-400 also has a more solid sense of center where the left and right channels merge. I got the feeling that the Q701 was a little fuzzy in the center. 

Pictorial analogy:

The Q701 has a circular ring of sound a few feet away from your head. It is wide and has a sense of distance from you, but most of the sound appears to be about the same distance from you. There isn't much sense of depth, as the ring is hollow and its "band" is not very thick.

The HE-400 has a solid sphere of sound centered a bit forward of the center of your head. Some of the sound is outside your head and some is inside your head. The sound is closer and more intimate, but also more 3-D. 

 

[Halonoonan]

Has anyone found a good travel case for these? Something i can put in my bag to bring to work and back.

 

[ben_r_]

Has anyone found a good travel case for these? Something i can put in my bag to bring to work and back.

Youre kidding right? The best travel case is the one MADE by HiFiMan FOR the HE series cans! LINK