[ninjames]

Quote:

James...you can tighter those connectors very careful with small pliers or needle nosed pliers. Be careful not to scratch the paint. You have them way too loose. 

The suggestion of twisting them counter clockwise and letting them work themselves into the connection was a very obvious one that I should have figured out on my own. Naturally, I didn't. They're working fine now, but I do still hate the cord's rigidity and stiffness. 

 

[wje]

Quote:

Next obvious question: How much of an improvement can I expect from the M&M Schiit stack over my E11? Night and day, quite noticeable or what?

 
It has been a while since I've owned the FiiO E11 amplifier.  However, the stack will provide plenty of power for the HE-400s as well as provide great sound - from a neutral aspect for your headphones.  But, to compare the two, it is apples vs. oranges.  The Magni will not have a bass boost button, but you'll be able to EQ the sound through FooBar, if you desire to customize the sound to your tastes.
 
I just want to be careful that I don't imply that differences can, or could be heard that would really "wow" someone, but when they get the devices they would then question why someone overwhelmingly praised a product, yet it was just OK, and not great.
 
I am, however, very happy witht he Magni / Modi now that I have them.  I won't brag about the sound, because another person's ears will hear differently than mine.  However, I can state that there is noting that I don't like about them because they do their job, and they do it quite well.  Finally, though, in my case, I do think the Magni / Modi is a better solution than the Audio-GD "Fun" that I had owned in the past.  When you consider that as used "Fun" sells for about the same price as a new Magni / Modi stack, you'll see and hear how far technology has come with regards to some pretty neat gear that will interface with our computers, which act as the source for our music listening.
 
Quote:

^^ Why don't I ever get deals like that?

 
Because, it's all about timing.  

  I feel very fortunate for those times that I've visited the F/S sections on the forum at the same time there was something interesting that had been recently posted and I make a move on it.

 

[spittis]

Quote:

The suggestion of twisting them counter clockwise and letting them work themselves into the connection was a very obvious one that I should have figured out on my own. Naturally, I didn't. They're working fine now, but I do still hate the cord's rigidity and stiffness. 

Hehe I was going to post this trick when I saw your comment on the previous page. But I'd have to agree with you that even when they do stay screwed the cables and the connectors are the weakest part of these headphones, it's a bad design choice. I'm probably going to make my own cable though once I find a suitable one along with better "plugs".

 

[griff2]

Quote:

 
But is the D03 DAC good quality? Will there be much difference SQwise to a Modi or UHA 6S MKII DAC for example?

 
Nope, I purchased this a few months ago for the PS3, needless to say it went straight into the draw after some critical listening.  Apparently you can op-am roll it, but you're time and money could be better spent elsewhere.

 

[sbtruitt]

Quote:

I had the Denon D2000's and the HE-400's out of the box beat the D2k's.. although, The D2k's are great in their own right.  So, I wouldn't say a "night and day" difference, rather a "dawn to afternoon" difference, but the difference was still there.  I fell in love with HE-400's gorgeous mids.
 

Me too. They are definitely on another level.
I'll keep my D2K's though as I still really like them, they look great with Bubinga cups, and they're closed which come's in handy when my wife is around.

 

[beaver316]

Quote:

I'm wanting the Magni less and less the more I listen to my Little Dot MKIII. Had the thing for about a year now but only really using it since I have my HE-400. Falling in love with the warm sound and how well it renders the highs without harshness. I feel like the Magni is going to add a lot of edge to the top end that will be harsh to my ears.
 
That being said, I was way too in love with the idea of the Magni when it came out so I think I will buy the full M&M stack when I get paid next week and then if I don't love it enough to keep it as a secondary, I'll give a Head Fier a good deal on it!

 
There have been others in this thread who praise the Little Dot MKIII and HE-400 synergy. In fact before I bought my HE400s I was trying to decide between the M-stage or the MKIII. I ended up going with the M-stage because I didnt want to get into tubes. But the Little Dot sure is pretty.

 

[BrokeStudent]

Quote:

It has been a while since I've owned the FiiO E11 amplifier.  However, the stack will provide plenty of power for the HE-400s as well as provide great sound - from a neutral aspect for your headphones.  But, to compare the two, it is apples vs. oranges.  The Magni will not have a bass boost button, but you'll be able to EQ the sound through FooBar, if you desire to customize the sound to your tastes.
 
I am, however, very happy witht he Magni / Modi now that I have them.  I won't brag about the sound, because another person's ears will hear differently than mine.  However, I can state that there is noting that I don't like about them because they do their job, and they do it quite well.  Finally, though, in my case, I do think the Magni / Modi is a better solution than the Audio-GD "Fun" that I had owned in the past.  When you consider that as used "Fun" sells for about the same price as a new Magni / Modi stack, you'll see and hear how far technology has come with regards to some pretty neat gear that will interface with our computers, which act as the source for our music listening.

 
Even though it doesn't have a bass boost button, do you think that someone who is into EDM music could be satisfied with enough bass from these cans and the M&M stack? I guess it is all subjective and I'm not a crazy basshead, however I do like that rumble/shaking of my ears that headphones can provide when the music calls for it.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Buy an E17 instead, and use the bass balance. The HE400 has ample bass and the rumble is amazing with a +4 bass boost.

 

[BrokeStudent]

Quote:

Buy an E17 instead, and use the bass balance. The HE400 has ample bass and the rumble is amazing with a +4 bass boost.

 
Too late, the M&M is already on it's way so if I have to boost the bass I'll need to figure something else out. 

 

[MattTCG]

^^ This is good advice. I really enjoyed the he400 on the e17. The hardware EQ was NICE!! Then...upgradititus and sell the e17...purchase lyr. 

 

[BrokeStudent]

Quote:

^^ This is good advice. I really enjoyed the he400 on the e17. The hardware EQ was NICE!! Then...upgradititus and sell the e17...purchase lyr. 

 
All of a sudden I feel like I made a mistake by ordering the M&M combo...

 

[MattTCG]

^^ Nah...the m&m is the best non portable/desktop setup for the money. If you want or need portable then I suggest the e17. You'd did fine. 

 

[wje]

Quote:

Even though it doesn't have a bass boost button, do you think that someone who is into EDM music could be satisfied with enough bass from these cans and the M&M stack? I guess it is all subjective and I'm not a crazy basshead, however I do like that rumble/shaking of my ears that headphones can provide when the music calls for it.

 
Keep in mind, the bass adjustment on the FiiO E17 is probably in the 100Hz range.  However, if you have your Magna / Modi connected to your computer, you'll have access to a software EQ, which will give you access to many more frequencies to really provide a custom tweak for the sound you're looking for.  Also, don't forget when it comes to using an EQ, it's better to reduce when making adjustments as opposed to heavily bumping up a frequency.  If you slightly reduce the other frequencies, and bump the desired one a bit, the turn-out can be better.  In the olden days, the EQ could rob a lot of power if you bumped the frequency adjustments too high and the theft of the power could mean that your amp could start to clip, and cause distortion for the speakers, which would be bad.
 
I've been into this since 1975. 

 

[Ryolith]

just received my he-400 from head direct. shipping took 9 days. so far very impressed

 

[Errymoose]

Quote:

Buy an E17 instead, and use the bass balance. The HE400 has ample bass and the rumble is amazing with a +4 bass boost.

I find it incredibly surprising that people want to increase the bass on these things.  I do like the HE-400's bass, and their overall sound, quite a bit.  But the more time I spend on head-fi the more I look around for an HE-500 because from what impressions I've heard (and all the graphs seem to agree) they have almost as much bass but it's better balanced sound...