[DanPluck]

I'm getting a tad worried though, I sent Jeremy my $50 three days ago and haven't heard from him since, I don't think he even has my address yet. 

Same here.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

Same here.

He's moving to Europe I think, so this particular few weeks has been and may still be hectic for him irl. I don't think he ever expected that there would be a sudden rise of interest for his last remaining stocks of Beyer J$ pads (all my fault as I preached about it here after I received my pair last week).

 

[catspaw]

Sup guys, 
Im having a small comfort issue with the HE-400. While they are heavy, the problem is my head is not exactly rouded so i get a lot of pressure in the same spot, eventually leading to a headache when i use those for a long time while sitting.
 
Anyone can explain to me how to add the cotton or something that ive seen in this thread step by step?
It would be the first time i do some modding and im afraid of ****** it up.

 

[FlySweep]

Wow you're decked out for the HE400s. It's like the last little piece of the big puzzle for ya lol.

 
Indeed.. I've been really happy with the TD-11 (desktop), UHA-6S MKII (portable), and ODAC/O2 (transportable) as far as DACs & amps go.. never had a desire to really upgrade.  I've been drawn to the Violectric/Lake People amp since they were released.. and decided I'd spring for one when the time was just right.  The 109's ability to simultaneously drive highly sensitive, custom IEMs & feed orthos with the "current they deserve" was appealing to me.  It's said to be very neutral & possessing just a hint of smoothness and warmth in the treble.. I think that'll work in the HE-400's favor as some have said the mid/upper treble sound sharp on occasion.
 
The HE-400 will most likely (and hopefully) be the last full sized headphone I buy for the foreseeable future (unless something really special catches my eye).  Same goes for my ss desktop amps purchases & the G109-S.. even if I decide to grab an HD800 down the line, the 109 should drive it with the power and refinement it deserves.  I've got a tube-buffered amp (TD-11) that'll jazz up the HE-400 some but I'm contemplating a BH Crack build just for fun.
 
One thing that's been encouraging about the HE-400 impressions in this thread is that many of the owners here have had them long term & continue to be very happy with the phones.  While I appreciate both "fun"/colored & neutral phones for their own uniqueness, I rarely find myself wanting to hang onto (excessively) colored phone for an extended period of time.  That's why my quest has, for the most part, been about neutral-ish phones that have a tinge of 'artful' coloration.  I get the sense the HE-400 straddles neutrality & coloration with a delicate elegance that I'll, hopefully, appreciate enough to keep around.
 
jerg, did you find any acoustic fabric that was transparent enough to be used as a liner for the J$ pads?

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

Sup guys, 
Im having a small comfort issue with the HE-400. While they are heavy, the problem is my head is not exactly rouded so i get a lot of pressure in the same spot, eventually leading to a headache when i use those for a long time while sitting.
 
Anyone can explain to me how to add the cotton or something that ive seen in this thread step by step?
It would be the first time i do some modding and im afraid of ****** it up.

 
There are a few ways to get more comfort. Maybe the easiest is to add a headband over the existing one. I think that this one is the flavor of choice for the guys here:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Leatherette-Universal-Sennheiser-Beyerdynamic/dp/B00862522A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358166204&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+headband+replacement
 
Secondly, the headband is metal and can be reshaped. You must exercise caution but it is easily done. This works well if the clamp is too much. You can bend the headband completely flat by grabbing it and stretching it to a completely flat position and holding it there for a few seconds or more. Then try it to see if the clamp is where you want it.
 
I think that the addition of cotton is something that wje did, but he eventually went to the aftermarket headband. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

[wje]

Originally Posted by Sniping 


I'm getting a tad worried though, I sent Jeremy my $50 three days ago and haven't heard from him since, I don't think he even has my address yet. 

 
Quote:

Same here.

 
I can understand the frustration with the communication, but if everything goes through with my receipt of the remaining pads and those of you who have paid and were awaiting shipments -- I will speak with Jeremy once he gets settled and see if I can distribute from the supply received.  The fact that you've made a payment via PayPal, means that your address gets provided to the seller so a shipment can be made.  I'm only aware that "possibly" PayPal Gift payments don't send the address along with the payment, as that would negate (in the minds of the PayPal folks) a need for an actual transaction since a "gift" was made.  
 
So, for the record, let's keep this thread dedicated to the Impression / Appreciation / Discussion of the HE-400s from HifiMAN and put the rest (off-topic) aside.  In the end, we'll all be OK.  

 

[wje]

Quote:

.
I think that the addition of cotton is something that wje did, but he eventually went to the aftermarket headband. Correct me if I'm wrong. 

 
This is correct.  The original HifiMAN leather headband is built and attached in a manner that one really can't open it up successfully.  While there are stitches in the leather, one might get the impression that they could open up the head band and stuff it with additional material.  However, if you look closely at the edges where the leather goes together, it is rounded and treated with a product to hide the gap of where the leather was mated.  This is what prevents one from opening up the existing leather and adding the stuffing.  To get around the issue, I had to make a slightly over-sized leather head band for the HE-400.  I then used 1/4" thick cotton batting (in layers) to build up the thickness and add lots of softness to the new pad / outer shell.  The other issue is that it is virtually impossible to make a good outer pad coating that will appear custom to the HifiMAN headphones and have it universally available.  When I worked on mine, I had the headphones in front of me and did the work on the new outer band directly on the headphones.  The outer band is completely removable if one wants to take it off and go back to the fully stock band.  All one would have to do is snip the threads on one side of the band and then take it off in about 2 minutes.
 
I've been playing around with more head bands lately.  I've finished off some Grado bands that I had previously started.  Also, last evening, I used a good quality of pleather and built up a very nice, comfortable band with high density foam for my Sennheiser HD-428 (heavily modified) headphones.
 
 

 
 

 

[joetjie2000]

Hi guys - hope someone can advise...
 
I own a HE-400 pair (latest version). From the start i felt as if the sound wasn't presented in the centre of the headphone, but rather to the right. Especially bass on electronic music seems to be pitched off centre to the right. I live in South Africa and sending back to seller would be really expensive. Is this something that might improve with time/burn in? Any similar issues?

 

[MattTCG]

You may simply have an imbalance issue which means sending them back...sucks I know. Of course you want to be sure that you don't have a tab that's not locked in properly...happened to me a couple times. That will cause an "imbalance issue" as well. Burn in will not fix the problem.
 
Bass imbalance I assume? 

 

[joetjie2000]

Quote:

You may simply have an imbalance issue which means sending them back...sucks I know. Of course you want to be sure that you don't have a tab that's not locked in properly...happened to me a couple times. That will cause an "imbalance issue" as well. Burn in will not fix the problem.
 
Bass imbalance I assume? 

Arg! Yes its bass imbalance. Do you know of any software that runs on a mac where i can check if there is significant imbalance? This really sucks - its all-consuming when i listen to the phones...
Thank you for the feedback!

 

[beaver316]

Quote:

Arg! Yes its bass imbalance. Do you know of any software that runs on a mac where i can check if there is significant imbalance? This really sucks - its all-consuming when i listen to the phones...
Thank you for the feedback!

 
Something you could try is switch the cables around and see if you still get the sound tilting to the right. And like Matt said make sure they're screwed tight.

 

[MattTCG]

Yeah, you should switch the cables for testing purposes. Also I believe that mad lust envy had the same problem and I think that he was using software for testing. You might want to pm him.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I dunno about fatiguing exactly, but I do find myself a bit sick of the exaggerated bass sometimes, despite reading about that being the reason I have a pair (and loving it for what it is with some music).  I just get sick of some music which I feel isn't supposed to be bassy being affected (imo badly) by the HE-400.

 
You should ask Justin if he can add the HE-4s on the demo list.  That might be a good fit for you as MLE said..
 
I happen to really like them.  But for rap / hip-hop the HE-400s rock..

 

[MattTCG]

The issue with Justin adding them to the demo list is that they are d/c. Ultimately he wants to sell some units right? Not very fair to him. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Again, gotta remember that the HE4 is very, very hard to drive, so anyone considering them better have amps that do at least 2watts at 40ohm.