Madmollusk
100+ Head-Fier
Quote:
The short answer imho is: yes, most definitely! The he400 will give you a genuine taste of high-fidelity (many other headphones at this price point fall far short of the he400's stellar performance). But that's just my opinion and it comes with a big caveat. So many people, you see, have asked that very question--Is headphone X the best headphone at this or that particular price point? But no one can credibly answer such a question. Another, more accurate way of wording this question might be: will I enjoy these headphones more than other headphones of a similar price? And that, of course, is a question only you can answer for yourself. Now, don't get me wrong: the good folks at Head-Fi love to give advice (they are an exceedingly helpful and solicitous lot) but you need to ask the right questions, if you want satisfaction. So let me ask you a few questions: do you like darkish sounding headphones with a touch of mid-treble brightness? Do you love deep but tightly controlled bass? Do you prefer a moderate sized sound-stage with holographic imaging? Do you really like to hear the texture in male voices? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions then, I'm pretty darned sure: these are the headphones for you. But if you prefer a "brighter" sound or a so-called "fun" sound signature (think Beyerdynamic or Grado headphones); or if you want a pair of dead neutral headphones with a super wide sound-stage (think AKG 701); or if you want monster bass (think Denon Dxxx not Beats!), or if you want extra mid-bass accompanied by a lush midrange (think Audio Technica esw9)--then the he400 may not be the best headphones for you. I think that's where you need to start your headphone search though: with your own preferences. Once you've nailed down all your likes and dislikes, then you have a very good chance of finding the headphones that will suit you best.
The short answer imho is: yes, most definitely! The he400 will give you a genuine taste of high-fidelity (many other headphones at this price point fall far short of the he400's stellar performance). But that's just my opinion and it comes with a big caveat. So many people, you see, have asked that very question--Is headphone X the best headphone at this or that particular price point? But no one can credibly answer such a question. Another, more accurate way of wording this question might be: will I enjoy these headphones more than other headphones of a similar price? And that, of course, is a question only you can answer for yourself. Now, don't get me wrong: the good folks at Head-Fi love to give advice (they are an exceedingly helpful and solicitous lot) but you need to ask the right questions, if you want satisfaction. So let me ask you a few questions: do you like darkish sounding headphones with a touch of mid-treble brightness? Do you love deep but tightly controlled bass? Do you prefer a moderate sized sound-stage with holographic imaging? Do you really like to hear the texture in male voices? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions then, I'm pretty darned sure: these are the headphones for you. But if you prefer a "brighter" sound or a so-called "fun" sound signature (think Beyerdynamic or Grado headphones); or if you want a pair of dead neutral headphones with a super wide sound-stage (think AKG 701); or if you want monster bass (think Denon Dxxx not Beats!), or if you want extra mid-bass accompanied by a lush midrange (think Audio Technica esw9)--then the he400 may not be the best headphones for you. I think that's where you need to start your headphone search though: with your own preferences. Once you've nailed down all your likes and dislikes, then you have a very good chance of finding the headphones that will suit you best.
