[dshlapak]

So, Vali + Modi withe the 400s? Yes? No? Depends?

 

[Trunks159]

  http://www.head-fi.org/t/653032/size-matters-earpad-hole-measurements-for-over-ear-headphones/15#post_10112757

Thanks.  Doesnt fit the MA900 though.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

adding the d2000 pads opened the 400 up SO much.  It changed the sound on mine quite a lot.  Gave the dynamics room to breathe and made it an all around more balanced sounding headphone.  I thought it was causing bass to bleed into the mids but it was just because i switched to an old hip hop playlist i had with low bit rate files and horrible producing.  I honestly was about to throw these headphones away as they were not listenable to my ears without physically hurting them.  Now with the pads and some dsp settings it is a more dynamic, engaging and less fatiguing headphone that works well with just about all genres instead of bass rhythm (which works just fine with it now too)

 

[nabwong]

So, Vali + Modi withe the 400s? Yes? No? Depends?

 
Listening to it now. Sounds pretty awesome to me. 

 

[hema]

just received mine
with fiio x3
listening to muse - supremacy.flac
just awesome
 
 
hps are little heavy
longgg cable!!

 

[TMRaven]

I have a hard time believing the D2000 pads open up the HE-400 a lot.  I remember putting them on my DT990 600Ω and they turned that Beyer into a black hole of darkness.   The HE-400 as it is is already a really dark headphone.  The only thing stopping it from being a black hole as well is its super controlled bass.

 

[Zalgorithm]

  I have a hard time believing the D2000 pads open up the HE-400 a lot.  I remember putting them on my DT990 600Ω and they turned that Beyer into a black hole of darkness.   The HE-400 as it is is already a really dark headphone.  The only thing stopping it from being a black hole as well is its super controlled bass.

I'm not trying to argue, but I thought the he-400 were known to be a brighter headphone while the he-500 was a bit darker. I can't comment on how the D2000 pad mod affects the the he-400, but maybe you can elaborate for me.

 

[TMRaven]

People tend to put too much emphasis on the upper treble when it comes to determining whether a headphone is bright or not.  Yes, the HE-400 is bright in the upper treble as there's a big peak there.  However, the HE-400 is overall a dark headphone.  If I were to EQ the upper treble of the HE-400 down and compare it to say, an LCD2, I'd say the LCD2 is the brighter headphone because it has much more upper mids-- about 6db more from 3khz to 5khz.

 

[jerg]

  People tend to put too much emphasis on the upper treble when it comes to determining whether a headphone is bright or not.  Yes, the HE-400 is bright in the upper treble as there's a big peak there.  However, the HE-400 is overall a dark headphone.  If I were to EQ the upper treble of the HE-400 down and compare it to say, an LCD2, I'd say the LCD2 is the brighter headphone because it has much more upper mids-- about 6db more from 3khz to 5khz.

Ehhh.
 
HE400s are emphasized in mid-treble too (8k-11kHz or so) and I think that's where most of the perception of brightness comes from. Upper treble is overrated in terms of their impact on overall performance IMO.

 

[TMRaven]

I consider anything 10khz and above upper treble.  When I think of mid treble I think of the hard mid treble that say an LCD2 has, which is around 8-9khz.
 
Regardless we're thinking of the same thing, and the HE-400 is overall a dark headphone.

 

[Zalgorithm]

I agree with you that the he-400 is maybe overemphasized at frequencies over 14kHz, but I only have a pair of Sennheiser 598 to compare to. Perhaps some would define bright at the high end of the treble spectrum when it can be a bit broader than that.
 
Thanks for clarifying and I'm just trying to learn and enjoy my new found hobby.

 

[jerg]

  I consider anything 10khz and above upper treble.  When I think of mid treble I think of the hard mid treble that say an LCD2 has, which is around 8-9khz.
 
Regardless we're thinking of the same thing, and the HE-400 is overall a dark headphone.

My feeling is that LCD2s have the "hard" treble because the definition region of treble is a tad peaky/uneven, in terms of absolute levels it is much less emphasized relative to bass/mids than any Hifiman (even HE500 which are probably the warmest in the lineup).
 
From all the measurements I've seen it's very inconsistent though, with regards to the treble behaviour of LCD2s, they had a hard time keeping consistency. Perhaps some LCD2s have smoother treble than others as a result.

 

[nabwong]

Maybe I'm wrong but what constitutes as bright or dark has to do with the harmonics/overtones produced rather than whether the treble is more (quantity) or forward sounding. In the case of the he400, I'd say it's a slightly darker can as each note is more bottom heavy. Not as dark as the hd650

 

[DoctaCosmos]

That's fine.  My ears are enjoying the headphone more now.  I don't see how it's hard to comprehend.  Yes it's a dark headphone but the added space and angled pads give the headphone more room for the dynamics to breath.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

I feel bad giving my opinion as it could possibly interrupt jerg's business but it is what it is.  The jergpads helped by dampening the sound but the headphone still has huge body and needs to breath. My modded d2000 pads have dampening material in them that is visible and is in a space that allows it to dampen the sound too but also adds more space between the ears and the driver. And it's a known science that angling the drivers gives much better imaging.  Some people like fast in your face sounds.  I don't.  Now the sound is more separated, smoother, more coherent dynamics and the sub bass is more prominent while staying balanced with the rest of the spectrum.