[LarryKingsShoes]

  Frankly, I'd just EQ some more bass in. I know that's not an option in every case but I've found the HE-400 is extremely responsive to EQ. I don't use it much because the HE-400 is extremely satisfying in the bass department already.

 
That's been my experience, as well. I used to use a plugin for JRiver (I'm sure it would work in any other media playback program that supports VST plugins) that was pretty great. It was a parametric EQ that was easy to use and produced great results. The neat thing about it was that I could boost whatever I wanted and then, with the click of a button, it would set the highest boost point to 0db, effectively translating my desired curve so that it was all cuts instead of boosts. From what I've gathered, that is the desired way of handling EQ shifts. I was happy with the results and I didn't make any drastic changes so there wasn't much loss of volume (at least nothing that my amp couldn't compensate for with a tiny extra twist of the dial).
 
I'm not using it anymore but I do use the generic 10 band EQ in JRiver to create the a similar effect. The HE-400s sound great on their own but I get way more enjoyment out of them by making the bass a bit more apparent and pulling back on some of those harsher high frequencies. They really turn into a fun headphone once you get that slightly colored sound but I haven't really noticed a major loss of clarity. But I am a sucker for nice bass so a lot of people may disagree with that assessment.
 
I might have to dig that up and get it configured again because it was a pretty powerful tool to have.

 

[Mani ATH 87]

 

Indeed! It's nice that they work with the other headphones in the series, though I have no plans on upgrading from the HE 400's at the moment

I went ahead and ordered the focus pads (the stock pads that ship with the 560)

I'll leave some impressions once they arrive.

 
Happy to see that these pads shipped so quickly from Head Direct, to bad they provided me with an inaccurate tracking number. When tracking the order it shows as having already been delivered back in March, to Portugal....I live in Canada, lol

This is why I dislike buying things online...

 

[thug behram]

   
Happy to see that these pads shipped so quickly from Head Direct, to bad they provided me with an inaccurate tracking number. When tracking the order it shows as having already been delivered back in March, to Portugal....I live in Canada, lol

This is why I dislike buying things online...

how much was shipping to canada?

 

[Mani ATH 87]

  how much was shipping to canada?

$10

 

[gahung]

But isn't the Q701 a downgrade in this case? I am looking for one that is in par with HE 400 while shines in mids and probably the soundstage. How is the K712 compared to Q701?

 


The Q701 is a much more versatile and natural sounding headphone that doesn't have any major weaknesses like the HE400 has. I sold my HE400 after getting a Q701 for less than half of what I paid for the HE400.

Hi, I end up getting a dt990 250 ohm because from DavidMahler's post he thinks that he400 is dt 990's complement. Hope I can keep these two for a long time. My next phone will be a high end so maybe the HE6 if I have enough money for an expensive amp, but I guess he400 is good enough for now.

 

[BBCInc]

 

Indeed! It's nice that they work with the other headphones in the series, though I have no plans on upgrading from the HE 400's at the moment

I went ahead and ordered the focus pads (the stock pads that ship with the 560)

I'll leave some impressions once they arrive.

I don't have any immediate upgrade plans either, although a lighter HE-400 would be welcome (400i?). Had to stretch to get the 400s at $299 late last year (my introduction to the HFM PM sound), so a jump to a full price upgrade will have to be carefully considered, as will any high-end phone.
 
Hope the focus pads work for you. I find them relatively comfortable with the velour just slightly scratchy.
 
In the meantime my HD600 provides a counterpoint to the high end prominence of the 400s. That's probably another reason I preferred the focus over the focus-a. Focus-a smooths out the 400s almost to the point of emulating the 600 and I don't need two mid-tier HPs with a similar sound signature.

 

[Kursah]

Still rocking my 400s out of my Demon avr-1613 and am using the creative eq for my auzen forte sound card...still amazed. Shatter Me by Halestorm and Lindsey is amazing. New Mushroom head is awesom. I broke in my pleather pads and now prefer them. My velour pads are crap...softer but stiffer foam and seams coming apart. Anyone not using their pleathers wanna sell em to me cheap?

 

[TheGame21x]

Hi, I end up getting a dt990 250 ohm because from DavidMahler's post he thinks that he400 is dt 990's complement. Hope I can keep these two for a long time. My next phone will be a high end so maybe the HE6 if I have enough money for an expensive amp, but I guess he400 is good enough for now.

To me, the DT-990 seems like the HE-400's younger brother. They have similar bass and treble emphasis and slightly recessed mids. Ever since getting the HE-400, its been relegated to gaming duty because it's a stellar performer in that regard (and that's kinda what I bought them for) but it's an impressive music set too that would be my go to "fun" can because of that big bottom end had I not gotten the 400s.

 

[thug behram]

Can someone comment on the HE-400 being powered by the E17? or the E17/E09K combo?

 

 

[Kursah]

I have the E09 that was hooked to my auzen. Does great. Has more bass power and volume than my avr but is a more ridgid sound overall...needs more eq to tone downtreble.

 

[UprightMan]

I have the E07k/E09K combo... preferred over Schiit stack actually due to EQ ability (I have no compunctions with eq'ing).   It's OK with just E07K, E09k noticeably better/good.  Works perfectly for me as I don't use 400's in portable rig.

 

[Mani ATH 87]

  I have the E07k/E09K combo... preferred over Schiit stack actually due to EQ ability (I have no compunctions with eq'ing).   It's OK with just E07K, E09k noticeably better/good.  Works perfectly for me as I don't use 400's in portable rig.

 
I had the Fiio combo for a while when I first got my HE400's but switched over to the Magni/Modi combo about 6 months ago. The bass and treble adjustments on the Fiio were nice to have, especially since the HE400 benefits so much from equalizing. In general though, the Schiit stacks provides a much better sound quality in my opinion. Both sets work well with these headphones though, and if your into boosting that bass up easily and effectively the Fiio set is definitely nice.

 

[thug behram]

What about the o2 amp? Thinking of using my e17 as the DAC and getting the o2.

 

[TheGame21x]

What about the o2 amp? Thinking of using my e17 as the DAC and getting the o2.

I use the HE-400 with an O2 and it's an excellent pairing.

 

[nolossaudioguy]

For anybody on a budget, I have found my Yamaha R-703 receiver sounds better than my Schiit Vali, or the amp in my Fiio x-3.  I use the receiver for my computer speakers and now to power my he-400's.  You can pick one up on ebay for less than $100.  
The sound is full, dynamic, extended and liquid(as in the sound just pouring into the headphones unrestricted).  The ability to eq is a bonus and you've also got a decent amp in the unit for speakers.  
I use the x-3 through the line out as my source so the interconnect cable is important too.
I think the Vali's rather high output impedance of 6.5 ohms may have something to do with this but I'm guessing as I haven't tried the amp with higher impedance cans.