[ikitub]

Good catch. Haha. Gratz bro.

 

[Dragunov-21]

Quote:

 
Sounds like the sound signature is not working for you at all; it'll be wiser for you to pick something that has a more forward upper midrange and rolled-off treble.

 
Pretty much...  Thing is, I still love my ER4s, so I figured I could handle anything treble-heavy that was reasonably popular/mainstream.
 
Thing is, on paper the HD650 is everything I'm looking for (a UM3X in can form), but then, I thought that about the 400, and that didn't work out so well
 
I think a local store gets HD650s in from time to time though, so I'll audition them and see what's what.

 

[pita8912]

I couldn't resist buying the HE-400 after reading all the reviews.
My first hour into listening to this headphone was nothing less than spectacular.
I'm finally experiencing the signature treble that everyone has been talking about; I started noticing the treble that I have never heard in the Denon D2000, and it's especially sweet in electronic songs
Also, there is a quite a lot of bass for an open air headphone, but the bass still remains crisp and punchy.
I am simply dazed at this point. Back to enjoying this amazing headphones! 

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

I personally did not find a good synergy between the O2 and HE-400s. There are others who agree.

 
I would agree with this. The 02 brought out none of the best in the he400.

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

AND THREAD POST# 2012 get.
 
Edit: plus personal post count 2222

 

Quote:

I couldn't resist buying the HE-400 after reading all the reviews.
My first hour into listening to this headphone was nothing less than spectacular.
I'm finally experiencing the signature treble that everyone has been talking about; I started noticing the treble that I have never heard in the Denon D2000, and it's especially sweet in electronic songs
Also, there is a quite a lot of bass for an open air headphone, but the bass still remains crisp and punchy.
I am simply dazed at this point. Back to enjoying this amazing headphones! 

 
Welcome to the club!! This is one of the best values in personal audio IMO. Enjoy!

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

-sigh-
 
Might as well post up my results given FLAC>ODAC>O2>HE-400 (Velour)
 
> Sibilance is reduced substantially, but still pretty poor on songs that are... worse than average for it, I guess.
> Treble is still piercing, yet at volumes that still don't give the music any "body" (I'm assuming this is the dip in FQ around the mids).
> It is very very detailed, but not much more so than me ER4Ps.
> EQ makes it slightly better, but not enough.
>I've been listening to it for the past two hours, running through all my favourite tracks, trying to like them, and the only reason I can think of wanting to keep them is because open 'phones are, it turns out, great for playing an instrument with.  They're great for instrumental tracks with not much percussion, but that's about it.

There is something seriously wrong with using the 400's with then O2 then, this does not sound right. Not unless you are sensitive to treble, the 400's take a while to get used to though.

 

[TMRaven]

A more forward upper midrange won't add body to your music.  Even with the O2, the HE-400 is very thick sounding as it is.  I really don't know what's wrong with your experience, unless you're using very bright and thin recordings, or you have a defective pair of HE-400s.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah, the HE400 sounds very full even unamped. I have a feeling it's negative expectation bias.

 

[chewy4]

I'm curious as to what kind of music you're listening to on it Dragunov.
 
It has a very full sound if the song itself has a very full sound. But it doesn't produce one if it's not there.
 
Can't comment on sibilance as it's not something I've noticed. I don't listen to a lot of stuff with vocals.

 

[IEMCrazy]

Quote:

 
I would agree with this. The 02 brought out none of the best in the he400.

 
My feeling is the opposite but with the same end result.  I think the O2 brings out too much of "the best" of HE-400.  Meaning it's a bit too etched and improves it's technical performance, while reducing it's ability to euphonically please.  Basically it starts suffering from the critical flaw of the HD800: "It's too accurate."  Unfortunately the HE-400 doesn't take EQ quite as well as HD800 (or HE-6) so it's harder to correct for the harm to enjoyment the O2 causes.  O2 is simply too much like pro audio gear to sound pleasing with anything but the most colored headphones or sources for my taste.  I've disconnected my O2.  My rackmount does just as good a job at what the O2 does.  But I may use my O2 in battery portable mode for my SE535's, if I get enough volume control out of it.

 

[MrMateoHead]

Quote:

 
My feeling is the opposite but with the same end result.  I think the O2 brings out too much of "the best" of HE-400.  Meaning it's a bit too etched and improves it's technical performance, while reducing it's ability to euphonically please.  Basically it starts suffering from the critical flaw of the HD800: "It's too accurate."  Unfortunately the HE-400 doesn't take EQ quite as well as HD800 (or HE-6) so it's harder to correct for the harm to enjoyment the O2 causes.  O2 is simply too much like pro audio gear to sound pleasing with anything but the most colored headphones or sources for my taste.  I've disconnected my O2.  My rackmount does just as good a job at what the O2 does.  But I may use my O2 in battery portable mode for my SE535's, if I get enough volume control out of it.

LOL. As I sit here plugged in to my O2, listening to Chopin and thinking about this post, I can't help but laugh at the way people convince themselves that there is an equipment problem and not a human problem going on. The O2 "reduces" euphonic pleasure? Not nearly as much as listening to crappy songs!
 
What you need to do is set up some double blind testing conditions, and just sit there, and fail at them. Its a wonderful feeling to know that you can't identify different amps, cables, and DACs like you think you can. Even better when you realize you can't hear the difference in an Mp3 versus CD. Once that is settled, you can go back to just loving your music and enjoying the different sounds of your phones'
 
The only thing the O2 did for me was give my HEs the power they deserved, and they sounded a little better, not a little worse. My HD595s didn't really benefit from the amp at all, my ears like the HE's so much at this point the 595s just sound grainy and confused in comparison.
 
The only thing I can't stand about the HE-400, which keeps them from perfection, is the ear fatigue I get from them. I figure its either the clamp/pads wearing down my head, or the somewhat aggressive treble messing with me.

 

[Madmollusk]

I never-ever write formal reviews--I just hate having to formally organize my thoughts on any level, but I love the HE-400 so much, I could not suppress an Evangelical like urge to "Spread the word." I'll post my review tomorrow on Amazon, after I had a chance to proofread it, but I feel it's only right that I post it here first: 
 
 
The HE400 may quite possibly be the best headphones you can buy south of 600 dollars. For a paltry $399, you  get a hearty sampling of high-fidelity. The He-400's bass, for example, is some of the best I've heard; it's textured, powerful, and extends to 30Hz with great verve, and it does this without detracting  from the all-essential mid-range or the HE400's linear character.  I should stress, however, that the HE-400's bass, though quite powerful, is not exaggerated in any way; there is no extra emphasis in the mid-bass either, so if you're a die-heard bass head be warned: the HE-400 is most certainly not for you.
 
What surprised me the most about the HE-400 though has to be its holographic presentation: with the right recordings, music can become downright ethereal. I  sometimes feel as if I've been transported into a virtual space where music is allowed to seduce my senses, not just from the traditional left and right orientation, but rather from every direction of the compass.  Again, I should stress: this happens mostly with really well mastered, high-quality recordings--Fever Ray, for example, or Andrew Bird, and, of course, I shouldn't forget Pink Floyd. If, however, you listen to poor quality media with these headphones, they won't sound at all special. Seriously! The old rule, "Garbage in, garbage out," most assuredly applies here.
 
Which brings me to the HE-400's only weakness: the treble. With poorly master/ low-bit rate media, in particular, the treble can be a little wince-worthy, in part, because of the HE-400's rather aggressive treble peak at 9Khz, but also because this peak is juxtaposed to the HE-400's most peculiar attribute: its upper-midrange recession. (See headroom graph @ headroom.com for a visual of this.) 
 
Now,  while this recession may, from time to time,  shift your auditory focus toward the HE-400's treble hot spot, it tends to more frequently shift your focus in the opposite direction.  As a consequence, everything below 900Hz acquires extra depth and texture. Take Leonard Cohen's new album for example: Old Ideas. Leonard's voice is portrayed with mind-boggling realism and presence: it's almost too real! All my other headphones (the Sennheiser HD650, the Denon D2000, the AKG Q701 and K550, just to name a few) cannot fully capture this realism: the man's voice is so gravelly and yet so full of nuances, and only the HE-400 has enough low-end depth and resolution to do the man justice.
 
Anyway, I've said enough, but I should note one final thing: the HE-400 needs adequate power to shine; most mp3 players just won't cut it. Do yourself a favor and buy a good headphone amp. Your headphones will love you for this.

 

[chewy4]

Quote:

 
The only thing I can't stand about the HE-400, which keeps them from perfection, is the ear fatigue I get from them. I figure its either the clamp/pads wearing down my head, or the somewhat aggressive treble messing with me.

You'll get used to it. At first I had a problem listening to them for more than 30-40 minutes. Now 2-3 hour sessions of music with no break are no problem, and 4-5+ hour gaming sessions aren't a problem.

 

[Madmollusk]

Quote:

LOL. As I sit here plugged in to my O2, listening to Chopin and thinking about this post, I can't help but laugh at the way people convince themselves that there is an equipment problem and not a human problem going on. The O2 "reduces" euphonic pleasure? Not nearly as much as listening to crappy songs!
 
What you need to do is set up some double blind testing conditions, and just sit there, and fail at them. Its a wonderful feeling to know that you can't identify different amps, cables, and DACs like you think you can. Even better when you realize you can't hear the difference in an Mp3 versus CD. Once that is settled, you can go back to just loving your music and enjoying the different sounds of your phones'
 
The only thing the O2 did for me was give my HEs the power they deserved, and they sounded a little better, not a little worse. My HD595s didn't really benefit from the amp at all, my ears like the HE's so much at this point the 595s just sound grainy and confused in comparison.
 
The only thing I can't stand about the HE-400, which keeps them from perfection, is the ear fatigue I get from them. I figure its either the clamp/pads wearing down my head, or the somewhat aggressive treble messing with me.

Sometimes, my friend, little differences (objectively speaking),  can drastically change our perceptions (subjectively speaking) of sound. For example: anyone and everyone here would hear a dramatic difference even in blind conditions when comparing the he400 driven through my Barnes and Noble Nook tablet and then through my Zune hd. Even my father, who uses a hearing aid, could tell the difference, and let me quote him regarding that difference: "It ain't subtle, son." 

 

[MrMateoHead]

Quote:

You'll get used to it. At first I had a problem listening to them for more than 30-40 minutes. Now 2-3 hour sessions of music with no break are no problem, and 4-5+ hour gaming sessions aren't a problem.

Lol. Yeeessssss. At least my ears don't sweat. Hopefully the band / pads have some break in to them. They do sound so damn good that I have to force myself to keep the volume low, low, low. I often take breaks for the sake of readjusting my ears down the volume scale. This isn't unlike driving a sports car on the highway, and struggling to do 25 when you get off!