**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread**
Feb 10, 2013 at 9:41 AM Post #7,201 of 22,116
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It's an interesting option, but I'm set on the Asgard 2. The trickle down tech from the mjolnir flagship amp makes for an exciting prospect. The gain switch that allows you to go from iem's to orthos is also very compelling for me. It's just an attractive package and if you don't find it dead sexy, you need to check your pulse. 
size]


Yes this is indeed true. I'm also a bit afraid of the shipping costs of the mini-x to europe :s.
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 9:41 AM Post #7,202 of 22,116
All this speaker tap talk is interesting. I thought I had read before that hooking up the HE400 to taps was dangerous because of the amount of power being supplied, that resistors would be called for.....or something like that. But I guess if you care carefull with the volume it should work fine without probls no?
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 9:44 AM Post #7,203 of 22,116
Quote:
All this speaker tap talk is interesting. I thought I had read before that hooking up the HE400 to taps was dangerous because of the amount of power being supplied, that resistors would be called for.....or something like that. But I guess if you care carefull with the volume it should work fine without probls no?


Turn op the volume and bye bye HE-400. Ideally you have a source with a volumn knob. Then this is your gain switch.
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 10:16 AM Post #7,204 of 22,116
Quote:
All this speaker tap talk is interesting. I thought I had read before that hooking up the HE400 to taps was dangerous because of the amount of power being supplied, that resistors would be called for.....or something like that. But I guess if you care carefull with the volume it should work fine without probls no?

 
Orthodynamic headphones can take the juice.  This is quite unlike headphones with dynamic drivers.  HfiMAN makes such a box ($99) that one can use on the back of a power amp for connecting their headphones.  However, the device, and its associated resistors, has hurt the sound -- from the reviews I've read on this device.
 
People just need to control their volume and they will be OK.  Plus, HifiMAN has responded to this before.  They have stated that in doing this, people should be using an amp under a certain threshold for power.  Keep in mind, the statistics for most amplifiers that claim 100 watts per channel, are often overstated.
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 10:25 AM Post #7,205 of 22,116
Possibly you might not even necessarily damage your HE-400 in case the volume knob on the emotiva gets turned up fully. The lcd2 eg. is rated for 15 watts. The emotiva would possibly only be able to deliver some 10-13 watts, and then there is the typical track gain to take into consideration too, i guess?
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 10:27 AM Post #7,206 of 22,116
Quote:
 
It's an interesting option, but I'm set on the Asgard 2. The trickle down tech from the mjolnir flagship amp makes for an exciting prospect. The gain switch that allows you to go from iem's to orthos is also very compelling for me. It's just an attractive package and if you don't find it dead sexy, you need to check your pulse. 
size]


I would be very curious to hear a comparison of the HE-400 on the magni vs the asgard 2!
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 10:58 AM Post #7,207 of 22,116
This is one of the most informative thread on this forum. Every question I had was answered in the opening post.
Hopefully mine will be here Monday.
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 12:02 PM Post #7,209 of 22,116
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I don't know what speaker taps are and frankly, I don't want to overcomplicate the process. Just being frugal as always. I'm confident the price will drop by the end of March.


don't do yourself a disservice.  the emotiva powers the he400 to their potential.  I think malveaux even found that it powered his he400 better than his lyr. 
 
the emotiva-speaker taps-he400 is a step above my marantz amp in terms of powering the he400.  I found my marantz amp to be on par with my LYR during A-B tests with the he-500 back when I had that equipment months ago.  
 
just giving my experience with the he400 on speakers taps.  best decision I've made yet
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 12:19 PM Post #7,210 of 22,116
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I would be very curious to hear a comparison of the HE-400 on the magni vs the asgard 2!

 
Jason at Schitt has already said that the Asgard (original) sounded way too close to the magni, which was partly what facilitated the A2 I would speculate. The A2 should be a very nice upgrade from the magni. 
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 12:26 PM Post #7,211 of 22,116
Quote:
 
Jason at Schitt has already said that the Asgard (original) sounded way too close to the magni, which was partly what facilitated the A2 I would speculate. The A2 should be a very nice upgrade from the magni. 


I guess that makes the magni even better! Does suck a bit for the current asgard owners. I'm definitely interested in the A2 :)
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 10:48 PM Post #7,212 of 22,116
Quote:
 
Orthodynamic headphones can take the juice.  This is quite unlike headphones with dynamic drivers.  HfiMAN makes such a box ($99) that one can use on the back of a power amp for connecting their headphones.  However, the device, and its associated resistors, has hurt the sound -- from the reviews I've read on this device.
 
People just need to control their volume and they will be OK.  Plus, HifiMAN has responded to this before.  They have stated that in doing this, people should be using an amp under a certain threshold for power.  Keep in mind, the statistics for most amplifiers that claim 100 watts per channel, are often overstated.

 
The a-100 mini X is a really great amp at it's price point for orthos.  This cable is what you'll need + the 4pin XLR cable from HiFiMan:
 
 

 
Feb 10, 2013 at 11:20 PM Post #7,213 of 22,116
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I have completed the first version of the marleypads :D
 

 

 
The inspiration for these pads came from the jergpads. The balanced sound was amazing but I thought these pads could be even better with deeper pads. Having my ears so close to the driver resulted in a more intimate soundstage, and imaging of instruments wasn't as impressive.
 
So I took the velour pads and stitched leather over them :D
I also added some damping holes to reduce reverb, which wasn't really apparent but I thought it couldn't hurt.
 
First sound impression: They sound like the velours but more balanced. They still sound as dynamic, so bass is much more punchy than with the jergpads. But mostly imaging and soundstage is back, it is amazing.
 
The jergpads do sound more romantic though, however I like a more dynamic sound.
I'll open up a new thread where I'll write up a how-to marleypads in case anyone is interested in replicating this experiment.
 
p.s. When I say jergpads, I mean my implementation of the jergpads. Maybe I did something wrong? But I think most of the problems of the jergpads (smaller soundstage, slightly slower sound) are inherent problems of the pleather pads. They are less deep and softer.
Also major props to my girlfriend since she did all the stitching and pattern designing!

Marley maan,
 
just the post I was looking for. I switched to velours yesterday and while the sound is better than the pleaters, the material really irritates around my ears. I did not want to go back to the pleaters and you have given me a great idea. Gotta involve the wife though.
 
I'll let you know how this went.
 
Thanks
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 11:21 PM Post #7,214 of 22,116
Quote:
 
Jason at Schitt has already said that the Asgard (original) sounded way too close to the magni, which was partly what facilitated the A2 I would speculate. The A2 should be a very nice upgrade from the magni. 

As luck would have it, I received the original Asgard 2 weeks ago. What a bummer ! What do you think ? Should I just go for the Lyr instead ?
 
Feb 10, 2013 at 11:55 PM Post #7,215 of 22,116
After a few days of owning them, I feel like the HE-400 might be end game for me.  I got to listen to them properly amped for a day before the amp died, probably due to ecstasy overload.  The sound was just luxurious, and the instrument separation and general intimacy was on a level I've never heard from a headphone before (granted, I've never been able to demo a really expensive headphone).  Once the replacement amp gets here I will probably be content with these (plus the MDR-1R for portable use) for a very long time.  I'm super excited.
 

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