MattTCG
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2012
- Posts
- 15,685
- Likes
- 3,874
^^ Isn't the he-4 350 g? Don't hate me, just asking.
^^ Isn't the he-4 350 g? Don't hate me, just asking.
^^ Isn't the he-4 350 g? Don't hate me, just asking.
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Yes I agree that most of the human vocals (even female ones) are centered in the lower-mid midrange-- where the HE-400 are NOT recessed. I have seen your link before, but I don't know where I could find it either. For the most part, headphones I've heard with more upfront vocal had to do more with their soundstage representation than their frequency response.
The upper midrange affects things more like the energy and bite of percussion, electric guitars, the cry of violins etc-- all harmonics.
While I can agree that the sibilance found in most vocals tends to be a fault of the recording and mastering processes, lowering the HE-400's treble around 10-15khz a little bit does help this problem quite a bit. It's not just that the HE-400 is an unforgiving headphone, it's that it has an un-naturally elevated high treble. HD800 apologists have been using the same unforgiving argument for years now, even though HD800 has an elevated shelf of treble from 6khz onwards.
Yes, I do know that most naturally occurring sibilance isn't found in the 10-15khz region, but it's still nice to have treble more natural so that most recording and masterings sound more natural on the headphones on the process.
For the most part I find HE-400 to be not very sibilant-prone unless it's a highly filtered pop song etc.
You guys certainly do sound like HE-400 apologists, especially when claims that the HE-400 is as good as the LCD-2 are thrown around.
I'm convinced the HE-400 is a good, but flawed headphone. Vocals disappear behind the drums, hi-hats, and instruments when they clearly shouldn't. Sibilance is a frequent problem and treble balance is also an issue. The "thinness" of the overall sound is also a negative. Plus, the lack of decent bass impact with velours and a less-than-ideal subbass extension.
In the end the HE-400 is very technically adept but I don't think I can call it "musical". It doesn't make the music fun and engaging the way my D2000s did, for instance (and I'm sure there's a multitude of headphones that can be described as more musical in or around this price range).
The Human voice does not go anywhere NEAR 10-15 khz. You are not doing anything to "sibilance" in human voices by trimming those frequencies. But you may be taking some of the bite out of a very limited set of instruments / harmonics that MAY reach that high.
Without a question, critical human voice frequencies are in the 100hz - perhaps 3 kHz range - with the most critical frequencies in the approximate middle of that. At the low end, mostly just bassy, muffled nonsense. At the very high end, likely no male voices (maybe Eunuchs), and the trailing "hot" end of female vocals. Hence, the HE-400 already 'recesses' the critical mid frequencies which would probably produce the most sibilance / irritation. What is clear, however, is that the HE-400 DO give a bit of a hump centered at 1 KHz, hence I would look to that area for sibilance correction.
Not harping on you in particular, but when people talk "mids, highs, and lows", its pretty important to be precise. Probably 90% of music occurs in the much more narrow range of, say, 60 Hz - 10 KHz. That is why those are the frequencies that I pay closest attention to when trying to "EQ" something nasty out of my phones / speakers.
Just want to start by saying that all of you who have contributed to this thread have seriously helped me to make buying decisions. Thanks to the info I picked up an E17 when I first got my HE400 just to get started. It's done a great job for what it is, but I'm looking for a final upgrade.
Would like some recommendations for a "transportable" amp/dac that will be the best match for the HE400 and bring it up to its full potential. I use it thru an old Macbook Pro, iPad/iPhone, and my work PC with a poor sound card. These are some of the ideas I've gathered:
Leckerton UHA-6S MKII
RSA Predator
O2 + ODAC
ALO International
NuForce Icon HDP
The DACMini is a great sounding little unit that would be easily transportable. I've personally owned that one and I liked it a lot but it didn't have quite enough power for me. I ended up with a Grace Designs m903 and I love it.
That's a great write-up. I fear that I may follow down your path, but I was hoping I could satisfy the HE400 with something in the $250 - $500 range.