Johan-71
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**Hifiman HE-400 Impressions and Discussion Thread**
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MattTCG
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Deicide3
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can they fit extreme metal? orchestral, classical?
autoexec
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Yes they can fit extreme metal due to their fast response. 32nd bass drum notes are nicely defined and do not overlap with each other due to the driver's transient response. But even drivers are fast, they don't lack power as long as you feed them right. Plus the cymbals really shine. Though "too underground" or "low-budget" albums may seem sibilant or harsh. For what it's worth, HE-400 is my best headphone to listen The Faceless albums providing I'm on a quiet enviroment. They're just sick!
Yes they can fit extreme metal due to their fast response. 32nd bass drum notes are nicely defined and do not overlap with each other due to the driver's transient response. But even drivers are fast, they don't lack power as long as you feed them right. Plus the cymbals really shine. Though "too underground" or "low-budget" albums may seem sibilant or harsh. For what it's worth, HE-400 is my best headphone to listen The Faceless albums providing I'm on a quiet enviroment. They're just sick!
Marleybob217
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Yes, yes and yes. I find extreme metal to be the toughest genre of all three, just because it's so jammed with instruments and sounds. Without a good seperation and a very high resolution in sound you miss out on a lot. The HE-400 has excellent seperation and resolution so this genre fits it perfectly.
Yes, yes and yes. I find extreme metal to be the toughest genre of all three, just because it's so jammed with instruments and sounds. Without a good seperation and a very high resolution in sound you miss out on a lot. The HE-400 has excellent seperation and resolution so this genre fits it perfectly.
Oldandslow
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I did a quick check, going back and forth between the RS-1s (with flat pads), and the HE 400s (with velour pads.) Same material, same amp. I had to turn the volume up for the HE400s, as the RS-1s are more sensitive. Other than that, the same testing parameters. What I hear is, the HE-400s are more lush, more bass, way bigger sound stage. The stereo sound comes from behind my ears all the way to the front (mono). The RS-1s are more brittle sounding, and the stereo sound is right at your ears, and in the middle of your head for mono. The biggest difference I hear is, the HE-400s sound like speakers, not headphones. The sound comes from out around your head. The only "con" is, the weight. The HE-400s are heavy--440 grams or 14.5 ozs. They feel like they weight four or five times as much as the RS-1s. The weight is going to take some getting use to. The sound is not--they sound great!
I did a quick check, going back and forth between the RS-1s (with flat pads), and the HE 400s (with velour pads.) Same material, same amp. I had to turn the volume up for the HE400s, as the RS-1s are more sensitive. Other than that, the same testing parameters. What I hear is, the HE-400s are more lush, more bass, way bigger sound stage. The stereo sound comes from behind my ears all the way to the front (mono). The RS-1s are more brittle sounding, and the stereo sound is right at your ears, and in the middle of your head for mono. The biggest difference I hear is, the HE-400s sound like speakers, not headphones. The sound comes from out around your head. The only "con" is, the weight. The HE-400s are heavy--440 grams or 14.5 ozs. They feel like they weight four or five times as much as the RS-1s. The weight is going to take some getting use to. The sound is not--they sound great!
Marleybob217
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You get used to the weight quite fast. I'm not a big guy, weigh only about 66 kg. But the weight isn't an issue. My hair can get a bit flattened out by the headband though 
davidsh
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whirlwind
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I tried this phone for a few days, had it on loan from a friend.
I must have been expecting too much, I suppose....my first listen to a planar magnetic phone.
They just did not have the wow factor that I was expecting, that plus the weight send me back to my RS1i's pretty quickly
My RS1 seemed a lot more fun, made the guitars sing way more and the 9 oz. weight was much more comfortable.
I am glad that I tried them though...they are a great looking phone.
I must have been expecting too much, I suppose....my first listen to a planar magnetic phone.
They just did not have the wow factor that I was expecting, that plus the weight send me back to my RS1i's pretty quickly
My RS1 seemed a lot more fun, made the guitars sing way more and the 9 oz. weight was much more comfortable.
I am glad that I tried them though...they are a great looking phone.
wje
Unmodified = Not worth listening to.
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If I could suggest, don't use just the HifiMAN HE-400 as a basis towards all orthos or HifiMAN headphones. Based upon your one sentence, I could direct you towards the HE-4 and you'd be quite surprised. The HE-4 is lighter, but has a different, detailed high end when compared to the HE-4. I've been a major Grado fan in the past. However, I've heard and owned so many other headphones since then, I can no longer put a Grado on and enjoy them. I never thought I'd ever be in that position because Grado used to mean so much to me.
[crap: this is post 4,001 - so much for retaining my post count at a nice, even number.]
If I could suggest, don't use just the HifiMAN HE-400 as a basis towards all orthos or HifiMAN headphones. Based upon your one sentence, I could direct you towards the HE-4 and you'd be quite surprised. The HE-4 is lighter, but has a different, detailed high end when compared to the HE-4. I've been a major Grado fan in the past. However, I've heard and owned so many other headphones since then, I can no longer put a Grado on and enjoy them. I never thought I'd ever be in that position because Grado used to mean so much to me.
[crap: this is post 4,001 - so much for retaining my post count at a nice, even number.]
kwonberry
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Just dropped the dough for the 400's off Moon Audio and the Schiit M&M combo (my birthday present to myself). So excited for my first dive into orthos and desktop amplification.
flilow06
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Congrats bud, the 400s were my recent bday self-gift as well.
Might want to check if Moon actually has them available tomorrow. I called to ask a shipping question after I placed the order last week and they were sold out, frustrating when a company's website doesn't reflect what's in stock. I paid a little more but ended up getting it straight from Head Direct.
Congrats bud, the 400s were my recent bday self-gift as well.
Might want to check if Moon actually has them available tomorrow. I called to ask a shipping question after I placed the order last week and they were sold out, frustrating when a company's website doesn't reflect what's in stock. I paid a little more but ended up getting it straight from Head Direct.
kwonberry
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Ah thanks for the info I'll see if they pick up today if not I'll call tomorrow morning.
Ah thanks for the info I'll see if they pick up today if not I'll call tomorrow morning.
Well, I received my HE-400s on Friday and have given them a good few hours listening, with about 5-10 burn-in on top and I am disappointed. Yes, they have clout in the bass and have a vivid overall presentation of music, but the mids are boxy and honky, with the highs tarnished by something in the very upper ranges being exaggerated. This leads to a totally unrealistic presentation of timbres of strings, brass and other orchestral instruments. They sound like they are totally EQ'd. I'm pretty gutted at the moment, as spending this sort of money and reading such great reviews, I expected much more from them.
These conclusions are coming from running them through a variety of setups, including an Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp, my Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard and a Fiio E11. I am using the velours too, which did improve the sound greatly from being quite a dull and muddy mess at first. These headphones are in serious need of opening up in the upper mid/treble department. I can see why any fans of electronically produced or manipulated music might love these, as a realistic recreation of timbre is not relevant. For anything acoustic or using live instruments though, I'm disappointed. I mean, even listening to spoken voices, one can hear the colouration affecting the whole range of frequencies. I do hope these start to grow on me and that I'm maybe just too used to the generally brighter signatures of my other headphones
These conclusions are coming from running them through a variety of setups, including an Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp, my Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard and a Fiio E11. I am using the velours too, which did improve the sound greatly from being quite a dull and muddy mess at first. These headphones are in serious need of opening up in the upper mid/treble department. I can see why any fans of electronically produced or manipulated music might love these, as a realistic recreation of timbre is not relevant. For anything acoustic or using live instruments though, I'm disappointed. I mean, even listening to spoken voices, one can hear the colouration affecting the whole range of frequencies. I do hope these start to grow on me and that I'm maybe just too used to the generally brighter signatures of my other headphones
earphiler
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Try Jergpads it might fix it up to your liking
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