[InCreD1Ble]

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I hear distortion even far from the maximal volume (HE-400 plus FIIO E17).

That's very weird.. Originally, I thought that I got a faulty pair, now I'm not sure.. Need more confirmations.
 
Also, could you try and describe the distortions?

 

[modulor]

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I have the opportunity to get the HE-6 brand new for 880$ - within EU. But I am not sure I want to, because I don't have sufficient amplification anyway. Still, good price. Here they retail for around 1500$

Most speaker amps/receivers should be sufficient, but that is just an amazing price...almost too amazing to pass up if you ask me, not to be an enabler 

 

[beaver316]

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Target 8-9 kHz, narrow Q, cutting however much you like. Others also target 16 Khz. Personally, I haven't really liked EQing down, flat, from about 10 Khz-20 Khz, so I cut between 7-10 Khz by 2-3 dB.
 
Jumping back and forth from EQ'd to not, however, I have had some issues in terms of deciding if I really liked the effect or not. Minimal grooming has worked best, but I still fatigue. I believe the bass pressure is partly a culprit.

 
8-9 kHz seems to target the sibilants area, cutting that certainly helps, but the bothersome treble peak is a little further ahead. If I use the config posted before with a 5db cut at 13 kHz, it seems to remove that kind of metallic tinge in the treble, but at the same time changes the sound sig quite a bit, not sure if I like it to be honest. Not too sure how to do this now..

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

Oh man all this talk about the treble spike. I feel like something is wrong with my ears because I don't typically notice the spike at all. That or perhaps I'm unknowingly a treble-head. 

 

[beaver316]

I felt that way before I had my ears professionally cleaned, but now I hear all the flaws!

 

[modulor]

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Oh man all this talk about the treble spike. I feel like something is wrong with my ears because I don't typically notice the spike at all. That or perhaps I'm unknowingly a treble-head. 

It's clearly present in the graphs, true...beyond that, it's bothersome for some and a non-issue for others.  It's a matter of the listener preferring the signature the HE-400 presents, and the ultimate goal is to enjoy what you're hearing.  If they do that for you, then no need to worry!

 

[InCreD1Ble]

Ok, I'm very confused now. I plugged my 400's back into Asus Xonar Essence STX to check if that could be the amp's fault, the problem still persisted.. So I plugged it back into Aune T1, the crackles now disappeared from some of the songs and are much weaker in some other songs.. Wth?

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

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It's clearly present in the graphs, true...beyond that, it's bothersome for some and a non-issue for others.  It's a matter of the listener preferring the signature the HE-400 presents, and the ultimate goal is to enjoy what you're hearing.  If they do that for you, then no need to worry!

Haha I guess I should consider myself lucky. Sometimes it just makes me feel a little worried for my ears though  

 

[M-13]

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Haha I guess I should consider myself lucky. Sometimes it just makes me feel a little worried for my ears though  

It may also just be product variation. Some people's HE-400s might just have a bit more treble than others, or just different ears and different sensitivities. It's hard to really agree over the internet about something.

 

[Okamoto]

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Yes thanks. I have ordered a portable balanced amp for now (Ray Samuels) and the CLAS -dB. Looking next at desktop balanced amps. So bring on the suggestions, head fiers.

Get a GS-X from Justin.

 

[MrMateoHead]

The treble spike is "moot" and really, like other 'flaws', for me, is totally recording-dependent. Basically, hot recordings end up being a little obnoxious, while good recordings sound good, and great recordings sound near-perfect.
 
That is why I do / don't like EQing sometimes, and I keep tweaking from time to time. Typically, a mild cut around 1 Khz, 9-10 Khz and 16 khz, as suggested (2-3dB) is all that is required. The HE-400 already cuts 'sibilance' frequencies hard, so those that hate sibilance should experiment with the 1 khz range. I'll say it again because it bears repeating - the Human Voice is incapable of reaching frequencies beyond about 4 khz. Period. End of Story. You can't hear 'air', either, and the upper frequencies would only present the slightest trace of vocal artifacts, almost certainly overcome by other musical elements.
 
If the extreme end of treble bothers you just trim it. Like someone else had said, cymbals can seem proportionally loud on the HE-400s sometimes. I agree with that (but I also generally hate cymbals in music and in concert - always too loud to me!).

 

[Jesterphile]

Ok, I'm very confused now. I plugged my 400's back into Asus Xonar Essence STX to check if that could be the amp's fault, the problem still persisted.. So I plugged it back into Aune T1, the crackles now disappeared from some of the songs and are much weaker in some other songs.. Wth?

I bet if you EQ the treble down when using the xonar the crackles disappear. They're artifacts in the recording that the HE400s treble spike picks up.

 

[Marleybob217]

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Some people, like myself, prefer not to have to use software EQing to fix/alter hardware sound... I use EQ to bump frequencies up if a recording is lacking sometimes

Boosting or lowering is exactly the same when using an equalizer. When boosting frequencies you're just lowering the other frequencies. Just don't boost the gain, this could cause clipping and will  degenerate the sound, so always stay below the 0db (in foobar eq).

 

[Spiderman]

Does anyone here have a westone 4? One of the things I really liked about the he-400 was the clarity I was thinking about buying another one but I am spending more time on the go as oppose to my house, I was just wondering if anyone can compare it to one of those detailed Iems such as the 535's and westone 4's.

 

[Jesterphile]

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Boosting or lowering is exactly the same when using an equalizer. When boosting frequencies you're just lowering the other frequencies. Just don't boost the gain, this could cause clipping and will  degenerate the sound, so always stay below the 0db (in foobar eq).

I know, I lower the frequencies opposite to what I want to boost, I realise phrased that poorly 
 
cheers