[lesda]

After reading all the reviews about Hifiman HE400, I decided to test it out at my local headphone shop today. I ended buying it right then and there! Damn, I'm in love with these headphones. I got it a lot pricier than I would online but heck support the local shops eh! I'm no audiophile but these headphones are like crack once you love one you can't stop buying more!

 

[jsaliga]

This thread is information overload to the nth degree. 

  Sorry for adding to the cacophony of opinion and experience.
 
I have only had my HE-400s for a few days so it really is too early to say for sure how I will feel about these cans, but my first impressions are not particularly positive.  I am using mine with the velour pads.  I thought the leather pads were unlistenable
 
I have read, and read some more, and then read even more, and probably read some of the same stuff over and over again about the HE-400 and HE-500.  I'm not new to headphones, and have owned at one time or another the following: Sennheiser HD650, AKG-K701, AKG-K1000, Grado RS1, and Grado GS1000.  But I have not been a serious headphone listener for three or four years.  I am back to needing a good sounding set of phones for serious listening late at night.  The HE-400s are a lot darker than I was expecting, and they remind me a lot of the Sennheiser HD650s.  At the moment I am driving them with a Woo Audio WA2 since that is the preamp in my speaker setup.  I was planning on buying a WA6SE as a dedicated headphone amp, but that purchase was depending a great deal on how I felt about the HE-400.  I wanted to wade into the Hifiman sound with the entry level planar magnetics first, expecting to also buy a pair of HE-500s to go with the WA6SE.  Now I am not so sure.  At the moment I don't even think the HE-400s sound as good as my Sennheiser HD598s, which cost half the price.  The HE-400s are dark, they distort at high volume, and the treble is pretty abysmal (cymbals and hi-hats sound very tizzy and flat, with a pretty rapid decay).  The midrange, mid-bass, and bass are all quite good even though they are dark.  I don't know to what extent the HE-500s will address the shortcomings I am perceiving in the HE-400s and I can't tell from reading reviews and owner comments or comparisons.
 
For now I am willing to give it some time with the HE-400s.  I'm not in a rush.  But if I am not feeling better about them after a time then I will probably scuttle my plans, forget the WA6SE, and just buy a pair of Senneheiser HD600s and call it a day, saving myself a lot of money.  Or maybe step up and give the Sennheiser HD800s a try.
 
--Jerome

 

[jerg]

Quote:

This thread is information overload to the nth degree. 

  Sorry for adding to the cacophony of opinion and experience.
 
I have only had my HE-400s for a few days so it really is too early to say for sure how I will feel about these cans, but my first impressions are not particularly positive.  I am using mine with the velour pads.  I thought the leather pads were unlistenable
 
I have read, and read some more, and then read even more, and probably read some of the same stuff over and over again about the HE-400 and HE-500.  I'm not new to headphones, and have owned at one time or another the following: Sennheiser HD650, AKG-K701, AKG-K1000, Grado RS1, and Grado GS1000.  But I have not been a serious headphone listener for three or four years.  I am back to needing a good sounding set of phones for serious listening late at night.  The HE-400s are a lot darker than I was expecting, and they remind me a lot of the Sennheiser HD650s.  At the moment I am driving them with a Woo Audio WA2 since that is the preamp in my speaker setup.  I was planning on buying a WA6SE as a dedicated headphone amp, but that purchase was depending a great deal on how I felt about the HE-400.  I wanted to wade into the Hifiman sound with the entry level planar magnetics first, expecting to also buy a pair of HE-500s to go with the WA6SE.  Now I am not so sure.  At the moment I don't even think the HE-400s sound as good as my Sennheiser HD598s, which cost half the price.  The HE-400s are dark, they distort at high volume, and the treble is pretty abysmal (cymbals and hi-hats sound very tizzy and flat, with a pretty rapid decay).  The midrange, mid-bass, and bass are all quite good even though they are dark.  I don't know to what extent the HE-500s will address the shortcomings I am perceiving in the HE-400s and I can't tell from reading reviews and owner comments or comparisons.
 
For now I am willing to give it some time with the HE-400s.  I'm not in a rush.  But if I am not feeling better about them after a time then I will probably scuttle my plans, forget the WA6SE, and just buy a pair of Senneheiser HD600s and call it a day, saving myself a lot of money.  Or maybe step up and give the Sennheiser HD800s a try.
 
--Jerome

Hey Jerome
 
HE400 and HE500 are completely different beasts; fun vs behaved, sharp vs smooth, dark vs upfront, spacious vs full-sounding, dirty vs clean background. The core similarities shared between HE400/500 are the separation capabilities, dynamics, and nature of the imaging (planar imaging is fundamentally different from dynamic).
 
If you want to grab some Senn HD6x0s, but could afford the HE500s, there is absolutely no reason not to get the latter.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I think you meant the former, right? Lol.

 

[jerg]

Quote:

I think you meant the former, right? Lol.

No, the latter.

 

[eke2k6]

Quote:

 
 
If you want to grab some Senn HD6x0s, but could afford the HE500s, there is absolutely no reason not to get the latter.

 
Other than the weight, and almost double the price for a change in sound sig.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

No, the latter.

Nvm, read it wrong. Two negatives....

 

[catspaw]

Quote:

 
I agree that the HE-400's treble can be too hot for some gaming, things like gun shots can be piercing at times. Luckily someone posted not too long ago a universal EQ program for Windows. It works system wide so you can EQ your games, internet browser, youtube, etc. The program really is a life saver. EqualizerAPO incase you're interested.

Hmm, ill test it when i get home. If it works well enought, i probably wont be buying any other HP for the time being.
Thx beaver.

 

[beaver316]

Quote:

Hmm, ill test it when i get home. If it works well enought, i probably wont be buying any other HP for the time being.
Thx beaver.

 
It can be a little hard to get a grip of the program since there's no curve to work with, it's just code in a text file. I can give you my config so you can get an idea of how it's done. Mine focuses on reducing the sibilants and the tizzy metallic nature of the treble. It's much better now.

 

[jsaliga]

Quote:

Hey Jerome
 
HE400 and HE500 are completely different beasts; fun vs behaved, sharp vs smooth, dark vs upfront, spacious vs full-sounding, dirty vs clean background. The core similarities shared between HE400/500 are the separation capabilities, dynamics, and nature of the imaging (planar imaging is fundamentally different from dynamic).
 
If you want to grab some Senn HD6x0s, but could afford the HE500s, there is absolutely no reason not to get the latter.

 
I am a little more encouraged by your comments.  Since Head-Direct has a 30 Day return policy I think I will send them back for a refund and give the HE-500 a try.
 
--Jerome

 

[catspaw]

Quote:

 
It can be a little hard to get a grip of the program since there's no curve to work with, it's just code in a text file. I can give you my config so you can get an idea of how it's done. Mine focuses on reducing the sibilants and the tizzy metallic nature of the treble. It's much better now.

Sounds great.
Ill test it when i get home.
 
Also, i dont have a problem with plain text. Ive Programed a bit on Php so i guess ill manage to figure it out eventually.

 

[beaver316]

Quote:

Sounds great.
Ill test it when i get home.
 
Also, i dont have a problem with plain text. Ive Programed a bit on Php so i guess ill manage to figure it out eventually.

 
 
 
 
   
 
Here's mine incase your interested. It has a 3.5db dip at 9Khz and 16Khz, and a smaller dip around 12Khz.

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

This thread is information overload to the nth degree. 

  Sorry for adding to the cacophony of opinion and experience.
 
I have only had my HE-400s for a few days so it really is too early to say for sure how I will feel about these cans, but my first impressions are not particularly positive.  I am using mine with the velour pads.  I thought the leather pads were unlistenable
 
I have read, and read some more, and then read even more, and probably read some of the same stuff over and over again about the HE-400 and HE-500.  I'm not new to headphones, and have owned at one time or another the following: Sennheiser HD650, AKG-K701, AKG-K1000, Grado RS1, and Grado GS1000.  But I have not been a serious headphone listener for three or four years.  I am back to needing a good sounding set of phones for serious listening late at night.  The HE-400s are a lot darker than I was expecting, and they remind me a lot of the Sennheiser HD650s.  At the moment I am driving them with a Woo Audio WA2 since that is the preamp in my speaker setup.  I was planning on buying a WA6SE as a dedicated headphone amp, but that purchase was depending a great deal on how I felt about the HE-400.  I wanted to wade into the Hifiman sound with the entry level planar magnetics first, expecting to also buy a pair of HE-500s to go with the WA6SE.  Now I am not so sure.  At the moment I don't even think the HE-400s sound as good as my Sennheiser HD598s, which cost half the price.  The HE-400s are dark, they distort at high volume, and the treble is pretty abysmal (cymbals and hi-hats sound very tizzy and flat, with a pretty rapid decay).  The midrange, mid-bass, and bass are all quite good even though they are dark.  I don't know to what extent the HE-500s will address the shortcomings I am perceiving in the HE-400s and I can't tell from reading reviews and owner comments or comparisons.
 
For now I am willing to give it some time with the HE-400s.  I'm not in a rush.  But if I am not feeling better about them after a time then I will probably scuttle my plans, forget the WA6SE, and just buy a pair of Senneheiser HD600s and call it a day, saving myself a lot of money.  Or maybe step up and give the Sennheiser HD800s a try.
 
--Jerome

I have read multiple times that the WA2 is not suited for planars. If the HE-400 distort at high volume it is due to the amp, unless you have a faulty pair. I doubt it would distort badly, even if you put 1 watt RMS through it.
 
The WA2 surely will not be enough for the HE-500.
 
Also, I can only agree on what Jerg says about the 400 vs 500. 

 

[jsaliga]

And I have read numerous posts from some highly respected members here that the WA2 is fine for the HE-400 and HE-500.  Check Skylab's posts in particular for one, and there are quite a few others.  Who do you decide to believe?  The point is that you have to be willing to go a little bit out on a limb and try things for yourself to determine what works best for you.  Opinions can be helpful, but they are also of limited value, since there is far from a consensus on any headphone or amp on the market.  You can drive yourself crazy sorting all of that out, trying to determine who is repeating something they read elsewhere, who is speculating or theorizing, and who is commenting from direct experience.
 
As I said in the text you quoted, I was planning on buying a WA6SE for the HE-500s.  So I am fairly well informed about the amping needs of these phones.
 
--Jerome

 

[catspaw]

Quote:

 
 
 
 
   
 
Here's mine incase your interested. It has a 3.5db dip at 9Khz and 16Khz, and a smaller dip around 12Khz.

Looks relativly simple.
Ill check it out in about 1.5 hours on mass effect 2 and give ya some feedback on it.
That game on the HE-400 is dangerous when you shoot some guns