[Greed]

  Yeah, it'd be very hard to screw up the suspension strap in terms of comfort, I have high hopes in that regard.

 
AKG did. 

 

[TMRaven]

They felt it was too much of a cheat card so decided to stay fair by adding bumps on the bottom-side of their suspension strap.

 

[mikeaj]

I have strong neck muscles and have no issues wearing the he-500s for hours at a time, however compared to my denons they aren't as comfortable even with nicer pads, and I attribute that almost entirely to the wight.

That said, the he-4 and abyss have both received stellar reviews, there is clearly evidence it isn't a sacrifice SQ wise, I'm fairly certain it is simply much easier to get good sound out of double sided than single, I feel like there is no difference in potential.

Give the good doctor some credit, he has earned it.

 
With respect to weight, these are very different headphones, but:
 

source: http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-relationship-between-perception-and.html
 
Comfort ratings given by a group of users when blind tested on headphones. HP1 is LCD-2 (so heaviest by a good margin). Others are AKG K701 (yes, bumps!), Bose Quiet Comfort 15, AKG K550, Beats Studio, and V-Moda Crossfade in some order. Roughly that, but I think a couple might be swapped.
 
In other words, it seems like heavy headphones might be outliers in terms of comfort. In a bad way. Or it was some other combination of factors, though I think it's probably the weight as a major factor at least. I just thought this was one interesting take and data points on the matter.

 

[GeneraI]

Already the 400i's are being overshadowed by the 560's.

 

[zxc]

While I won't claim that heavy headphones can't be comfortable, it's clear that it is much harder to make a heavier headphone more comfortable.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Already the 400i's are being overshadowed by the 560's.

when they're out they'll gain traction with ortho newcomers who wants a taste for minimum price. There are also the modded t50rps being sold but those are closed back.

 

[grizzlybeast]

^i agree...so below isnt a counter comment
 
but I dont understand why the he 400 was considered just a taste of ortho. It is ortho in full force and raw sound but less refined than others. I read reviews saying stuff like the he500 and lcd are real ortho sound and the he400 is not etc etc
 
...whatever probably pious, ego driven comments by people who feel accomplished because they bought the better product. 
 
take the he400, keep the bass, give me better mids and less fatigue and you have a very commendable headphone that beefs up and wont back down to any competition around it.

 

[GeneraI]

when they're out they'll gain traction with ortho newcomers who wants a taste for minimum price. There are also the modded t50rps being sold but those are closed back.

Yep, I plan to get a 400i, or 500, or 560 depending on price/performance ratio. I also plan to get the new Alpha Dogs. 

 

[conquerator2]

Looking forward to the impressions then. I guess no 400i just yet but the 560 will do for now :]

 

[389095]

  For the whole comfort debate, I may be getting an early review sample of HE560 in the near future, and will compare it in all aspects to my HE500 and HE400. Admittedly my HE500 already has some comfort-based modifications already, while my HE400s are largely stock in terms of comfort, so I'll be able to gauge HE560's comfort level quite precisely.

 
Compared to normal dynamic driver headphones the He-500 are nearly double in weight if we compare for example to the Sennheiser HD600 which weights at about roughly 260Grams. The He-400 is about 440Grams and the He-500 comes in at about 502Grams. The design change to a single-sided magnetic driver reduces it to about 380Grams. That is quite a substantial difference in terms of weight. The headphones produce quality sound but the comfort level could be better if a He-500 needs comfort modifications whereas a He-400 doesn't. I'm glad that Hifiman took this into consideration for the 400i and the 560i but perhaps maybe a revision with single sided drivers for the He-400 and He-500 could also be a possibility.
 
I personally haven't tried the Hifiman He-500 yet but I plan to do so in the future and compare it's weight and comfort with other headphones. However I believe there will be an adjustment period and perhaps a period where breaks will be needed to properly wear the headphones without straining the neck.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

  ^i agree...so below isnt a counter comment
 
but I dont understand why the he 400 was considered just a taste of ortho. It is ortho in full force and raw sound but less refined than others. I read reviews saying stuff like the he500 and lcd are real ortho sound and the he400 is not etc etc
 
...whatever probably pious, ego driven comments by people who feel accomplished because they bought the better product. 
 
take the he400, keep the bass, give me better mids and less fatigue and you have a very commendable headphone that beefs up and wont back down to any competition around it.

Well... it's the cheapest open back ortho in the current market so it's more a figure of speech vs actuality. It is an Ortho in shape and form but let's not get it mixed up, the HE400 is not in the same class ortho as the HE500 or HE4 even in construction alone but also sonic qualities. With that said, if the HE400i is an improved version of the HE400 that closely resembles the HE500 sonically, then Head-Fiers are in for a treat at $500.

Like I said, if you've got the amp the HE4 at $450 is a steal vs the previously priced $399 HE400. $300 on clearance for the HE400 is a fantastic deal as well however.

 

[Loquah]

   
The Crack is a totally different amp than the Mainline and the SEX. I believe Loquah was referring to the latter. 

 
Correct. I wouldn't recommend the Crack with low impedance cans of any sort from my experience (incl. trying some HEs at a past meet)
 
I'm not an expert here, but I believe there is a degree of damping that is still required for planars and that could be an issue when using high output impedance amps and could lead to loose, sloppy sounding bass and generally less refined sound. There was a lengthy discussion of this in another thread - I think the Crack thread.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Well... it's the cheapest open back ortho in the current market so it's more a figure of speech vs actuality. It is an Ortho in shape and form but let's not get it mixed up, the HE400 is not in the same class ortho as the HE500 or HE4 even in construction alone but also sonic qualities. With that said, if the HE400i is an improved version of the HE400 that closely resembles the HE500 sonically, then Head-Fiers are in for a treat at $500.


Like I said, if you've got the amp the HE4 at $450 is a steal vs the previously priced $399 HE400. $300 on clearance for the HE400 is a fantastic deal as well however.

Shape, form and SOUND. Had both and they have tons of similarities. I did like the 500 a lot better though

 

[davidsh]

^Nope, planars virtually don't care for output impedance. But low impedance phones won't receive much juice with such a high output impedance

 

[Loquah]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/476650/crack-bottlehead-otl/3120#post_9948413
 
Here's the beginning of the discussion on the Crack thread. Multiple users reported loose flabby bass from HEs with the Crack and it matches what I've heard. I don't know the exact explanation, but the proof's in the pudding.