[TMRaven]

I liked the idea of an upgraded HE-400 signature more than an HE-500 signature tbh.

 

[beaver316]

  I liked the idea of an upgraded HE-400 signature more than an HE-500 signature tbh.

 
+1
 
HE-400 sound with the treble smoothed out and maybe a slight upper mid bump would be fantastic. But anyway Hifiman said they're still tweaking the HE-400i's sound so we'll see.

 

[grizzlybeast]

   
+1
 
HE-400 sound with the treble smoothed out and maybe a slight upper mid bump would be fantastic. But anyway Hifiman said they're still tweaking the HE-400i's sound so we'll see.

+1
but male voices aren't its strength either so the middle mids too

 

[conquerator2]

How about we hear the new HPs first and complain later if we don't like what we hear 

 

[Thujone]

  How about we hear the new HPs first and complain later if we don't like what we hear 

Wait... what?

 

[grizzlybeast]

nah
 
I think that if hifiman gets input from here now they may be able to avoid those complaints later. Considering they value our opinion.

 

[HiVLTAGE]

I'm planning for these to be my next upgrade when i get the cash.
 
Pretty excited for the new headband and such, when i tried the HE-400, i just couldn't get them to be all that comfortable.

 

[money4me247]

  HE-400i replacing HE-400 and at the same time not sounding like it is a bad idea to me.

as long as they maintain the stellar bass of the he-400 while improving the treble, it sounds like a great idea to me!!! though it kinda sucks for budget users looking for a cheap amazing valuerice $300 entry hi-fi pair of headphones

 

[dxanex]

As someone who never owned an HE-500, the prospect of having a similar hp that is lighter, and less expensive is still very appealing to me. If it ends up being an improved HE-400, I wouldn't shed any tears of regret, either. As long as it's more comfortable it's all good. Comfort has always been an area where HFM missed the mark a bit IMO.

 

[MrMateoHead]

   
+1
 
HE-400 sound with the treble smoothed out and maybe a slight upper mid bump would be fantastic. But anyway Hifiman said they're still tweaking the HE-400i's sound so we'll see.

As you described it - that is pretty much the HE-500 lol.
 
But I don't want "lush" and "smooth" sound. I want some aggression. You know like, HE-400 aggression. I assume that they'll follow the HE-500 signature (which has apparently been the benchmark for the company for awhile aside from the HE-6). But they'll need to give it good speed.
 
Since the HE-400 is being replaced, I assume this is possible. But I'm definitely hanging onto mine, since this sound is possibly going extinct. Its pretty dang close to my personal end-game and the 400i hitting $500 is really just psychologically too much money for me to part with unless I get some sort of windfall in the near future. The 560 will be dream cans but $1,000 is just crazy. I can get a really good 5.1 setup for either price.
 
With the price of the HE-400s dropping to the $300, I think the resale value of the HE-400s just dropped too. Oiy.

 

[grizzlybeast]

^I think that desire is pretty unanimous. an he500 with he400 bass. Hopefully hifiman picked up on that

 

[conquerator2]

For me the decision will depend on many factors with the most important being air, imaging, bite (which might be just what the HE-6 lacked at times, with the general HFM shared midrange dip) and soundstage roundness (rather than calling it even depth and width), which should be improved with the angled pads.
Those are factors that can possibly make my perfect headphone out of either the 400i or 560.

To a certain degree my two favorite headphones come to mind, the K612 Pros (which has great soundstage, bite and amazing inaging but ultimately lacks the air I seek and the treble could be a hair less strident and smooth) and the. MA900 (with good amount of air, bite and soundstage. The imaging however is not as great as I'd like... And at times makes sounds a bit indistinct. Other drawbacks being the highs with little extension and the comfort is somewhat temperamental).

With the HE-6 still being my ultimate reference headphone, save for maybe a the less bite part (making me turn the volume way up... And so did others ) and the bass, which is great, but distorted with certain gaming elements (any bigger explosions most notably) and had a simewhat uneven punch (due to the roll-off too, I imagine). I still really loved the headphone, save for weight and rarely comfort due to it (headband pressure)

I like a detailed, natural sound with that orthodynamic character.

So I certainly hope either of these fit my bill ( I mean I HAVE TO choose one... So the one closest to my reference)

Certainly eagerly awaiting first in-depth impressions

 

[grizzlybeast]

^ when you say bite if you mean attack then we both maybe a little too hopeful. 
 
the orthos usually lack in that area and though the bass can be textured, clean sounding, with good resolution, orthos loose out to dynamics in ....well dynamics. That is my only gripe about orthos. Drums and such though clear, lack the punch through the mix and the instruments though transparent don't flex.

 

[MattTCG]

The decision is easy for me. Price and similar sound signature to the he500 make this a no brainer for me. This is a win win in my book. 

 

[grizzlybeast]

  The decision is easy for me. Price and similar sound signature to the he500 make this a no brainer for me. This is a win win in my book. 

someone mentioned that the he400i is more like the he400 than the he500 whatever that means.