[conquerator2]

The grill mod helps with the bass impact at the expense of some texture/definition.
The gain is about the same as the loss...

 

[torta]

Ok, I more concerned for fun listening ... not critical. Thank you.

 

[jerg]

The grill mod helps with the bass impact at the expense of some perceived texture/definition.
The gain is about the same as the loss...

 

[reddog]

I have posted a review of HE-400I on HIFIMAN HE-400I product page. I am trying to copy it and post it on the HIFIMAN HE-400i impressions forums page, but no luck. I will write a shorter review for here later on today.

 

[conquerator2]

Fair enough

 

[Ron12]

The grill mod helps with the bass impact at the expense of some texture/definition.
The gain is about the same as the loss...

 
I really like how honest you are... You could easily just say 'OMGWTF, moar soundstage, bettttterr!!!' and be done with it. I cannot say I heard more texture/definition in bass without grills (HE-4, HE-400, HE-500) but even then, I appreciate that you are trying hard to analyse the mod (as best as you can).

 

[conquerator2]

   
I really like how honest you are... You could easily just say 'OMGWTF, moar soundstage, bettttterr!!!' and be done with it. I cannot say I heard more texture/definition in bass without grills (HE-4, HE-400, HE-500) but even then, I appreciate that you are trying hard to analyse the mod (as best as you can).

I suppose it is because I seem to be pretty sensitive to any bass changes. Without the grills there seem to be slightly more body but slightly less texture to instruments like string bass, etc. With the grills, the impact/texture ratio is just perfect with the air bass.
This is of course appreciable with synthetic bass, where the body is more and texture loss is almost non-evident - so it is really an issue where very delicate and nuanced bass matters...
Same for leading edge - pianos/guitars/violins have a bit more edge or rawness to them - which is a bit less natural/slightly more forced - but what I ultimately like a lot. This is because of the reverberation most likely [covering the cups very slightly w/ my hands produces the same effect].
The open mod does help air - there's a bit more of it in vocals and instruments. I very much love what it does to vocals, though the extra slight reverb the stock pads create is not that much.
The imaging is improved, the soundstage is slightly more spacious and cymbals sound more natural  though...
I suppose I like some bite in the treble and elsewhere - which the Focus pads w/ stock grills provide as opposed to the smooth and more natural presentation the Focus-A w/ open grills create.
TLR Focus/stock - more detail heavy + energetic X Focus-A/open - smoother and more natural.
As jerg said it

 

[Kamakahah]

All I see is a very gentle slope down on the extreme upper mids, while MOST of the mids are the highest point of the 400i's sound aside from the lower treble peak. Sorry but, unless you only see mids as upper mids only, the 400i's mids are VERY much the dominant aspect of its sound. Mids are incredibly straight for the majority of the sound spectrum.

I agree. When I read that graph, "U-shaped" is not what comes to mind.

It took less than 30 seconds of having the 400i on my head to point out how forward the Mids sound. The "intimate" stage puts the vocals right next to you which definitely contributes. Others have had similar impressions in their reviews. I found them to even reach shouty or destracting levels depending on the track. That usually doesn't go hand-in-hand with a U-shaped signature in my experience.

I suppose the extent to which one person perceives that will mostly depend on what other headphone they've been listening to prior to auditioning the 400i, among other factors.

 

[Yeswecan]

If you compare Tyll's, Purrin's and GoldenEar graphs for the same headphone, you'd get 3 very different curves.

 
No wonder a headphone can sound diffrently to diffrent persons if the measurements differ from each other. So each of us can pick his/hers favourite measurement as well...

 

[tinyman392]

   
No wonder a headphone can sound diffrently to diffrent persons if the measurements differ from each other. So each of us can pick his/hers favourite measurement as well...

Tyll's and Purrin's actually agree with each other up until you hit the upper treble (which Purrin does say is a seal issue).  The reason for this is because they use the same compensation for their graphs (standard diffuse field) and follow the standard.  Golden Ears will always look different (with their compensation) as they have their own compensation they created which is fairly U-shaped with a large 2-4 kHz spike (larger than that of DF).  If you look at the raw graphs, all the "ears" are hearing it the same.  

 

[garunamodi]

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm <- an interactive page showing frequencies of various instruments and where sub bass/bass/mids/treble start/end. Well worth a look if you haven't seen it already.

 

[coletrain104]

If anyone is here wondering if this headphone is for them, feel free to check out my review, just posted today. 

 

[Ekul61]

If anyone is here wondering if this headphone is for them, feel free to check out my review, just posted today. 

Where the review

 

[Vartan]

 

If anyone is here wondering if this headphone is for them, feel free to check out my review, just posted today. 

Where the review

Here
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i/reviews/11529

 

[q2klepto]

  I'll be keeping the demo pair HifiMan has sent me, and selling off my HE-400. Sure, bass isn't as good, but everything else is better including comfort.
 
After a few days of listening to the HE-400i alone, going back to the HE-400 was a huge shock. All it's deficiencies seemed to be multiplied. Vocals sounded more distant than I had remembered, and the treble just plain hurt in certain songs with no EQ of course.
 
It was at that point that I decided that I can't go back to it so I'll be buying the demo pair off HifiMan and getting rid of the HE-400.
 
Something else I'm noticing, and this is probably just my imagination, but bass seems to be hitting harder now and extending a little lower. Again, I'm probably just imaging it.

 
Wait - you can try before buying the 400i? I might be able to recoup a decent amount for my grill modded/focus pad added HE-400s - but i want to know how the 400i sound first.