[marhol]

Got the Crystalline balanced Cable(4 pin XLR plug) from head-direct.com with my 400i headphones. Love the headphones.....not really loving the cable....they made the right side longer than the left...not by much, but enough to piss me off....live in Sweden so I will not be asking for a replacement (they push that shipping cost on the buyer).

Just a heads up to potential buyers that their production of these cables atm is a bit flaky.... Otherwise, I'm happy with my 400i and Oppo HA-1 combo! Coming from a Dt990 premium & Yulong D100 MKII DAC, I'm more than delighted! Yes, not the same wide soundstage or bass......but man, the bass is accurate and the soundstage is more natural!

I mostly use these cans for movies and they are good.....don't know how much that is brain-in but they, imho, work great for movies because of their accuracy and natural reproduction.

Could you please compare Beyerdynamic DT 990 and Hifiman He-400i in terms of an overall sound quality.  Do you think its a significant step up from DT 990 ?
I myself own  DT 990 Pro (250 Ohm) and know its midbass is noticeably elevated, so it can feel weightier, but HE -400i should have better bass extension and  more texture. And according to some reports e.g http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i/reviews/11407  He-400i  should have slightly elevated bass too !  So does it (He-400i bass) really feel much "lighter" than DT 990 bass in comparison ?  

 

[Ekul61]

Im thinking the comfort alone is worth more than the 500 or 400

 

[mgh24]

  I was lucky enough to receive one of these on the demo tour and, long story short, I bought it.
 
The longer story is that I have been on a headphone search for a while (aren’t we all?), and have tried many consumer/mid-fi models along the way, including: Shure SRH1540, NAD Viso, Philips X-1, AKG K545, V-Moda M100, Audio-Technica AD900x, etc. One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I simply must have bass -- but not at the expense of treble. The SRH1540’s were close to where I wanted to be, but ultimately I couldn’t get around the lack of treble I was perceiving with them. Later I came across the Beyer DT-770 32-ohm, and did end up keeping those. I love how well they play with my iStuff, even if they aren’t my holy grail.
 
I had had the HE-400i on my radar since I heard about them here on Head-Fi, and was excited when, even as a newbie, I was chosen to receive a demo pair. The very first thing that occurred to me when listening to these the first time, was that they did not have the bass I was looking for. But then something happened… I eventually threw on Rush Moving Pictures and sometime during YYZ I realized I was hearing Geddy’s bass line more distinctly and with more engagement than I have in recent memory. I was absolutely jamming and forgot all about headphones (yes, air-drumming was involved). But I still wasn’t sold, and if I had a bass knob I would have reached over and bumped it up.
 
Part of what I was hoping to find was a “nice” headphone that didn’t mind being being run from mobile devices. I would say the 400i’s are firmly in that category, and although you won’t find much headroom from your iPhone 5s, if a track calls for bass you will get bass. And it’s good bass - just not copious amounts of it. Then another new product arrived in my mailbox...
 
I had pre-ordered Digizoid’s ZO FS thinking I’d give another portable amp a shot (I had tried the Fiio E12 with the 1540’s), and from the moment I plugged into it, everything seemed to become right with the world. Suddenly I had an adjustable “fun factor” for the 400i’s! I was honestly expecting the Digizoid to be some over-the-top subwoofer-y thing, but instead it actually sounds and feels like a refined and serious piece of audio equipment (for the price). I’ve seen the word “synergy” used a lot on these forums, and with the 400i’s and the ZO FS, I think I’m finally seeing it in action.

It’s working for me, anyway.

Mine should be here Friday.  I am concerned with more I read, that I will find the bass lacking.  Would you mind giving your impressions of the X-1?  From what I have read, I thought they might be too bass-centric for me, but now I am beginning to wonder.  My guess is the HP50 would be too close to what I already have, the Soundmagic HP150.  I am running through magni/modi stack.
 
Anyway, I'll come back after having the weekend to listen to the 400i with my impressions.
 
Thanks

 

[moshen]

A bit harsh, but agree. I also prefer the he-500.

  after reading through this thread I can more easily see myself repurchasing the he500 before buying this 400i. Im kinda bummed it has no soundstage and no bass. 

The HE-400i is great (have one on demo), but having both the HE-500 and HE-560 I personally enjoy the HE-400i the least. I like the HE-500 more all around except for the weight. Unfortunately I will have to sell my mint HE-500 because I can't keep two planars around but I will miss the HE-500 greatly. The HE-400i is a big improvement over the HE-400 (esp. treble) and in weight however.

 

[Terja]

Here's a wild question. If the HE-400i cups are essentially the same as the HE-6, HE-500 why can't the latter cups be fitted onto the new headband style like the HE-400i? Can someone do a compo to see if that's possible with the HE-400i headband. Thanks much.

 

[bjamn]

  Mine should be here Friday.  I am concerned with more I read, that I will find the bass lacking.  Would you mind giving your impressions of the X-1?  From what I have read, I thought they might be too bass-centric for me, but now I am beginning to wonder.  My guess is the HP50 would be too close to what I already have, the Soundmagic HP150.  I am running through magni/modi stack.
 
Anyway, I'll come back after having the weekend to listen to the 400i with my impressions.
 
Thanks

 
From memory, the X-1's were simply not what I would call bassy. I know they're being talked about as a bassy open 'phone, but that really wasn't my experience. Bassier than some other opens, sure - but it wasn't in the neighborhood of what I was hoping for. It was soft and quiet bass, and without much texture. And if I'm remembering correctly, it didn't seem to like being eq'd either.
 
Knowing that, and that I bought the 400i upon trying it, might tell you what I'm thinking about its bass. I would say it's big, fluid, confident... just not overly "loud" by default. I imagine this varies greatly by the equipment used to drive them; so yeah, you'd be best served to give them a try. 
 
Hope this helps!

 

[money4me247]

  Here's a wild question. If the HE-400i cups are essentially the same as the HE-6, HE-500 why can't the latter cups be fitted onto the new headband style like the HE-400i? Can someone do a compo to see if that's possible with the HE-400i headband. Thanks much.

The old version has metal screws that attach the two metal arms that wrap around to the front/back sides of each earcups. The new version does not have any screws & I am honestly not sure how it is attached. Seems to just go directly into the earcups. The rest of the headband design is completely different and definitely not able to swap out for each other.
 
Also, considering Hifiman is not selling the headband separately, I dunno how you will get a hold of those pieces without just buying the new version. Seems kinda pointless to dissect the new headphones to transplant just the headband over. 
 
edit: on closer examination of the attachy part of the new gen, it does seem like it's screwed in. The screw looks to be significantly larger though so prob not an easy mod.

 

[grizzlybeast]

okay okay guys I did say it was an exaggeration. and to the people that thumbed up the posts as well. Im not trying to gain any "grizzlybeast" haters.
 
I apologize for exaggerating.

 
 
NOONE said they have no bass I was totally exaggerating.  Its just that the numbers 400 to me are synonymous with the phrase "best affordable bass in the world" and the impressions leave me missing that aspect. As well as the comparisons to the hd600 soundstage. 
 
To quote myself:
 
"Using the word "no" is an exaggeration... But reading impressions translate it to being a lot different from what I was expecting."

---

time to go back and read about the imaging, another favorite aspect of mine. Hopefully I don't read it to have no imaging lol. JUST KIDDING.
 
@moshen maybe I need to get somewhere and hear it. I may like it a lot once I accept it as it is and not what I hoped it to be. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

From memory, the X-1's were simply not what I would call bassy. I know they're being talked about as a bassy open 'phone, but that really wasn't my experience. Bassier than some other opens, sure - but it wasn't in the neighborhood of what I was hoping for. It was soft and quiet bass, and without much texture. And if I'm remembering correctly, it didn't seem to like being eq'd either.

Knowing that, and that I bought the 400i upon trying it, might tell you what I'm thinking about its bass. I would say it's big, fluid, confident... just not overly "loud" by default. I imagine this varies greatly by the equipment used to drive them; so yeah, you'd be best served to give them a try. 

Hope this helps!

Dunno what's up with the X1 you experienced, but the X1 is pretty bassy for an open can. DT990 levels, basically, though not as controlled. Definitely bass tilted relative to the mid and treble range. I did hear of some neutral-ish X1s around though.

 

[grizzlybeast]

^word up

 

[money4me247]

  okay okay guys I did say it was an exaggeration. and to the people that thumbed up the posts as well. Im not trying to gain any "grizzlybeast" haters.

grizzlybeasts are scary creatures & their droppings cause global warming.

 

[grizzlybeast]

 

  okay okay guys I did say it was an exaggeration. and to the people that thumbed up the posts as well. Im not trying to gain any "grizzlybeast" haters.

grizzlybeasts are scary creatures & their droppings cause global warming.

 

[LaPierre]

I can't wait to post my impressions, my HE-400i is arriving monday and I'll be using it with Magni-Modi and also a Fiio X3.

 

[bjamn]

Dunno what's up with the X1 you experienced, but the X1 is pretty bassy for an open can. DT990 levels, basically, though not as controlled. Definitely bass tilted relative to the mid and treble range. I did hear of some neutral-ish X1s around though.

 
Yeah, it wasn't what I expected, especially after what I'd read about them. But just as you just said, most of the time I saw the X-1 bass described it often included the qualifier "for an open can". Or maybe I got a "neutral" one (I haven't heard of that before).
 
The bass of the X-1 reminded me of the bass of the Denon D600 that I heard later. The D600 certainly had more bass quantity, but I would describe them as having similar character to the X-1: soft, artificial and monotone. If you've ever heard an electric bass in a studio or jam room when it buzzes the snares in the drum kit and you can just kind "sense" the layered presence of the bass as it moves air (hard to describe) - that's what the 400i reminds me of. The bass is more real to me.You can hear the wood of the amp cabinet, the strings, the frets of the bass guitar (as well as the depth and shape of kick drums and toms). It feels like bass not just for the sake of having bass, but for the actual portrayal of instruments that use the lower registers.
 
Ha! Just realized how philosophical I must sound in this post, but I'm just trying to describe the differences in bass. I'm really not advocating these headphones - I think they're just working out for me, and it's been a long journey.

 

[Fearless1]

Dunno what's up with the X1 you experienced, but the X1 is pretty bassy for an open can. DT990 levels, basically, though not as controlled. Definitely bass tilted relative to the mid and treble range. I did hear of some neutral-ish X1s around though.

I have an X1 that the bass is very neutral sounding, my friend has one that the bass is much more prevalent(beyond DT990 lvls). Both are the /28. He purchased them about a week after they were for sale on Amazon, mine were bought about 2 months later.
 
I have tested them both on the same set-up, major difference don't know why.