[marshallmole]

  @marshallmole Yeah, chowmein does refer to the Chinese fried noodles.

 

(Totally off-topic) Just realized that chowmein is officially the English word for Chinese fried noodles... How I wish we could have more English words for Chinese foods. Would create much more awareness for how good they are. 

 

[Vartan]

  chowmein83,
 
thanks for your impressions, certainly a worthy contribution since not much other info has been documented (yet).
you may have helped me save $400 if I pass on HE-560 now.  cheers!
 
couple questions for the Hifiman masses:
 
1.  are the HE-400i pads the "same" as the HE-560?  (ie.  angled and material?)
2.  is the HE-400i cable material/length the same as HE-560?
3.  what jack sizes come with the HE-400i?  3.5mm with 1/4 adapter?

+1

 

[MattTCG]

  @marshallmole Yeah, chowmein does refer to the Chinese fried noodles.

Glad you guys appreciated the 400i impressions - I just thought that the 400i's weren't getting enough attention compared to the 560's, so I'd write up some impressions to clear up some of the mystery around it. Honestly, I'm very excited about these cans, and I'm going to order one as soon as they come out.
 
Speaking of the release date, I asked Dr. Fang at the show about when they planned to ship them out, and I believe he said about towards the end of July/early August. Not sure how this correlates to the "two months from shipping" said earlier in the thread, but that's what he said...

 
Ohhhh...August is a dirty word. 

 

[dxanex]

Finally some real world, useful impressions of the HE-400i. Pretty much got me hyped for them again after these delays.
 
Thanks, chowmein83. A very worthy first post!

 

[Netforce]

  chowmein83,
 
thanks for your impressions, certainly a worthy contribution since not much other info has been documented (yet).
you may have helped me save $400 if I pass on HE-560 now.  cheers!
 
couple questions for the Hifiman masses:
 
1.  are the HE-400i pads the "same" as the HE-560?  (ie.  angled and material?)
2.  is the HE-400i cable material/length the same as HE-560?
3.  what jack sizes come with the HE-400i?  3.5mm with 1/4 adapter?

I went to the same show as well and tested out the he-400i and talked with Fang for a short bit about them. Can confirm the pads are the same as the he-560 at least from what I saw, didn't confirm that directly with Fang but they looked identical and felt the same. The cable on all the hifiman cans at the table and what was on the he-400i can change but don't remember much about it particularly but it was a 1/4 inch end so couldn't give it a listen with my x5 and my music.
 
From my initial listening impressions which was rather quick I will say the comfort is lot better than the he-400, sound is a lot airier than the he-400, and the plugs were slightly angled so that will be nice for omega stands. Didn't get much listening in as I wanted to talk with Fang a bit about them. He said the really big thing with the he-400i was they don't have all that trouble with distortion like the he-400 has and that technology has changed quite a bit since the initial he-400 and he strongly recommended me to sell my pair of he-400 and snag the he-400i more than a few times. Asked about the pads and he said yes they will be available to purchase separately and should work with older hifiman models but once again suggested I get the he-400i 

 Also the he-400i are going to be very efficient headphones.

 

[mrscotchguy]

I went to the same show as well and tested out the he-400i and talked with Fang for a short bit about them. Can confirm the pads are the same as the he-560 at least from what I saw, didn't confirm that directly with Fang but they looked identical and felt the same. The cable on all the hifiman cans at the table and what was on the he-400i can change but don't remember much about it particularly but it was a 1/4 inch end so couldn't give it a listen with my x5 and my music.

From my initial listening impressions which was rather quick I will say the comfort is lot better than the he-400, sound is a lot airier than the he-400, and the plugs were slightly angled so that will be nice for omega stands. Didn't get much listening in as I wanted to talk with Fang a bit about them. He said the really big thing with the he-400i was they don't have all that trouble with distortion like the he-400 has and that technology has changed quite a bit since the initial he-400 and he strongly recommended me to sell my pair of he-400 and snag the he-400i more than a few times. Asked about the pads and he said yes they will be available to purchase separately and should work with older hifiman models but once again suggested I get the he-400i   Also the he-400i are going to be very efficient headphones.

I'm wondering if the sound of the 400i will sound somewhere in between the HE-4 and the HE-500 from what you described? Btw, how much angle do the new pads have, and how much give do the pads have? The stock velours are just too darn stiff for me...

 

[Netforce]

I'm wondering if the sound of the 400i will sound somewhere in between the HE-4 and the HE-500 from what you described? Btw, how much angle do the new pads have, and how much give do the pads have? The stock velours are just too darn stiff for me...

Possibly, haven't heard the he-4 but the 400i remind me more of the 500 more so than the 400i to my ears. The angle on the pads isn't that large, smaller than the pads on the mad dogs and audeze cans for sure. The new pads were also quite soft, possibly using memory foam but not sure. Definitely lot softer than the old velour and pleather pads.

 

[Textfeud]

I WANT IT NOW!

 

[pachoo5]

So how is the bass of the 400i vs 560? That will be the deciding factor for me as I am a pretty big basshead. 

 

[chowmein83]

  So how is the bass of the 400i vs 560? That will be the deciding factor for me as I am a pretty big basshead. 

I don't think you can go wrong with either headphone if you're looking for bass. Both have very punchy and well-controlled bass, though I think the 400i had more of it (the HE-560 seemed to be tuned to have a more neutral signature, similar to the HE-6 that was there). As for the quality of bass, I think the 560 very slightly edges out the 400i, though the 400i is no slouch itself. I think if you're looking for quantity of bass, it's probably better to go for the 400i as you get more of it but you don't sacrifice much in quality. But if you want the ultimate quality bass, go for the HE-560.

 

[MattTCG]

 
I don't think you can go wrong with either headphone if you're looking for bass. Both have very punchy and well-controlled bass, though I think the 400i had more of it (the HE-560 seemed to be tuned to have a more neutral signature, similar to the HE-6 that was there). As for the quality of bass, I think the 560 very slightly edges out the 400i, though the 400i is no slouch itself. I think if you're looking for quantity of bass, it's probably better to go for the 400i as you get more of it but you don't sacrifice much in quality. But if you want the ultimate quality bass, go for the HE-560.

 
Thank you for this. I was going to ask the same question. I'll start to link impressions to the first post so that when others come here, it will be easier to get information. 

 

[marshallmole]

Thank you mattTCG, chowmein and NetForce! Nice impressions that really build up the profile of the 400i. And it's one that quite matches my initial expectations too. I'm more convinced that I should get this one in the future. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Sounds like HE400i is gonna be MLE's new dream headphone.

I haven't wanted a headphone as much as the 400i. I'm practically foaming at the mouth.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ Been expecting you to chime in with just such a statement. 

 

[Ron12]

Subbed... HE-400i is the only full-size headphone I would like to try and hopefully purchase (if good enough). A light-weight and easy-to-drive Hifiman with near-HE-500's tonality and for reasonable price is exactly what I am looking for - could be a great combo with the HE-4.