[howdy]

 

To each there own I guess. I say the improvemnets were minor but "I" did hear some improvemnts! Nothing changed as far as setups either to influence what Im hearing.

 

[manbear]

On the HE400 I liked everything below about 700hz a lot as well as the speed and imaging etc. But everything above 700hz was not that good and the comfort and weight was bad as well, main problem with them was the treble which was not very good at all for £400 headphones very sibilant and "tizzy". The 1540 sound better overall than the HE400 by quite a large amount to me, but the HE400i look interesting if they have fixed the upper mid and treble of the HE400 and the bass is not too much less than the HE400.

I might just have new toy syndrome but IMO the 400i bass is very similar to the 400. Maybe a little less in quantity but the texture, impact, etc. is just as good or better. And the quantity is enough that I only find myself using EQ for rap. But in all fairness that may change once I dial in a more subtle bass EQ than the one I just posted.

The 400i is still on the bright side but it just doesnt hurt my ears like the 400 did. The tizz and spikes are gone. I like the mids on the 400i. They are more forward than neutral but they definitely sound much more natural with voices and guitars.

Haven't heard the 1540. I understand its on the dark/warm side? The 400i definitely isn't dark/ warm. Its a little bright IMO but not in a thin way. Lots of fullness in the mids and bass, mids especially. I dont think it has quite the same fullness in the upper bass/ low mids as the 400 did though. It's more neutral in that range. The upper mids are a bit elevated instead. The visceral energy/ crunch of synths is shifted upwards somewhat compared to the 400. This was really noticeable in the song bad kingdom by moderat.

 

[rovopio]

  I received my headphones yesterday afternoon.  No additional duties/taxes, so it looks like I didn't overpay after all.  Initial impressions with the EF2A combo is that these are a lot better than my SE425's and leave the QC15's in the dust.  After a thorough burn in, I'd like to A/B the other sets with the amp as well.  I did notice a slight channel imbalance at low volumes and understand what people are talking about when they say this amp has a lot of gain, but otherwise I'd have to say this was a great combo..

 
nice! congratulations!

 

[nicholars]

I might just have new toy syndrome but IMO the 400i bass is very similar to the 400. Maybe a little less in quantity but the texture, impact, etc. is just as good or better. And the quantity is enough that I only find myself using EQ for rap. But in all fairness that may change once I dial in a more subtle bass EQ than the one I just posted.

The 400i is still on the bright side but it just doesn't hurt my ears like the 400 did. The tizz and spikes are gone. I like the mids on the 400i. They are more forward than neutral but they definitely sound much more natural with voices and guitars.

Haven't heard the 1540. I understand its on the dark/warm side? The 400i definitely isn't dark/ warm. Its a little bright IMO but not in a thin way. Lots of fullness in the mids and bass, mids especially. I dont think it has quite the same fullness in the upper bass/ low mids as the 400 did though. It's more neutral in that range. The upper mids are a bit elevated instead. The visceral energy/ crunch of synths is shifted upwards somewhat compared to the 400. This was really noticeable in the song bad kingdom by moderat.

 
I don't even know what bright or dark means anymore on this forum because everyones opinion of it is so different... The SRH 1540 are slightly "V" shaped and about ideal for the treble amount, I would say the HE400 were ok up to about 7khz and then much too bright and harsh above that, Denon D2000 were a bit too bright in the treble for me (mainly sibilance and too sharp), HD650 were a bit too dark and boring but prefer that to sibilance, I prefer darker headphones but also like a bit of "fun" treble eg. HD650 treble is boring, D2000 treble is good but bit too much with anything other than well recorded electronic music. Are the HE400i are bright as the HE400 above 7khz? May order some in the next week and find out myself not sure! The HE400 were unlistenable for me with no EQ on anything where the recording was not good! Definitely would want darker and smoother treble than the HE400.

 

[manbear]

  Are the HE400i are bright as the HE400 above 7khz? May order some in the next week and find out myself not sure! The HE400 were unlistenable for me with no EQ on anything where the recording was not good! Definitely would want darker and smoother treble than the HE400.

IMO the HE-400i has more upper mids and low treble than the HE-400 but less mid/upper treble. Less bright above 7KHz for sure. The HE-400i is also much smoother throughout the treble. I don't find it fatiguing and I thought the HE-400 was pretty hard to listen to without EQ. 

I haven't heard any of the headphones you've mentioned so it's hard to give a frame of reference. There is more treble than the HD-600. Same ballpark as AD-900X or Q701 but less upper treble. 

 

[swspiers]

   
may i ask you two questions.... Between Primes and he-400i, which one has more rolled-off treble, or which one is brighter in the trebles area?
Also, how much different does the Prime upgrades in comparison to the Alpha Dogs?

I think the Primes have more treble extension, smoothness, and airiness by far over the 400i's  But they pull it off without being strident or harsh.
 
The Prime really is in a different league than the AD, which are fine cans themselves.  But the soundstage, bass, imaging, and pretty much everything possible is an upgrade from the Dogs.
 
IMHO and all that.

 

[rovopio]

  The HE400 were unlistenable for me with no EQ on anything where the recording was not good!

 
You said on some other thread (i think some sennheiser thread) that you listen to some techno-viking music every day each day for 16 hours non-stop or something.
Have you check out the exteme bass thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-best-bass-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club
The regulars there are knowledgeable and you could have better chance to get answers on headphones that will fulfill your needs of perfect reproduction to your techno-viking music for 16 hours a day.
 
You also said you seek primarily for bass (and also soundstage). Have you read what people said about he-400i on their head-fi reviews?
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i/reviews/11518
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i

 

[rovopio]

 
I think the Primes have more treble extension, smoothness, and airiness by far over the 400i's  But they pull it off without being strident or harsh.
 
The Prime really is in a different league than the AD, which are fine cans themselves.  But the soundstage, bass, imaging, and pretty much everything possible is an upgrade from the Dogs.
 
IMHO and all that.

 
On my research i read a lot of posts, and since you have a distinct avatar i remember some of your posts, vaguely.
You got the AD first right? Or did you went straight to Alpha Prime?
 
Between the Alpha Dogs and the he-400i which one has brighter trebles?
i have vestibular neurinitis so, rolled-off trebles are a-okay

 

[swspiers]

   
On my research i read a lot of posts, and since you have a distinct avatar i remember some of your posts, vaguely.
You got the AD first right? Or did you went straight to Alpha Prime?
 
Between the Alpha Dogs and the he-400i which one has brighter trebles?
i have vestibular neurinitis so, rolled-off trebles are a-okay

I got lucky, and was one of the first AD owners to upgrade to the Prime.  With the Alpha's, you have the option of the dots to tame treble. But I do recall the AD having slightly more treble energy than the 400i, but that's based on memory of my notes.
 
But to be frank, I'd go Sennheiser HD-650, Audeze LCD-2 if you want tamer treble.
 
Ulimately, EQ in a program like Jriver or the like is probably your best bet for neurinitis.  Sensitivity to treble is pretty subjective with headphones, and EQ can really level the playing field

 

[rovopio]

 
I got lucky, and was one of the first AD owners to upgrade to the Prime.  With the Alpha's, you have the option of the dots to tame treble. But I do recall the AD having slightly more treble energy than the 400i, but that's based on memory of my notes.
 
But to be frank, I'd go Sennheiser HD-650, Audeze LCD-2 if you want tamer treble.
 
Ulimately, EQ in a program like Jriver or the like is probably your best bet for neurinitis.  Sensitivity to treble is pretty subjective with headphones, and EQ can really level the playing field

 
yeah i was initially only thinking about hd650. and then i auditioned them for 4 hours, and i like the hd600 more after only 5-ish minutes of listening to them. hd650 is simply too thick for me on the lower mids when plugged on anything other than OTL tube amps. It's fine with OTL tube amps, but i'm more of a hd600 guy myself. From there, considering sennheiser is grossly overpriced here, and the asking price for hd600 is ridiculous, at $560, i figured i might as well shell out for the he-400i. Put an order for the HE400i, will arrive at the end of february. i paid $630 for it, which is good considering hd600 at $560 is just stupidly expensive.
 
also the fact that i already have a "mini hd600", the sony ma-900 doesn't justify buying the hd600 at it's price. I don't consider Audeze because locally i only get 1-year warranty, and that's just stupid. i'm not going to spend $1200 for an LCD 2 if i'll only get a one-year-warranty, knowing that there are cases of failed drivers with Audeze within their own 3-years-warranty.
 
$630 of the he-400i on the other hand, is more swallowable. and hifiman only gave one-year warranty isn't it?
 
Anyway on the alpha dogs topic, i actually auditioned the alpha dogs with the hd650, as much as i LOVE the sound, and at $700 it's not that bad an option... the fact that it's closed and a little bit bright to my ear made me wary if i'm going to listen to them for a long time.
 
Hell, maybe if i like the he-400i a lot, i can get Alpha Dogs as a complimentary cans to listen once in a while, who knows...
Instinctively, i like forward mids and bright trebles myself, i'm just forced to go against my natural preference for my own sake, though that doesn't mean i can't indulge in some unhealthy things once in a while.
 
Though maybe if i have $700 i might as well get RS2e as i like grado sound a lot...

 

[nicholars]

   
You said on some other thread (i think some sennheiser thread) that you listen to some techno-viking music every day each day for 16 hours non-stop or something.
Have you check out the exteme bass thread? http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-best-bass-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club
The regulars there are knowledgeable and you could have better chance to get answers on headphones that will fulfill your needs of perfect reproduction to your techno-viking music for 16 hours a day.
 
You also said you seek primarily for bass (and also soundstage). Have you read what people said about he-400i on their head-fi reviews?
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i/reviews/11518
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400i

 
Yes sorry I was not being serious. I do not listen to the techno viking 24 hours a day, I was drunk at the time and watched that video and for some reason thought it would be funny to post that. Am am looking for headphones with at least the bass and soundstage of the SRH1540 as an upgrade though.

 

[decade127000]

I think that HE400I's sound is warm but not clear...400 is better than 400I

 

[reddog]

I think the Primes have more treble extension, smoothness, and airiness by far over the 400i's  But they pull it off without being strident or harsh.

The Prime really is in a different league than the AD, which are fine cans themselves.  But the soundstage, bass, imaging, and pretty much everything possible is an upgrade from the Dogs.

IMHO and all that.

+1 What he said is spot on. I would imagine you have to get the HE-560 to approach the characteristics of the AP'S. When I do decide to get a new pair of cans, it will be the HE-6 or one of the Audeze's cans, to compliment the AP'S.

 

[DigitalFreak]

Yo guys, I pulled the trigger on an 400i open box deal 3 days ago. Looking forward to mixing and matching my gear with these and seeing where it leads me. I'll keep you guys posted

 

[swspiers]

+1 What he said is spot on. I would imagine you have to get the HE-560 to approach the characteristics of the AP'S. When I do decide to get a new pair of cans, it will be the HE-6 or one of the Audeze's cans, to compliment the AP'S.

Yeah, great, thanks for that  Reddog. Now I realize that perhaps the 560 would be a better compliment to Primes than the 400i.

 
Truly though, I think it's the sensitivity and ability to sound great on even portable gear that makes the 400i so special. So as tempted as I am to jump back into the 560, the 400i fits my current needs much better.