[Tuco1965]

Since upgrading my Uberfrost to a Multifrost the 400i have now become my first choice can. I have a very difficult time breaking away from the music. I really do have a Schiit eating grin when listening.

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I came to this forum to look for a nice headphone for EDM / Electronica and made my way to this thread after plenty of research as well as a few others. I tried the hifiman 400i and enjoyed it a lot at first. It was beautiful, comfortable, and had a fantastic, rich, full sound. Later, I tried fostex th600 today and the bass blew me away. I listened to a few Sennheisers as well, but after listening to the fostex th600, all others seemed flat and clinical, and seemed to be missing a third of the frequency spectrum. I still enjoyed the hifiman 400i and would love to keep it around, but it is my opinion if you care about a superior low end experience for bass music, the fostex th600 is the way to go. Just my 2 cents for anyone else in the some position as me.

I have the TH 900 on hand as well as the 400i and I'm pretty damn impressed with the 400i. I can afford to keep both, but I'm considering an expensive DAP so I may move the TH 900 to fund it and I can only consider that due to how well the 400i is performing and I mostly listen to EDM, techno, glitch, brostep and other electronica.

 

[Semont]

Recently I've used a sinewave generator to use foobar's equalizer with. The results are pretty mixed to terrible but in one of my configurations it's made me realize how thin the base sound is.

 

[Pingupenguins]

 
I have the TH 900 on hand as well as the 400i and I'm pretty damn impressed with the 400i. I can afford to keep both, but I'm considering an expensive DAP so I may move the TH 900 to fund it and I can only consider that due to how well the 400i is performing and I mostly listen to EDM, techno, glitch, brostep and other electronica.

 
Have you had a chance to try the He-400's? I found them a little uninspiring and love the Th900's and T1's. Curious to see how the He-400i's compare. Might look into picking up a pair as I sold off my He-400's.

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
Have you had a chance to try the He-400's? I found them a little uninspiring and love the Th900's and T1's. Curious to see how the He-400i's compare. Might look into picking up a pair as I sold off my He-400's.

M​y buddy is going to get the 400s, but to date I haven't heard them. I will have to get some time to do some real back and forth between 400i and TH 900, but it is promising that in the few tests so far the 400i has been quite enjoyable. I know the TH 900 is actually the better headphone, but I can't help but really liking the 400i, and frankly I didn't think I would that much, I just wanted to try it out. I need more time with it and time for music listening these days is scarce, but within a few weeks I'll really know where I stand on the 400i. Cheers.

 

[Pingupenguins]

 
M​y buddy is going to get the 400s, but to date I haven't heard them. I will have to get some time to do some real back and forth between 400i and TH 900, but it is promising that in the few tests so far the 400i has been quite enjoyable. I know the TH 900 is actually the better headphone, but I can't help but really liking the 400i, and frankly I didn't think I would that much, I just wanted to try it out. I need more time with it and time for music listening these days is scarce, but within a few weeks I'll really know where I stand on the 400i. Cheers.

 
Honestly, for the price. I'd rather take a smaller hit in the SQ department, than pay an exorbitant fee for a modicum of SQ gains. Also, to prolong the hobby, I find it's best to take small bounds in upwards movement rather than leaps! Ever since I sold the He-400's, I've been using W4's almost exclusively. I have some Hd650's, but never found them comfortable enough to wear for extended listening sessions.
 
I'm all about the value of the dollar vs performance because if you simply jump to the top, there is no where to go without murdering your wallet! Law of diminishing returns
 
I look forward to your account of the He400's vs the 400i's vs the Th900. Very interested to see the result and if the price differences are worth the margins of improvement.

 

[money4me247]

  Honestly, for the price. I'd rather take a smaller hit in the SQ department, than pay an exorbitant fee for a modicum of SQ gains. Also, to prolong the hobby, I find it's best to take small bounds in upwards movement rather than leaps! Ever since I sold the He-400's, I've been using W4's almost exclusively. I have some Hd650's, but never found them comfortable enough to wear for extended listening sessions.
 
I'm all about the value of the dollar vs performance because if you simply jump to the top, there is no where to go without murdering your wallet! Law of diminishing returns
 
I look forward to your account of the He400's vs the 400i's vs the Th900. Very interested to see the result and if the price differences are worth the margins of improvement.

 
So the old HE-400 has quite a bit of coloration. Strengths would be its bass quality, but does have a bit of upper mid recession and quite a few treble spikes. Can be prone to silibance and a bit of an artificial sound in the treble region. I actually greatly enjoyed its tuning when I owned them. You can likely find these for $200-$250 nowadays.
 
The HE-400i offers a bit better overall sound signature balance. MSRP is $500 and obviously won't be twice as good, but I do think with its improvements in comfort and overall performance, I personally think it is very worthwhile upgrade. The HE-400i is actually one of my favorite mid-tier headphones. If looking for a smooth and fast presentation with an overall well-balanced sound signature without any glaring flaws or coloration on a budget, the HE-400S at $300 is worthwhile of consideration. The HE-400S also offers the benefit of being extremely easy to drive to the point that an amplifier isn't even required, which is a bit rarer with planar magnetics.
 
For the TH900, it is quite a jump in price point. Does offer great detail resolution and great sound stage/imaging for a closed headphone. V-shaped sound signature. I greatly enjoyed it and it does look like a gorgeous pair of headphones. I personally am a bit uncomfortable paying over $1k for a v-shaped sound signature as I feel like it is a bit less versatile with genres and I listen to almost everything. Very fun and enjoyable pair of headphones though. Can consider the TH600 if a very similar experience at a lower price point.
 
For me personally, the HE-400i would be my personal overall pick. While the $500 price point is a bit on the pricier side, but I do feel like it does offer enough technical performance benefits over some other cheaper options to be worthwhile for me. Can find at $425 open box from razordogaudio. I feel like above $500, diminishing returns hit exponentially harder. In terms of some really great value picks from a price, the k7xx and he-400s offer extremely competitive sound that I feel can play with much pricier options. If wanting to minimize diminishing returns as much as possible, I would recommend staying in the $200-$300 price point and also looking for used/b-stock/open box options.

 

[Sonic Defender]

I purchased my 400i from razordog audio (as well as my HE 560 and TH 900). Very good and fast service, hard not to recommend razordog. Like money4me247 says, although early on, I can already tell that the 400i is a great price/performance headphone. The fact that I'm even able to contemplate selling my TH 900 is very surprising to me. I am looking at getting the ZX2 DAP and the Fostex sale (if I do it) will go toward this purchase. Will have to see how things go, but regardless, I am quite pleased with the 400i. I hope to get a few solid hours on them this weekend and report back some impressions.

 

[Pingupenguins]

  I purchased my 400i from razordog audio (as well as my HE 560 and TH 900). Very good and fast service, hard not to recommend razordog. Like money4me247 says, although early on, I can already tell that the 400i is a great price/performance headphone. The fact that I'm even able to contemplate selling my TH 900 is very surprising to me. I am looking at getting the ZX2 DAP and the Fostex sale (if I do it) will go toward this purchase. Will have to see how things go, but regardless, I am quite pleased with the 400i. I hope to get a few solid hours on them this weekend and report back some impressions.

 

   
So the old HE-400 has quite a bit of coloration. Strengths would be its bass quality, but does have a bit of upper mid recession and quite a few treble spikes. Can be prone to silibance and a bit of an artificial sound in the treble region. I actually greatly enjoyed its tuning when I owned them. You can likely find these for $200-$250 nowadays.
 
The HE-400i offers a bit better overall sound signature balance. MSRP is $500 and obviously won't be twice as good, but I do think with its improvements in comfort and overall performance, I personally think it is very worthwhile upgrade. The HE-400i is actually one of my favorite mid-tier headphones. If looking for a smooth and fast presentation with an overall well-balanced sound signature without any glaring flaws or coloration on a budget, the HE-400S at $300 is worthwhile of consideration. The HE-400S also offers the benefit of being extremely easy to drive to the point that an amplifier isn't even required, which is a bit rarer with planar magnetics.
 
For the TH900, it is quite a jump in price point. Does offer great detail resolution and great sound stage/imaging for a closed headphone. V-shaped sound signature. I greatly enjoyed it and it does look like a gorgeous pair of headphones. I personally am a bit uncomfortable paying over $1k for a v-shaped sound signature as I feel like it is a bit less versatile with genres and I listen to almost everything. Very fun and enjoyable pair of headphones though. Can consider the TH600 if a very similar experience at a lower price point.
 
For me personally, the HE-400i would be my personal overall pick. While the $500 price point is a bit on the pricier side, but I do feel like it does offer enough technical performance benefits over some other cheaper options to be worthwhile for me. Can find at $425 open box from razordogaudio. I feel like above $500, diminishing returns hit exponentially harder. In terms of some really great value picks from a price, the k7xx and he-400s offer extremely competitive sound that I feel can play with much pricier options. If wanting to minimize diminishing returns as much as possible, I would recommend staying in the $200-$300 price point and also looking for used/b-stock/open box options.

 
 
Yep Razordog is the bomb. I get all of my headphones from Razor if I don't find them on the used market. Good guy, great prices. Even got a pair of free Hd-25's on a giveaway! Crazy.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Just now playing some excellent Steely Dan and at times I think the treble/mids remind me of my old HF2, but more refined sounding, but that energy is certainly there in a good way. Just listening to a very long and loud sax solo in West of Hollywood and the 400i is handling it like a champ!

 

[WildStyle-R11]

I'm starting to see things I don't like about these headphones.
Listening to "Infected Mushroom - Suliman" on my speakers Guitar Solo-ish Kicks in UGH YEAH! Then I listen to it on my 400i and its like meh...

 

[Spiral Out]

  I'm starting to see things I don't like about these headphones.
Listening to "Infected Mushroom - Suliman" on my speakers Guitar Solo-ish Kicks in UGH YEAH! Then I listen to it on my 400i and its like meh...

I really enjoy the 400i's sound but it isn't the most exciting sounding headphone. I use my Grado sr-325e when I am looking for a more aggressive sound. I really like having both, they complement each other very well. I do end up listening to the 400i's more.

 

[WildStyle-R11]

  I really enjoy the 400i's sound but it isn't the most exciting sounding headphone. I use my Grado sr-325e when I am looking for a more aggressive sound. I really like having both, they complement each other very well. I do end up listening to the 400i's more.

Yeah that is the thing I enjoy the 400i's, but there are times that there is something missing. That is why I give so much credit too my speakers...Want to just chill? Chill...Want to shake the house? Sure! Best all arounders I can imagine. And somehow they manage to sounds natural. Having difficulties finding those kinds of headphones trough.

 

[AutumnCrown]

A note for people choosing an amp:
 
In my opinion, having tested out both the Schiit Fulla (300 mW at 32 ohm) and the Geek Out 1000 (500 mW at 32 ohm), these two DAC/AMP combos provide interesting contrasts with each other.
 
With the Geek Out, the bass is much stronger (perhaps too strong?) but the overall sound is brighter, though the treble may actually sound brighter on the Fulla for some songs due to a curvy FR line. With the Geek Out, I was rather to surprised to find that the soundstage is noticeably wider, and reminds me of the HD598 I auditioned. The Geek Out also emphasizes vocals less, and lets the background instrumentation come out more for many songs, which is probably a good match for the 400i because it is known to emphasize vocals. The Geek Out also is more detailed.
 
 The Fulla actually sounds more natural in tone to me in many songs, though there are a few shortcomings: darkness (on some songs), overly forward mids (often not a bad thing), and not quite as much detail. In a small number of songs, like "Place to Be" by Nick Drake, the Fulla seems to let the mids and bass bleed into each other, resulting in a somewhat muddy sound. In "dark" mastered albums, the Schiit Fulla also is a bit too much additional darkness. I will give points to the Fulla for being less fatiguing, probably due to rolled off treble and slight lack of detail. Other very smooth sounding headphones also seem to trade detail for smoothness. It also sounds more "speaker-like", probably because the smaller soundstage makes the stereo channels sound less "headphony". 
 
Summary:

IMO, the Schiit Fulla makes the 400i sound fairly detailed, buttery smooth, and natural, but in some cases a bit too dark.
 
IMO, the Geekout 1000 makes the 400i sound more exciting, adds even more detail and soundstage, with harsher highs, mids, and slightly overbearing bass.
 
I plan to keep both and use the Fulla most of the time, except when I need a little extra zing.

 

[ChesterYonany]

  A note for people choosing an amp:
 
In my opinion, having tested out both the Schiit Fulla (300 mW at 32 ohm) and the Geek Out 1000 (500 mW at 32 ohm), I think I can say that the Schiit Fulla doesn't quite have enough power for the 400i. It also colors the sound in mostly unfortunate ways compared to the geek out.
 
With the geekout, the bass is much stronger and the overall sound is less dry, which is something that the schiit fulla in particular shows with the 400i, even compared to just the headphone port. 
 
Also, I was rather to surprised to find that the soundstage is noticeably wider, and reminds me of the HD598 I auditioned. There is something else that now sounds more like the 598 as well... I can't quite describe it, but they sound more nimble... 
 
The Geek Out also emphasizes vocals less, and lets the background instrumentation come out more, which is probably a good match for the 400i because it is known to emphasize vocals. Because of this, there are a few songs that sound better on the Fulla, like James Taylor's "Oh Susanna" or Radiohead's "High and Dry". 
 
My music now sounds more like it does on other headphones, which is mostly a good thing, as I felt the 400i was lacking some musicality with the Schiit Fulla. However, with the Fulla they are still by far the greatest headphones I've ever heard (I'm new here), so it's strange now having them sound more "normal", but also overall better.  The fulla certainly does allow one to experience a lot of detail on 95% of songs, though there are problems: darkness, lack of musicality, overly forward mids, lack of bass, and not quite as much detail. In a small number of songs, like "Place to Be" by Nick Drake, the Fulla seems to let the mids and bass bleed into each other, resulting in a somewhat muddy sound. In "dark" mastered albums, the Schiit Fulla also is a bit too much additional darkness. After listening to the Geek out for about 2 hours, I've already heard several things in songs (mostly flaws in the recordings) that I'd never heard before. I will give points to the Fulla for being less fatiguing, probably due to rolled off treble, as well as more "speaker-like", probably because the smaller soundstage makes the stereo channels sound less "headphony".
 
Summary:

IMO, the Schiit Fulla makes the 400i sound fairly detailed and interesting, but eccentric and somewhat unmusical, with the exception of a few songs it happens to enhance with mid presence and rolled off treble. 
 
IMO, the Geekout 1000 makes the 400i music sound like it's supposed to, adds even more detail and soundstage, with a bit harsher highs. 
 
 I think I will keep the both for now though to compare and possibly to keep, but if I had to choose one, it would be the Geek Out due to it's more "normal" or "neutral" sound, and better transparency.

 
volume wise the FULLA is strong enough, i dont know what you are talking about.
 
SQ wise, i agree that the FULLA isnt bright, which makes you lose some details but, as you mentioned, allows a non fatiguing listening expereince.
also, i think you went abit too harsh on the FULLA. after all its a 80$ product while the Geekout 1000 is 200-300$.
 
i noticed the difference with my MODI2\MAGNI2, you get more details and kind of more accurate sound.