[canthearyou]

Can you share more about your opinion regarding the difference between the dt880's and the he400i's please?

I have the 880's and bought the old he400's for something with more bass impact, but even with jergpads I simply can't get over the strange mids on the he400's.

Im hoping to find something with that amazing dt880 clarity and detail that i keep coming back to, but better (fuller) bass and impact at times. Is the he400i likely to get me there in your opinion?

The clarity of the 400i is amazing IMO.

 

[MadMike]

The clarity of the 400i is amazing IMO.

Yep- better than HD600s, which I have been comparing side-by-side for the last day and a half. I haven't really found anything that the HD600s do better than the 400is- even soundstage width.

 

[Headphone4Life]

After seeing the price I couldn't pass it up. I'm looking forward to hearing how they compare to my Sony Z7 (which I love) and my HD600.

 

[bavinck]

Can you share more about your opinion regarding the difference between the dt880's and the he400i's please?

I have the 880's and bought the old he400's for something with more bass impact, but even with jergpads I simply can't get over the strange mids on the he400's.

Im hoping to find something with that amazing dt880 clarity and detail that i keep coming back to, but better (fuller) bass and impact at times. Is the he400i likely to get me there in your opinion?

Hey friend,
Personally, I never found the dt880 to be super detailed. I found they have a decent amount of detail, and are pretty much neutral to the point of even a bit analytical. Imo, the treble on the dt880 is pushed way more than is natural, resulting in a arrificial sense of better treble detail, harshness and often sibilance.

In contrast, to me the he400i is what you describe you are looking for from the dt880. In contrast to the dt880 the 400i has more genuine detail throughout the frequency spectrum, smoother yet very detailed highs, much better presence and quality of bass (especially subbass) . They have slam and depth with texture, a well balanced and details mid section and wonderfully detailed, smooth and extended highs.
Something to keep in mind is the law of diminishing returns. Many say the 560 is comparable to the hd800 on many levels, and the 400i is not far off the 560. So, the 400i is an amazing headphone for the msrp, let alone the steal the sale price is!

I think go for the 400i, you will not be disappointed. Of course: imo, to my ears, YMMV, etc..

 

[fjrabon]

Yep- better than HD600s, which I have been comparing side-by-side for the last day and a half. I haven't really found anything that the HD600s do better than the 400is- even soundstage width.

Yep, I think in the last couple of years the HE400i and the Phillips X2 have really killed the HD600 and 650

 

[Tempest228]

Been using them since Tuesday, probably still in honeymoon period, but man do I love these things. The extension into the base is great and lack of sibilance, unlike the SHP9500 , is wonderful.

 

[fjrabon]

I was reading Mahler's 58 flagship headphones shootout thread and thinking about how the 400i would fit in. Given how close it is to the HE500, and it being cheaper, and that the 500 was his best value in headphones period. So I don't think it's unreasonable at all to say the he400i, at the sale price, is easily the best value in headphones ever.

This thing is just so dang neutral, transparent, fast, extends so well, and has such power in the bass and richness in the mids while having incredibly detailed and present highs. Whenever I think about the M9XX + HE400i costing <$800 TOTAL I'm just stunned. Then add on the fact that an iPhone can drive it in a pinch? Cmon it's just unreal that HiFIMan put this all together into one package and made it more comfortable and then sold it for $299.

Then I put value aside and really, it's just an incredible headphone period. I'd have never bought it to begin with if it cost $1000, but after getting to know it now, I'd probably pay $1000 for it.

Also, you guys should really consider jumping on the M9XX drop over at Massdrop. Just a perfect pairing that manages to be completely transparent yet euphonic. The 4 filters in the DAC section allow the HE400i to go from analytical to buttery smooth and in between.

 

[chowmein83]

   
 
thanks for replies guys. 990s were really really wide. like too much stereo wide. not much depth though. like eg, while playing games, foot steps would sound like real life. quite detailed but they were too shimmery. too bright.

 
If you're looking for depth in a headphone, you should definitely consider the 400i. I personally upgraded from a Sennheiser HD598, which has a very wide soundstage but not a lot of depth. The 400i has a much deeper soundstage than the HD598.
 
I think in one of your other posts you asked about positioning and stuff to see if the 400i is good for gaming. The 400i definitely has precise and accurate imaging and positional cues, and has a decent amount of bass to make your games come to life. However, you might be a bit underwhelmed by the relatively narrow soundstage of the 400i, and the narrow soundstage is actually why I don't always reach for my 400i when gaming (I prefer to use something like the Sennheiser HD700 for that).

 

[chowmein83]

  Hey guys, I've been lurking around the forums for awhile but this is my first time actually posting. 
 
I'm currently in the air about whether to go on the hunt for HD650's or the HE400i's to replace my HD598's and I'm looking for some recommendations. These will be my first high-tier headphones and probably my end game for awhile, as I don't have the funds to keep upgrading, being a college student and high end audio just don't go together haha. Currently have HD598's, DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, Shure SE215's.
 
My set up will be Magni Modi 2 Uber Stack paired with one of the two headphones above. It will be used primarily for music and competitive gaming (CS:GO) probably distributed 55music/45gaming.
 
My primary source of music will be Spotify with some CD rips. And my music preferences are Hip-hop (Logic, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper), indie, some pop, and just random songs that sound good here and there. But majority of my music is Hip Hop. 
 
Regarding sound preferences, I'm probably considered a bass head but a light bass head, I'm looking for impact more than anything. Male vocals are important as well since majority of what I'm listening to will be male artists. Since I'm fairly new to the audio scene, I don't have my own opinion on whether I prefer warm or bright headphones. I just want something very clear with an accurate sound stage (idk if bigger constitutes accuracy) for gaming purposes. I've heard that the HD650 is "dark" and "sleepy" but I can't visualize what that means exactly. 
 
Regarding comfort, I like the 770's comfort over the 598's, the clamp feels too lose on my head with the 598's. Comfort is huge to me, as I'll likely be wearing these hours on end just about every day.
 
Here's a link to Logic's - "Stainless" for a sense of what I listen to. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkC2r4YOXM 
 
What do you think would be better for me? If you have another recommendation, I'd be interested as well! 

 
To begin with, while I think the 400i are decent headphones for gaming, they're not the best. They do have pretty good depth that will let you know whether something is closer or further away from you, but I find the somewhat narrow soundstage of the 400i to be a bit not to my taste. Though the bass will make explosions sound much better than on the HD598 (which I also have).
 
The 400i's are very clear, and have an accurate soundstage in that positioning/imaging is quite good on these, and overall the soundstage sounds coherent if a bit small for a open headphone. What I mean by "coherent" is that nothing in the soundstage feels out of place, everything seems to form together to be one cohesive whole.
 
Also, the 400i is very comfortable - the headband distributes the weight around your head very nicely, and the earpads are relatively thick and comfortable. Clamp may be a bit tight, but I think that is somewhat due to variances between units. The only thing is that the 400i will probably be heavier than what you are used to with the HD598 and the DT 770.
 
As for the 400i being suited to your music tastes, I took a listen to the song you posted with my 400i. Personally, I think it's enough, as the bass hits hard but isn't bloated and doesn't over stay its welcome. And the 400i puts out much harder-hitting bass than the HD598 does. But some people might think it's a bit lacking for hip-hop because its not enough, not that it doesn't hit hard.
 
Finally, what I believe people mean by saying that the HD650 being "dark" and "sleepy" is that the treble isn't really emphasized next to the mids and bass. So you get a more of a bass and mids-emphasis sound on the HD650. This also makes the HD650 more forgiving of poorly produced music (as badly produced music with screeching treble which is obvious on a treble-emphasis headphone is really grating on the ears).
 
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[mysticstryk]

Yep, I think in the last couple of years the HE400i and the Phillips X2 have really killed the HD600 and 650

 
400i is for sure a contender, though I don't think the X2 is quite up too HD6xx/400i quality.  Particularly when you take into consideration that the hd6xx series scales upward very well.  The X2 is great for bass lovers and gaming, due to its fantastic soundstage.

 

[Doneko]

   
Finally, what I believe people mean by saying that the HD650 being "dark" and "sleepy" is that the treble isn't really emphasized next to the mids and bass. So you get a more of a bass and mids-emphasis sound on the HD650. This also makes the HD650 more forgiving of poorly produced music (as badly produced music with screeching treble which is obvious on a treble-emphasis headphone is really grating on the ears).
 

 
You just described my experience with the HD-650! I returned them soon after buying them. I have used a HD-600 ages, still use it for TV. I have a HD-700, I love it with well recorded music (using a Meridian Explorer), but I'm ready to fall in love with the HE-400i  
 
I jumped in this deal, I got 10% off with the Discover card deal from Amazon, no tax was charged to CA, so I just couldn't pass on these headphones for $270...
 
What is your experience comparing the HD-700 with the HE-400i?

 

[bracko]

   
400i is for sure a contender, though I don't think the X2 is quite up too HD6xx/400i quality.  Particularly when you take into consideration that the hd6xx series scales upward very well.  The X2 is great for bass lovers and gaming, due to its fantastic soundstage.

X2 is certainly up there with HD6xx quality in every single respect. Just the fact that X2 as you say has great bas and at the same time fantastic soundstage is quite amazing. 
 
I think though that HE-400i is a better headphone overall than HD6xx and X2. 

 

[mysticstryk]

  X2 is certainly up there with HD6xx quality in every single respect. Just the fact that X2 as you say has great bas and at the same time fantastic soundstage is quite amazing. 
 
I think though that HE-400i is a better headphone overall than HD6xx and X2. 

 
The soundstage was the hardest thing to let go of when I sold mine.  I agree that the 400i is definitely a better overall headphone than both, through the limited time I've had with them so far.

 

[DavidA]

   
The soundstage was the hardest thing to let go of when I sold mine.  I agree that the 400i is definitely a better overall headphone than both, through the limited time I've had with them so far.

When I first got the HE-400i I though it was better than the HD-650 but after getting the BH Crack the HD-650 just does most genres of music better for me.  And after hearing the HD-650 with driven by a EC Balancing Act a few months ago there is no contest. 
 
If there are any musicians here do you feel that the HE-400i sounds like the instrument that you play?  I was playing around with my old Bach Stradivarius trumpet and my GF was listening to Chuck Mangione with the HE-400i and she said that it sound off compared to the what she was hearing from the trumpet so she started to try different headphones and after a while she felt that the HD-650/600, LCD-2, SRH-1840 and one of the SennGrado's that I had built were the most realistic sounding to her.  Okay, now that the second bottle of wine is done its time to get some shut eye, hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving weekend.

 

[mysticstryk]

  When I first got the HE-400i I though it was better than the HD-650 but after getting the BH Crack the HD-650 just does most genres of music better for me.  And after hearing the HD-650 with driven by a EC Balancing Act a few months ago there is no contest. 
 
If there are any musicians here do you feel that the HE-400i sounds like the instrument that you play?  I was playing around with my old Bach Stradivarius trumpet and my GF was listening to Chuck Mangione with the HE-400i and she said that it sound off compared to the what she was hearing from the trumpet so she started to try different headphones and after a while she felt that the HD-650/600, LCD-2, SRH-1840 and one of the SennGrado's that I had built were the most realistic sounding to her.  Okay, now that the second bottle of wine is done its time to get some shut eye, hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving weekend.

 
You may be right.  I still have a lot of listening to do in regards to my 400i.  Right now I'm waiting for a new cable though, as the one it came with kept shorting out.