[chillaxing]

hey guys, I have been using he400i since a month, used it with Fiio x3ii+E12, then fiio x3ii stacked on top of fiio k5. its a pretty good rig. easy to operate. sound is much clearer now and details are more apparent. I still feel its underpowered. maybe coz of fiio x3ii, vocals are still lil distant, or instruments are forwardly produced to overpower vocals. can u guys suggest me how shall I build by rig around 400i, seems like end game to me. Music i listen i mostly soul, instrumental, pop, vocals, sometimes house and edm.

If youv want something that is portable, look at the idsd micro. Good pairing with 400i and gobs of power for headroom.

 

[DavidA]

  Help.
 
I've just acquired a pair of these, and cannot for the life of me get the right connector to attach to the ear cup. The sleeve simply does not 'take' onto the thread on the ear cup, leaving them loose. To be fair, the left even though properly connected doesn't feel THAT secure, but at least the nut has tightened unlike the right cup.
 
Am loathe to send them back as the sound is superb, but anyone else had this problem? (I haven't, to be fair, searched through all 500 pages plus to check!)
 
Orb.

twist the wire counter clockwise a few turns before trying to connect that way there is no tension to want to un-twist the connector.  If its still not tight, hold the nut while you twist the wire counter clockwise again and repeat

 

[coletrain104]

  I'm worried about these sounding bad with lesser recordings...

these are pretty similar to the AP with a little more forward presence in the upper midrange, slightly brighter. I find them good with most recordings, but they are not ultra-forgiving either. kind of a middle ground.

 

[maul]

Posted this on Reddit so I'll post it here as well...
 
So after hearing some hype about the 400i and alpha pads, I decided to try it myself - ordered some of the velours for their mounting rings (http://www.ebay.com/itm/181973152080).
 
It's a bit of a b**** to get them on, you have to simultaneously snap the pins in while moving the leather out of the way. I had to click the headband adjustment up one to accommodate them as well. Pics: 
 

 

 

 

 
Unless you have a gigantic head, I don't think the clamp was designed for this much pressure so it has a very solid seal. Although the clamp isn't too uncomfortable itself, it's like a fricken sauna for your ears - gets really sweaty. Also, I feel like if I wore them for a long time it might loosen the clamp too much if I switched back to the focus pads. Don't know if that's a valid concern but it's something to think about.
 
Anyway, the sound is pretty much what you'd expect, it certainly isn't some crazy night or day difference. I thought at first I heard a little more bass, and the measurements confirm that the sub bass indeed has increased a bit / flatter - likely due to the airtight seal. The highs also seem to be tamed slightly, but at the same time everything seems tamed slightly, probably because of the increase in driver distance - the overall measurements do show a flatter response.
 
Unfortunately my measurement rig takes a s**t after 7-8 kHz for most measurements - the dips you see there are present to some degree for every headphone I've measured: 
 
400i focus pad measurements (don't trust 7 kHz and above): 
 

 
400i alpha pad measurements (7-9 kHz is a measurement artifact):
 

 
Both:
 

 
Edit: Forgot to mention the 400i only goes down to 20 Hz, so keep that in mind when viewing these
 
Because of the angled pads the soundstage is definitely more expansive - certain sounds come to the surface more, can hear them more distinctly. Like I mentioned before though, everything seems a little more faint because of the driver distance, which could be bad or good depending on your preference. 
 
Overall, I personally still prefer the focus pads. I'm not a sweaty dude and I don't think I could handle listening to them with the alpha pads for hours at a time - like a fricken tropical climate in there. The focus pads are more comfortable for me. Yes, the sub bass increases a bit but not to a greatly noticable degree. The soundstage improves but at the same time everything seems a bit distant. I prefer the clarity of the focus pads over the increased soundstage of the alphas. 
 
You might prefer these changes depending on what you want, and I don't get that sweaty effect nearly as much when using the alphas on the lesser-clamped T50RPs - so maybe you could loosen the clamp up a bit. Anyway, hopefully this clears up some things regarding the 400i/alpha pads.
 
Here's the link to the full gallery: http://imgur.com/a/KromC

 

[marhol]

  Hey all,
 
So I'm pining for a new set of headphones and I'm wondering if the 400i is what I'm looking for.   What better place than to ask the people who have these cans.
 
My wants

1. Something good for Rock/Metal and Electronica
2. Good bass ...especially with sub-bass
3. Good soundstage
4. Decent mids, my DT990s aren't so good here so an improvement in this area would be nice

 
I have heard the mids and highs can be a bit bright on these.   How do you guys feel about that statement?   Is it too much at times?   I like my DT990s but sometimes the highs can be too much.   Something more neutral than bright would be preferred.
 
If you guys have other suggestions to look at in addition to the HE-400i please share.
 
Amp/dac = Woo Audio 7

 
In my opinion HE-400i fits the bill very well, to me HE-400i is a very good upgrade from DT 990 (I had Pro 250 Ohm version). DT 990 is significantly brighter than HE-400i. HE-400i is smoother, more neutral/slightly warm sounding headphone with more natural mids, better sub bass and sufficiently detailed but not obtrusive treble.  DT 990 has very nice mid bass and good soundstage width with somewhat pushy treble. From my experience HE-400i sounds more 3D and has considerably more effortless instrument separation in comparison to DT 990 Pro. Electric and accoustic guitars, vocals, bass, drums, piano/keyboards have more body and depth which is not present in DT 990. I can recommend HE-400i for rock with enthusiasm.

   
After listening to the 400is for about a week (just got a pair) I gotta say, yes they are very bright. But as some people have mentioned in this forum, EQ settings can remedy this problem. This is my solution for now..
 
They are also very detailed and seperate instruments really well. Which honestly can be a terrible thing, when you've got an odd source of audio, or an odd master, or an odd vinyl rip.. I feel like if I had bought the Fostex th-x00 (which I have never tried), I'd be getting less detail and some lack of bass extension, but would be gaining bass oomph and wouldn't be flagging so many albums for deletion, to be hopefully replaced by better masters and sources.
 
Odds are, either way you'll love these with rock/metal. If you're young like I am, the cymbals will be very fatiguing in metal without EQ adjustments. Electronica? That one is a tough call. If you're the type to scour soundcloud or any sort of underground electronic scene, you probably won't like these. But things like Daft Punk, that are masterfully mastered, will be really amazing.
 
I think the reason these headphones are so well enjoyed, but are also such an oddball, is because they are planars. A lot of people here have gotten used to them and love them, but not everyone likes how they sound. I feel like if my ears aren't towards the back of the headphones, the presentation gets pretty weird. Luckily I have small ears!

I don´t think HE-400i is bright headphone at all. I have older style HE-400i (with backplate) though. I´m not sure if there is noticeable difference in tonality between older /newer version of HE-400i. From my experience HE-400i can sound bright (but still fairly enjoyable) with poorly mastered /bright sounding recordings and brighter sounding DAC. Still a smoother/ more forgiving headphone than  e.g. HE-560 which is quite aggressive (not enjoyable just listenable) with bright recordings and bright DAC. Of course I´m not that young anymore (30+) so take my words with a grain of salt.

 

 

[Unwinking Orb]

 
twist the wire counter clockwise a few turns before trying to connect that way there is no tension to want to un-twist the connector.  If its still not tight, hold the nut while you twist the wire counter clockwise again and repeat

It's just not attaching and screwing on at all. I never get to the point where I feel resistance.
 
Tried everything!

 

[DavidA]

 
It's just not attaching and screwing on at all. I never get to the point where I feel resistance.
 
Tried everything!

Does the nut turn on the wire side?  Try switching the left and right cables around to see if they will tighten, trying to rule out stripped threads on either side.
 
Check inside both parts to see if there is damage, see below for what they should look like:
 


They are fairly easy to attach so any difficulty could be a sign of damage on either the cable or headphone side.

 

[Unwinking Orb]

  Does the nut turn on the wire side?  Try switching the left and right cables around to see if they will tighten, trying to rule out stripped threads on either side.
 
Check inside both parts to see if there is damage, see below for what they should look like:
 


They are fairly easy to attach so any difficulty could be a sign of damage on either the cable or headphone side.

Cheers - I just tried swapping them over and both right and left cable ends attach the the left ear cup, but neither attach to the right. Clearly an issue with the right ear cup attachment. Great, just what i need!
 
Cheers for the help...
M.

 

[DavidA]

 
Cheers - I just tried swapping them over and both right and left cable ends attach the the left ear cup, but neither attach to the right. Clearly an issue with the right ear cup attachment. Great, just what i need!
 
Cheers for the help...
M.

Happy to help with your problem, I don't know how hard it is to replace the SMC jack ($12 /pair) on the headphone but it can't be too hard. 
 
Looking at my HE-400 I think it would take all of 10 minutes to remove the grill, un-screw the nut on the back of the SMC connector of the headphone, de-solder /or cut 2 wires, solder in new connector and install back in cup. 
 
I maybe making it sound too simple but I'm one of the few that like the SMC connectors, I've used them on TH-600 to make removable cables and for my SennGrado builds

 

[leggy]

How does the 400I compare to 400s in terms of highs and fun listening? I auditioned the 400s st CanJam the other day and really liked it. Very musical and fun to listen. Too bad they didn't have the 400I, 560 and 6.
I am ready to pull the trigger on any.

 

[Bostyn]

How does the 400I compare to 400s in terms of highs and fun listening? I auditioned the 400s st CanJam the other day and really liked it. Very musical and fun to listen. Too bad they didn't have the 400I, 560 and 6.
I am ready to pull the trigger on any.

I have both @ home
Imo the 400i DESTROYS the 400s - no hyperbole

 

[leggy]

Thank you Bostyn.
I have Gustard H10 amp arriving Friday so I will be pulling the trigger tomorrow.
Between the two, which one is warmer and more intimate?

 

[canthearyou]

How does the 400I compare to 400s in terms of highs and fun listening? I auditioned the 400s st CanJam the other day and really liked it. Very musical and fun to listen. Too bad they didn't have the 400I, 560 and 6.
I am ready to pull the trigger on any.

Highs and clarity are the 400i, no doubt. IMO the 400s is a more fun can.

As far as warmth I'd say the 400s takes that. They both are an intimate sound.

 

[Bostyn]

Thank you Bostyn.
I have Gustard H10 amp arriving Friday so I will be pulling the trigger tomorrow.
Between the two, which one is warmer and more intimate?

As you probably know the he400i has 2 versions: an older version with a backplate, and a newer one without. If you get the new 3.5mm connectors/jacks chances are you've got the backplateless one. I have the new version and I've A/B'd it with my friend's older version and the difference while not monumental, is definitely noticeable. I've always found the common criticism that the 400i lacks soundstage depth/width way overblown. the newer version does sound wider, more airy while the older version sounds more intimate, with a smaller soundstage - but not small small by any stretch of the imagination in my opinion.
 
Neither of them are warm sounding I would say, but the he 400i is just more sonically impressive to my ears.
I've got a SS usb amp ( fostex hp-a4) at home and while the 400i has a low impedance I still find it needs decent power to reach its potential and my fostex drives them barely to my satisfaction.
My friend is a huge tubehead and I've heard my 400i pared with the project ember and I must say the sound is nothing short of breathtaking while 400s didn't pare nearly as well with tubes. It alleviates  the 400i's (sometimes a tad too) analytical nature; a really 'musical' combination I must say.
 
All of this is ofcourse subjective and to my ears, so I urge you to listen to them both yourself if you get the chance, but the 400i is very versatile, and with the right set-up, magical; while the 400s is certainly a great headphone in its price range, but a class below the 400i.

 

[ezekiel77]

How does the 400I compare to 400s in terms of highs and fun listening? I auditioned the 400s st CanJam the other day and really liked it. Very musical and fun to listen. Too bad they didn't have the 400I, 560 and 6.
I am ready to pull the trigger on any.

 
Driven correctly the 400i is superior to 400s. Mojo to 400i is enough for me to have an excellent time.