[jamescheru]

I'm currently pairing my Hifiman he-400i with Astell & Kern AK Jr. I'm extremely happy with the sound, I end up listening to the combo for hours. 
 
I'm planning to get a desktop amplifier and also plan to collect a few other headphones in the future. I have seen many good reviews about headphone amplifiers at different price levels. What i need is an upgrade or something which is on par with my the Astell & Kern.
 
I have a total budget of around $500 for the DAC (as i have already sold my AK Jr and will handing over the player in a week to the new owner) and the AMP.
 
Please pour in your suggestions.

 

[Sajakhaki]

  I'm currently pairing my Hifiman he-400i with Astell & Kern AK Jr. I'm extremely happy with the sound, I end up listening to the combo for hours. 
 
I'm planning to get a desktop amplifier and also plan to collect a few other headphones in the future. I have seen many good reviews about headphone amplifiers at different price levels. What i need is an upgrade or something which is on par with my the Astell & Kern.
 
I have a total budget of around $500 for the DAC (as i have already sold my AK Jr and will handing over the player in a week to the new owner) and the AMP.
 
Please pour in your suggestions.

Schiit Jotunheim is well regarded.  Also, Modi Multibit with the Gustad H10 is very good.  

 

[chowmein83]

  Just received my Lawton angle pads couple of days back, and am genuinely surprised what a change of pads can do to the sound of the 400i's. So far, noticed a deeper extension of bass, and perhaps because of the wider angle, there seems to be increased soundstage as well.

 
Just read this since I haven't been on Head-Fi for the last couple of days.
 
Another alternative to these Lawton pads are the ZMF Omni pads (and perhaps the Eikon pads, since they look to be of similar shape). The Omni pads are noticeably thicker than the stock FocusPads, which does put them further away from your ear and does give a larger soundstage (the difference is enough that I don't consider the soundstage to be such a big weakness of the 400i anymore).
 
It also brings up the bass a bit (just enough to be more enjoyable) but doesn't really darken the treble (I'd say the treble has gotten a bit smoother, but without really being darker).
 
Overall, I think it's something one could consider if they were willing to spend a bit on pads - and it's also noticeably cheaper than the Lawton pads at $60. Though you will need some Hifiman mounting rings from somewhere.
 
Anyways, I highly recommend the ZMF Omni pads on the 400i - they subjectively improved the sound for me, and it is comfortable.

 

[hong]

   
Just read this since I haven't been on Head-Fi for the last couple of days.
 
Another alternative to these Lawton pads are the ZMF Omni pads (and perhaps the Eikon pads, since they look to be of similar shape). The Omni pads are noticeably thicker than the stock FocusPads, which does put them further away from your ear and does give a larger soundstage (the difference is enough that I don't consider the soundstage to be such a big weakness of the 400i anymore).
 
It also brings up the bass a bit (just enough to be more enjoyable) but doesn't really darken the treble (I'd say the treble has gotten a bit smoother, but without really being darker).
 
Overall, I think it's something one could consider if they were willing to spend a bit on pads - and it's also noticeably cheaper than the Lawton pads at $60. Though you will need some Hifiman mounting rings from somewhere.
 
Anyways, I highly recommend the ZMF Omni pads on the 400i - they subjectively improved the sound for me, and it is comfortable.

 
Wow should have tried digging around more before ordering the Lawtons. 60 is just slightly more than half of what I paid for mine! That said, I'm still very satisfied with my new pads

 

[cbl117]

   
Just read this since I haven't been on Head-Fi for the last couple of days.
 
Another alternative to these Lawton pads are the ZMF Omni pads (and perhaps the Eikon pads, since they look to be of similar shape). The Omni pads are noticeably thicker than the stock FocusPads, which does put them further away from your ear and does give a larger soundstage (the difference is enough that I don't consider the soundstage to be such a big weakness of the 400i anymore).
 
It also brings up the bass a bit (just enough to be more enjoyable) but doesn't really darken the treble (I'd say the treble has gotten a bit smoother, but without really being darker).
 
Overall, I think it's something one could consider if they were willing to spend a bit on pads - and it's also noticeably cheaper than the Lawton pads at $60. Though you will need some Hifiman mounting rings from somewhere.
 
Anyways, I highly recommend the ZMF Omni pads on the 400i - they subjectively improved the sound for me, and it is comfortable.

This pad option is really appealing.  Is there a tutorial on how to change pads?  I'm not sure how to attach the aftermarket pads to the mounting ring, and how to remove the mounting ring from the existing hifiman pads.

 

[katzolik]

I've got my 400i today. 
Hifiman quality control is not the greatest i guess.. my 400s came with a faulty connector on the right ear and now my 400i has bent grills on both sides.

now to the sound.
The new 400i have less midbass and similar lowend to the 400s but the midrange is more pronounced and the highs are also more forward.
The sound stage is maybe a little bit wider on the 400s
(all with stock pads)

All in all i like the sound of the 400i better. The 400s can sound a bit boomy... and i like a pronounced midrange.

 

[bogde]

  I've got my 400i today. 
Hifiman quality control is not the greatest i guess.. my 400s came with a faulty connector on the right ear and now my 400i has bent grills on both sides.

now to the sound.
The new 400i have less midbass and similar lowend to the 400s but the midrange is more pronounced and the highs are also more forward.
The sound stage is maybe a little bit wider on the 400s
(all with stock pads)

All in all i like the sound of the 400i better. The 400s can sound a bit boomy... and i like a pronounced midrange.

damn... i'm sorry to hear you got a pair with bent grills. i ordered one and i'm seriously thinking to cancel, it wasn't shipped yet. it was a good deal but reading about the quality issues makes me feel uncomfortable, plus many people say it's below hd6x0 in terms of sq...

 

[bogde]

thanks for the review btw!

 

[Ancipital]

  I've got my 400i today. 
Hifiman quality control is not the greatest i guess.. my 400s came with a faulty connector on the right ear and now my 400i has bent grills on both sides.
 

 
Quality control is frequently poor, even with the HE1000. Essentially, buy from somewhere with good fast returns, and keep asking for an exchange until you get a good pair, and then be happy- as when you get there, it will sound quite nice.
 
As well as obviously broken bits, look out for large driver mismatches (close your eyes and listen for off-centre centre sounds maybe?). They sometimes ship units with a lot of variance.
 
I was lucky with both pairs of HFM headphones so far- though with the second case, the box and packaging was damaged and dirty (got a bit of money off with that, and kept the headphones, as they sounded great). People should be a little more cautious when unpacking new HFM cans than Sennheisers or similar- they do vary somewhat. It's a bit Wild West, but once you get a good pair, you'll forget all about it.

 

[dc430]

Just ordered a pair, can wait to try them out

 

[katzolik]

   
 
As well as obviously broken bits, look out for large driver mismatches (close your eyes and listen for off-centre centre sounds maybe?). They sometimes ship units with a lot of variance.

Stop saying something =D i my head the bent grills already made the sound mismatched.
I can´t really return them because i imported them to Germany and i don´t think hifiman would pay the shipment.

 

[bogde]

  Stop saying something =D i my head the bent grills already made the sound mismatched.
I can´t really return them because i imported them to Germany and i don´t think hifiman would pay the shipment.

i'm importing to europe too... i'm really considering to cancel since they weren't shipped yet. where did you get the cans from? any chance you can post some pics of the grills? 

 

[drwlf]

Pic or didn't happen.

 

[SilverJared]

hello! Did anyone try the he-400i with the NuForce HA200? I read good things about this amp on massdrop and on the innerfidelity website, where it is claimed to be great with planars like the HE500. However the audiobot9000 website finds it not suitable for low impendance headphones like the HE-400i. So i am basically a little confused. I'd like to buy this amp (given its current attractive sub $200 price), but am not sure if it will complement my He-400i well.

 

[sammaher1]

These Headphones are just great.