[DavidA]

   
I'd honestly suggest avoiding these cables, they are complete crap. Actually, I guess if you are truly looking for cheap, it doesn't get much cheaper.

I have that amazon linked cable, and it's horribly cheap quality. It feels like a cable that came from a kids toy. The red rubber part just feels like it's worth pennies, and the rest of the covering is plasticy and terrible.

They are cheap in price, but you get what you pay for...not even worth the low price in my opinion. Should mention however my cable seems to still function fine with no issues...

I'm getting my impact cable tomorrow or Monday - should have some impressions on that pretty quick.
 
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ImpactAudioCables

Only way to get cheaper is to DIY, which is what I've been doing for the past few years.  I've tried a few high end cables from Forza and Double-Helix and while the craftsmanship is incredible and they look like works of art I didn't notice any sonic differences so felt my resources are better used on other gear in the audio chain like the amp (and tubes), DAC and better/more music.  With cables I'm more concerned with the physical properties such as length, microphonics, weight and flexibility.

 

[InsTwin]

  Hi guys,
 
I have been looking around but I was just wondering if there is a general consensus on what the best replacement pads for the HE400i are? I just found out that one of mine has come unglued. If the replacement ones were a tad thicker that would be a plus. The stock pads hurt my ears after a few hours. 

I've had good success with both the HM5 Flat Hybrid pad and their Angled Velour pad.  I would recommend either of these, however, the HFM rings are a tight fit and it's fairly difficult to get extra ones.

 

[GU1DO]

  Hi guys,
 
I have been looking around but I was just wondering if there is a general consensus on what the best replacement pads for the HE400i are? I just found out that one of mine has come unglued. If the replacement ones were a tad thicker that would be a plus. The stock pads hurt my ears after a few hours. 

i have a lot of pads ,, and the one i liked the most is (Dekoni Premium Pads for Fostex TH-X00)
they are only available through Dekoni website , but you have to contact them by email ,
get the pads with AudioQuest NightHawk thick cable , and do the grill mod
and you will have one of the best headphones ever ..
 

  I switched the R/L cables and the right side is still the only side distorting. I appreciate the help! 

 
i had the same issue exactly with right cup ,, just burn them for 20-50 hrs ,, then leave them to rest for few days ,, hopefully it will get fixed
this what i did and now its working without any distortion at all ..

 

[trivium911]

i have a lot of pads ,, and the one i liked the most is (Dekoni Premium Pads for Fostex TH-X00)
they are only available through Dekoni website , but you have to contact them by email ,
get the pads with AudioQuest NightHawk thick cable , and do the grill mod
and you will have one of the best headphones ever ..


i had the same issue exactly with right cup ,, just burn them for 20-50 hrs ,, then leave them to rest for few days ,, hopefully it will get fixed
this what i did and now its working without any distortion at all ..

The manual does say 150 hours of burn in, i dont usually burn in headphones as i really dont notice much difference especially with iems, but you seldom see the manual where it says you should. Its probably a good idea anyways in case there are any issues that they can be returned and most issues one would think would pop up in the first 150 hours. For some of us thats well over a month of normal listening which could mean not returning them to the store and having to go through hifiman. Additionally, With these i did notice a difference with burn in. Bass became more prominate and smooth and the treble mellowed out a little...the sound overall sounded more full and balanced.

 

[MWSVette]

The manual does say 150 hours of burn in, i dont usually burn in headphones as i really dont notice much difference especially with iems, but you seldom see the manual where it says you should. Its probably a good idea anyways in case there are any issues that they can be returned and most issues one would think would pop up in the first 150 hours. For some of us thats well over a month of normal listening which could mean not returning them to the store and having to go through hifiman. Additionally, With these i did notice a difference with burn in. Bass became more prominate and smooth and the treble mellowed out a little...the sound overall sounded more full and balanced.

First off, love the HE400i...
 
That said Hifiman probably hopes that after 150 hours of listening either you will love them or the return period from the site purchased had ended.  lol...
 

 

[drwlf]

 
There's no general consensus of any of them being "best", and the prices of the pads vary a bit as well. What's your price range?
The whole topic has been extensively discussed in the thread, and the search is your friend.

 
@killeraxemannic
Forgot also to mention that pad-rolling changes the FR curve, so in the end it's just personal preferences.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698974/hifiman-he-400i-impressions-and-discussion/9720#post_12886661
http://www.head-fi.org/t/698974/hifiman-he-400i-impressions-and-discussion/10905#post_13163567 etc

 

[drwlf]

Thanks! Volume is no problem in this setup. I've put both HA-200 at full volume and use the volume control on the DACmagic. My other DAC with balanced outputs doesn't have volume control though so will need to think about a solution for that.

Edit: Just realized that my wife is going to kill me when she sees this stack in our living room lol. Good thing I'll be off to Germany for a few days and will leave before she gets home......

 
Let's hope the stack doesn't disappear when you're away!
Anyways, when I looked at the picture more closely, what about the seal on the left driver enclosure+pad, the upper part?
My ring+pad was wonky at first, but it straightened out in a matter of hours. Such wonkiness *might* affect the seal, at least I noticed (as I mentioned previously), when one of the nooks with the ring was off by accident.
http://www.head-fi.org/g/a/1079581/he-400i/ First pic vs. mounted pic

 

[peter123]

Let's hope the stack doesn't disappear when you're away!
Anyways, when I looked at the picture more closely, what about the seal on the left driver enclosure+pad, the upper part?
My ring+pad was wonky at first, but it straightened out in a matter of hours. Such wonkiness *might* affect the seal, at least I noticed (as I mentioned previously), when one of the nooks with the ring was off by accident.
http://www.head-fi.org/g/a/1079581/he-400i/ First pic vs. mounted pic

LOL, knowing her I can't be sure

We'll spotted about the pads. Ever since I put the HM5 velours on I've had problems with getting all four locking mechanism to lock in at the same time. I'll probably have to warm them up a bit and try to pull them out a tiny bit more. Can't say that I hear any obvious difference but yeah, can't live with it that way.

 

[DavidA]

   
Let's hope the stack doesn't disappear when you're away!
Anyways, when I looked at the picture more closely, what about the seal on the left driver enclosure+pad, the upper part?
My ring+pad was wonky at first, but it straightened out in a matter of hours. Such wonkiness *might* affect the seal, at least I noticed (as I mentioned previously), when one of the nooks with the ring was off by accident.
http://www.head-fi.org/g/a/1079581/he-400i/ First pic vs. mounted pic

The seal is important and it will affect the sound as you have noticed, its why some use silicon glue between the mounting ring on the ear cup and the back of the pad to create a good seal.

 

[Mr Trev]

Thanks! Volume is no problem in this setup. I've put both HA-200 at full volume and use the volume control on the DACmagic. My other DAC with balanced outputs doesn't have volume control though so will need to think about a solution for that.

Edit: Just realized that my wife is going to kill me when she sees this stack in our living room lol. Good thing I'll be off to Germany for a few days and will leave before she gets home......

You're a brave man leaving that stack alone with a possibly angry wife

 

 

[Audiofile07]

Hello guys,

Recently upgraded to bifrost 4490 and Valhalla 2, then I saw the he-400i for 250 on amazon the day after Christmas. I have since put the Brainwavz Angled Leather pads on using my He-350 rings. Focus pads are now happily on the 350s.

Now the problem I ran into was that fitting the brainwavz pads on the rings caused one to snap the outer support. Luckily I found a CAD design for them. My buddy at work with a 3D printer set me up!

I'll let you know how it works

P

 

[DavidA]

Hello guys,

Recently upgraded to bifrost 4490 and Valhalla 2, then I saw the he-400i for 250 on amazon the day after Christmas. I have since put the Brainwavz Angled Leather pads on using my He-350 rings. Focus pads are now happily on the 350s.

Now the problem I ran into was that fitting the brainwavz pads on the rings caused one to snap the outer support. Luckily I found a CAD design for them. My buddy at work with a 3D printer set me up!

I'll let you know how it works

P

You could also just buy the hifiman velour pad for $10, material is not glued to the plastic ring

 

[Voxata]

Only way to get cheaper is to DIY, which is what I've been doing for the past few years.  I've tried a few high end cables from Forza and Double-Helix and while the craftsmanship is incredible and they look like works of art I didn't notice any sonic differences so felt my resources are better used on other gear in the audio chain like the amp (and tubes), DAC and better/more music.  With cables I'm more concerned with the physical properties such as length, microphonics, weight and flexibility.

I saw some improvement when using full Eidolic and Nucleotide V3 compared to the usual DIY cables on my 560. Dynamic cans not so much. Not enough improvement to negate costs but.. dang is it a nice cable. Building a Norne one as well, then will sell one for parts cost (probably the less flexible one).

 

[HD_Dude]

  many have gone with HD-700 cables since they use similar 2.5mm plugs but the HD-700 jacks have a flat spot on them that is not needed with the HE-400i
 
If you want cheap:
 
https://www.amazon.com/NewFantasia-Replacement-Sennheiser-Headphones-Meters/dp/B00KBBUKCG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1485479597&sr=8-6&keywords=hd+700+cable
or
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Replacement-Audio-upgrade-Cable-For-Sennheiser-HD700-HD-700-Headphone-/161743404378?var=&hash=item25a8a87d5am6mNgmcS0f6o2u8ldLkKhJA

 
 

   
I'd honestly suggest avoiding these cables, they are complete crap. Actually, I guess if you are truly looking for cheap, it doesn't get much cheaper.

I have that amazon linked cable, and it's horribly cheap quality. It feels like a cable that came from a kids toy. The red rubber part just feels like it's worth pennies, and the rest of the covering is plasticy and terrible.

They are cheap in price, but you get what you pay for...not even worth the low price in my opinion. Should mention however my cable seems to still function fine with no issues...

I'm getting my impact cable tomorrow or Monday - should have some impressions on that pretty quick.
 
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ImpactAudioCables

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it!
 
I may call Signal Cable also. They did some replacement cables for my HD650's that were stellar.
 
Thanks again

 

[rgmffn]

  The seal is important and it will affect the sound as you have noticed, its why some use silicon glue between the mounting ring on the ear cup and the back of the pad to create a good seal.

After buying the $10 replacement pads from HiFiMan for the rings, I sliced two thin circular rings of the foam and cut to fit around the just outer edge, and cut indents for around the mounting tabs. It's wide enough to go just beyond the tabs. Set the foam on the cups and mounted the pads. It makes a nice, (and removable) seal. You can see it in places around the outer edge squished in there, but It doesn't look bad. It really was a bit tedious to make and I really don't recommend it for most, but just wanted to share with everyone that option.