[uncola]

I just got my tour unit!  unboxing pics here and video to come.  Full res photo set at flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/theuncola/sets/72157646264548940/
 

 

[mlxx]

I think it looks a lot better than the HE560, that veneer just doesn't work.

 

[Kamakahah]

  I think it looks a lot better than the HE560, that veneer just doesn't work.

+1

 

[imac2much]

  I think it looks a lot better than the HE560, that veneer just doesn't work.

Agreed.  When I auditioned the two headphones 2 days ago, I actually preferred the look and build of the 400i over the 560.  But then again I guess I'm not that big of a fan of wood on my headphones anyway (in terms of visual aesthetics).

 

[sealykojac]

 

[Clemmaster]

  I think it looks a lot better than the HE560, that veneer just doesn't work.

The case looks nicer, too. Oh well...

 

[uncola]

Initial impressions are..  surprisingly black!  I was expecting dark blue!  I had bestintheverse from reddit/r/headphones make me a blue paracord hifiman cable in preperation for these, too!  Oh well can't win em all.
These are the third most comfortable headphones I've ever worn..  close to most comfy..  Just slightly below sony mdr-ma900 and my zmf t50rp with leather suspension band and hm5 pads.  I think the slightly less comfort is because the he400i has more clamp and the pads are smaller around..  but they are still very comfortable.  
edit:  oh also.. I have the earpads adjustment set at maximum extension.. they are comfortable but if I had a bigger/taller head they might be too small.  I'm 6'2" and uh.. "heavyset"
 
a/b testing with zmf t50rp v1 
tracks: goldfrapp - lucky head.. not much difference between the headphones
kate bush - brazil - vocals sound much more natural and emphasized on he-400i vs zmf, maybe because kate bush's voice is higher than alison goldfrapp's
eagles - hotel california live - soundstage and imaging are much more precise on he-400i, I can tell where the instruments are easily, bass on zmf sounds slightly boomy compared to he-400i which surprises me, I assumed the closed zmf would have better bass
radiohead - house of cards - this is my bass test there's a kick drum that only my closed zmf reproduce well compared to other cans I've had.  he-400i has no problem with them.. otherwise no major difference between zmf
 
weird phenomenon:  when the he-400i headphone cable was laying on top of my smartphone I got a weird tick tick tick sound in the headphones that continued until I moved the cable.  My home made mogami 2893 cable for zmf didn't have the ticking.. maybe because of better shielding in the cable?  which is weird because I didn't connect the shield on either side when I made the cable
 
the zmf keeps up pretty well despite costing half as much.. if I only had zmf I'd only be missing a little treble detail and soundstage mainly.  the he-400i are a step up but don't make me want to put my zmf in an oil drum and set it on fire

 

[sealykojac]

My initial impressions are a little more lively in treble than the He-500s with a tad less bass and slightly smaller sound stage. They ship with a much better cable than the 500s and are much lighter which makes them feel a little cheaper. They are much easier to drive than the 500s meaning you can plug them into your smart phone / mp3 and get decent output. 

 

[uncola]

Unboxing video up!  Don't make fun I did this for your benefit
 

 

[grizzlybeast]

My initial impressions are a little more lively in treble than the He-500s with a tad less bass and slightly smaller sound stage. They ship with a much better cable than the 500s and are much lighter which makes them feel a little cheaper. They are much easier to drive than the 500s meaning you can plug them into your smart phone / mp3 and get decent output. 

Less bass than the 500??????
Can anyone confirm this. That sucks!!!!

 

[sealykojac]

Less bass than the 500??????
Can anyone confirm this. That sucks!!!!

 
The bass is already starting to fill in more with a couple hours of use (on par with the 500s now) so you're in the clear..

 

[new reformation]

Ashton Kutcher, is that you?

 

[shiorisekine]

Initial impressions are..  surprisingly black!  I was expecting dark blue!  I had bestintheverse from reddit/r/headphones make me a blue paracord hifiman cable in preperation for these, too!  Oh well can't win em all.
These are the third most comfortable headphones I've ever worn..  close to most comfy..  Just slightly below sony mdr-ma900 and my zmf t50rp with leather suspension band and hm5 pads.  I think the slightly less comfort is because the he400i has more clamp and the pads are smaller around..  but they are still very comfortable.  
edit:  oh also.. I have the earpads adjustment set at maximum extension.. they are comfortable but if I had a bigger/taller head they might be too small.  I'm 6'2" and uh.. "heavyset"

Disclaimer: I have only had these burn in for about 1 hour and I was using them the whole time and this is what I got from it.

I can agree with you, these are pretty comfortable except the clamp. The clamp is a little bit more than the DTXX0 pro series. I will probably try to lessen the clamp when I go to sleep.

Initial impressions for me was off of an amp the bass is a bit boomy and wasnt very controlled. The mids and highs were however the saving grace off the amp as they sounded stellar. I then connected it though my Magni and the bass became punchier and more controlled and less forward. I would also say that the HE400i is brighter than the HE400 original, which is a plus to me as i thought the original was a little too dark. I have never heard the HE-500 so I cant compare the bass of the two, I would love too be able to, but I will say this the HE-400 has a decent amount of bass that is not very bloated and kick some of my other headphones a** in the bass department, such as the Denon D600.

For mids and high test I used, LiSa-Believe in Myself. I have to say I know this song fairly well and I think the only headphones, well in this case IEM that makes this song shine like this is the Noble PR on the P setting. The HE-400i is actually pretty clear in the mid to high range and actually blew me away.

The soundstage is one of the things this headphone lacks in. It has the instrument separation but the headspace of these isn't as huge as I would like.

Big shoutout to HiFiMAN though for letting me test these out for them.

 

[money4me247]

  I think it looks a lot better than the HE560, that veneer just doesn't work.

+2

 

[tinyman392]

I actually enjoyed the veneer design on the 560, though it did get mixed feelings with everyone.  You either love it, or you hate it I guess  I should be getting the 400i in this week (hopefully) or next week at the latest.  I'll be able to listen to it right before school starts up again.  From the pictures, and what I saw in the Windy City, the 400i have more of a modern design to them that is a little more flashy and glossed up ;D