Ok, my HE400i's (I know the apostrophe is wrong, but it looks odd without) came in today.
I am one who does generally believe in burn-in but I'm too impatient so I'm straight onto them.
Some people had complained about the clamping force. Nope, they're fine for me and I don't have a freakishly small head.
Source is Fiio X5III
First try, running through iFi iCan. Hmmm...not bad, not by any means. The detail I expected is there, definitely. But I'm not enthralled. Ran through a few tracks, tried 3D and no 3D, tried varying bass boost. They can DEFINITELY reproduce bass when it's fed to them, no question at all. But on the iCan, it was either too much or not enough. Maybe I need to get used to them....maybe they really need that burn in....soundstage was super underwhelming. I had read that they were relatively intimate, but I hoped they would at least be a bit more expansive than my 'hawks.
So here I am, bought these on a whim because of the price drop. Not hating them, not loving them either.
Out of interest, what do they sound like with a Cayin C5 amp doing the heavy lifting....?
In order to not just swear A LOT, let's hope that this suffices - they have barely left my head since. Using the C5 with high gain (and bass boost off for the most part) these are glorious. HUGE difference with a different amp stage. The soundstage is still not what I'm after, but that's ok. I wanted a more accurate, more precise set to contrast with the Nighthawks and to give me a taste of the high end quality I enjoy with my LZ A4s (black front) and my lord, these deliver.
I am delighted. At the price these are going for (I'm in China and I paid the equivalent of about $200 (120 UK pounds) these are an absolute no brainer. There's no trace of harshness or sibilance (to my 47 year old ears) but such a lovely level of detail. They are not what I would describe as warm, but neither are they cool. They strike a really great balance and just present the sound. I have never heard 'Somethin' Else' reproduced so beautifully. Effortless. I've fed them with jazz, classical, hip-hop, trance, acoustic, soul, K-Pop. They obviously excel at Jazz and Classical but they do a cracking job with everything. Super happy, I love these cans.
Briefly tried them on the Little Dot MkIII. I'd read that they wouldn't pair well. Ok, so we lose some high end crispness, but actually it's not bad. As a MKIII owner already, I'll definitely spend some time trying them out with different tubes and gain settings, they play together a bit better than the 'hawks do. If someone already had the 400i's and wanted a tube amp, I wouldn't suggest the LD, but I've got it already and it's not the worst.
That cheeky little Cayin though, really delivers nicely. It's a warm amp which helps to keep the edge off the 400i's without losing detail.
Quickly went back to the 'hawks and I'll definitely need to readjust to their signature (which I'll happily do, plus they sound great with the iCan) but there is a gulf between these two. The Nighthawks are a thick warm blanket on a winter's evening. The 400i's are crisp light sheets in the summer. They complement each other really well, but they are very different.
Chuffed with the 400i's. I'm going to have to listen to absolutely everything all over again!
cos at the current price these 400i are a steal
