Thanks for the reply, the WA3 is really far out of her price range but I did like it the few times I've heard one and a great suggestion if I can only get her to spend a bit more to do some justice to those headphones she has.
Hifiman he-400i Impressions and Discussion
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maheeinfy
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Ok. G1217 Project Sunrise is around the same price, which sounds musical/warm. If you get it with the acrylic plate, it looks beautiful when turned on with the LED light glowing through the tube. It sounded great with my HE560. Although I haven't tried it with HD800/700, I don't think it will be a bad pairing
Great suggestion but I'm a bit surprised that you like it with your HE560 paired with the Sunrise since I don't care for the HE560 paired with my Ember and my friend didn't like it either compared to the Lyr2 and headphone output of my UD-301. You are so right about the LED light under the tube and its the one thing she commented about, more so since my GF had me change it to pink, LOL. As for the HD800, to me I only like it on my BH Crack but only with certain driver/power tube combinations while the HD700 is a little less picky with amps its pretty good with tubes that I like for the HD800 but not so good with tubes that I like for the HD650 and T1gen1.
Looks like I might try the Sunrise my self one of these days if you think it pairs well with the HE560. What tube are you using?
The 400i's arrived yesterday. There was no "special edition" labeling on the box. So it's just a regular 400i. Really like the way they sound. However, I noticed the sound cuts out sometimes when the cable Y split is moved
. Guess I'll contact the seller about a replacement cable.That a bummer about the cable, I still can't believe how bad the QC of Hifiman has gotten over the past few years. My HE400i, HE400 and two HE560 are still going strong with no issues after about 4 years, granted these are all the older SMC jack versions and I did pay a bit more for them 4 years ago.The 400i's arrived yesterday. There was no "special edition" labeling on the box. So it's just a regular 400i. Really like the way they sound. However, I noticed the sound cuts out sometimes when the cable Y split is moved
maheeinfy
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I am running the stock RCA 12AU7 and it sounds really sweet. Ember is more solid state sounding compared to Sunrise, so it probably wont be a good match with HE560
I might do some tube rolling in future, but as it is with the 12AU7, amp sounds musical/warm, so I am in no rush
The stock RCA 12AU7 was a bit boring to me (could be just mine) since it sounded rolled of in the highs and made the bass of my HD650 way too warm and muddy but it was a decent match for my T1gen1. Lately I've been using a Telefunken CCa or Siemens CCa since these seem to be a bit on the cleaner and more extended up and down compared to must tubes that I've tried with the Ember but these are current way over priced IMO. With the HE400i I've liked the re-issue Electro Harmonix or Mullard best but since my HE400i is the older SMC/back plate version it might not be a good match if you have the newer 2.5mm version.
maheeinfy
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Without knowing much about the EH and Mullard's, i am guessing they are neutral/flat sounding. Since you like them on the Ember with HE400i, its likely you prefer a neutral presentation
In my case, i dont know if its the RCA 12AU7 or the Sunrise itself, but this combo sounding great with HE560. I also prefer slightly warmer sound. But i can see Sunrise running out of steam with HE560 with music recorded with lower volume levels
I was without my he-400i headphones for a few weeks and had to make do with my Momentums and T50RP mkIII. This gave me a good chance to get to know headphones I hadn't spent a lot of time with.
The Momentums have a nice smooth sound, are super comfy, and have enough isolation to make them perfect for work amd the bus.
The (stock) Fostex cans are suprisingly good. I was thinking they might be close to the HE-400i. They have a similar crisp detail.
Now that I have the HE-400i headphones back I can say they are much better than both. More detailed then the Senns and better soundstage, bass, and treble than the Fostex. Just wow. I missed them so much!
The Momentums have a nice smooth sound, are super comfy, and have enough isolation to make them perfect for work amd the bus.
The (stock) Fostex cans are suprisingly good. I was thinking they might be close to the HE-400i. They have a similar crisp detail.
Now that I have the HE-400i headphones back I can say they are much better than both. More detailed then the Senns and better soundstage, bass, and treble than the Fostex. Just wow. I missed them so much!
I put Brainwavz hybrid pads on my Fostex T50rp mkiii and now they sound great
I just started pad rolling on the T50RPs. What's nice is that the Hifiman pads are same size, so I already have a few to try.
Are the Brainwavz you used angled?
I found from personal experience owning the 400i's that after a while i grew tired of the sound it was producing for me, i wanted something different so i checked out a pair of Sundara at the hifi store in my area and they sounded better to me. i was using my own personal source (FiiO X5 Gen 3) with 16 + 24bit FLACs. (i dont believe in anything higher than 24bit as i've personally not heard any significant change or improvement over 24bit.)
After hearing the Sundara i've asked the store owner if they had a pair of 400i's so that i can closely compare, keep in mind the store 400i's are probably more used than my own pair of 400i's as the stores pair were most likely show pair for customers. and from what i could tell the Sundara had a much cleaner and brighter sound, but the 400i's were for some reason warmer and a little thicker sounding. After much testing at the store between the pairs (i spent nearly 30min in the store, i didnt wanna impose much) i decided that i should sell my pair of 400i's and then decide on if i should get the Sundara or not. I'm scared as to the complaints ive heard with 400i's build quality. thank goodness ive never had any of those issues and mine were good. ive not heard anything bad about the Sundaras QC. but i'll do more research.
have you guys tried the 400i's against the Sundaras? what are your impressions?
After hearing the Sundara i've asked the store owner if they had a pair of 400i's so that i can closely compare, keep in mind the store 400i's are probably more used than my own pair of 400i's as the stores pair were most likely show pair for customers. and from what i could tell the Sundara had a much cleaner and brighter sound, but the 400i's were for some reason warmer and a little thicker sounding. After much testing at the store between the pairs (i spent nearly 30min in the store, i didnt wanna impose much) i decided that i should sell my pair of 400i's and then decide on if i should get the Sundara or not. I'm scared as to the complaints ive heard with 400i's build quality. thank goodness ive never had any of those issues and mine were good. ive not heard anything bad about the Sundaras QC. but i'll do more research.
have you guys tried the 400i's against the Sundaras? what are your impressions?
Sonic Defender
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So do you want a cleaner and brighter sound, or do you want another signature, but warmer? From what you are saying it seems that you are just bored and looking for a change, I feel that, happens all the time. I would just be careful if you aren't the type who normally likes a clean bright signature you might end up getting tired of the new signature faster than you tired of the 400i. Good luck however you go.
I'm in the market for a brighter sound for sure from a hifiman product. my budget isnt the highest but i've also heard tales of mods for the 400i to make them brighter. not sure if people know of these mods here
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