[amigastar]

  I should have a pair sometime next week, so if anybody's interested to know how it sounds off an M-Stage, you'll find out soon enough!

Nice, looking forward to see how the m-stage handles it.

 

[money4me247]

Wow pretty unanimous then. 250$ Savings is nice too. Guess the LCD just bests it in bass then. Why is there always a roll off in sub bass?

you are on the he-400i thread though. go on the lcd thread and ask the question, you might get different answer =P

 

[reddog]

I just added the NAD m51 today and I've been listening all evening to the 400i...wow, just wow. :atsmile:

Are your HD-800's getting lonely? I can not wait to hear Zappa through the HE-400i. Have a goodnight listening to great tunes.

 

[MattTCG]

Are your HD-800's getting lonely? I can not wait to hear Zappa through the HE-400i. Have a goodnight listening to great tunes.

...will do. 

 

[cute]

 

Are your HD-800's getting lonely? I can not wait to hear Zappa through the HE-400i. Have a goodnight listening to great tunes.

...will do. 

"Will do" and that's it............c'mon give us a little to drool over!

 

[SoAmusing777]

you are on the he-400i thread though. go on the lcd thread and ask the question, you might get different answer =P

duly noted

 

[Kamakahah]

My number one goal at the Los Angeles Head-fi meet today was to demo the HE-400i and make my decision on it.

Meets aren't a great environment for open headphone listening, but I had some solid time with them. Almost no one else knew the were there. They were factory fresh out of the box as well.
I had the HE-560 next to me for comparison.

I was all set to order a pair, but now it's almost no contest - HE-560 was clearly superior for me both sonically and comfort.
The sonic difference was expected, but I hadn't imagined it would be so significant for me. Based on the reviews, I thought the 400i would fit my preferences better. That couldn't be further from the truth.

More importantly, for me anyway, was the gap in comfort. The 560 faded away on my head. Aside from LFFs Paradox, I've never felt a more comfortable headphone; Not the Mad Dogs, or the Sony MA900, or HD598/5. All of which I own. The 400i felt heavier despite being a few grams lighter. The clamp was the most noticeable difference. The 560 falls effortlessly over the ear but the 400i felt snug in a way that didn't appeal to me. I rank comfort first and sound second because comfort is pivotal to my listening experience. Sadly, the 400i came up short for me. Note: I have a larger, funky-shaped head so YMMV.

Both headphones appeared to have the Focus pads. I tried to verify, but no one could.

Looks like my wallet is going to take a bigger hit than I expected. Time to save the difference for the 560.

 

[Clemmaster]

Did you try both in the DNA booth?

Those were driven from an all tube setup (CD player included) and sounded very smooth (in a good way). It was probably too much for the HE-400i.

The 560 soundest better, no question.

 

[TMRaven]

400i should always be the more comfortable headphone compared to the 560 just because it weighs less.  If both headphones are rocking the same earpads and same amount of clamping pressure then the 400i is more comfortable by default.
 
Hifiman's inconsistent in regards to the clamping pressure of their headphones so the 560 clamping less than the 400i is not a universal thing.  For instance, my 560-- even after being stretched out by me a bit-- still clamps slightly more than the test unit 400i I was given by Hifiman.  They both use the focus-a pads.

 

[imac2much]

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm very curious about how the 400i and 560 compare, since those are the only two hp I'm considering now. I'm sure the 560 is better.... I'm just wondering if the improvement is worth the large price difference

Also thank you guys for your DAC recommendations. I don't have enough time to get a DAC before I leave Tuesday, but I hope to get an ODAC or Uberfrost eventually to pair with the soloist and hifiman headphones

 

[HeretixAevum]

I'm wondering how the 400i would compare to the DT880. 

 

[jerg]

My number one goal at the Los Angeles Head-fi meet today was to demo the HE-400i and make my decision on it.

Meets aren't a great environment for open headphone listening, but I had some solid time with them. Almost no one else knew the were there. They were factory fresh out of the box as well.
I had the HE-560 next to me for comparison.

I was all set to order a pair, but now it's almost no contest - HE-560 was clearly superior for me both sonically and comfort.
The sonic difference was expected, but I hadn't imagined it would be so significant for me. Based on the reviews, I thought the 400i would fit my preferences better. That couldn't be further from the truth.

More importantly, for me anyway, was the gap in comfort. The 560 faded away on my head. Aside from LFFs Paradox, I've never felt a more comfortable headphone; Not the Mad Dogs, or the Sony MA900, or HD598/5. All of which I own. The 400i felt heavier despite being a few grams lighter. The clamp was the most noticeable difference. The 560 falls effortlessly over the ear but the 400i felt snug in a way that didn't appeal to me. I rank comfort first and sound second because comfort is pivotal to my listening experience. Sadly, the 400i came up short for me. Note: I have a larger, funky-shaped head so YMMV.

Both headphones appeared to have the Focus pads. I tried to verify, but no one could.

Looks like my wallet is going to take a bigger hit than I expected. Time to save the difference for the 560.

The clamping pressure is a hit and miss with HFM cans, you might get one with a more clampy headband (the spring steel is more bent inward) or a less clampy one...you gotta stretch it out yourself if you receive the former. Like TMR said, theoretically HE560 and HE400i should be identical in ergonomics/comfort except the weight, which HE400i is lighter; the clamp is a roll of a dice out of the Hifiman factories.

 

[Kamakahah]

The clamping pressure is a hit and miss with HFM cans, you might get one with a more clampy headband (the spring steel is more bent inward) or a less clampy one...you gotta stretch it out yourself if you receive the former. Like TMR said, theoretically HE560 and HE400i should be identical in ergonomics/comfort except the weight, which HE400i is lighter; the clamp is a roll of a dice out of the Hifiman factories.

I had considered that. I told a few others to try them to see what they thought about it. Unfortunately, bending their unit wasn't something I would try. It's possible that it could have made all the difference. Although, I probably won't get the chance to find out for quite some time.

All the 560s at the meet felt identical when I tried them, so I hadn't really considered that a little headband variation would feel so drastically different. Oh well. At least they were pretty.

 

[Lumos]

  I'm wondering how the 400i would compare to the DT880. 

As soon as I receive HE400i I will write comparison, I am curious also  

having 600 ohm version

 

[HeretixAevum]

 
As soon as I receive HE400i I will write comparison, I am curious also  

having 600 ohm version

Awesome, thanks, I'd greatly appreciate it! From Jerg's review the 400i sound like I would be drooling all over them (Both in sound and comfort), but his impression of the soundstage size only being "fair" worries me. I don't really know how large the DT880 is considered, but I wouldn't want an "upgrade" headphone to be a significant downgrade in the soundstage. As long as it sounds open enough and isn't cramped sounding is the main thing. I will definitely go out of my way to audition them when I can, but any impressions in the meantime will be great
 
And yes,