[skyline315]

Bass also has more extension and body on the he-500.

Depends how you define body, I suppose.  Too me it sounds a bit boomy/flabby.
 
I prefer the tighter/more refined bass of the 400i.
 
 
However, the 500 wins for me in terms of soundstage/ambiance and realism...they put me in the room where the music is being played more successfully than the 400i.
 
Keep in mind, however, that the 500s I did all of my listening with were completely modded/tricked out by jerg, which had a significant impact on the sound.
 
I bought the 400i and am hoping that after a year or so, it will be modded successfully enough to allow it to compete with the 500 on the points mentioned above.

 

[Thujone]

Vocals on the 500 are also very forward, which I didn't notice on the 400i. Some were describing the 400i vocals as a bit wonky at our meet, an adjective that would never be accurate for the 500.

 

[Ekul61]

Vocals on the 500 are also very forward, which I didn't notice on the 400i. Some were describing the 400i vocals as a bit wonky at our meet, an adjective that would never be accurate for the 500.

vocals ate fine on the 400i... only Issue is the lack of bass and a small sound stage

 

[money4me247]

lol honestly all the differences are subjective and it just depends what you want. People are going to have different biases.
 
Sound quality are excellent on both models, just slightly different perspective with the sound sig. These differences that people are talking about will only be apparent from some extended critical listening and direct comparisons. If you get either, I doubt you will find anything wrong with their actual sound. They are both extremely highly reviewed. Both "flavors" of sound are really enjoyable. I'd say just get the HE-400i for the improved comfort, because that has a big real-life impact on your actual listening experience. 

 

[Ekul61]

Anyone know of a headphone with the clarity of the Z 400i with the boomy bass of the 400

 

[beaver316]

Anyone know of a headphone with the clarity of the Z 400i with the boomy bass of the 400

 
 Probably something from Audeze...

 

[TMRaven]

400 does not have boomy bass.
 
If you're looking for something along the lines of the 400i coloration with more bass however, LCD-X is best bet.

 

[money4me247]

  400 does not have boomy bass.
 
If you're looking for something along the lines of the 400i coloration with more bass however, LCD-X is best bet.

+1 or the LCD-XC. People have also said good things about the ultrasone sig dj as v-shaped/more basshead-oriented headphones with great clarity. TH600/TH900 is another high-end option with great clarity and strong bass.

 

[MickeyVee]

At almost 4x the price

 I'll stick to trying out the HE400i - but will audition long with the HE560 and LCD-X whenver my local dealer gets them in.
Quote:

If you're looking for something along the lines of the 400i coloration with more bass however, LCD-X is best bet.

 

[mgh24]

Just got mine about an hour ago.
 
The bass on these will NOT rumble.  Right or wrong, good or bad, they will not.
 
For an example, Dire Straits "Iron Hand"from their On Every Street CD.  Fist time I heard this song with my Soundmagic HP150 I was completely blown away, had never heard anything like it, just phenomenal lows and incredible impact.  The 400i just cannot do that.
Beethoven's 9th, when the low strings really get down there, I can feel it in my throat with the HP150; not so with the 400i.
 
It is entirely possible that the 400i are more accurate, and I am not saying they sound bad!
 
The HP150 can sound a little harsh sometimes to my ears in the highs, and with the 400i the vocals are a little more recessed, which I like a lot.
 
I never thought I was a basshead, but maybe that is my "problem".
 
Only other headphone I have spent any real time with were the HD600, and from memory, I think the 400i have a little more impact in the bass than they did.
 
Not trying to be negative, just let others reading this know what I heard.

 

[money4me247]

  Just got mine about an hour ago. The bass on these will NOT rumble. Right or wrong, good or bad, they will not. For an example, Dire Straits "Iron Hand"from their On Every Street CD.  Fist time I heard this song with my Soundmagic HP150 I was completely blown away, had never heard anything like it, just phenomenal lows and incredible impact.  The 400i just cannot do that. Beethoven's 9th, when the low strings really get down there, I can feel it in my throat with the HP150; not so with the 400i. It is entirely possible that the 400i are more accurate, and I am not saying they sound bad! The HP150 can sound a little harsh sometimes to my ears in the highs, and with the 400i the vocals are a little more recessed, which I like a lot. I never thought I was a basshead, but maybe that is my "problem". Only other headphone I have spent any real time with were the HD600, and from memory, I think the 400i have a little more impact in the bass than they did. Not trying to be negative, just let others reading this know what I heard.

Nice impressions.
 
I just want to note for your expectations, when you start moving up into higher-end more neutral tuned open headphones, generally the preference is to keep the bass note tight without extra 'rumbling.' These headphones still do "rumble" when sufficient sub-bass is present in the source, but they won't 'rumble' from regular bass notes. They are usually specifically tuned to keep the bass note from being overplayed and interfering with the other frequencies. The bass notes will be described as tight and this way you can hear more texture and detail in the bass notes & the other frequencies won't be covered up. If you play something like "Dream Is Collapsing" or  "503" or another Hans Zimmer track, you will see that the headphones still rumble well when there is low frequency rumble in the source, but won't add that extra bass emphasis that can be rather enjoyable. Also, open headphones tend to sacrifice extra bass reverb of closed headphones for better sound stage, clarity, and more natural sound. 
 
It does take a bit of time to adjust to this difference and an overly-emphasized bass is actually really enjoyable (that's why a lot of people do actually like the Beats sound). Really a personal preference type thing. 
 
So like the V-Moda M100s is a good example of closed headphones with some nice rumble to the bass. The HE-400 would probably be the best open pair of headphones in the sub-$500 bracket for that more rumbly-type sound. If that is the type of sound signature you prefer, you don't need to really run up that upgrade chain as the higher-end headphones are tuned more for neutral frequency response rather than bass 'rumble.'
 
edit: note that the bass response of orthos can generally be improved with additional power from an amplifier.

 

[mgh24]

I have wondered for some time about how "accurate" the bass representation is with the HP150. I can say I was taken aback with the amount of bass from them when I got them, bit it is kind of addicting.

I will check out the tracks you suggested, thanks for that!

 

[Ekul61]

Just got mine about an hour ago.

The bass on these will NOT rumble.  Right or wrong, good or bad, they will not.

For an example, Dire Straits "Iron Hand"from their On Every Street CD.  Fist time I heard this song with my Soundmagic HP150 I was completely blown away, had never heard anything like it, just phenomenal lows and incredible impact.  The 400i just cannot do that.
Beethoven's 9th, when the low strings really get down there, I can feel it in my throat with the HP150; not so with the 400i.

It is entirely possible that the 400i are more accurate, and I am not saying they sound bad!

The HP150 can sound a little harsh sometimes to my ears in the highs, and with the 400i the vocals are a little more recessed, which I like a lot.

I never thought I was a basshead, but maybe that is my "problem".

Only other headphone I have spent any real time with were the HD600, and from memory, I think the 400i have a little more impact in the bass than they did.

Not trying to be negative, just let others reading this know what I heard.

u are exactly right. These cans are just bass weak. I . Have had mine 2 weeks and I think they are going back

 

[mgh24]

  Nice impressions.
 
I just want to note for your expectations, when you start moving up into higher-end more neutral tuned open headphones, generally the preference is to keep the bass note tight without extra 'rumbling.' These headphones still do "rumble" when sufficient sub-bass is present in the source, but they won't 'rumble' from regular bass notes. They are usually specifically tuned to keep the bass note from being overplayed and interfering with the other frequencies. The bass notes will be described as tight and this way you can hear more texture and detail in the bass notes & the other frequencies won't be covered up. If you play something like "Dream Is Collapsing" or  "503" or another Hans Zimmer track, you will see that the headphones still rumble well when there is low frequency rumble in the source, but won't add that extra bass emphasis that can be rather enjoyable. Also, open headphones tend to sacrifice extra bass reverb of closed headphones for better sound stage, clarity, and more natural sound. 
 
It does take a bit of time to adjust to this difference and an overly-emphasized bass is actually really enjoyable (that's why a lot of people do actually like the Beats sound). Really a personal preference type thing. 
 
So like the V-Moda M100s is a good example of closed headphones with some nice rumble to the bass. The HE-400 would probably be the best open pair of headphones in the sub-$500 bracket for that more rumbly-type sound. If that is the type of sound signature you prefer, you don't need to really run up that upgrade chain as the higher-end headphones are tuned more for neutral frequency response rather than bass 'rumble.'
 
edit: note that the bass response of orthos can generally be improved with additional power from an amplifier.

Here is my problem (and it is my problem, not the headphone's).  Tracks such as the Hans Zimmer only point out more starkly the difference in bass between the two headphones.  I can almost hear what you are describing, that the bass on the 400i is clearer, there may be some "muddiness" there with the HP150.
 
Harsh treble seems to bother me, so I am trying to stay away from a "V" shape response.  I'm wondering if what I want is something just slightly elevated at the low end, and slightly less on the high end.
 
I am using a Modi/Magni stack BTW.
 
This is fun!

 

[TMRaven]

modi/magni are a bit thin sounding.  Other amps and dacs will be a little thicker in the bass (although not to the point of transforming headphones.)