[beaver316]

Anyone know of any cans that sound better than the 400i

 
Don't quote me on this but the Stax SR-009 might sound better 

 

[Ekul61]

Don't quote me on this but the Stax SR-009 might sound better 

no tried the stax... not very good.

 

[fortitude]

the stax mafia is patiently waiting outside with baseball bats...

 

[MattTCG]

no tried the stax... not very good.

 
Huh. 

 They are the second most enjoyable hp that I ever listened to with the Orpheus being the best. 

 

[marhol]

  I have 400i for a month now. Have a bit of mixed impressions, but my main gripe is somewhat loose bass (compared to Alpha Dog). I am listening with fiio K07 or K09 - the treble is OK. Any recommendation for amp with tighter bass, but without harsh treble.

I suppose you meant Fiio E07K and E09K. Which one handles HE-400i better in your opinion ?
 
There might be some problems driving Hifiman 400i effectively, especially with E09K, because of the damping factor. While E09K has plenty of power to deliver  (900mW at 32 Ohms), problems may  occur when its used with lower impendance headphones such as HE-400i.  
Fiio E09K  output impedance is 10 Ohm and HE-400i is only 32 Ohms. To handle the headphone driver correctly it is recommended to have values of damping factor higher than 10. We can get the value of damping factor by dividing 32 ÷ 10 - we get  number 3,2 - what is regarded as an unsufficient damping factor. 
 
Probably this is the reason why you may perceive bass on He-400i + E09K combo as loose. You would get better damping factor,  if you paired E09K with higher impendance headphones such as Sennheiser HD 600 (300 Ohm)
 
On the other hand, while Fiio E07K has a very low output impendance ( 0.3 Ohm) it does not have too much power to deliver ( 220 mW at 32 Ohms). It should drive He-400i OK, but should be so so with HE-560 and completely unsufficient with HE-6 .  While He-400i is relatively easy to drive, it would probably benefit  from a bit more power.
A very useful headphone -  amp matching tool is here:  http://www.audiobot9000.com/
According to the site a very good and cheap amp solution for  He-400i should be for instance Schiit Magni - plenty of power (1000 mW at 50 Ohms) to serve even He-6 (!) and a very low output impendance to be a good damping match for lower impendance heaphones. You can search on the internet how did it work with He-400i or read this thread  from the page 1 again

, someone has certainly used it before...

 

[dotpeek]

Let me just say, I just ran out to my driveway and practically tackled the UPS guy for the package, ran inside and started listening.
 
I went from ATH-AD700x's, wanted a headphone that just put a smile on my face...and boy, these did just that. It has the bass I wanted, the clarity, I've never heard my music sound this good before..
 
As for comfort, been wearing these things for about an hour and until writing this review is the only time I've thought about them being on my head. That comfortable.
 
I'm using a Schiit Magni / Modi, I think the next step in burning a hole in my pocket will be an Asgard 2. After I purchase that, I honestly can't even see myself needing anything for a while, with every song I'm just getting happier and happier.
 
Now if you'll excuse me, back to listening 

 
 
Edit: Oh, and another thing, if anyone is thinking about picking these things up from RazorDog Open Box, I would have absolutely 0 way of knowing these things were "open box" let alone if someone breathed on them. Perfectly fine.

 

[beaver316]

Anybody had any success stretching out the headband? I'm quite sensitive to clamp, so I'll need to stretch them out a bit, but they seem a little stiffer than the HE-400 was. I'm a little scared it will snap.

 

[reddog]

Let me just say, I just ran out to my driveway and practically tackled the UPS guy for the package, ran inside and started listening.

I went from ATH-AD700x's, wanted a headphone that just put a smile on my face...and boy, these did just that. It has the bass I wanted, the clarity, I've never heard my music sound this good before..

As for comfort, been wearing these things for about an hour and until writing this review is the only time I've thought about them being on my head. That comfortable.

I'm using a Schiit Magni / Modi, I think the next step in burning a hole in my pocket will be an Asgard 2. After I purchase that, I honestly can't even see myself needing anything for a while, with every song I'm just getting happier and happier.

Now if you'll excuse me, back to listening :atsmile:  

Edit: Oh, and another thing, if anyone is thinking about picking these things up from RazorDog Open Box, I would have absolutely 0 way of knowing these tings were "open box" let alone if someone breathed on them. Perfectly fine.

Hope you enjoy them, they really open up after 150 hour of use. Hope they put a smile on your face as you listen to your favorite tunes.

 

[fortitude]

  Anybody had any success stretching out the headband? I'm quite sensitive to clamp, so I'll need to stretch them out a bit, but they seem a little stiffer than the HE-400 was. I'm a little scared it will snap.

 
The steel band won't snap easily, just gently bend them outward to tweak them open a hair.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Planarmagnetics arent sensitive to the Fiio E9k's output impedance...

 

[torta]

  I suppose you meant Fiio E07K and E09K. Which one handles HE-400i better in your opinion ?

Yes, thanks for correction. I don't hear much difference. I like sound on both. Don't listen very loud ... often quite quiet. 400i sounds very acceptable from latest iPad mini. Fiio setup is tiny bit tighter and smoother ... it seems. I was thinking to upgrade with Asgard, but I need line out for speaker setup ... maybe Rega Ear or something else with line out.
 
BTW it sounds terrible from Galaxy II phone

 

[Billheiser]

The Asgard 2 has pre-outs so you can run it to powered speakers or a speaker amp.

 

[torta]

Hm, yes but I prefer fixed line out.

 

[chowmein83]

  Anybody had any success stretching out the headband? I'm quite sensitive to clamp, so I'll need to stretch them out a bit, but they seem a little stiffer than the HE-400 was. I'm a little scared it will snap.

Quote:

   
The steel band won't snap easily, just gently bend them outward to tweak them open a hair.

 
Since the headband is metal, it won't break too easily. Of course, it can't take an unreasonable amount of force, but I've found that after stretching them out a bit everyday by hand the clamping force has gotten much better.

 

[Brault]

Planarmagnetics arent sensitive to the Fiio E9k's output impedance...

Mad Lust Envy, can you elaborate? Are you saying planarmagnetics have different damping characteristics? Any evidence? Thanks!