[chowmein83]

i ordered on the 6th, and will get mine after the 20th. lucky you!

i already can't wait!!

 
Congratulations! So I take it that you ended up getting the 400i over the Senn HD6XX series. But out of curiosity, why did you decide to do so in the end?

 

[T65design]

   
Mmm looking at the FR on the HE400i I expect it would need an increase in the bass and a reduction in treble (EQ) to suit my preferences (warm headphones with lot of sub bass, midrange not recessed  and treble around the same level as the midrange or slightly higher). The SRH 1540 (with NAD D1050) are one of the few pairs of headphones which I can leave flat on EQ except for adding a bit of sub bass, momentum, UE6000 and HD650 were some other headphones I can use without changing the mid / treble, HE400 I had to EQ the treble a lot so it was not assaulting my eardrums with sibilance.

I liked 400i a lot except the attack and bite part which I feel lacking in parts.   Is the SRH 1540 your favorite?

 

[reddog]

I would love to hear the He-400i's, with a balanced cable, driven by the Ragnarok. I would imagine the bass would just be great a d the soundstage, larger, more revealing and holographic.

 

[nicholars]

  I liked 400i a lot except the attack and bite part which I feel lacking in parts.   Is the SRH 1540 your favorite?

 
I have not tried the HE400i still because I keep putting the 1540's on and remembering how good they are, especially if the HE400i will have less bass than the 1540 I am not sure I will prefer it because the 1540 only just has enough bass for me already, also the treble balance on the 1540 is perfect whereas the 400i look a bit bright. The 1540 are an EXCELLENT pair of headphones, more people should buy them or demo them, they do everything very well at the same time in one pair of headphones which is rare at <£400.

 

[MickeyVee]

While the HE400i do scale up a little, the Rag would be overkill if the HE400i was your only headphone.  Out of the McIntosh, the HE400i are really punchy with great bass and detail but the soundstage is not much better than say, my AK100 II where they sound good but thinner.
And yes, I would highly recommend listening the HE400i out of a TOTL system. They're just plain fun!
 
Quote:

I would love to hear the He-400i's, with a balanced cable, driven by the Ragnarok. I would imagine the bass would just be great a d the soundstage, larger, more revealing and holographic.

 

[mandrake50]

I seriously listen to hundreds of recordings! Right now, King Crimson "In the Wake of Poseidon". Between work and grad school, at least an hour a day.

Spending this kind of money, I take it pretty seriously!
LOL

What percentage of your listening would you say that hour per day is...
 
I understand the investment being motivating. I get new headphones or electronics and spend time seriously listening... for awhile.
After that, I tend to listen casually pretty much exclusively.
 
When I talk about listening seriously, I mean sitting down in a comfortable chair and trying to block everything out but the music... to relax, but remain as focused as possible. I find this difficult to do because my mind wants to wander. Once that happens the nuances are lost to a great extent. Making an entire hour in the state that I try to get to for this serious or critical listening, simply doesn't happen very often. I wouldn't consider listening and typing, or talking, or reading to be serious listening. But, of course, this is my definition. I am trying to figure out what other people mean when they use the term. This helps me put their comments into perspective.
 
BTW, my 400i is currently my favorite headphone. I got the 560s a couple of weeks ago. I am still looking for synergy with those.

 

[manbear]

Mandrake, what do you think of the differences between the 400i and the 560?

 

[zanderwebb]

Sorry to interrupt discussion!.. Just wanted to let those know who are looking to try these great headphones that I'm selling my *Basically Brand New* pair along with a Schiit Vali, and CDAC!
Thanks!
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/754809/lnib-he400i-setup-for-sale 

 

[swspiers]

 
What percentage of your listening would you say that hour per day is...
 
I understand the investment being motivating. I get new headphones or electronics and spend time seriously listening... for awhile.
After that, I tend to listen casually pretty much exclusively.
 
When I talk about listening seriously, I mean sitting down in a comfortable chair and trying to block everything out but the music... to relax, but remain as focused as possible. I find this difficult to do because my mind wants to wander. Once that happens the nuances are lost to a great extent. Making an entire hour in the state that I try to get to for this serious or critical listening, simply doesn't happen very often. I wouldn't consider listening and typing, or talking, or reading to be serious listening. But, of course, this is my definition. I am trying to figure out what other people mean when they use the term. This helps me put their comments into perspective.
 
BTW, my 400i is currently my favorite headphone. I got the 560s a couple of weeks ago. I am still looking for synergy with those.

Dude, I know you don't mean to, but you're in real personal territory here.  I love it!
 
First off, I'm 51 years old, with 22 years of recovery from methamphetamine/alcohol/marijuana addiction.  This means I learned the value of meditation a LONG time ago.  Minds tend to wander, I agree.  But after 20+ years of meditation, let's say I can deal with that.  This music thing is also extremely important to my on-going recovery.  Experiencing our culture as a species, in it's highest form of expression (for me) brings me closer to my concept of God.
 
Secondly, I left my wife two weeks ago, and have begin the process of getting a divorce.  This means I have A LOT of extra time on my hands, hence I have more than an hour available for listening.
 
Third, I'm in graduate school, and am maintaining a 4.0 so far.  Music is a study break that allows my brain to recover.  I listen to certain types of music with certain areas of study.  It helps mnemonic recall.  I can think of the song or album, and the material is retrieved much more easily.
 
I'm sure this is more information that you intended to get, but what the heck, it's a great question!

 

[rovopio]

   
Congratulations! So I take it that you ended up getting the 400i over the Senn HD6XX series. But out of curiosity, why did you decide to do so in the end?

 
i posted a couple pages back about it, i can't remember myself which page. basically hd650 was perfect for me for my inner ear condition. but it was way too thick for my taste.
i couldn't stand the lower midrange thickness of the hd650 when it paired to anything other than OTL amp. That was after 6 hours audition on and off.
 
i find that i'm more of a hd600 guy myself, the short 5-10 minutes i auditioned them (different store). Where i'm at, locally, the distributor is asking for $560 for hd600 and $620 for hd650. I can eat the hd650 price, $500 to $620, but i dislike the $400 to $560 hd600 jump, especially considering $300 deals popping up all over the internet.
 
So i might as well get the he-400i for $640. That's basically the primary logic. Secondly, a head-fi member told me that he400i is not as bright as hd600, Well, nice.
Third, since i own this headphone called sony ma-900, a $400 hd600 would be nice, but a $560 hd600 is redundant and too expensive.
 
so tl;dr 1) i won't buy hd650 2) i don't feel like paying that much for hd600 3) get the he-400i instead.

 

[chowmein83]

   
i posted a couple pages back about it, i can't remember myself which page. basically hd650 was perfect for me for my inner ear condition. but it was way too thick for my taste.
i couldn't stand the lower midrange thickness of the hd650 when it paired to anything other than OTL amp. That was after 6 hours audition on and off.
 
i find that i'm more of a hd600 guy myself, the short 5-10 minutes i auditioned them (different store). Where i'm at, locally, the distributor is asking for $560 for hd600 and $620 for hd650. I can eat the hd650 price, $500 to $620, but i dislike the $400 to $560 hd600 jump, especially considering $300 deals popping up all over the internet.
 
So i might as well get the he-400i for $640. That's basically the primary logic. Secondly, a head-fi member told me that he400i is not as bright as hd600, Well, nice.
Third, since i own this headphone called sony ma-900, a $400 hd600 would be nice, but a $560 hd600 is redundant and too expensive.
 
so tl;dr 1) i won't buy hd650 2) i don't feel like paying that much for hd600 3) get the he-400i instead.

Well, it sounds like you came to a conclusion after thinking about over a bit. Hope you enjoy the 400i when you get it, and let us know what you think about it!

 

[mandrake50]

Mandrake, what do you think of the differences between the 400i and the 560?

Well, around $400 for one

 
I like the balance on the 400i better for most of what I listen to. There is a lower treble peak, to my eras with the 560. It ids not bad, but makes voices seem just a bit too high pitched.
Keep in mind that I have only had the 560 for a bit over a week. Probably only a couple of hours on my head. I am playing with DAC and amp combinations. Today I have been using the Modi Uber with my Horizon III. It seems to have taken  a bit of the edginess off.
That being said, and maybe because of the tonal shift, the 560 is definitely more detailed. There seems to be more space around instruments. They sound very good with strings. Smooth jazz and string quartets are amazing. Crappy recordings achieve a new level or crappyness though.
 
The thing is, until I get a few things sorted with the 560, I have been using the 400i more when I just want to listen and have most things sound real good to my ears.

 

[saguro]

Sorry to interrupt discussion!.. Just wanted to let those know who are looking to try these great headphones that I'm selling my *Basically Brand New* pair along with a Schiit Vali, and CDAC!
Thanks!
 http://www.head-fi.org/t/754809/lnib-he400i-setup-for-sale 

Where were you two weeks ago when I ordered my 400i and EF2A combo? Somebody better scoop up this amazing deal.

 

[HPiper]

Where were you two weeks ago when I ordered my 400i and EF2A combo? Somebody better scoop up this amazing deal.

Have you actually heard a EF2A ? Just wondering.

 

[saguro]

Have you actually heard a EF2A ? Just wondering.

I've had the EF2A for a week using it 8hr a day. This is my first headphone amp, so I don't have anything to use as a comparative basis, but it's worlds ahead of my unamped SE425 and QC15.

I ordered some of the Russian "rocket tubes" (can't look up model right now) to see if it'll remove the graininess I get with the 400i and high pitched brass.

Overall, I love the setup though.