[chowmein83]

I am purchasing 400i right now and I can give my impressions once my new amp is completely burned in.

 
Good choice. And I agree with everything rovopio said.
 
About the "slight lack of air", for the most part I do agree with rovopio, but if you've actually heard lots of different headphones, the HE-400i can hardly be called lacking air. At least you definitely won't mistake it for a closed headphone. Also, I found the 400i to be more airy than the HD650 and the Audeze LCD-2 (the latter from what I remember, it's been a while since I heard it).

 

[WriterHead]

   
Good choice. And I agree with everything rovopio said.
 
About the "slight lack of air", for the most part I do agree with rovopio, but if you've actually heard lots of different headphones, the HE-400i can hardly be called lacking air. At least you definitely won't mistake it for a closed headphone. Also, I found the 400i to be more airy than the HD650 and the Audeze LCD-2 (the latter from what I remember, it's been a while since I heard it).

HE400i is more airy but I feel a more real and deep soundstage on the LCD2 rev2
 

   
i never heard rs2 series. and i've heard rs1e very little, 10 minutes + 2 minutes. so it's not enough. I did freshly listened to ps500e and the entire prestige line today. So take the above for your own reference stick and apply grains of salt to that stick.
 
Electric guitar and rock and metal will sound good with he-400i. Not grado-like good, nothing beats grado midrange (guitar being one of them) in $500 range provided that you like the sound of Grado. Grados are colored headphones. So two ways, if you like grado sound in midrange (electric guitars), he-400i won't beat it. If you don't like electric guitar and midrange in grados, you might actually like he-400i far better.
 
Some people said he-500 is still better than he-400i. I do noticed a few people that owns both he-500 and he-400i and put their he-400i on sale in head-fi.  Will the he-500 better for you? Probably. Can you get brand new he-500 easily though?? he-400i is it's replacement, so to speak.
 
No the he-400i is not dark, as in Audeze. It strikes that fine thin line between details, clarity, and non-fatiguing sound. That is a really thin line, and on that aspect alone, he-400i deserves to be praised. It's basically the ZERO sibilance headphone. Well not really zero but, the sibilance is so few and far in between, that you actually notice the sibilance when it happens, because it's that rare.
 
As for is he-400i +3db brighter than he-400, i don't know the answer to that because i don't have the theoretical knowledge and practice to hear how many db's certain frequency range sounds. I can tell you that you won't find grado midrange in he-400i though. And that includes the 1.5-3khz range.
 
Also, try find a he-400i graph. I've read the graph somewhere, and i also read one or two reviews somewhere noting he-400i have uneven treble response (which was by design to eliminate sibilance) or something. I don't know if the treble is actually uneven or not, but my preconception bias told me that i actually could understand and hear what they're saying.
The uneven treble response is not bad, it's just, specifically on lower treble range, i can say with certainty you won't get grado-like sound. I don't know if you're looking for that or going away from that though.
 
Also, another he-400i user here, swspiers wrote in their review that he-400i resembles grado's midrange. I don't know, the slight lack of air doesn't actually makes me think specifically of grado. (you really won't notice this unless your brain are wired and used to something that is the exact opposite of this, or A/B with the exact opposite of this), something like my ma-900 or a grado.
 
If anything, he-400i is the faster, punchier, slightly thinner, planar version of hd650.
 
tl;dr it's a good headphone in its own merit, but expecting it to be like grado will probably won't meet your expectation.

+1

 

[chuckle490]

Hello guys, i haven't been keeping up with this thread so please excuse me if this has already been answered, but are thee HE-400 still relevant after the release of the 400i? I have been wanting to upgrade to either an HE-400 or 400i or HD650 for a while, and can't seem to find a review that says that the 400i are worth the extra $200. Also how would the 400i pair with something like the Magni 2? Thank you guys for the help!

 

[jimjims]

  Hello guys, i haven't been keeping up with this thread so please excuse me if this has already been answered, but are thee HE-400 still relevant after the release of the 400i? I have been wanting to upgrade to either an HE-400 or 400i or HD650 for a while, and can't seem to find a review that says that the 400i are worth the extra $200. Also how would the 400i pair with something like the Magni 2? Thank you guys for the help!

While I haven't had a chance to try HE 400is yet, I'd say HE 400s are still relevant for sure. Like you said, the HE400i is 200 more MSRP, and about double the HE 400s if you buy second hand (400s are around 200, 400i look like theyre around 400). The sound and comfort may be better on the 400i, but the cost of that improvement is steep. Personally I can't justify the leap from the 400 to 400i, Then again, I'm a student and money is tighter than I'd like. If you don't have issues like that, then the HE400i/HD650 are probably a better investment. They'll last you forever and the few hundred more can be easily worth it in the long run.

 

[rovopio]

   
Good choice. And I agree with everything rovopio said.
 
About the "slight lack of air", for the most part I do agree with rovopio, but if you've actually heard lots of different headphones, the HE-400i can hardly be called lacking air. At least you definitely won't mistake it for a closed headphone. Also, I found the 400i to be more airy than the HD650 and the Audeze LCD-2 (the latter from what I remember, it's been a while since I heard it).

 
auditioning and owning is different, and all headphones i've ever own are big in being airy so, hardly an objective measurement reference, that's true.

 

[headwhacker]

   
auditioning and owning is different, and all headphones i've ever own are big in being airy so, hardly an objective measurement reference, that's true.

 
True, Headphones from the same manufacturers tend to have some similarities. Which makes it difficult to detect subtle difference when auditioning/comparison in an audio shop. That is at least my personal experience with HE-400i and HE-560. I really want to compare the 2 headphones in the comfort of my home and my own setup. So when I got the chance on a discounted price I bought the HE-560.
 
However, comparing headphones between different manufactures is sometimes enough inside an audio shop. At least one can get an idea quickly which heaphone he likes better. That's how I picked up Hifimans over Audezes.

 

[MickeyVee]

Actually, I had the HE560's and prefer the HE400i.  Note that I do own the HD800 and the HE560 was close but no cigar with the HD800 around so I sold them.  If I didn't own the HD800 already, could have easily stopped there and been quite satisfied.  I wanted something a little more efficient so I did get the HE400i and for me they are keepers.  I quite enjoy them.  They are fast, fairly open, well balanced and fun!  I've been through a lot of headphones in the past 3 years (see my profile) and for me, the HD800 / HE400i combo works well and nicely compliment each other.
Don't fret over the HE560, the HE400i are a great bang for the buck and like I said, well balanced and a lot of fun.
 
 
Quote:

  I would **LOVE** to get the 560s, but I just asked my bank account, and it said no way.  

 

 

[mandrake50]

More specifically, I'm referring to a gaming experience while having an amp/dac hooked up for headphones. As far as I know, amplifiers aren't surround sound compatible. For surround sound I'd need to either run headphones into a motherboard or have a seperate soundcard. This would of course negate the need for an amplifier with games. That is the exact disappointment I'm envisioning because I want to use a pair of 400i for games and have surround sound too, while still using an amplifier.

The amplifier should pass through whatever is input to it.
If you have processed sound going in, you will get the same processed sound coming out... Surround sound in, equals surround sound out!
 
I use Dolby headphone occasionally and none of my amps fail to produce the effect. This includes a bunch of portable amps, as well as solid state, hybrid, and OTL desktop amps.

 

[Ovrki1]

The plan is to hook headphones into an amplifier and that into a motherboard. Surround sound is built into my motherboard but I thought once you hook an amplifier into a motherboard, all sound effects a motherboard has on-board would get cancelled out my the amplifier.

 

[conquerator2]

If the surround is passed on from the source, then an amp cannot cancel it. It merely amplifies the signal
It does not care what it receives.

 

[mandrake50]

The plan is to hook headphones into an amplifier and that into a motherboard. Surround sound is built into my motherboard but I thought once you hook an amplifier into a motherboard, all sound effects a motherboard has on-board would get cancelled out my the amplifier.

That has not been my experience at all.  As long as the processed sound is sent out of your sound card, that same processed sound will be amplified and sent to your headphones.
Now this assumes that the output from your sound card, likely a line level output, contains the surround processing. If you are using a two channel output containing  processed sound into the amp, you get two channel sound with the processed information out to your headphones.
The amp doesn't know anything about surround sound, it just amplifies whatever you put into it.

 

[swspiers]

   
 
Also, another he-400i user here, swspiers wrote in their review that he-400i resembles grado's midrange. I don't know, the slight lack of air doesn't actually makes me think specifically of grado. (you really won't notice this unless your brain are wired and used to something that is the exact opposite of this, or A/B with the exact opposite of this), something like my ma-900 or a grado.
 
If anything, he-400i is the faster, punchier, slightly thinner, planar version of hd650.
 
tl;dr it's a good headphone in its own merit, but expecting it to be like grado will probably won't meet your expectation.

Yeah, I'm sticking to that assessment, too.  In fact, the 400i's are winning me over vs Grado, mostly because of the even transition from bass to guitar, especially on Stoner/Doom and drone stuff like Sunn 0))))) and Om.
 
But those Grado mids are amazing, I'll give them that.  But the 400i's are giving me more of the complete package.

 

[Ovrki1]

If the surround is passed on from the source, then an amp cannot cancel it. It merely amplifies the signal
It does not care what it receives.

That's what common sense would tell you too. It wasn't long ago when I read an article, perhaps at head-fi, where I got that assumption. I might have interpreted it wrongly.

 

[rovopio]

  Yeah, I'm sticking to that assessment, too.  In fact, the 400i's are winning me over vs Grado, mostly because of the even transition from bass to guitar, especially on Stoner/Doom and drone stuff like Sunn 0))))) and Om.
 
But those Grado mids are amazing, I'll give them that.  But the 400i's are giving me more of the complete package.

 
No yeah, definitely. brains are wired differently after all. he-400i is the complete package in a sub $500 headphone really.
 
I ended up impulse buying sr325e due to he-400i persistent clamp force that couldn't let me hear the music, let alone enjoying the music. i can't hear them because my body focused on the pain as in, i have to fight my body's urge to take the headphone off after 30 mins or so. I persistently wears them daily just to see how much clamp force my unit actually has.
 
In all fairness i've been "straightening the steel" method on the bend angles three times a day for the past 3-4 or so days though, 10 minutes twice a day and one time 10 seconds before sleeping.
 
So because the pain was pretty bad due to wearing them daily, i impulse bought sr325e. and i don't know... i listen to japanese songs, and japanese indie female singers doesn't have wide range like Whitney Houston or Adele and the likes. It's more... vocals that resides prominently in midrange than lower trebles (if that makes any sense explanation-wise. Again, not an expert.).
So... sr325e and just grado models in general has that air, resonant, and decay that he-400i can't replicate. The vocals from Grado, though far from neutral, i feel them more, so to speak.
 
i can't listen to grado for more than 30 mins though, because of my ear pain condition, which was the reason i bought he-400i in the first place. the 400i does it's job on that aspect, it's detailed but not peaky at frequencies that hurts people with sensitive ears. Awesome. Also there's zero sibilance in this. I take sibilance as a norm due to headphone being close to ears, and i like brighter headphones so, sibilance is not something i ever care about. In fact, when sibilance happens, which is rare, i immediately noticed them. He-400i is the only headphone i tried where i notice sibilance when it's happened because of how rare it happens.
 
But on midrange, i don't know, Grados makes me feel, and the fact that i prioritize vocals as my number one, two, and three priorities also made me choose the sr325e as the headphone i like more.
Though if you're talking hobby-wise, if grades are to be given to both, and that grade is determined by some numbers of requirements, like treble extensions, clarity, bass quality, bass quantity, resolutions, midrange fullness, overall frequency response, etc etc, subjectively speaking, he-400i will gets more points than the sr325e. Notably on bass, no question, he-400i.
 
he-400i is the complete package in a sub $500 headphone really.
At sub-$500 range, "great headphone" is something that people can call hd600 and hd650. And he-400i is arguably, i personally think is in the conversation.
Objectively speaking, people don't say sr325e is a "great headphone". I myself don't think sr325e is at the same level as hd600 and hd650, hobby-wise.
 
Grado prestige series is a deeply flawed headphone. Though, preference-wise, i like my sr325e more. Way more. haha.

 

[swspiers]

Whoa.  Huge Grado fan here, and I don't think the Prestige line is flawed at all.  The 225i is still a standard by which I measure other cans.  Intimate, detailed, perfect for low volume.