[rovopio]

  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.

 
i don't know, where i live, people dislike grado with a passion. i really, really, really like them too. So much so that i don't go to local meets due to excessive condescension for liking Grado. Well, 7or 8 years ago i was a broke college student that only have sr60. I don't know if it's the sr60 or the grado that was being condescended.
 
What's wrong with sr60i? it's awesome! my young self said.
My current young self also said, sr60e and sr80e is awesome. it's $79 and $99 and you get that much sound. For music listeners, it's a steal. I'd say federal crime, but that sounds too excessive.
 
 
 

 

[swspiers]

   
i don't know, where i live, people dislike grado with a passion. i really, really, really like them too. So much so that i don't go to local meets due to excessive condescension for liking Grado. Well, 7or 8 years ago i was a broke college student that only have sr60. I don't know if it's the sr60 or the grado that was being condescended.
 
What's wrong with sr60i? it's awesome! my young self said.
My current young self also said, sr60e and sr80e is awesome. it's $79 and $99 and you get that much sound. For music listeners, it's a steal. I'd say federal crime, but that sounds too excessive.

It's like everything else, man.  Most people who hate Grado do so because other's hate them.  They're actually an extraordinarily well-respected headphone.  Me- I enjoy the hate! I know better, and most of the people I truly respect do as well.
 
The 60e is a stunningly good headphone.
 
But- the 400i does trounce them in significant ways, especially in bass and smooth transition across the spectrum.  I don't have to hate Grado to love the 400i, or the Primes for that matter.

 

[rovopio]

  It's like everything else, man.  Most people who hate Grado do so because other's hate them.  They're actually an extraordinarily well-respected headphone.  Me- I enjoy the hate! I know better, and most of the people I truly respect do as well.
 
The 60e is a stunningly good headphone.
 
But- the 400i does trounce them in significant ways, especially in bass and smooth transition across the spectrum.  I don't have to hate Grado to love the 400i, or the Primes for that matter.

 
Here's the thing, even dealers here is condescending towards them. And there's only 4 major dealers in the whole country.
Dealer said "oh... you come from sr60?" cue condescension tone, "yeah, i like them a lot, any advice on something $300 that can replicate and better-ize the sr60?",  dealer said "grado sr60 is not real headphone".
 
I got that from 3 out of the 4 major dealers manager, the last store manager doesn't like comparing stuffs their store doesnt' sell and ask me to just try stuff out. That was... 1.5 years ago i guess, when i was finally in a position to upgrade to a $300 or so headphones from the old sr60...
 
So yeah, that's a widespread attitude. Which i'm guessing due to grado's lack of bass and shrill trebles. (Their opinions, not mine). But as you probably see my posts on Grado Fan Club, there's an official new Grado Dealer now where i live. Yeay. and they're pretty nice. No rs2e demo and expensive, but at least there's grado dealer here now.
 
Check out this document below... I found this from another head-fi thread some time ago. This person wrote a documents about almost all brands flagships and measured them. 
 
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wi8M-HSeK0JF33P-5ypydQjQ4OshRQhvWM0IX2h0NQ8/edit?pli=1#slide=id.g25f83b2cd_0494
 
Praised him for putting that much effort, but read their conclusion on Grado's flagship. Essentially saying how bad ps1000 is, and also mention sr60i in the same paragraph. I know by our ears Grado isn't a flawed headphone, and i've read somewhere from google that they design the headphone by ears, well that certainly works for them.
 
I like my sr325e.
 
I like the Alpha Dogs too. the only reason i didn't get them and opt for he-400i instead was due to my condition. Frequency response wise, if i have to choose one of the two due to wallet constraints, i'd naturally prefer the AD.

 

[nicholars]

  I haven't been on here in a while, but I've had some recent dealings with HFM and I thought I'd seek opinions...
 
I was lucky enough to be chosen for the demo tour last year, and I ended buying my pair (yes, at a discount). Some weeks ago I was having a problem with them (the right speaker stopped working properly). This was definitely a problem with the headphones. So contacting HFM, I asked what we could do and they talked about sending a replacement pair. (I also asked about "upgrading to the 560's since they were sending one anyway and the price they wanted was ridiculous - higher than retail.)
 
Long story short - they ended up sending me a "replacement" for my 400i's and receiving them today I can see they are clearly a refurbished pair. I honestly don't mind that so much, although I would have preferred a "fresh" pair - but taking a quick look at these I can see that they are actually scratched-up. I realized I got a deal on the pair I bought, but I'm not sure how I feel about this. As much as I like the headphones, my dealings with the company have made me question their commitment to their customers.
 
Has anyone had similar dealings with them? Does a 1-year replacement policy mean they can send you scuffed-up refurbs?
 
Less than pleased. I'm contacting them now...

 
They were pretty good to me... I complained about the cable splitting on the HE400 I had and initially they were not much help but after a few emails they ended up sending me a new cable for free (out of warranty period).

 

[chuckle490]

  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.

I am also a student, so I have a hard time justifying spending more than $400 on headphones, which is why I am having a hard time deciding if I should purchase the HE-400 or the HD650/400i. I have heard the HD-650 scales very well depending on the amp, where as the HE-400/400i does not scale as much. I'm leaning towards either the 400i or the 400 simply because I want to be able to get something like an Asgard or Magni II and not worry about the upgrade bug biting me. Thank you for your help, I shall continue pondering the very personal question of whether the 400i warrants the extra $200! 

 

[Change is Good]

^What kind of music do you listen to? I am also a college student, community college at that, who so happens to own the 400i.

 

[WriterHead]

  It's like everything else, man.  Most people who hate Grado do so because other's hate them.  They're actually an extraordinarily well-respected headphone.  Me- I enjoy the hate! I know better, and most of the people I truly respect do as well.
 
The 60e is a stunningly good headphone.
 
But- the 400i does trounce them in significant ways, especially in bass and smooth transition across the spectrum.  I don't have to hate Grado to love the 400i, or the Primes for that matter.

Most people who hate Grado listen to music that sucks with them like pop or hip hop. I have Grado 325is and they are amazing with classic rock (Santana, Hendrix, Clapton, King Crimson, Pink Floyd...) but I never use them with ultra compressed pop-rock contemporary recordings. 
 
I can listen to all genres with HE400i, I miss a little bit of bass impact with hip hop or electronica (LCD2 are on another level in that regard) but they sound very good with everything. 

 

[chuckle490]

^What kind of music do you listen to? I am also a college student, community college at that, who so happens to own the 400i.

Mostly electronic music, but I also listen to hip hop, rock, alternative, and pretty much anything now that I think about it lol. How is the bass presence for electronic music?

 

[Change is Good]

Mostly electronic music, but I also listen to hip hop, rock, alternative, and pretty much anything now that I think about it lol. How is the bass presence for electronic music?

You may want to look elsewhere, as bass is not really this headphone's strong point. I mainly use my 400i for vocal and instrument specific genres. Hip hip, dance music and such I use my Shure SRH1540 that I've had for over a year. The 400i will be excellent for rock and alternative, though. It's just the bass genres that might have you wanting a bit more from it...

 

[headwhacker]

 
Most people who hate Grado listen to music that sucks with them like pop or hip hop. I have Grado 325is and they are amazing with classic rock (Santana, Hendrix, Clapton, King Crimson, Pink Floyd...) but I never use them with ultra compressed pop-rock contemporary recordings. 
 
I can listen to all genres with HE400i, I miss a little bit of bass impact with hip hop or electronica (LCD2 are on another level in that regard) but they sound very good with everything. 

 
I have an SR80 and SR325. I agree with certain types of rock/pop music they are stunning. But badly recorded music will sound really bad like having a headache. The 400i gives me the same level of what Grados do with certain types of music but still let me enjoy badly recorded music better.
 
Also the fit and comfort is a world of difference. 400i (same with 560) is so comfortable that I always find myself falling asleep while I have it on. I tried every trick there is with my Grados to increase comfort but other than the flat pads non lets me use grados for more than 2 hours. Unfortunately for me having the flat pads (especially on 325) is the least satisfied I am with the sound.

 

[rovopio]

  I am also a student, so I have a hard time justifying spending more than $400 on headphones, which is why I am having a hard time deciding if I should purchase the HE-400 or the HD650/400i. I have heard the HD-650 scales very well depending on the amp, where as the HE-400/400i does not scale as much. I'm leaning towards either the 400i or the 400 simply because I want to be able to get something like an Asgard or Magni II and not worry about the upgrade bug biting me. Thank you for your help, I shall continue pondering the very personal question of whether the 400i warrants the extra $200! 

 
it's not about the $200 really. it's about what you like. Do you like large quantity of bass and a lot of trebles? Do you prefer your midrange, and by extension vocals, especially male vocals, to be recessed?
if so, the he-400 is for you. if you like your midrange and your male vocals, and you also prefers your trebles in an adequate amount, then you could consider he-400i, among others.
 
On the hd650, if you are a broke college student, depending on how exactly broke you are, and how far are you from graduation, i say think twice before deciding on hd650. Will asgard 2 be enough for hd650? Sure. some people even used them with magni and are pretty happy with them. hd650 is an exception, that is, even when [insert amps name here] having enough powers to drive them, they still can sound a lot better with OTL tube amps. Which is to say, there is a possibility when you use a magni 2, you think your hd650 will suck. If you can get OTL amps for them though, they are good.

 

[chowmein83]

   
I have an SR80 and SR325. I agree with certain types of rock/pop music they are stunning. But badly recorded music will sound really bad like having a headache. The 400i gives me the same level of what Grados do with certain types of music but still let me enjoy badly recorded music better.
 
Also the fit and comfort is a world of difference. 400i (same with 560) is so comfortable that I always find myself falling asleep while I have it on. I tried every trick there is with my Grados to increase comfort but other than the flat pads non lets me use grados for more than 2 hours. Unfortunately for me having the flat pads (especially on 325) is the least satisfied I am with the sound.

 

 
Most people who hate Grado listen to music that sucks with them like pop or hip hop. I have Grado 325is and they are amazing with classic rock (Santana, Hendrix, Clapton, King Crimson, Pink Floyd...) but I never use them with ultra compressed pop-rock contemporary recordings. 
 
I can listen to all genres with HE400i, I miss a little bit of bass impact with hip hop or electronica (LCD2 are on another level in that regard) but they sound very good with everything. 

 
Agreed with both of you guys and with swspiers and rovopio about Grados (I've only heard the SR80 though). Grados are picky with their music. When I listened to the SR80, I actually tried listening to classical and orchestral music with it, and that wasn't such a great idea...

 
Personally, they're really not my cup of tea, but they really do sound good with well-recorded rock music. There's just something in the way how they portray electric guitars, especially.

 

[HarleyZK]

Grados are great with rock and metal, but also great for lots of types of Jazz music too. I don't think they are the best for electronic, except for the Bushmill or even PS500e which do pretty well. For your genre range the 400i would probably be more suitable. This coming from an owner of the HD650, HE400i and a couple of Grado phones - I owned a 400 in the past too. The HD650 might be a bit dark and slow for some rock stuff unless laid back is your thing - for electronic the 400i will have more "PRaT".

 

[4Real]

  I am also a student, so I have a hard time justifying spending more than $400 on headphones, which is why I am having a hard time deciding if I should purchase the HE-400 or the HD650/400i. I have heard the HD-650 scales very well depending on the amp, where as the HE-400/400i does not scale as much. I'm leaning towards either the 400i or the 400 simply because I want to be able to get something like an Asgard or Magni II and not worry about the upgrade bug biting me. Thank you for your help, I shall continue pondering the very personal question of whether the 400i warrants the extra $200! 

Have you considered the X2, there's a few people in this thread who have both so could give you a better idea of how they compare to the 400i.

 

[Change is Good]

So, I'm sitting here writing a paper for my philosophy class while listening to a variety of jazz on my 400i. I had to take a break so I can post just how amazing these headphones perform under these circumstances. I feel like I can write a whole book...