[headwhacker]

   
i've heard (im not exactly sure) that he-400i is designed to be able to be driven from a digital audio player. I dont know if that means cellphone or something more like a fiio and a ibasso. But the cable is ridiculously short though.
 

 
From Fiio (X5) and iBasso (DX90) yes. But not from an iPhone or a smartphone. You can still hear sound coming out but you will certainly notice smartphones and iPods lack power compared to DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.

 

[DavidA]

   
i've heard (im not exactly sure) that he-400i is designed to be able to be driven from a digital audio player. I dont know if that means cellphone or something more like a fiio and a ibasso. But the cable is ridiculously short though.
 
Like 1.8 meter short. Some even said 1.5 meter short, which probably is true. So yeah basedon the cables alone, maybe it does designed with easeness of driving them in mind. On amplifications, the magni 2 uber have enough Power to drive them. So, while i've never heard the audio-gd i'm sure it's as powerful, if not more, than the magni 2 uber.

I'm able to get decent sound from my X3 and X1 but the volume is at 85 on the X1 and 95 on the X3.

 

[chowmein83]

 
That's good to know. So the tube part of the Aune T1 is not the amp? I wouldn't know the exact explanation of how it works with the DAC side alone but this is good to know. I'll keep my eye out, although I think I'm going with the HE400i at this point. So the Tube might not be such a big issue.. I'm now looking at Audio-GD units as well. Someone mentioned them for good price to performance ratio.

 
I can't speak for Audio-GD products, but I can share my experience for the 400i paired with the T1. In short, the combo sounds pretty good, especially if you go with an upgraded tube. The DAC in the T1 is excellent, and is probably the strongest part of the package. However, while the amp is decent on the T1, it's not great. It'll still have enough power to drive the 400i well, but it definitely lacks some finesse compared to other amps.
 

   
From Fiio (X5) and iBasso (DX90) yes. But not from an iPhone or a smartphone. You can still hear sound coming out but you will certainly notice smartphones and iPods lack power compared to DAPs from Fiio and iBasso.

 
This I mostly agree with, except for the iPhone part. The amps in the iPhone and other select smartphones (such as the HTC One M7, M8, and I guess now M9) are actually decently powerful and can drive the easier-to-drive planars pretty well. (Though of course the overall sound you're going to get even out of these phones isn't going to quite fully match dedicated players like from FiiO or iBasso.) I'm coming from having heard the HE-400i driven by the HTC One M7 and iPhone 4s, and having heard an Oppo PM-1, modded Fostex T50RP and Audeze EL-8 (preproduction model) being driven by the HTC One M7.

 

[Change is Good]

I have my 400i paired with the Audio-GD NFB-15 and absolutely love it. Haven't came across a bad pairing, yet, with that lovely amp.

 

[headwhacker]

Quote:
Originally Posted by chowmein83 View Post

This I mostly agree with, except for the iPhone part. The amps in the iPhone and other select smartphones (such as the HTC One M7, M8, and I guess now M9) are actually decently powerful and can drive the easier-to-drive planars pretty well. (Though of course the overall sound you're going to get even out of these phones isn't going to quite fully match dedicated players like from FiiO or iBasso.) I'm coming from having heard the HE-400i driven by the HTC One M7 and iPhone 4s, and having heard an Oppo PM-1, modded Fostex T50RP and Audeze EL-8 (preproduction model) being driven by the HTC One M7.

400i goes loud enough with most compressed music. But not enough for some, especially old records. X5 and DX90 can drive 400i with almost any music I throw at it except for a few classical music with wide DR.

Recent revisions of Audeze's are made to be more sensitive/efficient so should fare much better on iPhones than 400i.

 

[Change is Good]

I reach satisfiable volume levels with my F887 and A17. The issue is not whether it's loud enough. It's the lack of synergy that makes it sound brittle and dry.

 

[WriterHead]

This I mostly agree with, except for the iPhone part. The amps in the iPhone and other select smartphones (such as the HTC One M7, M8, and I guess now M9) are actually decently powerful and can drive the easier-to-drive planars pretty well. (Though of course the overall sound you're going to get even out of these phones isn't going to quite fully match dedicated players like from FiiO or iBasso.) I'm coming from having heard the HE-400i driven by the HTC One M7 and iPhone 4s, and having heard an Oppo PM-1, modded Fostex T50RP and Audeze EL-8 (preproduction model) being driven by the HTC One M7.

400i goes loud enough with most compressed music. But not enough for some, especially old records. X5 and DX90 can drive 400i with almost any music I throw at it except for a few classical music with wide DR.

Recent revisions of Audeze's are made to be more sensitive/efficient so should fare much better on iPhones than 400i.[/quote]


+1
 
With DX90 I don't even have to switch to medium gain with most recordings. Recently I have been using spotify on the iPhone 4 with this combo: 
 

 

[DavidA]

tried using my LCD2, HE-400i and HE-400 with my Samsung S5 and it sounds really hollowed out, like only haft the sound is there.  The volume goes high enough but it sounds like s***.  Going to a momentum or grado or even the X1 on the S5 the sound is 95% of what they sound like hooked up to my main rig and using the bifrost/lyr2.

 

[HarleyZK]

I have my 400i paired with the Audio-GD NFB-15 and absolutely love it. Haven't came across a bad pairing, yet, with that lovely amp.

Just out of curiosity what gain setting and volume pot position (o'clock) do you usually listen at or would consider a loudish volume (I reductive EQ for some situations).  I'm thinking of getting a NFB 15.32 -  just for work usage and I already own a HE400i.

 

[rovopio]

 
I'm able to get decent sound from my X3 and X1 but the volume is at 85 on the X1 and 95 on the X3.

 
i'm at 40 with my fiio x1 to get to my usual listening level.

 

[Change is Good]

Just out of curiosity what gain setting and volume pot position (o'clock) do you usually listen at or would consider a loudish volume (I reductive EQ for some situations).  I'm thinking of getting a NFB 15.32 -  just for work usage and I already own a HE400i.

Low gain, from 9 to 11 o'clock depending on the recording.

 

[oceans22]

Writerhead,
 
May I ask you, I notice you are connecting directly to your ipod with the 30 pin connector instead of a 3.5mm jack. I've seen this a few times with other members. Is this a personal preference or is there a sound quality difference connecting this way? If I'm not mistaken I think I read you're bypassing the internal amplifier?
 
I'm just curious?
 
Thanks!

 

[porridgecup]

Unfortunately, I have a rather small head. I've had trouble with lots of headphones fitting my head properly; I often can't get them tight enough, and for ones that are very adjustable, sometimes when I adjust them so they won't fall off, they're way too tight.
 
Can anyone tell me if they think I could get the 400i's to fit? I heard some testimonies about the HE-400 being essentially impossible to wear if you're small-headed. 
 
For reference, these are some headphones I've owned or tried which fit my head well after sufficient adjusting:
 

1. Beyerdynamic DT 880
2. Sennheiser HD 558
3. Marshall Monitors

 
I don't have a list of models, but here are headphone companies I've tried models of which I could not get to fit, usually due to the headband being too long/big by default:
 

1. Denon (headband waaaayyyyy too big)
2. Bose (not all models though)

 

[rovopio]

  Unfortunately, I have a rather small head. I've had trouble with lots of headphones fitting my head properly; I often can't get them tight enough, and for ones that are very adjustable, sometimes when I adjust them so they won't fall off, they're way too tight.
 
Can anyone tell me if they think I could get the 400i's to fit? I heard some testimonies about the HE-400 being essentially impossible to wear if you're small-headed. 
 
For reference, these are some headphones I've owned or tried which fit my head well after sufficient adjusting:
 

1. Beyerdynamic DT 880
2. Sennheiser HD 558
3. Marshall Monitors

 
I don't have a list of models, but here are headphone companies I've tried models of which I could not get to fit, usually due to the headband being too long/big by default:
 

1. Denon (headband waaaayyyyy too big)
2. Bose (not all models though)

 
i own the dt880. can you elaborate on your dt880 fitting level?
on the dt880 where are you on the adjustment level? There are dots on the dt880 side, which dot level are you on when you're wearing them?

 

[porridgecup]

   
i own the dt880. can you elaborate on your dt880 fitting level?
on the dt880 where are you on the adjustment level? There are dots on the dt880 side, which dot level are you on when you're wearing them?

 
They're at the click position right before the first dot is visible. So, 0 dot level, I guess, but I extend them by 2 clicks/adjustments (not sure if there's a better word for it than "click").