[manbear]

That's good to hear. I'm hoping the pairing will create a very nice semi-intimate midrange as well. How does it sound with the bass boost?

The bast boost is a bit too bloated sounding IMO. I prefer to EQ the bass 3 db or so around 50 hz.

 

[Jmop]

It sounds great on my VC1000 IEMs but they have very tight bass. I could see how it might be bloated with a headphone that doesn't have a tight and linear bass response.

Out of curiosity do you think the C5 can drive the 560 just as good?

 

[DavidA]

It sounds great on my VC1000 IEMs but they have very tight bass. I could see how it might be bloated with a headphone that doesn't have a tight and linear bass response.

Out of curiosity do you think the C5 can drive the 560 just as good?

The HE-560 needs a little more power to drive Example: with Lyr2, HE-400i; 9-10 is listening volume, HE-560; 11-12 is listening volume.  I don't have a C5 so I can't say it will or will not but if the C5 easily drives the HE-400i then it may / should be enough for the HE-560.

 

[Jmop]

Ok cool. Thanks!

 

[Roland Aguilera]

Absolutely, I have this headphone for 1 month. Normally I have all music stored in an iMac Apple Computer, headphone is connected to a Meridian Explorer desktop DAC/AMP. Nevertheless when I go portable it goes with my iPhone and the volume is fine. For the record, these headphones rate excellent in comfort. I was expecting some issues with the clamping force and this is a non issue.
The sound signature is neutral across the entire audio spectrum. The bass is tight, fast and clean. The upper bass and the lower midrange blend very well and the treble is crystal clear.
Percussion, String instruments, Pianos and organs, horns and vocals all sound outstanding. Even digital movies are amazing to listen to.
My point, a good recording will be a joy to listen and a bad recording will be exposed.
My first impressions of planar headphones was apprehensive, but these headphones have made a believer of me. In addition I never thought I would enjoy the open vs. closed backs as much.
These are a great value, they look expensive, and are built like a rock for such a light weight set.
VERY HAPPY 

 

[DeBilbao]

I've found the new HiFiMAN HE-400i an excelent upgrade for my Sennheiser HD 650 and I'm enjoying them a lot.
 
You can read my review comparing them at this post From Sennheiser HD 650 to HiFiMAN HE-400i... there's no way back!
 

 

[Jmop]

Thanks for the comparison! Would you say that the 650 has more depth to the sound while the 400i has better extension on both ends? That's what I invision.

 

[DeBilbao]

Thanks for the comparison! Would you say that the 650 has more depth to the sound while the 400i has better extension on both ends? That's what I invision.

 
I won't say the HD 650 has more sound depth than the HE-400i and definately they have better extension on both ends.
 
The whole scene is a tad deep an wide in the HE-400i.
 
I would say that it will compare to be seated in row 3 in a Jazz club instead of being just in front of the performer.

 

[Jmop]

Thanks for the reply. These do sound tempting.. If only they were a hundred dollars less lol might be worth it though.

 

[DeBilbao]

Thanks for the reply. These do sound tempting.. If only they were a hundred dollars less lol might be worth it though.

 
Keep an eye on the "for sale" section of the forum. Maybe you can find them cheaper there...

 

[Jmop]

I doubt people are gonna be selling them much cheaper than full price since they're relatively new but I'll keep a look out.

 

[DavidA]

Thanks for the comparison! Would you say that the 650 has more depth to the sound while the 400i has better extension on both ends? That's what I invision.

HE-400i: easier to drive than HD-650, better bass extension, sound stage wider than HD-650, can sound harsh/bright with some songs.
 
HD-650: harder to drive properly than HE-400i, a more relaxing sound than HE-400i making it easier to listen to for long periods, works with almost any genre of music.
The above is based on my impressions with a modi/asgard2 combo.
 
At the current pricing for these the HE-650 is a better bang for your buck IMO.
 
To make this even more confusing, which one I will use depends on the tubes I have in either a Lyr2 or Ember, these two react very differently to different amps.  The HD-650 as noted in post a few pages ago will scale with high end stuff, the HE-400i will scale but not to the same extents as the HD-650, like all things on these pages, YMMV.
 
PS: my HE-400i has the grill mod

 

[Jmop]

When you say it's harsh/bright that's just compared to the 650 right? I've never owned a Hifiman headphone but I thought the highs were inoffensive. Coming from my VC1000 which is neutral/bright but not very harsh, the treble on the 400i shouldn't bother me correct?

 

[Tuco1965]

I'm treble sensitive and they don't bother me.  YMMV

 

[manbear]

I'm treble sensitive and they don't bother me.  YMMV

Same here. 400i treble is far from dark but its reasonably smooth.