[ashutoshp]

  I only have Magni and Project Ember and the Ember is in a different class, sound, power and price wise.  If you are looking to drive the HE-400i or have a few different headphones with different impedances I would definitely go with the Ember but it is 3 times the price of the Magni.  The Magni is on the bright side IMO while the Ember is more neutral depending on the tube you use and having the ability to change the output resistance/impedance will let it pair with a larger variety of headphones. 
Don't know if anyone uses the Vali with planar headphones as I don't recall seeing it being mentioned on this thread.  Might want to check the threads for each of the amps as there should be more comparisons there between different amps.

Cheer for this.

 

[rymcymcym]

Hi Guys,
 
Looking for better match for HE400i. Would it be Fiio E12 or E12A ?? DAP i'm using for it would be rockboxed Classic 6G.
 
I suppose  the E12A would be better cause it sounds better and the HE400i are not power hungry cans so they don't need power of E12...

 

[DavidA]

  Hi Guys,
 
Looking for better match for HE400i. Would it be Fiio E12 or E12A ?? DAP i'm using for it would be rockboxed Classic 6G.
 
I suppose  the E12A would be better cause it sounds better and the HE400i are not power hungry cans so they don't need power of E12...

Never tried portable amps but HE-400i sounds better with more powerful amps like Lyr2 and Project Ember that I have.  I can get pretty good sound with my Fiio X3 but its not the same as from the Ember or Lyr2.  If you can try your HE-400i with more powerful amps you should be able to hear the difference and understand the difference.

 

[snellemin]

I'm using the 400i with a E12A and like it for average volume listing.  On high gain I can get to 400i to vibrate with bass.   But you will run out of juice  if you like your music louder. A more powerful amp will bring out the best out of headphone.

 

[DavidA]

  I'm using the 400i with a E12A and like it for average volume listing.  On high gain I can get to 400i to vibrate with bass.   But you will run out of juice  if you like your music louder. A more powerful amp will bring out the best out of headphone.

Have you tried you HE-400i with a good desktop amp like a Lyr2, Gustard H-10, or something in this mid range level?  It might surprise you at the difference is sound.  I used to think that the Xonar DG and STX sound cards in my computers were pretty good but after getting the Lyr2, Project Ember and BH Crack the sound cards do not do the HE-400i and other headphones justice.  A friend of mine has a ALO MK 3+ which is a pretty good portable amp and as good as it is it really is not in the same league.  The only portable amp that I heard that I would consider is the CEntrance HIFI-M8 but this is a different price range from the Fiio and other sub $200 portable amps.  I don't think the HE-400i was designed as a portable to be driven by a DAP or phone, the EL8 is a much more efficient planar and is easier to drive and sounds great from my X3ii or X1 while the HE-400i is only okay.  This is just my opinion and as they say YMMV.

 

[Hardtrancing]

Has anyone tried Audio-GD NFB-15 or 11 with the HE-400i's, do they make the bass come out a bit more?

 

[drbluenewmexico]

My 400is really respond well to the Denon DA10 dac amp. the dac in this unit
is one of the best portable days on the market, with exceptional detail and
tone quality. the amp in the unit is good, and powerful enough that i use
a Shure volume control attentuator to match the channels better and
get just the right gain.  its a real winning combination!

 

[snellemin]

  Have you tried you HE-400i with a good desktop amp like a Lyr2, Gustard H-10, or something in this mid range level?  It might surprise you at the difference is sound.  I used to think that the Xonar DG and STX sound cards in my computers were pretty good but after getting the Lyr2, Project Ember and BH Crack the sound cards do not do the HE-400i and other headphones justice.  A friend of mine has a ALO MK 3+ which is a pretty good portable amp and as good as it is it really is not in the same league.  The only portable amp that I heard that I would consider is the CEntrance HIFI-M8 but this is a different price range from the Fiio and other sub $200 portable amps.  I don't think the HE-400i was designed as a portable to be driven by a DAP or phone, the EL8 is a much more efficient planar and is easier to drive and sounds great from my X3ii or X1 while the HE-400i is only okay.  This is just my opinion and as they say YMMV.

 
I choose the E12A for the absent of any background hiss.  I have the older FIIO E9 and E7 that I also use for 400i.  Sounds really good with Foobar and it's 31 band EQ.  I also my old NAD amp or my BK stereo preamp for different sound signatures.  When I was something different I push my sound signal through some sound processors.  However, I'm running out of power when playing bass heavy music at louder volumes.  I'm going to build me a Headphone adapter with some resistors, to plug into my speaker output of the fully size amps that I have.  
 

 

[swspiers]

I notice we have a bit of "amp creep" going on with the 400i's. Which is okay- if an amp/headphone combo does for you, this is the place to write about it and share.

However, my iPad can drive these headphones to levels that can make me wince. Convincingly full and articulate bass, mids to die for. Out of an iPad Air 2.

Just a different POV...

 

[snellemin]

The sound coming out from my laptop and tablets are pretty good with 400i.   Out of my iphone it's good up to 75% volume level.
 
I made a "prototype" headphone adapter to drive the 400i from my fullsize amps.  Works pretty good with all that power to spare
 
 

 

[imac2much]

I should be getting an Oppo HA-1 soon to pair with the 400i.  I was told that the single ended may not have enough power for the 400i so I should go balanced.  Has anyone had experience with this setup?  
 
If balanced is indeed the way to go, does anyone have recommendations for an affordable balanced cable for the 400i?  I saw the earlier post linking to ebay but I was confused whether that was only for Pono players.  I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a simple balanced cable so I can take advantage of the higher power output of the HA-1.
 
Thanks!

 

[mandrake50]

I should be getting an Oppo HA-1 soon to pair with the 400i.  I was told that the single ended may not have enough power for the 400i so I should go balanced.  Has anyone had experience with this setup?  

If balanced is indeed the way to go, does anyone have recommendations for an affordable balanced cable for the 400i?  I saw the earlier post linking to ebay but I was confused whether that was only for Pono players.  I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a simple balanced cable so I can take advantage of the higher power output of the HA-1.

Thanks!

I would guess that the HA-1 in single ended mode will have plenty of power to drive the 400i. I use them with my HA-2 and it has no problem with driving them at reasonable levels. The Ha-1 doubles the rated power of the HA-2. I think many around here recommend power output way too high for the reality. Take a look at the last few pages here. There have been reports of people using the 400i right out of their phone and being happy with the result!

At least give it a try before you start chasing cables.

I have a few pair of 4 pin XLT to Hifiman cables at home. I can check and let you know more about where they came from and what they cost. The records are on my machine at home.

 

[imac2much]

Thanks for your advice.  I would love to hear if you hear the sound improve when switching between TRS and XLR

 

[money4me247]

  I should be getting an Oppo HA-1 soon to pair with the 400i.  I was told that the single ended may not have enough power for the 400i so I should go balanced.  Has anyone had experience with this setup?  
 
If balanced is indeed the way to go, does anyone have recommendations for an affordable balanced cable for the 400i?  I saw the earlier post linking to ebay but I was confused whether that was only for Pono players.  I'm not looking for anything fancy, just a simple balanced cable so I can take advantage of the higher power output of the HA-1.
 
Thanks!

single ended should have more than enough power for the he-400i. I used the ha-1 single-ended to drive the he-560, which are harder to drive than the 400i, and it worked fine.
 
edit: I tested balanced & single-ended for the headphones I have both cabling for (HE-1k beta & LCD-X), and there was NOT a noticeable change in sound quality to my ears when volume matched.

 

[mandrake50]

I bought the XLR/Hifiman cables in anticipation of getting the Geek Pulse X Infinity with balanced outputs. I have not gotten it. I am also waiting to get a Cavalli Liquid Carbon, also with balanced outs. I don't have it yet either. Until I get one or both, I can't do much comparison.
Digizoid has this neat power calculator. I put in the HE 400i numbers. 36 ohm impedance and 93 db sensitivity. This is what I got:







Listening Loudness Voltage Needed Current Needed Power Needed 



Safe
85 dB SPL 0.07 Vrms 2 mA 0.14 mW

Moderate
100 dB SPL 0.42 Vrms 12 mA 5.04 mW

Fairly Loud
110 dB SPL 1.32 Vrms 37.71 mA 49.78 mW

Very Loud
115 dB SPL 2.36 Vrms 67.43 mA 159.13 mW

Painful
120 dB SPL 4.19 Vrms 119.71 mA 501.6 mW


Now I hope you would not be listening at 120 DB... even with highly dynamic music peaks at that level would be crazy.