[bracko]

I have had kind of a nasty experience with my he400i with a lovely ending. Two weeks after my purchase the cable of the 400i started to loose the left channel depending on the exact position of the cable (which had never left my office at home). I contacted the shop and they passed my issue to HIFIMAN. I got the option to get a better replacement cable from the 500, which is a bit longer (2m) and it has a big plug. When I received the cable l, everything sounded MUCH better!

I think it is mostly due to the fact that I had a faulty cable, not so much due to the new (supposedly better) one, but bass impact is now much stronger than before

Are these cables available at head direct?

 

[Tunkejazz]

No idea, but I think it is the stock cable of the he560 (not the 500, I was confused). Here is a picture of the plug:

 

[bracko]

No idea, but I think it is the stock cable of the he560 (not the 500, I was confused).

Ok. I believed 400i and 560 had same cable

 

[tinyman392]

Are these cables available at head direct?

 
Yes they are.  If I'm not mistaken: https://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=199
 

No idea, but I think it is the stock cable of the he560 (not the 500, I was confused). Here is a picture of the plug:

 
It is the stock cable of the 560.  It utilizes some silver in it as well, if I'm not mistaken, so that can affect the sound somewhat, you may also need to turn down the volume possibly as silver is a better conductor and therefore more efficient.  
 

Ok. I believed 400i and 560 had same cable

 
Nope, they use different cables.  That was one way cost was cut from the 400i.  

 

[Tunkejazz]

Apparently not. This one is half a meter longer and it has a large plug. As for the sound difference...it could well be that my faulty stock cable was supposed to sound like this but it didn't because it was broken. I am happy with the extra length though

 

[Tunkejazz]

Yes they are.  If I'm not mistaken: https://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=199


It is the stock cable of the 560.  It utilizes some silver in it as well, if I'm not mistaken, so that can affect the sound somewhat, you may also need to turn down the volume possibly as silver is a better conductor and therefore more efficient.  


Nope, they use different cables.  That was one way cost was cut from the 400i.  

Great! I cannot do a comparison at the moment because I sent back the faulty cable. But I know that I was always a bit bothered with the (slight lack of) bass impact of the 400i in my system. Now they are close to my d2000 in that matter but keeping their warmer character. All this said, I have always been slightly skeptical to expensive cables, and I would had never jump on this one just to upgrade without listening. But the difference is certainly there. I also think the sound is slightly more layered, but this is a milder effect.

 

[bracko]

Yes they are.  If I'm not mistaken: https://head-direct.com/Products/?act=detail&id=199


It is the stock cable of the 560.  It utilizes some silver in it as well, if I'm not mistaken, so that can affect the sound somewhat, you may also need to turn down the volume possibly as silver is a better conductor and therefore more efficient.  


Nope, they use different cables.  That was one way cost was cut from the 400i.  

Thank you.

 

[kdejonge]

I ordered a q audio cable for my he-400i. Cant wait to try it!
http://theaudioguild.com/the-collection/#/q-cables/

 

[cyclops214]

I ended up ordering a cable last week from  http://www.bestintheversecables.com/    not sure how it's going to sound since I can't really find any reviews on these cables hoping it will sound better than stock.

 

[bracko]

  I ended up ordering a cable last week from  http://www.bestintheversecables.com/    not sure how it's going to sound since I can't really find any reviews on these cables hoping it will sound better than stock.

With all respect I don't believe a cable can bring that much difference to the sound. Are there specific details in the performance of 400i that you are unhappy with? Tried other amp or source?

 

[DavidA]

  With all respect I don't believe a cable can bring that much difference to the sound. Are there specific details in the performance of 400i that you are unhappy with? Tried other amp or source?

I'm with you about cables changing the sound, I've tried some Forza and Double Helix cable that I got used from a friend in Japan and the sound was the same as the Mogami and Canare cables that I had.  Granted they are a thing of beauty to look at but I was so afraid that I would damage them that I ended up returning them to my friend.

 

[bracko]

 
I'm with you about cables changing the sound, I've tried some Forza and Double Helix cable that I got used from a friend in Japan and the sound was the same as the Mogami and Canare cables that I had.  Granted they are a thing of beauty to look at but I was so afraid that I would damage them that I ended up returning them to my friend.

Many people here have tried changing cables on their HE-400i. It would be nice to "hear" their experiences.

 

[DavidA]

  Many people here have tried changing cables on their HE-400i. It would be nice to "hear" their experiences.

As I posted in the HD-700 thread the cable that my friend gave me was a Forza (don't remember exact model) and between my GF and myself there was no difference that either of us could hear.  I will say that with speaker cable there is a difference if the run is long (30ft or more) where heavier gauge cables do provide improvement in the sound which made me think that this might be also applicable to headphones (most of my cables are 10ft) but from my limited experiences with the Forza and Double Helix cables there was no improvement, YMMV of course.
 
As for the HE-400i the stock cable was way to short for me so I built a new one 10ft long using Mogami star quad, neutrik 1/4" TRS, and SMC connectors which work very well.

 

[Tunkejazz]

...and the stock cable is in fact bloody expensive!

 

[camui78]

Just got my HE-400i in the mail today.  First impressions for wearing them for a short while... compared to the ATH-AD700, it feels tighter while wearing them and the pads clamp to my head alot more.  Is there anyway to fix the pads where there isn't so much pressure?  However, the sound coming out of these is ALOT better with no break-in.  The bass is fuller, goes deeper, and the music sounds more alive.