[Mookalafalas]

Ouch!! I hadn't realized it was a sale...I thought the price had just come down to a lower level (as often happens with audio gear).  Now I'm bummed...was really looking forward to these.

 

[fjrabon]

  Ouch!! I hadn't realized it was a sale...I thought the price had just come down to a lower level (as often happens with audio gear).  Now I'm bummed...was really looking forward to these.

ah, yeah, definitely a sale price, as HiFiman places these in their line above the HE400s (not arguing which is better, but HiFiMan refers to the 400i as part of their reference line, and the 400s as part of their premium line).  The 400s is really good at $299 though if the $499 price tag is a no-go for you.  
 
occasionally if a official seller didn't get rid of all their sale price stock, HiFiMan lets them sell that off right after the end of the sale, but that doesn't always happen.  I fyou stay alert, you may be able to find a quick sale of these with very limited units.

 

[Mookalafalas]

An eBay seller has them for $345...$46 isn't that much, but it stings, when not an hour ago I thought I had them in my hands at $299.  I hate to jump into something.  I was actually contemplating both these and the Senn 700s, which also just had a huge price drop.  Curses! I don't like having the rug pulled out from under me like this.

 

[Crimguy]

I had the same problem, i.e. I had them in my cart and was caressing the checkout button. Woke up the next morning and saw they were back to $499.

I found another seller who still had them at $299 and bought them immediately! Didn't want to live a life of regrets

Sadly, I can't afford a headphone amp for about a month, so I hope my Marantz receiver can sufficiently power them for the time being.

 

[Mookalafalas]

So...does your dealer have any more?  Not looking forward to being dogged with regrets myself
 
   Razordog has a couple at decent prices, but they are not new ones...

 

[Crimguy]

Afraid not. He's brought his price in line now as well. He's one of the amazon 3rd party sellers, who all seem to be selling the 409i for $475 now.

So...does your dealer have any more?  Not looking forward to being dogged with regrets myself

   Razordog has a couple at decent prices, but they are not new ones...

 

[swspiers]

Always check the classifieds: http://www.head-fi.org/t/793110/brand-new-hifiman-he-400i-free-priority-shipping

 

[Mookalafalas]

Thanks for the info. Just made contact...

 

[Sharkhunter]

bought a hifiman he400i from amazon [hifiman] for 299. Got it last week. It has couple of nicks on the headband and the plastic earcup. now i have asked hifiman for a replacement. But seems like they dont ship out a replacement until they receive the faulty one. Now the waiting game starts.
 
I miss amazon and the way they send out replacements immediately without the whole return game.

 

[EinZweiDrei]

Gonna test my 400i out of my valhalla 2 and compare them to my senns tonight. I know it's not fair and its going to run senns better but im still curious.

 

[nokialover]

So I have some problems with my he400i.  The earcups seem to be really stiff and do not seem to move easily.  When I take it off my head, the earphones stay slanted and I have to physically move them.  Then the next problem is that one of the grille that covers the drivers moves around when I touch it, and now I need to find a better amp as the Sony UDA-1 does not seem to be able to keep up with the he-400i.  Looks like I might end up returning these headphones.  

 

[fjrabon]

  So I have some problems with my he400i.  The earcups seem to be really stiff and do not seem to move easily.  When I take it off my head, the earphones stay slanted and I have to physically move them.  Then the next problem is that one of the grille that covers the drivers moves around when I touch it, and now I need to find a better amp as the Sony UDA-1 does not seem to be able to keep up with the he-400i.  Looks like I might end up returning these headphones.  

1) that seems to go away with usage.  I wish HiFiMan would simply work these out a bit before they send them out, but, they don't so some are stiff until you use them a bit.  I agree it's annoying, but it does seem to go away.  Mine were never that stiff, but they do swivel much more easily now than when I first got them.
2) Yes, the grills will move.  HiFiMan makes it so that they are easily replaceable/moddable.  Them moving a bit is sort of the tradeoff there.  They're only held on by that tiny plastic ring.  You can feel free to super glue them in place if it bothers you, but it doesn't cause any issue other than "feeling off"
3) Hmm, yeah, the HE400i is a *strange* headphone to amp, as some lower powered amps are fine with it, and some medium power amps have trouble with it.  It is ****extremely*** current hungry, so it tends to work best with lower output impedance amps, and amps that use current feedback regulation (as opposed to voltage feedback).  
 
An example of this is that I could never adequately power my HD650 with my iPhone, yet I can power the HE400i perfectly fine with my iPhone.  But in reverse, the AudioEngine D1 powered my HD650 perfectly adequately, but struggled to power the HE400i, becoming a muddled mess when I pushed it past quiet volumes.  

 

[nokialover]

 
1) that seems to go away with usage.  I wish HiFiMan would simply work these out a bit before they send them out, but, they don't so some are stiff until you use them a bit.  I agree it's annoying, but it does seem to go away.  Mine were never that stiff, but they do swivel much more easily now than when I first got them.
2) Yes, the grills will move.  HiFiMan makes it so that they are easily replaceable/moddable.  Them moving a bit is sort of the tradeoff there.  They're only held on by that tiny plastic ring.  You can feel free to super glue them in place if it bothers you, but it doesn't cause any issue other than "feeling off"
3) Hmm, yeah, the HE400i is a *strange* headphone to amp, as some lower powered amps are fine with it, and some medium power amps have trouble with it.  It is ****extremely*** current hungry, so it tends to work best with lower output impedance amps, and amps that use current feedback regulation (as opposed to voltage feedback).  
 
An example of this is that I could never adequately power my HD650 with my iPhone, yet I can power the HE400i perfectly fine with my iPhone.  But in reverse, the AudioEngine D1 powered my HD650 perfectly adequately, but struggled to power the HE400i, becoming a muddled mess when I pushed it past quiet volumes.  

I'm trying to decide if I should keep these headphones and get the shure se846 or buy the audeze LCD-2 and get the shures at a later date.  Such a challenging decision!  

 

[EinZweiDrei]

1) that seems to go away with usage.  I wish HiFiMan would simply work these out a bit before they send them out, but, they don't so some are stiff until you use them a bit.  I agree it's annoying, but it does seem to go away.  Mine were never that stiff, but they do swivel much more easily now than when I first got them.
2) Yes, the grills will move.  HiFiMan makes it so that they are easily replaceable/moddable.  Them moving a bit is sort of the tradeoff there.  They're only held on by that tiny plastic ring.  You can feel free to super glue them in place if it bothers you, but it doesn't cause any issue other than "feeling off"
3) Hmm, yeah, the HE400i is a *strange* headphone to amp, as some lower powered amps are fine with it, and some medium power amps have trouble with it.  It is ****extremely*** current hungry, so it tends to work best with lower output impedance amps, and amps that use current feedback regulation (as opposed to voltage feedback).  

An example of this is that I could never adequately power my HD650 with my iPhone, yet I can power the HE400i perfectly fine with my iPhone.  But in reverse, the AudioEngine D1 powered my HD650 perfectly adequately, but struggled to power the HE400i, becoming a muddled mess when I pushed it past quiet volumes.  

Some amps dumps more mW into higher Ω and others into lower Ω. I always find amps strange in general.

 

[ChesterYonany]

  I'm trying to decide if I should keep these headphones and get the shure se846 or buy the audeze LCD-2 and get the shures at a later date.  Such a challenging decision!  

since you want the Shure anyway i would say keep the 400i and get the 846.
then try the LCD2 because some people actually prefer the 400i over the Audeze.
the real battle is between the 400i and LCD2